10 Incredible Movies With ONE Unnecessary Scene

So close to perfection.

Crazy Stupid Love
Warner Bros.

Every single factor in a movie, no matter how seemingly minor, is crucial in the mind of the director.

Even if a scene seems rudimentary or trivial, it has been revised, rewritten, storyboarded, rehearsed, shot, and reshot in painstaking detail. During filming or post-production, the filmmaker mightn't like how certain scenes turned out, resulting in them being left on the cutting room floor.

But sometimes, the director makes the complete opposite blunder. Occasionally, one sequence will be left in that isn't just bad, but pointless. Simply by existing, the scene ends up hurting the narrative. Even though there's plenty of movies with pointless moments (half the scenes in The Room), it's annoying when this happens in a truly great movie.

Bridesmaids really didn't need that diarrhoea joke. The unsettling boat ride in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate jars with the rest of the movie's whimsical tone. And the casting couch gag in Toy Story 2 has aged REALLY badly.

Even though the films on this list are considered classics, they could've been perfect if a single scene was axed.

10. That Nude Picture - Crazy, Stupid Love

Crazy Stupid Love
Warner Bros.

Crazy, Stupid Love follows a husband called Cal who feels like his life is falling apart after his wife asks him for a divorce. After befriending a smooth ladies man called Jacob, Cal reinvents himself, hoping to get his life back on track.

While this is going on, there is a B-plot involving Cal's 13-year-old son, Robbie, being infatuated with his 17-year-old babysitter, Jessica. Just to make things more complicated, Jessica is in love with Cal and hopes to seduce him by sending him a nude photo of herself.

If that sounds awkward, it gets so much creepier. In the end, Cal learns about Robbie's feelings towards Jessica. Instead of telling him that dating her would be a federal offence, Cal encourages his son to "never give up" when "you find the one".

Worse still, Jessica gives Robbie the nude photo of herself before affectionately kissing him in on the head! For some reason, the director thought a scene where a 17-year-old gives a naked picture to a minor would come across as romantic instead of gross and very, very illegal.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows