15 Most Awkward Moments In Film History
Awkward moments don't happen that often in films, usually because it means you have to have a few minutes of silence where the only thing the viewer can comment on is the atmosphere. In other words, they're pretty difficult to pull off. Some awkward moments are unintentional; the acting can be really bad, the dialogue doesn't work and you sit there wishing the scene would finish. Here are some awkward moments from films - most of which are intentional and do fantastic jobs at freaking us out or making us squirm. There are some on this list however, that are accidents and have just backfired. This list has some classic scenes included and also a few which are crucial to the plot of each film so be warned, spoilers ahead.
15. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn parts 1 & 2 - The Sex Scenes
The awkward moment when... you realise the two most passionless people in the world are about to do a sex scene. Everyone over the age of 15 knows that most of the acting in the Twilight films were pretty awful. The love triangle looks so forced in the later films that you can practically see them all checking their watches, waiting until their contract is up so they can abandon the franchise forever. The lack of convincing passion in these films wasn't the weirdest thing though; the fact that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson actually date in real life but still look miserable is pretty weird. Everyone knew there was going to have to be a sex scene in Part 1, the main advertising feature for the film was indeed this scene. Kristen was reported to have said that, when filming that scene, it didn't feel like they were doing a sex scene at all because there was no passion. While this is sort of insulting her boyfriend, she has a point. Both scenes are cringe worthy because you can tell they want it over and done with. Also, the fact there's a sex scene in a 12A film is quite awkward in itself, since the franchise is a massive advertising campaign for abstinence...though those scenes would put anyone off for a long time...blech!
14. Silence of the Lambs - First Encounter Scene
The awkward moment when... that guy doesn't ever blink! Silence of the Lambs will forever be famous for this scene. It's Hannibal Lecter's (Anthony Hopkins) first encounter with Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) and he does his best to really intimidate her. Being the first horror film to win a best picture Oscar shows how well-received it was. If you've only ever seen one clip from Silence of the Lambs chances are it was this one. Because it is shown everywhere it means that when people finally sit down to watch Silence of the Lambs they've already seen it and the scene loses its spark so it doesn't seem as chilling as it would have been. The awkward bit is when you realise he's kind of staring at you, blinking very rarely, and freaking you out!
13. Les Miserables - Javert
The awkward moment when... you realise Russell Crowe can't sing and act at the same time. Les Miserables has, of course, received so much hype this awards season that you will assume everyone in its outstanding cast will be excellent. The awkward moment occurs when you realise this just is not the case; minutes into the film, you realise Russell Crowe cannot sing. To be fair, he is an actor not a singer and I'm sure I'd be a lot worse than him if I was told to get up and sing. It's the bad singing combined with his weird facial expression which lets his performance down however, it never changes! As the film goes on you begin to cringe and sometimes laugh at him because he looks like he has been startled by a fire alarm most of the time. Poor Russell Crowe did try his best and maybe if the other performances in Les Mis weren't so brilliant then perhaps no one would have noticed. However, the other performances were brilliant making Crowe's performance just plain awkward.
12. The Dark Knight - Post-Interrogation Scene
The awkward moment when...the Joker's making fun of your dead friends. This is probably the funniest on the list. Batman has just beaten the Joker into telling him where Rachel and Harvey Dent are being held captive so, whilst he and half of Gotham City Police go to find them, the Joker is watched by Officer Stephens. The Joker decides to taunt the officer a little; asking him how many of his friends had he killed in the past week, calling them cowards and talking about their final moments etc. Eventually the officer cracks and tries to beat the Joker. This was, of course, the Joker's plan all along and he instantly overpowers him, holding him hostage until he gets to the next step of his mayhem. The awkwardness is purely because Heath Ledger played his character so brilliantly. You cannot believe the Joker is saying these horrible things to the officer and you just know the officer will lose his temper soon. This scene would have been far more awkward had it not been split up with shots of Batman and Gordon racing to save Dent and Rachel but it's still quite awkward.
11. No Country For Old Men - 'Call It' Scene
The awkward moment when... this random guy might kill you whilst eating some cashew nuts! This scene is awkward for both the audience and the proprietor; the audience because, at this point in the film, we have already seen what Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is capable of as he can kill anyone without a care in the world. It's awkward for the proprietor because he has absolutely no idea what Chigurh is talking about. Chigurh walks into a tiny gas station in the middle of nowhere and purchases a little packet of cashew nuts. He then strikes up a conversation with the proprietor who immediately can tell that he is bad news. The famous 'call it, Friendo' scene makes everyone hold their breath because he is genuinely considering killing this man for no real reason at all, and we know he could kill this man in some hideous way easily whilst calmly munching away at his cashew nuts. Thankfully the proprietor's live is saved when Chigurh flips a coin and asks him to call it, which he does correctly. Sort of like an even more menacing two-face. The proprietor gets to live but you can tell he is visibly shaken at the end of the scene.
10. Psycho - Supper Scene
The awkward moment when... you realise this guy really loves his mum! Psycho is a classic horror film with the brilliant Anthony Perkins playing the ultimate serial killer Norman Bates. In this scene we begin to realise something is wrong with Norman. He has invited Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) over to his office for some supper and the scene quickly changes from a nice meal to a slightly disturbing conversation. Janet Leigh's fate appears to be sealed after she suggests Norman put his mother in a home if she is such a burden on him. We see his facial expression visibly change into a hidden rage where he defends his mother. That's when you realise he's a bit more than just a mummy's boy. "A madhouse?...What do you know about caring? Have you ever seen inside one of those places?" ....Yikes. The scene is awkward because the tense atmosphere hits you like a ton of bricks and is there instantly. You hold your breath because you see how hurt/angry Bates is and you don't know what he will do or say next.
9. Pulp Fiction - Pop Tarts Scene
The awkward moment when... you realise you should have taken your gun to the bathroom with you. Another funny scene, this time in Quentin Tarantino's brilliant Pulp Fiction. In chapter 2 (The Gold Watch), Butch (Bruce Willis) goes back to his apartment to collect his lucky gold watch before he skips town to escape Marsellus after winning a rigged boxing match he was supposed to loose. Whilst in his apartment he goes and puts some pop tarts in the toaster and then discovers the huge machine gun equipped with a silencer sitting on his kitchen bunker. As he picks it up, you hear a toilet flushing and then Vincent Vega (John Travolta) leaves the bathroom, stopping in the doorway when he sees Butch holding his gun. There are a few minutes of awkward silence where Vega is trying to work out what to say to get out of this situation. After a few minutes the pop tarts that everyone has forgotten about pop up from the toaster and Vega goes down in a hail of bullets as Butch just lets rip, leaving Vega dead in the bath. I know there is another really awkward scene in this film involving Butch, Marsellus and a lovely man named Zed, but I wanted to keep it as one scene per film for this list.
8. Black Swan - Wet Dream Confrontation Scene
The awkward moment when... you realise that sex you had last night was just a dream. This one is a tad embarrassing; Poor Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) thought she had sex with Lily (Mila Kunis) only to wake up alone, hungover and late for her ballet class. So, she gets to class and is quite angry with Lily for abandoning her like that only to discover she just had a wet dream and none of it actually happened...awkward. The scene before this one remains popular with men because...well it's Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman and I'm sure they all couldn't believe it when they were dragged to see Black Swan with their girlfriends. However, everyone felt a bit embarrassed for Nina after this outburst and when Lily slightly ridiculed her for admitting to it.
7. The Departed - Rat Scene
The awkward moment when... you think Jack Nicholson knows you're the rat! The Departed is a wonderful film by Martin Scorsese with some fantastic performances. The awkward moment however, comes when Costello's (Jack Nicholson) suspicions about Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) are at their highest. He brings Costigan in to discuss things... When we see the strange rat-infested sketch Nicholson is drawing along with his creepy rat impression, we are instantly freaked out and are holding our breaths along with Costigan as we wait to see if Costello really does know or not. "I got this rat, this gnawing, cheese-eating fucking rat and it brings up questions..." Thankfully he doesn't and lets Costigan go with the scene becoming quite funny at the end but we still are genuinely afraid of Costello.
6. Taxi Driver - Theatre Date Scene
The awkward moment when... the guy takes you to a porn theatre on the first date! We've all been on dates that have just gone a bit awkward but this one's worse than anyone could imagine; in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver we see Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) fall in love with a woman...lovely! He plucks up the courage to ask her out on a proper date and she accepts...double-lovely! Unfortunately, since Vietnam, Bickle's emotional scars have meant he hasn't quite got to grips with modern etiquette and takes her to a porn theatre... not so lovely. Trying to be polite, she enters the theatre but storms out within minutes of the film beginning. This scene is pretty awkward for everyone because you can't believe someone would actually think it is acceptable to do that but you know Bickle isn't quite all there because of his traumatic time in the army. He doesn't understand why she is so disgusted and he begins to hold a grudge against her for it. Maybe Bickle's just ahead of the curve...yes, that's quite unlikely.
5. The King Of Comedy - House Invasion Scene
The awkward moment when... That guy you met once breaks into your house and thinks he's your best friend! Again, Robert De Niro makes things awkward in another Scorsese film, The King of Comedy. Rupert Pupkin is desperate to become famous and thinks he's got his big break when he finally manages to talk to his idol Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis). Langford tries to be polite to Pupkin but is also trying to get away from him as soon as possible. After Pupkin tells a few jokes, Langford gives him the number of his office just to shut him up and to get away from him. Delusional Pupkin now believes he and Langford are the best of friends and after weeks of trying to get in touch with him again he decides to just pay him a visit at his holiday home. The awkward scene is when Langford comes back to find Pupkin making himself at home along with his girlfriend (who believed Pupkin when he said he and Langford were good friends). Needless to say, Langford does not welcome them with open arms and Pupkin is genuinely confused as to why he is being thrown out of the house and his girlfriend is so embarrassed. His delusions allow him to believe that this is all a misunderstanding but he eventually gets the picture and that's when Pupkin becomes a little bit more frightening.
4. Skyfall - First Encounter With Silva Scene
The awkward moment when... you realise the villain might be attracted to you! Say hello to Javier Bardem again...This is another recent awkward moment; James Bond has been captured and is in the middle of his first conversation with Skyfall villain Silva. Bardem really outdoes himself with this performance which is why this scene works so well. In the scene he gets quite close to Bond and at some points seems quite attracted to him. This would have been fine if Bond wasn't tied to a chair and Silva wasn't unbuttoning his shirt whilst quietly threatening him. Bardem performed this scene so well that he made everyone watching it squirm.
3. Gladiator - Thoughts Of Incest Scenes
The awkward moment when... the brother has a thing for his sister! We all love our brothers and sisters but this one goes a bit too far. Joaquin Phoenix plays Commodus Caesar in Ridley Scott's fantastic Gladiator. Halfway through the film Commodus becomes a bit power mad as Caesars tend to do after murdering his own father to become Emperor of the Roman Empire. There are a few awkward scenes where he gets a bit too close for comfort with his sister, Lucilla, and luckily she manages to squirm away without offending him each time. The situation reaches breaking point however, when he discovers she and many others in the Senate have conspired against him to overthrow him. He assassinates and imprisons half of the Senate and rules that his sister may never embrace her own son (the next heir) again, demanding they create an heir of 'pure blood'...eww! Thankfully, he is killed by Maximus before any of his incestuous plans can go ahead but he really did make your skin crawl.
2. Inglourious Basterds - Strudel Scene
The awkward moment when... you're having strudel with the man who killed your family and nearly you! Quentin Tarantino again, this time with the amazing Inglorious Basterds. Shosanna is a Jew in France during the Second World War and she manages to escape her place of hiding just before Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) and his soldiers kill the rest of her family. The awkward moment happens months later when Shosanna (now Emmanuelle) has a new identity in Paris running her own cinema. She feels she has gotten away safely until an annoying Nazi war hero takes a shine to her and she is literally dragged out to dinner with him and some other high-ranking Nazis including Landa. She instantly recognises him of course and has to sit there, eating strudel, desperately trying to hide her terror and praying that he doesn't recognise her. Whilst this is happening the audience is praying with her and there's a good few minutes where everyone holds their breath. It is the performance by Christoph Waltz that makes this scene really work; he makes you think he does recognise her at some points and really terrifies everyone watching.
1. Goodfellas - 'Funny' Scene
The awkward moment when... the maniac can't take a compliment. 'Do I amuse you?' No Mr Pesci I swear! Goodfellas is a perfect example of how gangster movies should be made. There are lots of scenes of extreme violence in this film but the one that everyone remembers and the one that scared everyone the most was the awkward dinner scene with Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). By this point in the film we know Tommy is a bit of a loose cannon. Henry makes an off the cuff remark after Tommy tells a funny story, saying 'you're a funny guy.' Tommy's face changes completely and so begins the awkwardness as he ask Henry again and again what exactly makes him 'a funny guy?' Eventually, Tommy breaks the ice and begins to laugh, showing he was only joking but the scene is quite frightening because you know he wouldn't hesitate to blow Henry's head off at any point for something so unimportant. This scene is special because, when you think Tommy is being deadly serious, your face is the exact same as everyone else's sitting at the table in that scene - everyone freezes. The frozen terror is replaced with relief and even more awkwardness afterwards when they all start laughing and you can tell Henry is still shaken by the ordeal as he genuinely thought his final moments were upon him. This was just a list of awkward moments in films, not the definitive list, so what awkward moments do you think are memorable?