One of the scenes in Forgetting Sarah Marshall that people will be talking about over the virtual water cooler next week is the one that involves Jason Segel doing full frontal nudity. Yes, he lets it all hang out, and what's admirable is that he does it purely for the sake of a joke. That takes courage! That takes guts! That takes ... well, you know.
This isn't the first film to use nudity for laughs, of course. Comical naughty bits have a rich history in Hollywood. Here are seven movies with hilarious nudity.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
What's funnier than a naked dude? A naked FAT dude. And what's funnier than a naked fat dude? A naked fat dude wrestling a naked skinny dude in a hotel room, and a hotel hallway, and a hotel elevator, etc., etc.
Sideways
We now know M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly on TV's Lost. But we'll never forget his brief screen time in Sideways as the husband of a waitress that Jack (Thomas Haden Church) slept with. When Miles (Paul Giamatti) sneaks into the couple's bedroom to retrieve Jack's wallet, he interrupts a lovemaking session, and Gainey chases him out into the street, fully nude, flabby, and floppy. The camera angle is perfect: We're inside the car, with Giamatti running toward us, closely pursued by Gainey, so that the alarming nudity looms larger and larger until finally he presses himself up against the car window. It's like being on safari when an animal attacks.
The Simpsons Movie
Like most Simpsons TV episodes, the first act of the film is hilarious, followed by two additional acts that are somewhat less so. In that terrific first act, however, is the brilliant sight gag where Bart takes a nude skateboard ride. The film uses every trick imaginable to keep Bart Jr. hidden from sight -- until finally he rides past a hedge that blocks his entire body except for that. Genius.
Scary Movie
Public bathroom stall. Larry Craig situation. Realistic-looking prosthetic wang pokes through a hole in the wall ... and then is used as a weapon, impaling Shawn Wayans through the ear. It makes sense, really, since the slasher movies being parodied often kill teenagers right after they have sex. Why not kill them with sex?
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Graham Chapman, like all the Pythons, was not afraid to do whatever it took to make a joke succeed. In Life of Brian, Chapman's reluctant prophet has just spent the night with Judith Iscariot (Sue Jones-Davies) when he flings open the window to let in some morning air -- and is shocked to find a crowd of followers in the courtyard below, waiting to hear words of inspiration. The fact that Brian is naked and has now fully exposed himself to his audience makes it that much more awkward (and thus funnier).
Braveheart
Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning epic isn't generally funny (depending on your attitude toward disembowelments), but it does have an amusing moment where the Scottish warriors lift their kilts to taunt the English with their junk, then turn around to moon them, too. Let's be honest: mass moonings are always funny (see also Revenge of the Nerds).
Pink Flamingos
I find Jon Waters' seminal (sorry, but that's the right word) 1972 comedy almost unwatchable, not because it's gross but because when it's not gross, it's boring. It has a lot of nudity, though, and a lot of it's funny -- never more so than the horrifically transfixing moment when a naked man turns his back to the audience, bends over, and serenades us with his butt. I'm not even sure what rating such a scene deserves. NC-17 doesn't really do it justice.
Tell us some of your favorite comedic nude scenes ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-15-2008 @ 9:46PM
Kraigd1drful said...
Let's talk about some of the funniest female nude scenes too. Oh wait, you can't show a woman's genitalia in films only men. (Basic Instinct almost got there, but didn't, and that wasn't a comedy). Oops, I guess there is no equality in films afterall.
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4-15-2008 @ 11:35PM
Scott Weinberg said...
You're kidding, right?
First off, women's breasts have been shown off in movies for about 40 years now. Secondly, there's nothing all that FUNNY about the vagina. The penis, however, can be pretty freakin' hilarious.
4-15-2008 @ 9:47PM
Tom said...
Catholic School Girls In Trouble! from the Kentucky Fried Movie.
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4-16-2008 @ 9:26AM
paul D said...
Girl: Show me your (you're) nuts...
Guy: Blah-bglghglbhglghglbhblhggl...
4-15-2008 @ 10:01PM
Mr. R said...
Danny Noonan in Caddyshack, when he gets caught having sex with Ted Knight´s niece, thought that was too funny in the shower ...
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4-15-2008 @ 11:25PM
ZooeyGlass said...
Sorry, Eric, but I must strongly disagree with one of your choices. The penis through the ear scene in Scary Movie wasn't even remotely funny. It was disgusting and crude and basically ruined the movie for me. I'm all for "gross-out" humor when it's original or thoughtful, but "You know that scene in Scream where the guy stabs someone with a knife? What if it was a penis instead? That would be HILARIOUS!" doesn't really count as a thought.
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4-15-2008 @ 11:35PM
Scott Weinberg said...
Don't know if it would qualify, but John Cleese's striptease in WANDA is drop-dead hilarious.
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4-16-2008 @ 9:28AM
paul D said...
Ha!
When he's speaking Russian nonsense the whole time, and that family walks in...
I love every second of that movie.
When Otto puts his whole face into Wanda's boot...I laugh so hard I pee a little.
4-16-2008 @ 12:00AM
Christopher Campbell said...
I still say Miss Balbricker pulling the penis through the peephole in Porky's is the best example. Much funnier than the Scary Movie gloryhole.
And Priscilla Barnes eating her third nipple in Mallrats is good, too.
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4-16-2008 @ 12:33AM
Duncan said...
I second Catholic School Girls in Trouble.
Also, Walk Hard has some pretty funny Male nudity.
I assume it's there to poke fun at the gender inequality in most movie nudity.
What about Waiting? The dvd marks the first time I've ever heard the term "stunt bush".
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4-16-2008 @ 2:29AM
gfxdave99 said...
Revenge of the nerds.. hellooo! "Booger: We've got bush!"
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4-16-2008 @ 10:35AM
kevjohn said...
The nudity in Walk Hard was funnier than most of the entries you have on this list. It's right up there with Borat and Life of Brian.
Also, that one Jennifer Anniston movie.... you know, the "serious" one where she has the Southern accent. I can't believe I can't remember the name of it (and I can't get to imdb here at work). It's the only good movie she's ever been in. Anyway that movie also has a rather hilarious male nude scene.
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4-16-2008 @ 10:37AM
kevjohn said...
The Good Girl! hah, I knew it'd come to me.
4-16-2008 @ 11:48AM
Jane Boursaw said...
Great piece! I posted a link on my film blog, www.FilmGecko.com.
After seeing Jesus Camp and some other downer movies at the Traverse City Film Festival a couple years ago, the entire crowd went nuts - so to speak - at that nude scene in Borat. Totally priceless.
Jane Boursaw
www.FilmGecko.com
jboursaw@charter.net
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4-16-2008 @ 12:51PM
Tigerlily said...
I really loved this piece. Great stuff. My addition would be the nude bathing scene in Room With a View, but maybe only us Merchant Ivory girls have seen that one...
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4-16-2008 @ 12:59PM
Nell said...
I think one of the best nude scenes ever (especially in a non-funny movie) is Elizabeth McGovern as Evelyn Nesbit. What makes it so funny is her utter nonchalance.
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4-16-2008 @ 1:04PM
Nell said...
Sorry -- forgot to say which movie: "Ragtime"
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4-16-2008 @ 3:28PM
MosquitoControl said...
Gotta agree with everyone saying that there's nothing funny about Scary Movie. In fact, much of this list fails for being very funny.
Borat's scene was heavily enhanced, too, by the censor bars. Borat's hung down to his knees as it flopped around limply. Hysterical!
The awkwardness of the wang can truly enhance comedy. One of the last areas you can still shock and surprise.
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4-16-2008 @ 7:35PM
Christopher Campbell said...
I just thought of something that should have come to me earlier: the bathhouse scene in Eastern Promises.
It wasn't really played for comedy, but it was still pretty funny, in a shocking sort of way.
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4-16-2008 @ 11:18PM
DanJack said...
What you talkin' bout Scott? Breasts don't even count, as most places in the world show them on toothpaste commercials. Heck, if that's the case then man pecs are abundant everywhere. Women get just as excited about man pecs as men (or women) get about breasts. As far as genitalia though, this is always a no no in American cinema. That was my point. Someone should do an article about that.
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