15 Funniest Times Movies Broke The Fourth Wall
14. The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs
Sam Elliott's narrating cowboy, "The Stranger", is the most famous use of breaking the fourth wall in the Coen Brothers' oeuvre, but it's not the funniest. That distinction is held by their most recent film, the fatalistic anthology film The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs.
The happy-go-lucky singing cowboy with a penchant for killing introduces himself to the viewers as he strolls along the gorgeous desert landscape. Buster addresses the audience jovially, discussing his journeys through the outdoors, his nicknames and love of singing. He also notes, almost in passing, that he's a wanted criminal.
Tim Blake Nelson's sunny speaking manner and expansive vocabulary, along with his friendly introduction to the viewer, allay the abrupt violence to come, making those scenes a classically Coen combination of shocking and hilarious. Later, he jokes with the audience as he gets cocky mid-duel, shooting a man while looking through a mirror.
The framework of the movie itself also works as an example of breaking the fourth wall. It begins with a book being opened, its pages describing the story about to be told. Each vignette is bookended with the turning pages of the western tome.