10 Serious Moments In Movies That Ended Up Just Being Funny

Summary

• Funny scenes in serious movies can balance the drama but may undermine the intended impact.
• Unintentionally humorous moments sometimes result from poorly executed character deaths or backstories.
• Some iconic movies include scenes that were meant to be serious but failed, leading to mockery and laughter.

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Certain movies include scenes that were clearly intended to be serious moments in the story, but unintentionally came across as hilarious. Funny moments in otherwise serious movies can benefit the finished product, breaking up the drama and danger for a more balanced viewing experience. However, when the narrative is dependent on a character having a tragic backstory or a compelling death, the audience should have a solemn response. Yet in some cases, most likely due to an oversight in the filmmaking process, the scene became a longstanding joke.

Maybe a character backstory or a death scene was just too wild for it to have an emotional impact. Maybe the scene is associated with a poorly written story element, or its execution was always embarrassing. More often than not, a funny scene that was supposed to be serious undermines the movie’s success. Overall, these cases demonstrate a poor understanding of the story and tone on the filmmakers’ part, seeing as how they didn’t succeed in conveying what they wanted to the audience.

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10 Darth Vader’s “No”

Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith (2005)

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Star Wars fans are still upset about many things in Revenge of the Sith, but Anakin being corrupted too easily, leading to a tacky display of grief over Padmé’s death is at the forefront. Padmé was previously a relatively interesting and inspirational character: a compassionate and intelligent politician from a young age, who falls in love with Jedi and tries to find a way to reconcile their duties and desires. Yet Star Wars gives Padmé a cringe-worthy, undeserved death; she “loses the will to live” and dies from no apparent cause because the story needs to write her out before the original trilogy begins.

However, even the awkwardness of Padmé’s death pales in comparison to her husband’s reaction when he learns of it. Darth Vader shouting “Noooo!” is such a fake-feeling illustration of his grief that it was always an unfortunately humorous scene. This moment’s biggest contribution to Star Wars ended up being another way for the fandom to express their dislike of the prequels, holding up the original trilogy as a masterpiece that can never be matched.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
PG-13
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi
Fantasy

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Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is the sixth film in the Star Wars franchise and chronologically the third in the Skywalker Saga. Set three years after the events of Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker is tasked with keeping an eye on Chancellor Palpatine while other Jedi battle across the galaxy. In the background, however, a mysterious Sith lord begins to make their move to destroy the Jedi once and for all.

Director George Lucas Release Date May 19, 2005 Cast Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Hayden Christensen , Ian McDiarmid , Samuel L. Jackson , Christopher Lee , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Frank Oz , Ahmed Best , Temuera Morrison Runtime 140 Minutes

9 The “Martha” Scene

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)

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The scene of the contrived battle between Batman and Superman which ends as quickly as it began with a random coincidence lives on as one of the most mocked parts of the superhero movie that received overwhelmingly bad reviews. Likely trying to capitalize on the Captain America: Civil War marketing, the DCEU worked fast to create a movie featuring a face-off between its two main superheroes. In the final act, Lex Luthor kidnaps Clark Kent’s mother Martha to blackmail him into fighting Batman.

Superman then does actually fight Batman, before trying to tell him that Martha is in danger, which he could have just done in the first place.

Superman then does actually fight Batman, before trying to tell him that Martha is in danger, which he could have just done in the first place. The moment is meant to establish some connection between the two, as Bruce Wayne’s mother was also named Martha. Zack Snyder’s explanation of the “Martha” scene perhaps gives it some legitimacy, but its execution is still very contrived, based around a completely unnecessary fight.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
PG-13
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi

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In this high-action film by Zack Snyder, the two DC superheroes face off against one another in a conflict spurred on by the villainous Lex Luthor. The film also features WonderWoman playing a role in the fight against Doomsday and other villains from beyond the Earth. As the world’s two most powerful superheroes prepare to destroy each other, an unexpected commonality brings them together to defeat their real enemy.

Director Zack Snyder Release Date March 24, 2016 Cast Ben Affleck , Henry Cavill , Amy Adams , Jesse Eisenberg , Diane Lane , Laurence Fishburne , Jeremy Irons , Holly Hunter , Gal Gadot Runtime 152 minutes

8 Talia al Ghul’s Death

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

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Talia al Ghul’s character in The Dark Knight Rises is generally disliked, associated with a ham-fisted villain twist. This is symptomatic of the movie’s overall weaknesses and plot holes, and it is generally considered the worst installment in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Talia’s ultimate death as she tries to finish her father’s mission to destroy Gotham is only the awkward conclusion to what is a weak storyline from start to finish.

Marion Collitard is an Oscar-winning actress, and yet her performance in this scene is clumsy and doesn’t live up to the spectacular villains of the Batman canon. Talia delivers what is probably supposed to be a dramatic villain speech from an antagonist willing to die for what she is doing. However, it lacks the theatrics and charisma needed to make this concept work. The awkward position she is in is partially to blame, dying in the driver’s seat of a crashed truck. She also closes her eyes oddly quickly when she dies, ending the character’s life on a weirdly comedic note.

The Dark Knight Rises
13+
Action
Superhero
Drama
Thriller
Crime
Sci-Fi

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The Dark Knight Rises is the final chapter in the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, with Christian Bale donning the cape and cowl once more to save Gotham City from certain destruction. Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Batman has left the public eye after taking the fall for the crimes committed by a twisted Harvey Dent. However, he is called back into action when a mysterious villain named Bane arrives to bring disorder to Gotham, forcing him to confront deeper, darker recesses of his past to be able to face a challenge he may not be ready for.

Director Christopher Nolan Release Date August 16, 2012 Cast Christian Bale , Anne Hathaway , Michael Caine , Gary Oldman Runtime 2h 45m

7 Edward Saying Jacob Imprinted On Renesmee

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 (2011)

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The problem of Twilight’s imprinting concept hasn’t gotten any better in the years since the movie franchise ended and presents one of the biggest issues for the Twilight TV series remake to resolve. All the Twilight movies and books take it completely seriously, resulting in the worst moments of the series. Bella attacking Jacob after discovering he has imprinted on Renesmee was probably written to have some humorous undertones; although, this still isn’t great, as Bella has good reason to be angry about the situation.

After Jacob sees Renesmee for the first time and uses their instant connection to call off Sam’s pack’s attack on the Cullens, it falls upon Edward to explain to everyone else what is going on. The scene is supposed to be momentous, with Edward establishing a new dynamic and the wolves backing down in accordance with one of their most important laws. Of course, the whole thing is just cringey, and Edward is as displeased as anyone about his newborn daughter now being the pre-determined soul mate of an adult man.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
PG-13
Drama
Fantasy
Romance

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The fourth film in the Twilight film franchise, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, sets up the finale for the adaptation of the popular book series. Following the wedding of Edward and Bella, the two are soon with child, but its unnatural rate of growth begins to threaten Bella’s life, as well as strike fear into the hearts of the wolves. However, a greater threat marches ever closer for the residents of Forks.

Director Bill Condon Release Date November 18, 2011 Cast Kristen Stewart , Robert Pattinson , Taylor Lautner , Billy Burke , Peter Facinelli , Elizabeth Reaser , Kellan Lutz , Nikki Reed , Jackson Rathbone , Ashley Greene Runtime 117 Minutes

6 Peeta’s Cake Decorating Skills

The Hunger Games (2012)

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Granted, the plot detail of Peeta being an expert at camouflage is something from the Hunger Games books. The idea that Peeta being the usual cake decorator for his family’s bakery translates into the ability to disguise himself as elements of the forest environment raises some eyebrows. After the Hunger Games, Peeta also uses these skills to become a painter, which is somewhat more plausible; it is believable that he has a steady hand and a good eye for color combinations.

Yet first, this plot stipulation results in the goofy scene where Katniss finds Peeta hiding in a river bank, having used mud and plants to embed himself in the rocks. This might have been easier to accept with the book when the audience wasn’t actually seeing it take place. However, besides just looking silly, Peeta’s camouflage was obviously accomplished by a makeup team with far more experience and supplies; not a severely injured baker with nothing but what he can find in the forest.

The Hunger Games
PG-13
Thriller
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi

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The Hunger Games is the first of four in the action-drama movie series based on the novels by Suzanne Collins. Set in a dystopian world where people are separated into twelve districts to maintain order, this first film in the franchise focuses on Katniss Everdeen as she is forced to participate in The Hunger Games: a draconian gladiatorial survival event where there can be only one winner.

Director Gary Ross Release Date March 12, 2012 Cast Liam Hemsworth , Jeffrey Wright , Natalie Dormer , Josh Hutcherson , Julianne Moore , Elizabeth Banks , Robert Knepper , Donald Sutherland , Woody Harrelson , Jennifer Lawrence , Jena Malone , Philip Seymour Hoffman Runtime 142 minutes

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5 Brad Pitt Is Hit By A Car

Meet Joe Black (1998)

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The romantic drama starring Brad Pitt is remembered primarily for its utterly impossibly inciting incident, which is still a hilarious death scene. The protagonist is having a standard, blushing romantic moment with his love interest before they part ways. A wistfully romantic score accompanies them walking in opposite directions and both stopping to look back at each other multiple times. Taken out of the context of the rest of the movie, the scene plays out like the beginning of the most shamelessly clichéd rom-com ever.

However, after the woman is out of sight, the man is struck by one car, sent flying through the air, and hits another car in a stunt that looks too unlikely to be completely realistic. This is only the set-up for Meet Joe Black, which is actually about the personification of death inhabiting this man’s body and falling in love with the woman he met on the last day of his life. However, again, this wacky scene is the part that people remember most, constituting perfect material for GIFs and memes.

Meet Joe Black
PG-13
Drama
Fantasy
Romance

Meet Joe Black is a fantasy romance film directed by Martin Brest, starring Brad Pitt as Joe Black and Anthony Hopkins as media mogul William Parrish. The film explores the bonds of family and life, as Parrish faces his own mortality with the unexpected arrival of Death, personified as Joe Black, who takes an interest in his daughter Susan, played by Claire Forlani.

Director Martin Brest Release Date November 13, 1998 Cast Brad Pitt , Anthony Hopkins , Claire Forlani , Jake Weber , Marcia Gay Harden , Jeffrey Tambor , David S. Howard , Lois Kelly-Miller Runtime 178 Minutes

4 Phoebe Cates’ Tragic Christmas Story

Gremlins (1984)

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Kate’s explanation of why she hates Christmas is still a widely discussed scene, perhaps because it is so strange that people are still trying to make sense of it. The classic scene from Gremlins was almost cut because it was so confusing. To recap, while they are running around town trying to reign in the gremlin outbreak, the group pauses and Kate tells Billy that she hates Christmas because of how her father died: He disappeared around Christmas and was found later in her family’s chimney dressed as Santa Claus, with a broken neck.

“And that’s how I found out there was no Santa Claus,” is Kate’s famous, morbid conclusion to the story. The scene has come to be regarded as weird comedy, perhaps because it is such a startling departure from the narrative and just a crazy thing to happen. Other movies have blended the holidays with horror, but Phoebe Cates’ monologue forgoes all subtlety in this regard. Cates’ co-star Zach Galligan commented on how the studio wanted to cut it (via Yahoo Entertainment):

“The studio was like, ‘What is this?’ Some people were like, ‘Is this real? Is this a joke? Is this supposed to be funny?’ […] And basically [Joe Dante] had final cut and when it came time to leave it in or take it out, he just decided, ‘You know what? I’m making an executive decision and I’m leaving it in.’”

As it turns out, a humorous interpretation was this scene’s ultimate fate.

Gremlins
PG
Comedy
Fantasy
Horror

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When a father gives his son Billy a magical creature known as a Mogwai as a gift, the boy is given strict rules to follow regarding its care. When a lapse in judgment creates the mischievous Gremlins – creatures intent on destruction that threaten to ruin Christmas for the entire town of Kingston Falls – it’s up to Billy and his Mogwai companion Gizmo to save the town from the army of little monsters.

Director Joe Dante Release Date June 7, 1984 Cast Phoebe Cates , Corey Feldman , Zach Galligan , Hoyt Axton , Polly Holliday , Howie Mandel Runtime 106 minutes

3 Edward Malus’ Death

The Wicker Man (2006)

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The Wicker Man, a remake of the 1973 movie of the same name, is notorious for its many ludicrous scenes that are rendered bad-comedy fodder by Nicolas Cage’s performance. The culmination of this The Wicker Man’s ending, when Edward Malus is tricked into being a ritual sacrifice when he believed he was saving his long-lost daughter from this fate. Malus then has his legs broken, is tortured with bees, and is burned to death.

This might have constituted a disturbing scene, as these are objectively horrible things to inflict on a person. However, Cage’s performance comes across like a cartoon torture sequence that isn’t meant to be taken seriously. His comical reactions turn the last scene into a bizarre conclusion to a remake that never stood a chance. However, Phoebe-Jane Boyd suggests (via Den of Geek) that the original has the same problem of being characterized by “scenes that are unintentionally hilarious.”

The Wicker Man (2006)
PG-13
Horror
Mystery
Thriller

The Wicker Man is a horror thriller directed by Neil LaBute, starring Nicolas Cage as Edward Woodward, a police officer who travels to a remote island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. As he delves deeper into the mystery, he uncovers a sinister plot involving a pagan cult.

Director Neil LaBute Release Date August 31, 2006 Cast Nicolas Cage , Ellen Burstyn , Kate Beahan , Frances Conroy , Molly Parker Runtime 102 Minutes

2 “Somehow, Palpatine Has Returned”

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

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The very phrase from the last movie of the Skywalker Saga provokes laughter and groans. It illustrates how the franchise needed to contrive a villain at the last minute after Snoke’s death and Kylo Ren became too sympathetic of a character. The Rise of Skywalker is doubtlessly one of the worst Star Wars movies; one of its biggest weaknesses is this massive contrivance that no one wanted.

The movie also doesn’t execute Palapatine’s return in a way that would give it any meaning.

The movie also doesn’t execute Palapatine’s return in a way that would give it any meaning. It just establishes these conditions in the opening scroll, with a few terrible lines of dialogue thrown in afterward. The obvious lack of an overall plan in the Star Wars sequel trilogy comes to a head with its final installment, where the story retcons things from the previous movie and ill-advised, last-minute plot twists dominate the plot. In fact, laughing at Palpatine in the final installment is a best-case scenario, when fans could just be devastated by how far Star Wars has fallen.

Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker
PG-13
Action
Adventure
Fantasy
Sci-Fi

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This is the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and serves as the culmination of the Skywalker saga. The film sees Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe (Oscar Isaac), and Finn (John Boyega) team up to put an end to the First Order after Palpatine mysteriously returns. Jurassic World helmsman Colin Trevorrow was originally named director back in 2015 when the film first entered development, but he parted ways with Lucasfilm due to creative differences over the script. In September 2017, Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams signed on to finish what he started.

Director J.J. Abrams Release Date December 20, 2019 Cast Carrie Fisher , Oscar Isaac , Anthony Daniels , Joonas Suotamo , Mark Hamill , Adam Driver , Ian McDiarmid , Kelly Marie Tran , Billie Lourd , Keri Russell , Richard E. Grant , Daisy Ridley , Lupita Nyong’o , Dominic Monaghan , John Boyega , Domhnall Gleeson , Billy Dee Williams , Naomi Ackie Runtime 142 minutes

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1 The Matrix Rave Dance

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

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The Zion dance scene is still one of the worst moments of the Matrix franchise, representing a startling departure from the story’s standard tone with a lot of sexual imagery. The scene was divisive at the time of The Matrix Reloaded’s release and hasn’t made any surprise comebacks in the past 20 years. For a few minutes, the movie takes a break from its cyberpunk adventure to show Morpheus shouting a lot of preachy but meaningless comments, resulting in an impromptu dance party with rave music for its soundtrack, broken up with cuts to Neo and Trinity in bed together.

It’s a bizarre change of pace which leaves the viewer with some redundant questions: “What point is Morpheus trying to make here? Did rave music survive the apocalypse?”The idea of a scene showing Zion’s population living joyfully in the face of an oncoming fight is valid, but it could have been executed better. Therefore, this became another archetypical example of a scene that was intended to be serious but is so strange and cringey that people’s only response is to laugh out loud.

The Matrix Reloaded
R
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi

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Director Lana Wachowski , Lilly Wachowski Release Date May 15, 2003 Cast Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving , Jada Pinkett Smith , Gloria Foster Runtime 138 Minutes

Source: Yahoo Entertainment, Den of Geek

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Category: Entertainment