Films will normally make us cringe for one of two reasons; the writers have made a very deliberate attempt to depict an embarrassing scene - often involving sex or nudity of some kind - or the writers have attempted to write an earnest scene that we as viewers just cannot take seriously. The result of both is the same; a wince, a cringe, and perhaps even a perverse laugh at how embarrassing said scene is for both us and those involved (be it the characters or the actors themselves). If you're a fan of Ricky Gervais' The Office, then you no doubt love your car-crash, cringe-inducing humour, and will find plenty to enjoy in this list, though at the same time, some simply find the embarrassment factor too unbearable to continue watching. Nevertheless, here are 10 embarrassing movie moments that make us all cringe...
10. The Zip - There's Something About Mary
One of the all-time unbearably embarrassing movie scenes has 16-year-old Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) preparing to go to prom with his dream date, the lovely Mary Jensen (Cameron Diaz), only to get his genitalia trapped in his zipper while in her bathroom. Her family members - namely Mary's step-father (Keith David) - fail to improve things as they try to work out quite how Ted got himself in this situation, and even the local police and fire brigade don't help matters, only compounding Ted's (and our) embarrassment. A close-up of the offending "blockage" only makes things even worse, and when the zip is finally pulled all the way back down, Ted has to be taken straight to hospital with severe bleeding from his nether-regions. It's a scene that I defy any man to sit through without crossing their legs and cringing themselves into oblivion.