Favorite Fourth Wall Breaks

WingedSerpent · April 28, 2010, 10:43:55 AM

Breaking the fourth wall refers to when a fictional character talks to the viewer directly. As they seem to know the audience is sharing their world, or know that they themselves are ficitonal characters.

In movies, there's Ferris Buller talking to the audience. Or at the end of House on Haunted Hill warns people that the ghosts are coming for them.

Happens a lot in comic books, esp with Deadpool and She Hulk (who really played around with the idea of a self aware comic book creation-talking directly to her writer or even tearing through the panels of her book)

What are some of your favorite fourth wall moments?

Flick James · April 28, 2010, 12:01:42 PM

That was a John Hughes thing, but Ferris Bueller was where he did it constantly throughout the movie. You see it in Sixteen Candles, when Anthony Michael Hall looks straight into the camers and says "this is getting interesting," or something like that. In Pretty In Pink, John Cryer doesn't actually say anything, but there's a moment at the end when he's got a girl flirting with him from across the room, and he looks at the camera briefly before saundering off screen. Kelly LeBroc does it in Wierd Science, I think.

Jack · April 28, 2010, 12:50:24 PM

The Devil's Chair (2006) makes excellent use of that. It's about a guy who gets out of a mental asylum because some people want to conduct research concerning him. He narrates the whole thing, much like a book where he's telling you what he thinks about everything. It's done well because he has a very definite attitude towards everyone, and in the end it all makes perfect sense. Though he doesn't actually look into the camera and talk to us, it's all voice-overs.

oxode · April 29, 2010, 02:29:51 PM

In my all time favorite "Tampopo" (1985 D.: Juzo Itami) a manners teacher shows a bunch of girls, how to eat correctly "western stile". Suddenly she looks right in Your eyes and tells You to avoid eating sounds . . .
and I don't want to spoil, so watch the first few minutes and see for Your self! It#s one of the best movie openings ever!

Juzo Itami did the same thing in some other movies like: "Minbo no onna" aka "The fine art of blackmail" (1992) but in Tampopo it's definitely the best.

jimmybob · April 29, 2010, 06:46:43 PM

The English remake of Funny Games which came out a couple years ago.

The woman gets the upper hand of the killers and has a gun to them. Ah, but one of them picks up a TV remote, and rewinds the movie back a minute, smiling at the camera. The woman tries to grab a gun and he pushes her over.

-Jimmybob

indianasmith · April 29, 2010, 10:41:15 PM

In TOP SECRET, the main character, Nick Rivers, says something to the effect of:

"I'm sure I'm not the first American rock singer to come to East Germany, be arrested and sentenced to death by the Gestapo, then escape and join the French Resistance and fall in love with a beautiful spy only to lose her to her childhood sweetheart, that she hasn't seen in 10 years, who just arrived in a boat with a bunch of German sailors . . . "

Hilary replies: "Oh, Nick, I know it all sounds like a bad movie!"

And they both turn and stare silently at the camera.

I nearly fell off the couch laughing the first time I saw that.

Jack · April 30, 2010, 06:29:58 AM

Spaceballs has a good one where they fast forward the movie to see what will happen next. That whole movie is excellent.

Trevor · April 30, 2010, 06:39:33 AM

Burt Reynolds grinning at the camera when he outwits the cop in Smokey and The Bandit.

Anthony Perkins' smile at the end of Psycho.

Franco Nero winking at the camera at the end of Enter The Ninja.

Flick James · April 30, 2010, 10:43:47 AM

Quote from: oxode on April 29, 2010, 02:29:51 PM
In my all time favorite "Tampopo" (1985 D.: Juzo Itami) a manners teacher shows a bunch of girls, how to eat correctly "western stile". Suddenly she looks right in Your eyes and tells You to avoid eating sounds . . .
and I don't want to spoil, so watch the first few minutes and see for Your self! It#s one of the best movie openings ever!

Juzo Itami did the same thing in some other movies like: "Minbo no onna" aka "The fine art of blackmail" (1992) but in Tampopo it's definitely the best.

Tampopo. Wow, that was a good film. I saw it in the theatres way back then and haven't thought of it in years. I remember the scene you're talking about, but I don't remember the fourth wall break. I'll have to hunt that movie down.

Mr. DS · April 30, 2010, 11:04:02 AM

Great thread idea! I was actually thinking about this the other day.

Quote from: indianasmith on April 29, 2010, 10:41:15 PM
In TOP SECRET, the main character, Nick Rivers, says something to the effect of:

"I'm sure I'm not the first American rock singer to come to East Germany, be arrested and sentenced to death by the Gestapo, then escape and join the French Resistance and fall in love with a beautiful spy only to lose her to her childhood sweetheart, that she hasn't seen in 10 years, who just arrived in a boat with a bunch of German sailors . . . "

Hilary replies: "Oh, Nick, I know it all sounds like a bad movie!"

And they both turn and stare silently at the camera.

I nearly fell off the couch laughing the first time I saw that.

YES! I also love when he's riding the bike, looks over to the camera and winks.

The Muppet Movie is good for it several times. Especially when Kermit has Electric Mayhem read the script to catch up on the movie's happenings. I use the term "read the script" in my reviews a lot because of this movie. Especially when characters magically show up to the right place.

Theres a point in Austin Powers 2 where Austin's boss is explaining something to him and he tells him to have a good time. Then both of them look over and say to the audience, "and you have a good time too".

Waynes World throughout when Wayne narrates everything.

Allhallowsday · April 30, 2010, 03:06:46 PM

At the end of THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (1941) WALTER HUSTON (as "Mr. Scratch" - the devil) addresses the audience looking for his next target... "Perhaps... YOU!!"

WingedSerpent · April 30, 2010, 06:25:22 PM

I came up with another one. The film Ladybugs staring the Late Rodney Dangerfield.

He stars as a man who dresses up his soon-to-be step son as a girl to play on his boss' daughters soccer team in order to get a promotion. At the end of the film, everything works out. He got the promotion, his wife and step son are happy with him. Everything's great for him. His boss even says so. At that point, he says "Yeah, I guess I finally got some respect" while looking at the camera.

It was a cool fourth wall break and some self-referentional humor.

Rev. Powell · April 30, 2010, 08:43:28 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBtXfBdEXEs

oxode · May 01, 2010, 02:11:07 AM

Thanks Reverend!
Only old Woody Allen could come with something like this.

Mr. DS · May 01, 2010, 07:40:09 PM

The Genie in Disney's Aladdin breaks it a few times. I like when he's reading from the script to the movie in order to get Aladdin to free him.