“Why male models?”
The scene: JP Prewitt is explaining to Derek and Matilda the purpose of male models. “Zoolander” is a comedy classic from the early aughts. Some have rated it as one of the most innovative flicks from this time period. Thanks to the movie exhibiting celebrity culture and the fashion world, it will always be remembered.
After David Duchovny’s lengthy explanation, Ben Stiller forgot his line. But, instead of asking for the line, he simply repeated the line from before when he first asked David the question that started the monologue. This was absolutely hilarious, and the directors decided to keep it in instead of the original line.
The Devil Wears Prada
"Everybody wants to be us."
The scene: Miranda and Andy are conversing in a car in Paris. “The Devil Wears Prada” from 2006 was great for so many reasons. It gave great performances by Anne Hathaway and of course, Meryl Streep, showcased some interesting fashion choices all while exposing the dark side of the fashion magazine industry.
It pretty much became an instant classic after being released. The brilliant Meryl Streep, who plays a famous fashion magazine editor, only changes ‘me’ to ‘us’ in the scripted version of this line, and it changed the dynamic of the whole ending of the movie.
Pretty Woman
*SNAP!*
The scene: Wealthy businessman, Edward, presents a beautiful necklace to his love interest, Vivian, that completes her outfit for the opera. “Pretty Woman” was so good that some critics have rated it as one of the best revolutionary rom-coms that they've ever seen.
In this classic movie, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere play an unlikely, but a fairytale-like couple. In this scene, when she reaches for the necklace, he jokingly and suddenly snaps the box closed, which led to one of the most recognizable laughs in film history. This unscripted moment was completely influenced by Julia and Richard’s off-screen chemistry.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
"AAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!"
The scene: Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are on the trails of hobbits. They come to a point where they think they are dead. Aragorn yells in frustration and kicks a helmet. Any “Lord of the Rings” movie will forever go down in history as one of the best movies ever made in the 21st century.
In this particular scene, both the yelling and kicking of the helmet were improvised. In fact, Viggo Mortensen accidentally broke his toe when filming the scene. But hey, it made for one of the most popular scenes in cinema history, so perhaps it was worth it.
This Is Spinal Tap
Believe it or not, this film is actually mostly unscripted. That’s probably what makes this movie so unique, as it’s very rare that directors and movie makers give that much writing power to the actors. This movie is about a fictional 80s hair band starring in their very own spoof film.
Director Rob Reiner aimed to make this film as a relatable and hilarious look at the rock’n’roll lifestyle, so most of the script was left up to actors. It is even shown in the credits, as all of the actors are listed in the writer’s section, which includes Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest, who all also starred as the main characters of the movie.