The Megahit Movies

by Richard Stefanik

  An Irrelevant Comment: Deviations from the expectation that characters will make statements relevant to a situation.

  Raiders of the Lost Ark

  Marion and Belloc are getting drunk in the tent in the desert. Marion tries to pour herself another drink but completely misses the glass and pours the liquor onto the table. Belloc takes the bottle and refills their glasses. Marion again laughs then quickly lunges for the knife under her red slacks. She holds the knife up to Belloc. He looks at it then bursts out in laughter. Marion tells him that she has to go, as she holds the knife in front of her and backs away from the table. Belloc laughs as he waves goodbye. Marion says she likes him, and hopes they will meet again under better circumstances. Suddenly, the smile drops from Belloc’s face. Marion quickly turns and comes face-to-face with the sadistic German. “We meet again, Fraulein,” he says. She struggles, but he forces the knife out of her hand. “You Americans are all the same. Always overdressing for the wrong occasions.” This comment is so inappropriate to this life and death situation that the audience bursts out in laughter.

  Raiders of the Lost Ark

  Jones runs down an alley after the Arabs. He sees them in the distance as they carry Marion away in the wicker basket. “You can’t do this, I’m an American. INDY!” screams Marion. Of course, saying she is an American is irrelevant to her situation.

  Ghostbusters

  Louis, encrusted within a stone statue, yells out for help. The Ghostbusters free Louis as Venkman cares for Dana. Louis looks around at the damage and says, “Boy, the Superintendent’s going to be pissed.” After being told the people saving him are the Ghostbusters, Louis asks who does their taxes. The joke is that Louis is socially inept and always thinks of others as potential business clients. In this situation, the appropriate response should have been gratitude, not a request for business.

  An Ineffectual Statement: Deviations from the expectation that characters will make statements effective to solving the problem in a situation. Ghostbusters

  Louis is running through the park as he tries to escape from the demon dog. He tries to get into a restaurant, but the doors are locked. He pleads for their help, but no one in the crowd moves. Louis then turns to confront the approaching creature. “Nice doggie, cute little pooch. Maybe I got a milk bone.”

  Clichés Incorrectly Stated: Deviations from the expectation that characters will state clichés correctly or not use them at all in conversations.

  Ghostbusters

  Venkman is on the street talking to a group of reporters. “24 hours a day, seven days a week. No job is too big, no fee is too big” (instead of saying too small).

  Clichés Inappropriately Applied in Situations: Deviations from the expectation that characters will apply clichés to appropriate situations. Batman

  The Joker is telling Boss Grissom’s syndicate that he is now in charge of the operations.

  “Why don’t we hear this from Grissom?” asks a fat gangster. “Yeah, and what’s with that stupid grin?” asks Antonio.

  Jack is wearing flesh colored makeup to cover his white skin. He is also wearing a purple hat and an orange shirt. “Life’s been good to me,” laughs the Joker.

  Misspellings: Deviations from the expectation that characters will spell words correctly. Raiders of the Lost Ark

  Jones is lecturing to his class as he writes on the blackboard. He is having trouble spelling the word “NEOLITHIC.” The students in the class laugh.

  Malapropisms and Mispronunciations: Deviations from the expectation that characters will use words correctly. Ghost

  Oda Mae Brown completes filling out the account signature card, then hands it to the bank officer.

  “Please make sure that this goes up to the third floor file because I have a transfusion that I have to make,” says Oda. She mistakenly says “transfusion” instead of “transaction.”

  Nonsense presented as being sensible: Deviations from the expectation that characters will use the language correctly and think correctly The Ghostbusters are questioning Dana about her paranormal experience. Egon says that Dana is telling the truth, or at least she believes she is. The Ghostbusters offer alternative explanations for her experience: past life experience intruding on present time, race memory stored in the collective unconscious, clairvoyance, or telepathic contact. Dana replies that she doesn’t believe in any of those things, to which Venkman responds that he doesn’t either.

  Deviations from Patterns of Items in a List: Deviations from the expected consistency of the category of items established in the list. Ghostbusters

  The Ghostbusters tell the Mayor that he can believe Peck, or accept the fact that the city is headed for a disaster of Biblical proportions. Real Wrath of GOD type stuff: fire and brimstone coming down from the sky, four years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave.

  “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!” adds Venkman. Humor is generated by Venkman’s deviation from the list. He includes the “dogs and cats living together” with disasters of “Biblical proportions.”

  Dialects: Deviations from the expectation that characters will speak correctly. Wizard of Oz

  As Dorothy leaves the campsite in order to return to the farm before the Tornado hits, Marvel breaks out of character and his phony dialect when he says, “Poor little kid! I hope she gets home all right.”

  Pragmatics: Deviations from the conventions of communication. Ghostbusters

  Louis is constantly trying to get Dana to take an interest in him. He ignores all the rules of conversation and having a dialogue whenever he sees her in the hallway. He talks at high speed ignoring her attempts to communicate that she has no interest in him, including her slamming the door in his face.

  Repartee: Deviations from the expectation of not being hostile. Repartee is an expression of veiled hostility.

  Venkman enters Dana’s apartment and searches for supernatural phenomena. He walks toward the bedroom. Dana tells him that nothing ever happened in there. “What a crime,” responds Venkman.

  “You know, you don’t act like a scientist,” says Dana.

  “They’re usually pretty stiff,” replies Venkman.

  “You’re more like a game show host,” replies Dana.

  Information that Arrives Too Late to be Beneficial: Deviations from the expectation of communicating effectively. Back To The Future

  Marty has just overloaded the speaker. The blast has thrown him across the room. He picks himself up off the floor. Suddenly, the phone rings. It is Doc Brown. Doc tells Marty not to hook up the amplifier. “There’s the possibility of an overload.”

  Modal Jokes: Deviations from the expected rules of discourse. The norm in popular movies is to show the actions of the characters not to comment on the mode of presentation.

  E.T.

  E.T. and Elliott stand in the back of the van, as Mike and his friends sit on their bikes.

  “Okay, he is a man from outer space and we’re taking him to his spaceship,” says Elliott.

  “Why can’t he just beam up?” asks Greg.

  ‘This is reality, Greg,” answers Elliott.

  Of course, the joke is that it isn’t reality. It is a fantasy movie with characters expressing an emotionally realistic response to a fantastic situation. Right?

  Interplay of Dual Scripts: Deviations from the expected rules of communication and discourse needed to facilitate understanding. The norm is not to talk about two different topics at the same time. Humor is created because two truths are expressed from two radically different perspectives at the same time.

  E.T.

  E.T. has gotten drunk by drinking the beer in the refrigerator. He wobbles across the kitchen floor and walks into a counter. Elliott, sitting at his desk in the schoolroom, also becomes drunk. The sequence is intercut between E.T. in the kitchen and Elliott in the classroom. The dual script sequence ends with E.T. watching John Wayne kiss Maureen O’Sullivan in the television movie and Elli
ott kissing the little girl in the classroom.295

  Situation Categories of Humor

  Bizarre Images: Incongruities that are deviations from expected visual patterns. The Wizard of Oz

  The image of a spinning house rising up into the tornado is superimposed over Dorothy’s face. Outside her bedroom window, images of characters appear. Chickens and a hen house float past her window. Dorothy sits up in bed and stares at the objects. Aunt Em, knitting as she sits in her rocking chairs, floats by. A cow also flies through the air, followed by two of the farm hands rowing a boat. The incongruity of these bizarre images generates laughter.

  Deviations from a Natural Norm: Deviations from the standard laws of nature. The Wizard of Oz

  Dorothy and her companions approach the Haunted Forest on their way to the Witch’s castle. The Tin Man is suddenly lifted up into the air by some invisible spirits and dropped to the ground, defying the laws of nature.

  Deviations from an Established Visual Pattern E.T.

  Mary walks into the closet and looks around. The camera pans across the large faces of all the stuffed dolls: Raggedy Ann, a Bear, a Monkey, E.T.’s face, a Lion, etc. Mary doesn’t notice E.T. She closes the closet door and leaves. Humor is generated because of the incongruity of a living creature among the dolls and the inability of Mary to distinguish between them.

  Relief from Danger: A Deviation from the expectation of jeopardy. The tension is released in laughter. Raiders of the Lost Ark

  Jones and the German soldier struggle for control of the truck. They both grab the wheel as the truck scrapes the side of a wall under construction and knocks over ladders, planks, and the construction workers. One Egyptian worker falls onto the hood of the truck, then rolls off onto the road. Jones and the German laugh and smile at each other in relief of avoiding a disaster.

  Avoiding a Near Misfortune: Deviation from the expectation of jeopardy. The tension is released in laughter.

  Home Alone

  From the top floor, Jeff throws a packed bag down the staircase. “BOMBS AWAY!” The bag lands at the feet of the policeman. The audience laughs because of the avoidance of a disaster.

  A Small Misfortune: Deviations from the expectation things will turn out all right if we follow standard procedures. The tension is released in laughter.

  Home Alone

  Kevin walks down the sidewalk carrying two plastic bags filled with groceries. Suddenly they both break and all the food falls to the ground.

  A Confusing Situation Suddenly Makes Sense: A Deviation from the expected resolution of a situation. Home Alone

  The burglar’s van pulls up in front of Kevin’s house. Harry and Marv see silhouettes of people moving inside the house. They all seem to be dancing to the music of Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.

  “Did they come back?” asks Marv.

  “Paris?” responds Harry.

  Inside the house, Kevin has rigged up mannequins with pulleys. He manipulates their movements by pulling on ropes as he dances to the music. A small toy train moves a cardboard cutout of a basketball player around the railroad tracks.

  Character Categories of Humor

  Pretense: Deviations from the expectation that a character is what he presents himself to be. Ghostbusters

  Venkman asks the librarian, Alice, if she is habitually uses drugs, stimulants, alcohol, or is menstruating now. The male librarian interrupts and asks Venkman what these questions have to do with Alice’s experience of seeing a ghost. Venkman responds, “Back off man! I’m a scientist!” The audience laughs because they know that Venkman is a fraud.

  The Wizard of Oz

  Dorothy meets Professor Marvel. An establishing shot of the Professor’s wagon tells the audience where they are. This information is needed since there is a radical change in scenery. The sign on the carnival wagon states: “PROFESSOR MARVEL ACCLAIMED BY THE CROWNED HEADS OF EUROPE.” Dorothy wants to travel with the Professor to see the Crowned Heads of Europe. He responds to this request by asking her if she knows any, thereby revealing himself to be a fraud.

  Inappropriate Social Behavior: Deviations from the norms of polite society. Batman

  The newspaperman, Knox, introduces himself to Bruce Wayne. “Oh, I read your work. I like it, like it a lot,” says Bruce Wayne. “Can I have a grant?” replies Knox.

  Ghostbusters

  At his party, Louis exhibits incompetent social skills by telling his guests that he invited clients to his party instead of friends. When the doorbell rings, Louis opens it. In walks a fat homely woman with her tall lanky husband. Louis introduces them to the other people at the party. Again, he displays his social ineptness by discussing this couples bankruptcy with the other party guests.

  Deviations from Moral Norms: Deviations from the expected rules of moral behavior. Home Alone

  On the plane to Paris, Uncle Frank notices that the crystal is real and tells his wife to put it into her purse.

  Lying: Deviations from the expected norm of telling the truth. Ghostbusters

  A male undergraduate and a beautiful coed sit in Venkman’s office. Venkman smiles at the female student, holds up a card, and asks her to guess the image on the card. She guesses a star. Venkman tells her that she is right, but the camera reveals that the true image on the card is a circle.

  Cowardliness: Deviation from the expectation that people will be courageous.

  Raiders of the Lost Ark

  Sallah leans forward to get a closer look at the snakes on the floor. “Asps, very dangerous,” says Sallah. He shakes Jones’ arm. “You go first.”

  Ghostbusters

  Venkman starts up the stairs to the rooftop of Dana’s apartment building. Lightning flashes from the sky above. Venkman suddenly stops and waves the others forward. “Okay, you go ahead,” he says.

  Cheapness: Deviations from the expectation people will be generous. Home Alone

  The delivery boy arrives with the boxes of pizza. Uncle Frank sees the pizza and takes the boxes from the delivery boy.

  “That’s $122.50”

  “Ah, it’s my brother’s house. He’ll take care of it.” Frank walks away with the pizza.

  Exaggerated Behavior: Deviations from the expectation that people should remain calm. Home Alone

  Kevin runs through the house waving his arms with joy when he realizes that his family has abandoned him.

  Understated Behavior: Deviations from the expectation of displaying appropriate behavior in a situation. Ghostbusters

  Egon warns the Ghostbusters not to cross the power streams. To do so would cause a total protonic reversal, and every molecule in their bodies would explode at the speed of light. “That’s bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip! Thanks Egon.”

  Expressing an Inappropriate Attitude Deviations from the expectation that characters will express attitudes appropriate to a situation. Batman

  Jack looks at himself in the mirror and laughs. Alicia, his girlfriend, approaches him and places her hand on his shoulder. “You look fine,” she says. “I didn’t ask,” replies Jack Napier as he removes her hand.

  Inappropriate Actions: Deviations from the expectation that characters will perform actions appropriate to a situation.

  Home Alone

  Kevin jumps up and down on his parent’s bed while eating popcorn.

  Self-Mocking Attitude: Deviations from the expectation that characters will not hold themselves up to public ridicule. Ghostbusters

  “Funny,” says Ray, “us going out like this. Killed by a one-hundred foot marshmallow man.”

  Deviations from Expected Character Behavior: Deviation from the expectation that characters will exhibit stereotypical behavior patterns. The Wizard of Oz

  In this movie we have a scarecrow that cannot scare away crows, a lion that is a coward, and a wizard that has no magical powers.

  Mimicking Another Characters Behavior: Deviation from the expectation that a character will not become someone else. Home Alone

  Kevin combs his
hair and mimics Frank Sinatra’s voice playing on the record. Kevin sings into his comb as if it was a microphone.

  Exaggerated Facial Expressions: Deviations from the expectation that characters will display the appropriate emotional facial expression in a situation.

  Home Alone

  “He was in the garage again playing with the glue gun,” Kevin’s mother says to his father. Kevin makes a grim face and signals to his mother to stop talking by pretending to cut his throat with his hand.

  Repetition of Stupid Actions: A Deviation from the expectation that characters will learn from their mistakes.

  Kevin combs his hair and mimics Frank Sinatra as he sings into the comb. He sprays deodorant under his arms, and then splashes BRUT33 onto his face a second time. Kevin screams out from the stinging pain.

  Ghostbusters

  Venkman has just been rejected by Dana and thrown out of her apartment. Louis walks out of his apartment and steps into the hallway. Louis becomes embarrassed and turns to go back into his apartment, but he has locked himself out. This becomes a recurring joke in the movie.

  Incompetent Professional Behavior: Deviations from the expectation that characters will be professionally competent. Ghostbusters

  The Ghostbusters have made contact with the ghost in the library. “A full torso apparition, and it’s real,” says Ray.

  “So, what do we do?” asks Venkman. Ray and Egon just stare at each other. Ray announces that he has a plan. He tells the others to stay close as he walks towards the ghost. Suddenly, Ray yells “GET HER!” As the three men rush toward the ghost, it transforms from a sweet old lady into a screeching banshee with a horrifying skeletal face. Ray, Egon, and Venkman scream in terror as they run from the ghost.

  Not Following Explicitly Stated Instructions: Deviations from the expectation that characters will follow instructions. Ghostbusters

  When they are about to capture their first ghost in the hotel ballroom, Ray warns everyone not to look directly into the trap. He pulls goggles over his eyes and puts his foot on the trap. A flash of bright glaring light shoots out of the box. Egon then says, “I looked into the trap, Ray.”