Top 10 Timeless Movie Gags

The likes of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin perfected the art of falling down back in the silent movie era. Since then, audiences still get a kick out of a good, old-fashioned pratfall. Of course there are numerous different variations on the falling down gag. A character can collapse in a chair, plummet down a hole, or topple over after having one too many drinks. Falling down may seem like a simplistic movie gag and to some extent it is. However, it also requires a certain level of wit and timing to make people roll in the aisles.

Seeing somebody take a punch to the face can be really funny, but such physical comedy loses its impact if the audience sees the outcome coming from a mile away. If a character misses his or her target, though, he or she’ll take everybody by surprise and ultimately merit a bigger laugh. This could result in the character accidentally hitting a hard object, and could lead him or her to strike the wrong person, causing harm to an unsuspecting bystander. As long as we’re caught off guard, this gag is almost certain to pack a punch.

Well, this is awkward. Whenever a character is outside and scantily clad, you can bet he or she isn’t going to hold onto his or her towel or bathrobe for very long. The character is bound to get his or her clothing caught in a door and hijinks will ensue. In some cases, a character will be forced to tear off an article of clothing to avoid danger. In other cases, a character won’t even think to remove his or her clothing and get dragged along for the ride. Whenever clothing becomes stuck, however, it’ll undoubtedly lead to a sticky situation.

The short-tempered boss almost always provides a great source of comedy. This archetype comes in a wide range of packages, from police chiefs, to newspaper editors, to Hollywood big shots. No matter what the variation, it’s in the hotheaded boss’ nature to spout off directives and insults at a mile a minute, scoring the film’s funniest one-liners. Assuming that the movie is rated R, several four-letter words will also likely be in the boss’ repertoire. Never too far away from the short-tempered boss is his or her overworked assistant, who is also likely to get in on the laughs.

Who says that comedy can’t be found in dramatic irony? Under these circumstances, two characters will talk about something, but neither will be discussing the same subject. Although nobody in the room is on the same wavelength, somehow every response manages to match up. Only the audience knows exactly what’s up. It’s often hysterical watching two people carry on such a misunderstood conversation, leaving us wondering how long they can keep the dialogue going until someone wises up. Once the truth finally does come out, it goes to show that there’s a fine line between listening and understanding.

Keeping your mouth shut isn’t as easy as it sounds. In this classic setup, one or more characters attempt to maintain a low profile. As hard as they try to be quiet, however, they just can’t restrain themselves from laughing, burping, or making some sort of distracting noise. Heck, sometimes they don’t even realize just how loud they’re being. Occasionally the character can save face before arousing too much suspicion, but usually everything will come tumbling down.

Some things are far too mean to say to a person’s face. That doesn’t mean you should say it behind his or her back, though. After all, you never know when the wrong person may be standing right behind you. It’s one of the oldest gags in the book, but there’s always a clever new spin a writer can put on it. For example, instead of simply mocking someone, why not perform a whole musical number? A grander insult will mean a grander laugh when the oblivious character turns around to find the last person he or she wanted to see.

If you ever want to lighten the mood after a serious moment, the walked-into-a-closet gag is known to put a smile on anyone’s face. This will typically occur as two characters engage in a squabble and one of them reaches his or her breaking point. Unable to look at the other party member any longer, they storm off through what appears to be an exit. In reality, however, they’ve actually wandered into a closet by mistake. After that, whatever dramatic effect their departure might have had is substituted by laughter.

Some scenes are so priceless that you want to slow them down to savor the moment. No matter how many times we see the slow-mo gag, it always manages to crack us up. Slow motion is at its funniest when a character is suffering great physical pain, whether he or she is enduring a car crash, getting shot, or blowing up. This allows us to see all of the suffering in great detail, elevating the scene to another level of hilarity. It also never hurts to throw in a drawn-out “NOOOO” for good measure.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
Wrong Name
Obsessed with Hat
Bad Dancing
Walking into a Wall / Door
Sex Talk

The bad disguise is a gag so timeless that it’s practically an antique. Whether it’s a man dressing as a woman, a woman dressing as a man, or two people stacked on top of each other in a trench coat, bad disguises can make leeway for various comedic possibilities. The more effortless and outlandish the disguise is, the greater the laugh. Although everybody in the audience can see through these paper-thin getups, the people on screen are inexplicably taken for complete fools. That only adds to the comedy, though, leading to even more shenanigans.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite timeless movie gag? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.