Friday Faves: Movie Clips Edition

I had a ridiculous amount of fun putting this post together, so thank you, to anyone who might read and watch! As always with “Friday Faves,” the caveat is that it’s crazy hard to pick a limited number of scenes out of the whole body of film on the planet. There are 13 total. It’s skewed towards comedy. This list doesn’t include classics like Casablanca or Gone with the Wind, or anything by Hitchcock or in another language. It’s my quirky list of quirky picks, and probably if I did this a month from now, there’d be a few different ones in there. So, just treat it for what it is.

That said, I absolutely want to hear/see some of your favorite scenes, so please jump on the comments and pipe in. This is the stuff of life!

Megamind (2010, PG)

First off we have the animated movie Megamind, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Just take a gander at the voice actors here and tell me you won’t laugh: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, Justin Theroux and David Cross. I don’t think this movie got a whole lot of hype at the time, but it has become one of my favorite light-hearted, spoofy, animated comedies of all time. It’s the spoof of the traditional villain, hero, sidekick thing… that’s what really makes it for me.

The scene below is an exchange between Megamind (Will Ferrell) and his best friend and sidekick Minion (David Cross). These two are absolutely adorable, and at this point in the film (near the end), they’ve been through a lot together! Check it out.

[Length: 1 minute, 17 seconds]

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007, PG-13)

Now we get serious. Insanely inspirational. And slightly sexy.

It’s 1588. Think British monarch, Spanish Armada, clashing faiths, love, political intrigue, war. Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) is eloquently reporting his findings on exploring the “New World” to her majesty Queen Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett). I’ve always felt this to be one of the most beautiful and pure descriptions of the journey of hope. Clive Owen kills this scene. The connection between he and Cate Blanchett is palpable. I think I connected so much this scene because when I first watched it, I was struggling with hope. This put some wind in my dead sail and reminded me about passion and adventure. Also, if you just imagine you’re reading the monologue on a page, it’s beautifully written. “That, your majesty, is the New World.”

[Fast forward to 1 minute, 28 seconds to start. Stop at 4 minutes, 2 seconds]

Good Will Hunting (1997, R)

I’ve clearly got a thing for best friends. In this movie they’re Will and Chuckie. We know them as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. They live in South Boston and get by. Will also happens to be a genius and winds up dating Skylar, a Harvard chick (Minnie Driver). Matt and Ben wrote the scrip together. This was their break-out movie. The absolutely killed it. They won two Oscars. It was epic. And let’s not forget Robin Williams. He made (not in the production sense) this film and it was hard not to pick a scene with him in it—he’s got some really powerful ones in this film. (Think the “It’s not your fault” scene. It will break you.)

The BFF scene though is pure love. It’s gritty, real, emotional, full of F-bombs, and just A plus. We all need that friend who calls us out to be better. This is the epitome of that in my book.

[Length: 3 minutes, 18 seconds]

There’s a pretty insightful review by Stephen-12 on IMDB. He says:

I don't know whether Matt and Ben have ever been in therapy, but they certainly understand a lot about the human psyche, how it ducks responsibility, and pushes blame onto others, how it dismisses the real gifts it has and concentrates on running itself down. How many of us suffer from the same problems as Will? Only those who deny their own vulnerability will remain unaffected by this film.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007, PG-13)

Harry just had his first kiss ever. With Cho. It was cute and awkward and all coming-of-agey, and did I mention awkward? In the very next scene (here below), he’s discussing it with his besties, Ron and Hermione, and it is too cute for words. Harry mentions that Cho had been crying during the kiss. Ron jokes that it was Harry’s fault for being a poor snogger. Hermione interjects with a quick little run-down of Cho’s probable feelings. Girls know shit. They’re intuitive and empathetic. Hermione may be a matter-of-fact book-worm, but she’s still a girl (and Ron and Harry doofball teenage boys). And never was this difference so clear and poignant in all their friendship, then right here. Listen to Ron’s reply to Hermione, and better, Hermione’s retort. It’s the quote board quote of all quote boards. It’s applicable to relationships, marriage, life.

Long-term effects: This quote still comes to mind once in a while when a guy (adult male) is… shall we say… a bit dense in a particular moment. Ladies, watch this, and you’re welcome. Gents, watch and learn. (And sorry, for throwing you under the bus here gents; many of you do not fit this stereotype.)

[Length: 1 minute, 28 seconds]

Casino Royale (2006, PG-13)

The number of times I rewound and watched this scene is frankly embarrassing. This has to be the flirtiest, most intelligent and challenging banter… yes, I’ll say it… EVER! I adore this scene. It will always be on my tippity-top of the list. Daniel Craig as James Bond is HOT. And it’s hard not to have a girl crush on Eva Green’s character Vesper Lynd. They’re on a train headed to Montenegro. Sexy. They’re meeting for the first time in a dinner car. Classy. They’re dressed to kill. He’s a MI6 agent and she’s a British Treasury officer. They’re smart as hell. They’re holding their cards close.

And can I just say… Bond’s smirk at the end of the scene (4:05-4:08)? Just pause there a moment and swoon. I do. Every. Single. Time. Damn!

[Length: 4 minutes, 9 seconds]

Dead Poet’s Society (1989, PG)

You can’t not love this film. Once again, we have Robin Williams, this time as Professor Keating. But, he’s not really the focus here; his students are. A young Ethan Hawke plays Todd Anderson—the shy kid who bust out of his shell under Keating’s tutelage. The requisite kid with swagger is Knox Overstreet, played by Josh Charles, and the most tragic character is Neil Perry, played by Robert Sean Leonard. Keating gets sacked for his unorthodox teaching methods, and his students are broken-hearted to lose their teacher, mentor and friend. This scene sums up their transformation from kids to men exercising their new-found freedom.

[Length: 3 minutes, 35 seconds]

Hidden Figures (2016, PG)

If you’ve noticed, I haven’t really made a movie recommendation yet. Not overtly. I’ve sung some praises and fawned over certain scenes. This movie changes that. If you have not seen this film, I implore you to watch it. Got it? If you haven’t seen it, skip the YouTube clip below and move on down to the next one. Go watch this film. I repeat. Watch. This. Film. And know that it is based on a true story. Real people. Real moments in time.

For those who have seen it, you’ll likely remember the part of the movie just from the image below. The actress is Taraji P. Henson, aka genius Katherine Gobels Johnson. She’s been invited in to calculate her ass off with the big boys at NASA (aka white man club) to launch and return a man from the moon. In this scene, Kevin Costner as Al Harrison, is publicly grilling her about her long absences from her desk. It turns out Katherine has a bit to say. And she says it with all the weight of the injustice of all the females of color of all the world.

[Length: 1 minutes, 55 seconds]

17 Again (2009, PG-13)

This movie is silly, yes. Silly and I love it. It’s got Zac Efron as a teenager (and he’s adorbs) and Chandler from friends (I suppose I should say his real name is Matthew Perry and he plays Mike O’Donnell). In this scene, however, we’ve got Thomas Lennon as Ned Gold—aka my favorite character in the whole movie. He’s chatting it up at dinner with Melora Harden, his fake son’s real high school principal, Jane Masterson. Ned is a gem. He’s rich AF, he’s a giant nerd, and he has a huge heart for his best friend Mike O’Donnell.

Long-term effects: Any time I’m out to dinner and a bottle of wine is ordered, this scene plays out in my head and I have trouble keeping it together.

[Length: 2 minutes, 45 seconds]

I can’t leave you without mentioning my second favorite scene in this movie. Please watch this scene: a grown man slash teenage boy consume an enormous and utterly disgusting after-school snack. If you had a teenage brother, son, nephew, or just know boys, you will laugh.

Spaceballs (1987, PG)

All I’m going to say here is Mel Brooks. There’s about 5-10 different clips from this movie I could happily select, but this short little gem has always made me chuckle. I might be the queen enjoyer of literal comedy. The Spaceball-in-question’s real name is Tim Russ. Thank you, Tim!

[Length: 48 seconds]

Airplane! (1980, PG)

Again in the goofy humor category, this movie has long been a favorite. The clip is a little long, but I’m kind of glad because it meant I didn’t have to pick a single funny scene. Leslie Nielsen is ridiculous. Lloyd Bridges is a giant goofball. And if you skim through the cast roles you’ll find things like: Jive Lady, Krishna #1, Hospital Contortionist, Religious Zealot #3, Cocaine Lady, Nun, Young Boy with Coffee.

Long-term effects: I can’t listen to a walkie talkie exchange without thinking of this movie. I have trouble staying serious with people named Shirley. If I drip a drink on myself, I still think of Striker’s “drinking problem.” Airport announcements occasionally make me giggle.

It’s priceless. Enjoy.

[Length: 5 minutes, 20 seconds]

The Help (2011, PG-13)

This movie is so damned good. This is another one I’ll say that you absolutely must watch (and read the book first if you’re a reader). Viola Davis plays maid and nanny Aibileen Clark in the deep south (Mississippi) in the 1960s. This scene that had me in tears. (Please ignore the Korean subtitles unless they help you.)

Viola Davis was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. And honestly, if she hadn’t have lost to Meryl Streep, I’d have said she was robbed! Lastly, the film as a whole was also nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year (lost to the Artist, which I haven’t seen… but it better have been exceptional to have won out over this).

Long-term effects: Sometimes, when I become aware of my own internal shitty self-talk messages, I think of how Abi talks to baby girl. And I try to remember that applies to me too. And that I can say those things to me.

[Length: 3 minutes, 16 seconds]

You may also remember the “Eat My Shit!” scene starring Octavia Spencer (also in Hidden Figures) as Minny Jackson. This scene is revenge at its finest and it comes in a close second to the touching scene above. Octavia Spencer won an Oscar for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.”

Little Miss Sunshine (2006, R)

The very last clip is from one of my all-time favorite comedies. It is its own genre of weird, funny, tender and lovable, and it has a bang-up cast to boot with Alan Arkin, Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Greg Kinnear and Abigail Breslin. I tried really hard to pick a scene that stood out more than the others. If you want a run-down, Google the kitchen scene, the hospital scene, the honking horn, Dwayne’s melt-down, the chicken scene, the dance scene, or the grandpa scene. Instead, I decided to go with the movie-ender. It’s the tail-end of a hellish, forced family vacation with mishaps galore, marital strife, financial woes, death and hilarity. At this point, the fam is all on the same page and pretty damned proud to be exactly who they are. And I feel like that’s the message. Be who you are.

I’ll give two final quotes from a reviewer (CChase) that I think sums up this flick: “It is very rare to see a movie that can charm the hell out of an audience without the use of special effects, worn-out clichés and bombastic action set pieces these days… Not a single moment is wasted; not a single scene is in this film without having a reason for being there, and it's all character-driven. There's also nothing fluffy about it - commentary about everything from how twisted our pop culture can be, to how our drive for being #1 winners can blind us to all of the things that are the most important are all there under the bittersweet laughs and tears for the audience to discover.”

[Length: 57 seconds]