One of the joys of great movies is that everything feels perfect and exact. Nothing is there by mistake, and that’s a large part of what makes them feel so great. Even people making great movies make mistakes, though, which is why blooper reels can spark so much joy.
Whether the movie the blooper is related to is good or not, a great film blooper can humanize a film’s stars, and remind us all that making a movie is a job just like any other. Sometimes something falls over, someone forgets a line, or something else goes wrong. In honor of those moments, these are the 10 greatest film bloopers of all time.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
Because so much of The Legend Continues was totally improvised, the gag reel features loads of great jokes that didn’t make the final cut. On top of that, the movie also features plenty of moments where it’s clear that the actors are well aware of how funny what they’re saying is, and are struggling to keep it together.
This gag reel is great from front to back, and that’s in large part because the people making the movie are some of the funniest folks working in comedy today.
Liar Liar (1997)
Thanks to Jim Carrey’s remarkable face, any one of his movies could earn a spot on this list. While there’s no single blooper here that stands above the rest, the combined impact of the Liar Liar blooper reel serves as a reminder that Carrey might be the funniest man to ever live.
The faces are one of the main attractions here, but they’re not the only thing worth emphasizing. There are plenty of line flubs as well, but also delightful moments when Carrey goes totally off script, and completely shocks his castmates as a result.
The Descent (2005)
A crucial reminder that people can have fun even when they’re making one of the scariest movies of all time, The Descent‘s bloopers feature the cast having just a delightful time, even while they’re covered in all kinds of fake blood and mud.
There’s one particularly great gag where someone spots an exit sign at one of their filming locations and realizes that it could be their salvation. The entire reel is great, though, and it also features a crawler (one of the film’s monsters) doing some Gene Kelly-style business with a broom in a full-body green suit.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
This gag reel is short and to the point, but it’s another reminder of how much fun a cast and crew can get up to, even when they’re making something that becomes a masterpiece.
Perhaps the best moment here comes when Jodi Foster holds her gun up and says, “Freeze! Put your hands on your hips!” but there’s also a great moment featuring a struggle to put some rubber gloves on, as well as one that gives you a sense of just how much Anthony Hopkins enjoyed playing the embodiment of pure evil. The Silence of the Lambs is a masterpiece, and as it turns out, so are its outtakes.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The decision to shoot almost all of The Phantom Menace on green screens may not have worked out all that well for the film itself, but it certainly helped the blooper reel. Here, we get great moments like when R2-D2 tumbles completely over, as well as the usual line flubs that are a part of any great blooper reel.
What makes The Phantom Menace‘s reel so great, though, is that it’s a reminder that the bigger the scale and scope of your movie is, the harder it’s ultimately going to be to pull it all off perfectly.
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
You might think that it would be difficult for an animated movie to get in on the fun of bloopers, but one of the great things about early Pixar is that it would often animate takes where the actors messed up a line or were goofing off with one another.
These animated bloopers prove to be just as endearing as the real thing, and also serve as a firm reminder that there are real people voicing these cartoon characters.
Step Brothers (2009)
It might seem foolish to stick two collaborations between Adam McKay and Will Ferrell on a single list, but the results speak for themselves. The final version of Step Brothers is one of the funniest movies ever made, and it turns out that the outtakes are just as hilarious.
Look for plenty of improv from Ferrell and John C. Reilly, plus moments when both of them break, as we see that even they couldn’t always resist the sheer comedic power of the movie they were making.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Another comedy that deserves a spot in the pantheon of all-time greats, Young Frankenstein is one of the funniest movies ever made, and its gag reel is filled with moments where even the ultra-professional Gene Wilder seems to understand just how hilarious everything around him is.
The reel is a humanizing look at one of the funniest actors of his generation, but it’s also got plenty of laughs from beginning to end for any devoted Mel Brooks fan to enjoy.
Bridesmaids (2011)
Given the fact that the cast of Bridesmaids, one of Netflix’s most popular comedies, includes roughly half of the great female comedians working today, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that they got into some nonsense while filming the movie.
This gag reel features the normal bits of silliness, as well as a reminder of just how difficult everyone found acting serious to be around Melissa McCarthy’s performance. There’s a reason she was nominated for an Oscar, and it’s in part because she was so funny that she even kept her co-stars from completing takes.
Superbad (2007)
Anyone who has watched a single Stefon segment on Saturday Night Live is likely aware that Bill Hader has a little bit of trouble with breaking.
The moments when he breaks in the Superbad gag reel are some of the funniest in the movie, but there areother highlights as well, including plenty of great stuff from leads Michael Cera and Jonah Hill. Superbad is a legendary comedy, and its outtakes are just as good as the finished product.
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