The 10 Greatest Movie Pranks of All Time A comedy article
by Daniel R Deakin 1,002 15 03/30/2011 04:27 AM 4728 views
Most movie pranks focus around paper bags, matches and dog poo. (Adam Sandler and Shia LaBeouf have both been in films featuring this highbrow prank.) Fortunately, some writers like to think outside the paper bag; here are our Top 10 Movie Pranks of All Time.
1. Borat
It would be impossible to create an article about movie pranks and not include the creations of Sacha Baron Cohen. This excruciatingly funny film was full of hilarious moments, none braver than when he decided to face thousands of rodeo fans and offer them his special support:
His rendition of the national anthem was truly heinous, and later used as inspiration for Christina Aguilera's version for the 2011 Super Bowl.
2. Apocalypto
Mel Gibson in a prank shocker? It would be nice to believe that the last few years of Mel's life have actually been a prank, and he really is the cool guy we knew from Lethal Weapon and Mad Max. Sadly, it's not a prank and he really is a demented old anti-Semite who beats his partner. Apocalypto is a complex film; it has blood, despair, sacrifice and grown men eating tapir balls:
It could have been worse; they could have been hunting Spanish missionaries.
3. Animal House
It was going to be a prank from Porky's Revenge, Revenge of the Nerds or Animal House for this slot, and Animal House won. The film where John Belushi made the greatest impression of a zit ever seen on celluloid. The scene in question for this list involved three pranksters (including BeluShakespearerying to get one over the college dean by placing a horse in his office. Naturally, it all goes wrong.
If this had been a French college, a dead horse would be considered part of a gift basket.
4. Trading Places
The whole premise of this classic 1983 comedy is based around a rich man's prank; a bet between two malicious brothers to take a poor man off the street (Eddie Murphy) and put him successfully into a position of power, while turning a respected man (Dan Aykroyd) into a thief. It's also the film where Jamie Lee Curtis shows she has a mighty fine rack. Watch the trailer here:
There is an actual "Eddie Murphy" rule in Wall Street now: to deal with insider trading and never accept the child is yours until paternity tests say you're wrong.
5. The Game ([i]SPOILER from beginning[/i])
Sean Penn and Michael Douglas starred in this thriller about rich bored men. Directed by David Fincher, the man behind the feel-good comedy Seven, the film had Douglas's character chasing around San Francisco looking for a secret organization that frankly kept scaring the bejesus out of him. In a climactic finale, Douglas shoots his brother (Penn) and then leaps off a skyscraper to his inevitable death ... but he doesn't die! Fortunately, he lands safely on an extremely convenient inflated mat and survives. It has all been an elusive prank set up by Penn to make his all too serious brother enjoy life, and it only cost $50 million to stage! Bonus! Watch the whole ending here:
This is how billionaires prank each other. Not with bags of flaming doody or glory-hole related japes. No, they put innocent lives at risk and indulge in wanton city block destruction. Fortunately, Bill Gates lives in Seattle, so not a great loss.
6. Carrie
Possibly one of the most famous and callous movie pranks ever. It's not enough that the teenage girl has no friends, is incredibly shy, has a strange mother, and telekinetic powers. No, she needs to be showered in pig's blood as well. At the prom. In her favorite dress. After already bathing in sheep's blood (possibly):
There's a message for high schoolers here: pour blood on a girl on the edge of a nervous breakdown who has powers that make Gandalf look like David Blaine, and you will be burnt to a crisp. And it will throw off the grade curve.
7. Dumb and Dumber
Sooner or later there had to be a prank involving going to the toilet and Jim Carrey. Dumb and Dumber is a great comedy film and it is very difficult not to laugh at the results of Lloyd adding laxatives to Harry's tea. Jeff Daniels can feel justly bitter for not being Oscar-nominated for this performance:
It has been reported that watching the prequel Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd has the same laxative effect.
8. Jackass Number Two
As all the Jackass films are basically one prank after another, it is very difficult to decide which prank to feature in this list. But in the end, it simply had to be the taxi terrorist prank from Jackass Number Two, as there seemed to be genuine confusion and fear involved, and it was a great double prank, as the "terrorist" wore a beard made from special hair:
The hair was later weaved together and sold to John Travolta.
9. The Usual Suspects ([i]SPOILER[/i])
This is possibly the most complex and overlooked movie prank ever, though it was not created to elicit laughs. This great film noir twists and turns like Mel Gibson on the Pacific Coast Highway, and who would ever believe that Keyser Soze was Coleridgey enough to prank the police? This clip has the ending, so probably best not to watch it if you haven't seen the film:
"The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he didn't exist"... and convincing the casting director that Stephen Baldwin was talented enough to be in this film.
10. Bruno
Finishing off where we started, with the premier movie prankster currently in business. Sacha Baron Cohen's fashion monster was called Bruno Gehard (yes Gay-hard). Apart from enraging hundreds of cage-fighting fans by turning a cage fight into a gay love-fest, he also gate-crashed a catwalk in Milan:
Considering the clothes usually shown in high-end fashion shows, it must have been an eagle-eyed security guard who spotted that Cohen was an intruder. Apparently the guard noticed Cohen was not whispering "left foot right foot" like the other models.
Sadly, Bruno's greatest prank didn't feature in the film, instead it was at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, and incorporated a rather famous musician, some wings and a sparkly thong:
"The Usual Suspects" and "The Game" in a list together with "Jackass 2" and "Borat" ?
In this case, you forgot to include "The MILF next door volume 23." The guy pranks all the women in the neighbourhood by impersonating the pizza delivery guy. Hilarious blowjobs ensue.
These types of threads take way too much time to put together for the love you get. I gave you a 4 for the usual suspects and animal house references.
The borat guy should die. Except for the trading the baby for an ipod thing. If he really pulled that off in a room full of angry black women then more power to him.
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