Top 10 Comedic Slaps in Movies

Sometimes a person asks a question that’s so stupid, you just want to slap them across the face for not knowing the obvious answer. In this scene from “RocknRolla,” witless henchman Bandy opens his foolish mouth one too many times. Frustrated, Archy orders Danny to teach him a lesson. Danny isn’t that experienced in the slapping department, though. After three failed attempts, Archy steps up to the plate and shows him how it’s done, reminding us to always perform a proper slap with the back of your right hand.

At some point, every woman has likely fought with her mother-in-law. It’s never a good sign if you start to experience such animosity before the wedding, however. When Charlie’s soon-to-be monster-in-law shows up to the ceremony in a white dress, it’s the last straw. The ladies unleash their pent-up rage as a poking match evolves into a slapping match. Charlie quickly apologizes, but Viola wants to have it out. Given everything Charlie puts up with in this 2005 comedy, we can’t blame her for socking it to mommy dearest.

Captain Jack Sparrow can be quite the charmer. He can also be quite the scoundrel. Upon arriving in Tortuga, the ladies’ man is given a severe greeting from two local women. Jack isn’t sure if one of the slaps is warranted while the other is up for debate, but the big smack Anamaria gives him later on is most definitely deserved. We never learn exactly what Jack has done to antagonize most of these women. Being a crook, a backstabber, and a pirate of the Caribbean, we can only imagine.

As Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” trilogy went on, the films only got gorier, funnier, and more ridiculous. “Army of Darkness” has all the makings of a live-action cartoon, as exemplified in this scene. After botching the magic words, Ash is greeted by a legion of skeleton minions from underground. What ensues is a comedy routine that’s as hilarious as it is creepy. Held down, Ash is fish hooked, punched, and slapped repeatedly. It’s less “Jason and the Argonauts” and more “Three Stooges,” who you might see later on this list.

Given their resemblance, it was only natural for Charlie Chaplin to parody Adolf Hitler. As Adenoid Hynkel in “The Great Dictator,” Chaplin creates a clownish tyrant who isn’t nearly as threatening as he wishes. Hynkel is only made to appear sillier through his bumbling Minster of War, Herring. Every time Herring screws up, Tomainia’s fearless leader firmly slaps him and strips the oaf of his many medals. When Hynkel runs out of medals, he starts yanking off buttons. How Herring got any medals at all remains a mystery. And then comes the slap.

With every “Three Stooges” routine, you can count on seeing a great deal of eye-poking, head-bopping, and face-slapping. Whether it’s Moe slapping Curly, Moe slapping Larry, Larry slapping Curly, Moe slapping his two fellow stooges, or an outside party slapping all three of them, these guys are no strangers to comedic violence. It was too hard for us to pick just one, so here’re a few for your viewing pleasure. While the Farrelly Brothers’ 2012 “Three Stooges” movie received mixed reviews, it still did a solid job at recreating their brand of humor, amounting to a 92-minute slapathon. It’s a slapstick comedy in the purest sense, so is worth a mention as well.

Ben Stiller and a monkey slapping each other might sound immature and lowbrow, but there’s no denying that this scene from “Night at the Museum” is also hysterical. Fed up with Dexter the capuchin monkey, Stiller’s Larry gives into his inner-Neanderthal and slaps him. Dexter strikes right back with his tiny hand, resulting in a slap fest between the two primates. The loud smacking sounds and rapid speed of the back-and-forth slapping add to the humor, making for some laugh-out-loud monkey business. At least Stiller didn’t spank the monkey.

Slapstick is just as much about wit and timing as it is about buffoonery. This exchange between the Sheriff of Rottingham and Robin Hood from Mel Brooks’ 1993 satire is a fine example. Slapping Robin with his glove, the cocky sheriff challenges him to a duel. As Robin picks up a metal gauntlet, we anticipate him to put it on and slap back. Instead, he bluntly whacks the sheriff with the armor and confidently accepts. It goes to show that the more unexpected the blow is, the harder you’ll laugh.

Some people might use an all-powerful universal remote to solve the world’s problems. In “Click,” Adam Sandler uses it to get revenge on his boss instead. Learning that Mr. Ammer is putting his promotion on hold, Sandler’s Michael pauses time and slaps his employer’s frozen, grinning face with all his might. Mr. Ammer isn’t sure why, but he has a massive headache after Michael unfreezes time. Michael follows up the slap in the face with a fart in the face. If only we could all do this to our bosses.

Before we slap our top pick across the face, here are a few honorable mentions:
- I Had to Stop Her Screaming
“Clue” (1985)
- Mrs. Peacock Was a Man?
“Clue” (1985)
- Could You Stay Out of This, Please?
“Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992)
- Told Ya I’d Tag You Back
“Tropic Thunder” (2008)
- You’re Both Selfish Assholes
“The First Wives Club” (1996)
- Vewy Woughly
“Monty Python’s Life of Brian” (1979)

One of the most familiar scenes in any disaster movie is when a person starts to panic and gets slapped in response. “Airplane” satirizes this overused cliché to perfection as one of the passengers loses it. Virtually everyone on board lines up to shake and slap some sense into the panicked woman, equipped with boxing gloves, pipes, firearms, baseball bats, and whips. An ingenious mix of visual and written humor, this scene will make a person laugh so hard that they’ll need somebody else to slap them out of it.

Do you agree with our list? What movie slap left you in stiches? For more slaptastic Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.