To this day, two of Saturday Night Live’s best recurring characters are Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar and Wayne’s World lives on in excellence. Now, it’s been decades since Mike Myers and Dana Carvey made their debut as these music-loving hosts. However, they are still beloved and referenced frequently. So, if you were wondering why, Carvey himself explained the “secret sauce” that made Wayne’s World such a massive hit.

Wayne’s World debuted as a sketch on Saturday Night Live in 1989, and throughout this great SNL cast’s run, Myers and Carvey reprised their roles many times (which you can see by watching the show with a Peacock subscription). With that in mind, Carvey explained why the sketch worked so well during a video for SNL. He started by giving credit to his “excellent host”:

Well, the comedic genius of two of the show’s best and brightest certainly helped Wayne’s World’s success. I mean, Mike Myers became one of the biggest stars SNL produced, and Dana Carvey is a literal comedy legend. So, putting them together to “party on” felt like it would have been a no-brainer.

However, there’s more to this idea’s success than its stars. Carvey explained that, too. Recalling why Wayne and Garth were such lovable characters, the comedian said:

He’s totally right, the joy radiating off of Wayne’s World is infectious. Sincerely, anytime I hear the theme song, I immediately start smiling, singing and making guitar noises. These two guys are having such a blast hosting their little show, that you can’t help but have a blast with them.

So, I do believe that’s a big reason why Wayne’s World became such a big hit. I also think the movie worked so well for that reason too.

I mean, Rob Lowe has said he broke a lot filming Wayne’s World, so it’s clear they had quite the laugh making this. Plus, through these characters having a blast, we got a fun story with it that led to massive moments, like the guys singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the car.

It’s been 33 years since that movie came out, and it hasn’t lost its sauce. I mean, every time I hear that Queen song I bang my head as they did. And every Halloween, without fail, I see at least one duo dressed as Wayne and Garth.

I guess, when you really boil it down, Wayne’s World is about two dudes having the time of their lives hosting a TV show. It’s hard not to enjoy yourself when they’re having so much fun themselves. Then, when you mix in the comedic geniuses that are Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, you really get something “excellent”!

Fans of John Candy are very happy these days. Not only do we have the new Ryan Reynolds produced documentary film John Candy: I Like Me, available with an Amazon Prime Video subscription, but there’s also a new biography of the iconic comedian called John Candy: A Life in Comedy, written by Paul Myers, the brother of comedian Mike Myers. It turns out the latter has a very personal connection to the man.

In an appearance on Canada’s The Morning Show, Paul Myers relayed the story about his brother, a teenage Mike Myers, seeing John Candy in person and asking for advice on how to break into comedy. While many actors might give vague advice or speak in broad concepts, Candy remarkably gave Myers specifics that would help the kid eventually become a star. Myers explained…

This is pretty fantastic, and clearly well-thought-out advice from Candy. It just goes to show that not all advice works well for everybody. Harrison Ford recently commented about advice, saying that trying to imitate success stories doesn't work. Here John Candy is advocating that Myers do exactly what many others before him had done.

The key, however, isn’t that this was a way to become a star. Candy’s focus encouraged Mike Myers to pursue comedy if he ended up loving it. If you love what you’re doing, that’s certainly better than doing a job you hate. As Paul Myers says…

For the record, Mike Myers would join Second City’s Canadian touring company after high school, before moving on to the company’s main stage in Chicago. During the years he was with Second City, he would begin to create characters like Wayne Campbell who would help make him a star when he later joined Saturday Night Live.

Paul Myers said years later, John Candy saw Mike Myers in a restaurant and stopped to tell him how much he loved the then-new Wayne’s World movie. It’s unclear if Candy realized it was the same kid he once gave advice to that changed his life.

I think I speak for many when I say audiences love it when characters from two (or more) different movies or TV series come together in one special event, such as the epic monster movies featuring both Godzilla and King Kong, or when Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc. appeared on Supernatural. Of course, for all of the mind-blowing crossovers we have been blessed with, there is still much to be desired in the realm of bringing two big-screen or small-screen franchises together.

In that respect, let’s let our imaginations run wild and dream up the movie or TV crossovers that would be incredible to see. Now, I cannot promise that many (or all) of these ideas are legally or even humanly possible, but why should we let that get in the way of the fun?

Toy Story And Small Soldiers

The first, and still one of the best, Pixar movies, Toy Story, showed us the world from the point of view of sentient toys in 1995. Three years later, Small Soldiers offered the same perspective, but with more of an edge and a more realistic approach. Seeing Woody (Tom Hanks) and other innocent children's playthings crossing paths with Major Chip Hazard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his AI-powered, militaristic action figures sounds like one wonderfully warped animated flick, if you ask me.

The Office And Parks And Recreation

As recalled by MovieWeb, co-creators Michael Schur and Greg Daniels initially conceived Parks and Recreation as a spin-off of The Office before it turned into its own separate and equally beloved TV sitcom. Still, there is no reason why Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and his former Dunder-Mifflin co-workers could not somehow cross paths with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and other Pawnee residents in a mockumentary-style special.

Drive And Fast And Furious

A famous example of misleading movie marketing is 2011's slow-burn, Neo-noir thriller Drive, which one woman assumed would be more of a high-octane action thriller like the Fast and Furious movies, inspiring her to file a lawsuit, according to The Guardian. Honestly, I see this as a reason to give the people what they want and release a movie that sees Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew facing off against Ryan Gosling's Driver.

Succession And Yellowstone

Having both premiered in 2018, Jesse Armstrong's Succession and Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone would become subjects of comparison, with some even calling the Paramount Network hit "Succession with cowboy hats." I think seeing the wealthy and vindictive Roys indulging in a rivalry with the also wealthy and vindictive Duttons would make for one epic feature-length special or miniseries.

21 Jump Street And Men In Black

Among the hypothetical crossovers presented here, not all are too much of a stretch from the realm of possibility. In fact, there were actual plans for a film called MIB23, which would have brought Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) from the 21 Jump Street movie into the world of the Men in Black franchise. Unfortunately, plans were scrapped in 2019, but I still have hope this insane sci-fi/comedy mash-up could work.

Poker Face And The Thing

Imagine if human lie detector Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) from the Peacock original TV show Poker Face was trapped in one place with a group of people who may or may not be shapeshifting extraterrestrial organisms in disguise, like the 1982 horror movie classic, The Thing. She would be the only one who could suss out the imitators, but the rest of the group might be too paranoid to confidently trust her judgment. I think Rian Johnson should give John Carpenter a call.

Star Wars And Marvel Cinematic Universe

As a fan of both the Star Wars movies and of Guardians of the Galaxy, I love the idea of seeing the cosmic warriors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe visit George Lucas' galaxy far, far away. Considering both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm are owned by Disney, this intergalactic epic is entirely possible, as long as the timeline is respected, of course.

RoboCop And Terminator

Omni Consumer Products' half-man, half-machine crime-fighting tool has crossed paths with Skynet's mechanical killer before, but only on the pages of a Dark Horse comic book series from Frank Miller. Why Hollywood has not yet tried its hand at a movie that pits the hero from RoboCop against any of the antagonistic cyborgs from the Terminator franchise is beyond me.

James Bond And Jason Bourne

The Matt Damon-led Jason Bourne movies are often cited as the inspiration for the James Bond franchise's grittier tone, especially after Daniel Craig took over as 007. If there could be a way to get the American amnesiac assassin and the suave MI6 agent together in a room (which would likely be destroyed by the end), that could make for one of the best spy movies ever.

Sherlock And Doctor Who

Two of the BBC's most popular series, Sherlock and Doctor Who, both involve a highly intelligent, fashionable, and sometimes arrogant protagonist who is accompanied by a reliable companion. For that and many other reasons, I think it would be amazing to see them come together in a special or miniseries in which Holmes, hitting a wall with a case that defies logic, finds unexpected help from The Doctor.

DC Universe And Marvel Cinematic Universe

The two biggest comic book publishing companies in the world have not always been rivals and have indulged in creating stories that see DC heroes and Marvel heroes fighting side by side. Considering his strong ties to the MCU, it can't be out of the question for DC Studios head James Gunn to at least call a meeting with Kevin Feige to discuss bringing this kind of crossover to the big screen, which might end up being the greatest superhero movie ever made.

John Wick And Kill Bill

While largely differing in tone, the John Wick movies and Quentin Tarantino's two-part Kill Bill saga are pretty similar in concept, following two retired, legendary assassins waging a vengeful war on those who wronged them. Who is to say that Keanu Reeves' gun-fu master and Uma Thurman's The Bride never crossed paths in their deadly heyday?

The Evil Dead And The Exorcist

Two of the most popular franchises of demonic possession movies, The Exorcist and The Evil Dead, could not be more different from one another, which is exactly why I want to see them converge. In my pitch, grown-up Regan MacNeill's (Linda Blair) expertise in devilish activity is enlisted to help with a new case, but when it spirals out of control, the only one who can help is chainsaw-headed Deadite hunter, Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell).

Inception And A Nightmare On Elm Street

When you think about it, Leonardo DiCaprio's Dom Cobb from Christopher Nolan's Inception essentially has the same job as Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Just imagine how much more challenging his team's adventures through the subconscious would be with Robert Englund's sadistic, badly burned boogeyman invading the same dream.

Alien, Predator, And Jurassic Park

You know what I think the Alien vs. Predator movies were missing? Dinosaurs. Putting these two fearsome extraterrestrials in yet another battle, but while trapped on one of the prehistoric animal-infested islands from the Jurassic Park films, could result in one of the most exciting entries from any of these franchises. You would not even need human characters to make it work because seeing both the Predator and the Xenomorph knocked down a peg by the T-Rex as a common enemy would be more than enough.

Ghostbusters And Casper

We already know that Casper and the Ghostbusters exist in the same universe, thanks to Dan Aykroyd's cameo as Ray Stantz in the Friendly Ghost's 1995 live-action feature adaptation of the animated series. I am sure Casper would happily help the paranormal exterminators take on a few evil spirits, even after an awkward misunderstanding were to happen when they first meet.

Mad Max And Dredd

The great thing about post-apocalyptic movies is that each has a different, intriguing interpretation of what a dystopian society would look like. However, what if the Wasteland from George Miller's Mad Max movies existed just across the (dried up) pond from Mega City One in Dredd? The gritty, visually stunning possibilities are endless.

Blade And Twilight

Allow me to make one thing clear: I am not suggesting that Marvel Comics' vampire hunter, originally played on the big screen by Wesley Snipes, should show up in the Twilight movies just to see Robert Pattinson's Edward, Kristen Stewart's Bella, and other bloodsuckers get slaughtered. I actually think Blade's presence could give the persistent haters of the films based on Stephanie Meyer's YA novel series a reason to treat the franchise with a little more respect.

Indiana Jones And Marvel Cinematic Universe

Since Disney owns both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, I wonder if anyone there has ever tinkered with the idea of putting a character like Indiana Jones in the MCU. I mean, he and Steve "Captain America" Rogers would have been alive around the same time and, as staunch anti-fascists, probably would have gotten along great. I doubt Harrison Ford's casting as Thunderbolt Ross in Captain America: Brave New World would cause much confusion, either.

Monk And Psych

The USA Network used to run promos bringing characters from their respective series together, including one in which Tony Shalhoub's eponymous detective from Monk suspects that Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) is not a real psychic. It makes me wish that we could have seen an official crossover episode that would have seen plenty of funny bickering between the carefree Shawn and someone as neurotic as Adrian Monk, who at least might have gotten along with Gus (Dulé Hill).

Power Rangers And Godzilla

By combining their respective, animal-shaped vehicles into one large Megazord, the Power Rangers have managed to face off against bizarre creatures of all sizes, which means they could realistically take on Godzilla. However, if I were to pitch this crossover, the rangers would eventually have to join forces with the King of the Monsters after an even larger creature emerges to wreak havoc on Angel Grove.

Bill & Ted And Wayne's World

Perhaps we never saw Bill S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves) take Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) on a trip through time because we are not worthy of such an excellent idea. Then again, if Myers and Carvey can still get together for Wayne's World reunions on SNL and Reeves and Winter could come back for 2020's Bill & Ted Face the Music, who says it doesn't have potential?

Dirty Harry And Death Wish

I think the greatest Dirty Harry movie we never saw would have put Clint Eastwood's Lt. Callahan on the case of a murderer targeting the most vicious gangs in San Francisco, which would turn out to be Charles Bronson's Paul Kersey from Death Wish. Inevitably, I think Harry would be lured into an alliance with the vengeful vigilante, coming to believe that his more permanent methods of justice align with his own.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer And Sabrina The Teenage Witch

It's a shame that there was never any attempt to make an official crossover between Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Sarah Michelle Gellar and the Melissa Joan Hart-led Sabrina the Teenage Witch while they were still on the air. The coming-of-age supernatural series may have differed dramatically in tone, but that is just what would have made the collaboration such a blast.

Harry Potter And The Dresden Files

If fans of the Harry Potter movies have ever been interested in trying out something a bit darker and grittier, there is another literary modern-day wizard with the same first name: Harry Dresden, played by Paul Blackthorne on the SyFy series, The Dresden Files. I think it would be fun to see J.K. Rowling's The Boy Who Lived helping author Jim Butcher's Chicago-based P.I. solve a grisly mystery in which magic is involved.

The Munsters And The Addams Family

They may have been on different networks and produced by opposing studios, but how in the world has there never been an attempt to introduce the Munsters to the Addams Family? I would even be open to getting the actors from Rob Zombie's reboot movie to star alongside the cast of Netflix's Wednesday if it meant getting just a glimpse at these creepy, kooky families finally coming together.

It And Terrifier

There are no two villains in the subgenre of creepy clown movies more iconic than Pennywise from It and Art the Clown from Terrifier. I can't imagine a horror fan being against the idea of bringing Bill Skarsgård's shapeshifting fear demon from Andy Muschietti's blockbuster adaptation of Stephen King's novel and David Howard Thornton from Damien Leone's shocking indie slashers together for one brutal showdown that would have blood and white face paint smeared across the screen.

Hocus Pocus And Trick 'R Treat

In Disney's cult favorite, family-friendly witch movie, 1993's Hocus Pocus, our young protagonists go through a lot of trouble to defeat the Sanderson Sisters (played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker). I cannot help but wonder how easily those sinister spellcasters could have been taken care of by the mischievous Sam from the 2007 anthology horror movie favorite, Trick 'r Treat.

Hoarders And Storage Wars

You know those people on the show Hoarders who compulsively keep hold of any item they possess, no matter how unnecessary or even unhealthy it may be? I have a potential idea to help them: put them on another A&E reality show called Storage Wars and tell them that they must outbid other experienced collectors if they want to maintain ownership of their junk.

Johnny English And The Pink Panther

While it barely held a candle to Peter Sellers, I cannot deny that I enjoyed Steve Martin's portrayal of Inspector Jacques Clouseau in his Pink Panther reboot. I even more enjoyed Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling Bond-wannabe in the Johnny English movies. I imagine that having the clueless French detective and accident-prone British spy cross paths on a case would result in some real comedic dynamite (especially if real dynamite is involved).

Sister Act And The Nun

After watching Whoopi Goldberg's Academy Award-winning performance in Ghost, I am convinced that a sequel to Sister Act in which Deloris Wilson-Van Cartier must contend with the habit-wearing demon Valak (Bonnie Aarons) from the Conjuring movies would be a riot.

Big Brother And Survivor

Big Brother and Survivor are both competitive reality shows that make social interaction a key element to winning, with the biggest difference being the setting. If I ran CBS, I would send the most famous all-stars from Big Brother to a remote island, bring Survivor champs to the Big Brother house, and see what happens.

In case you needed a reminder, or just love reading what I’m about to tell you, we’ve got a Looney Tunes movie on the 2025 movie schedule. While I would love for a surprise announcement to put Coyote vs. Acme back on the board, I’m soaking in the happiness that I shared through my The Day the Earth Blew Up review.

Th existence of this film, which is now playing in theaters, is both encouraging and upsetting, when considering a cartoon institution that’s been around as long as the Tunes have. While it's great to see Daffy Duck and Porky Pig back on the big screen, we have to own up to the fact that it used to be much easier to see Warner Bros.’ iconic creations in other films. That even extends to something as unexpected as Paramount’s SNL movie Wayne’s World as CinemaBlend recently discussed.

Voice actor and star Eric Bauza reminded me of that fact during CinemaBlend's recent interviews forThe Day the Earth Blew Up. During our chat, he drew some crazy, but understandable, connections to several late night comedy staples. In terms of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s 1992 blockbuster, Bauza referenced a classic scene as an example of the influence of Bugs Bunny:

Eric Bauza's mention of that scene was only one factoid when discussed in regard to how Looney Tunes have shaped the modern world of comedy. During our conversation, the Toronto native also mentioned how the SCTV feature film Strange Brew had legendary voice actor Mel Blanc voice the father of Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas’ iconic McKenzie brothers.

And, as far as a connection that’s purely influential, The Day The Earth Blew Up’s leading man cited fellow vocal stalwart and MadTV alum Phil LaMarr as naming Bugs Bunny as his favorite actor. As you tie all of these humorous threads together, check out the Wayne’s World scene in question down below:

If you go back to any of those classic shorts that made up the various eras of Looney Tunes history, you’ll find that parodies of stars like Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre were not only face value gags, as other characters would be based on their unique likenesses and voices.

Another non-Looney Tunes example of why that type of gag kills came out of the story behind Wayne’s World’s last minute T-1000 rewrite, which involved Paramount producer Hawk Koch changing the scene through feedback from his son.

Honestly, this is something that is harder to land in a world where the rights to such aspects are more firmly controlled. I know that much from first-hand knowledge, as I'd learned just how the insane cameos in the Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers movie were landed - and that story included a lot of red tape.

Thankfully, in their own way, SCTV, MadTV, and Saturday Night Live have all carried the torch forward. While the style has evolved, comedic conversations on tastemakers, politicians and even cartoon characters will always be part of the pop culture landscape.

As The Day the Earth Blew Up pushes that message forward, one could consider its release a full circle moment. I reject that notion and would suggest a more appropriate metaphor in the mobius strip, which never ends or begins and carries us all around on a merry-go-round that doesn’t look like it’ll break down any time soon.

If you’re looking for something new and looney, looney at a theater near you, then I highly encourage you to check out The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie now.

The 1990s were a great decade for music and that is reflected in this list of some of the best music moments from films of the era. Not all the music is "'90s music" but all of the moments are unforgettable. Here is our list of some of those amazing moments from some of the best movies of the decade.

"Flower Duet" - True Romance

Composer Léo Delibes' "Flower Duet" sets the backdrop for the amazing, and intense, scene between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper in Tony Scott's True Romance. Not only is it a fantastic use of music in film, it's one of the best scenes of any movie from the '90s. Maybe one of the best of all time.

"O-o-h Child" - Boyz 'N The Hood

The melancholy music and lyrics of "O-o-h Child" by the Five Stairsteps set the perfect tone for the scene in Boyz In The Hood where we see a young Dough Boy getting arrested for the first time as Tre and his father Furious look on after a nice afternoon fishing. The scene says so much about how each kid would grow up stuck in an unsustainable system.

"Layla" - GoodFellas

Martin Scorcese has always been great with his use of music in movies. Goodfellas is filled with classic songs and the most dramatic of all of them has to be the coda of the Derek and the Dominos' song "Layla." The piano, along with Eric Clapton and Duane Allman's soaring, dueling guitar solo, sets the perfect tone as bodies from the crew turn up everywhere as Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) cleans up the heist.

"Bittersweet Symphony" - Cruel Intentions

One of the best songs of the '90s, and indeed of all time, is "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve. The use of it at the end of Cruel Intentions as Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) gets busted and embarrassed in front of the whole school is, in one word, epic.

"Sweet Emotion" - Dazed And Confused

The opening moments of Dazed and Confused, accompanied by Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" make it immediately clear just how cool the movie is going to be. When the beat kicks in and we see Pickford (Shawn Andrews) and Michelle (Milla Jovovich) cruising the parking lot in his car, it draws the audience in immediately.

"Son Of Preacher Man" - Pulp Fiction

There are a lot of songs you can choose from in Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece Pulp Fiction. The dancing scene with Chuck Berry certainly stands out, but we just have to go with "Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield when Vincent (John Travolta) first arrives to pick up Mia (Uma Thurman). If nothing else, it's really cool, and the scene is now a legendary meme.

"Supermodel" - Clueless

"Cher's main thrill in life is a makeover," is one of the defining lines of Clueless, and the montage that follows accompanied by "Supermodel" by Jill Sobule, is one of the most iconic scenes from one of the most iconic movies of the '90s.

"Jungle Fever" - Jungle Fever

You can't have a list like this and not include the music from Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. The songs, all written and performed by the great Stevie Wonder, fit the movie perfectly. It would be a very different movie without them and while it's hard to pick just one, we went with the title track to the movie, played over the opening credits, to represent them all.

"Still" - Office Space

Sure, the most famous song featured in Office Space is "Feels Good To Be A Gangsta" but it's another song by The Geto Boys, "Still," that gets the nod here. There isn't a harder song director Mike Judge could have gone with to play along with the most famous scene in the movie when the office crew finally put their misery to an end and killed the janky printer.

"Hotel California" - The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski has some amazing quotes and is filled with unforgettable moments and lines. None more so than the moment cast member John Turturro's character, Jesus, is introduced while The Gypsy Kings' version of The Eagles' "Hotel California" plays.

"My Heart Will Go On" - Titanic

While Celine Dion's song "My Heart Will Go On" is not part of one particular scene in Titanic, the theme, written by James Horner (in the composer's most famous work), is played so much that it's as much a part of everyone's fond memories of the movie as the wonderful sets and incredible special effects arfe.

"Unchained Melody" - Ghost

"Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers may have been a quarter of a century old when it was used in Ghost but there are generations of movie fans that only associate with that famous scene of Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze throwing some pottery together.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” - Wayne’s World

It's incredible to think that Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was almost cut from Wayne's World. Not only did end up being the most iconic scene in the movie, it introduced a whole new audience to Queen's music. The movie world would be very different with it.

"Bring The Pain" - The Great White Hype

1996's The Great White Hype is one of the great underrated movies of the decade. Not only does it have a stacked cast with Damon Wayons, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Berg, Jamie Foxx, and others, but it also has one amazing moment when Wayons' character, heavyweight champion James "The Grim Reaper" Roper enters the ring with Method Man rapping "Bring The Pain."

"Goodbye Horses" - Silence Of The Lambs

There are very few songs in the history of film that can creep you out quite like "Goodbye Horses" by Q Lazzarus. The song, used in one of the most traumatic scenes in Silence Of The Lambs will immediately put you back in that moment whenever and wherever you hear it.

"Lust For Life" - Trainspotting

Director Danny Boyle is a master of using music in his movies and the best example of this is probably Trainspotting. From the opening moments of the movie with "Lust For Life" by Iggy Pop playing to the end of the movie with the epic "Born Slippy" by Underworld, the music is just amazing.

"The Stroke" - Billy Madison

Billy Madison launched Adam Sandler's movie career. The Sand Man plays a idiot 20-something who is forced to redo all 12 grades to earn his father's company. As a guy who clearly grew up in the 1980s, turning up to his first day of "high school" in a Trans Am while "The Stroke" by Billy Squire plays is, well, radical and perfect.

“I Will Always Love You” - The Bodyguard

We simply couldn't have put together this list without including one of the most popular songs of all time. Whitney Houston's version of the Dolly Parton-penned "I Will Always Love You" was a cultural atom bomb in the '90s. The song was everywhere and while the movie, which also stars Houston has mostly been forgotten, the song and the soundtrack live on forever.

"Everybody Knows" - Pump Up The Volume

Pump Up The Volume is an excellent example of a great movie from the 1990s that no one talks about anymore. The Christian Slater-led movie about a disaffected high school kid who broadcasts his own pirate radio station did, at the time, do as much to define Gen X culture as any movie from the era. The fact that it predates Grunge makes it all the more defining. All of the music is great, but his theme song, "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen is just so... cool.

"My Sharona" - Reality Bites

No movie oozes "Gen X" quite like Reality Bites. Not only does it star actors like Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder, Janeane Garofalo, and Steve Zahn, but the soundtrack is very '90s. With one exception - "My Sharona" by The Knack. The '80s song fits perfectly though, as the stars all take a moment to turn it up and dance in a convenience store.

“Sister Christian” - Boogie Nights

The scene with "Sister Christian" in Boogie Nights is INTENSE. It's a scene that is, honestly, hard to watch because it makes your skin crawl. That's also what makes the scene, and the movie, such a masterpiece.

"99 Luftballoons" - Grosse Pointe Blank

Grosse Pointe Blank has a truly great soundtrack made up of some of the coolest songs of the 1980s. This is unsurprising given the cast and crew of the movie, including star John Cusack. One of the more ridiculous scenes in this underrated dark romantic comedy is Cusack's character getting help from Jeremy Piven's character to haul a dead body out of a high school reunion with Nena's "99 Luftballoons" playing in the background.

"Stuck In The Middle With You" - Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino burst onto the scene with his first movie Reservoir Dogs and he immediately set the kind of tone he would carry into most of his movies with the ultra-violent scene of Mr. Blonde (Michael Madson) cutting the ear off a cop. The fact that the sweet love song "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel plays over it makes it all the more jarring.

"Only You" - Can't Hardly Wait

Can't Hardly Wait is a very '90s with a very '80s aesthetic in a lot of ways, especially the music. The movie's title comes from an '80s song of the same name by The Replacements and the last song of the movie, "Only You" by Yazoo is an '80s New Wave classic. It all fits perfectly though.

"Something I Can Never Have" - Natural Born Killers

Nine Inch Nails have the well-earned reputation of being one of the darkest bands of the 1990s and so when their song "Something I Can Never Have" was included in one of the darkest movies of the decade, it was a marriage made in Heaven, or Hell, depending on how you look at it.

"Mary Jane" - Friday

We all know what Friday is about. The Ice Cube/Chris Tucker comedy classic is one of the funniest movies of the '90s and while "Mary Jane" by Rick James dates back to the '70s, there isn't a more perfect song for the movie.

"Fortunate Son" - Forrest Gump

It's become a comedic trope that Credence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" is in every Vietnam War movie, but the facts actually show it's not used all that much. One movie it is used perfectly in is Forrest Gump, as the first song we hear when Forrest (Tom Hanks) gets to Vietnam.

"I Got You Babe" - Groundhog Day

There is no more perfect song than "I Got You Babe" to be played over and over and over and over as it is in Groundhog's Day. It does an amazing job just sucking the audience into Bill Murray's character's frustration again and again...and again.

“That Thing You Do” - That Thing You Do!

That Thing You Do! is a really fun movie about a fictional band, so it just had to be included here. None of the songs are all that great, except the star of the show, the song with the same name as the movie, written by the late Adam Schlesinger. It's just so darn catchy!

"State of Love and Trust and Breathe" - Singles

In 1992 the music scene was completely overrun with Grunge. Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains, were just a few of the Seattle bands dominating the charts. Another one of those Seattle bands was, of course, Pearl Jam. Not only did Eddie Veddar and company write and perform the best song on the soundtrack, "State of Love and Trust" but Veddar even showed up in the movie.

"Secret Garden" - Jerry Maguire

Bruce Springsteen had some great contributions to '90s movies, like the theme to Philadelphia, called ""Streets of Philadelphia" for which he won an Oscar, and "Dead Man Walkin'" from Dead Man Walking. We went with another Springsteen choice, "Secret Garden" which is played over the scene in Jerry Maguire when Renee Zelleweger's character is forced to break up with Jerry (Tom Cruise).

"Love Stinks" - The Wedding Singer

Some could argue that The Wedding Singer was the last great movie from Adam Sandler's early career. It's a funny movie, with an even funnier premise and that premise, of Sandler as a washed up singer playing weddings is highlighted perfectly when a depressed singer chooses to sing "Love Stinks" by the J. Geils Band at a wedding. A very Sandler choice.

While fans of musicals know where to go when they want to see characters breaking out in song left and right, there's something joyous about a random music number finding its way into movies across any genre. It has happened far more than you might think. Watch out for these awesome jump scares of song-and-dance numbers in comedies, science fiction, dramas and so forth. They've made iconic movies even more so! 

“Johnny B. Goode” - Back To The Future (1985) 

Even though the crux of Back To Future is as a time travel comedy, it also has one of the greatest music numbers in a movie. During the Enchantment Under The Sea dance, where Marty McFly’s parents are supposed to fall in love, Michael J. Fox performs an electric rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” It’s no wonder the movie has since inspired a Broadway musical. 

“Come and Get Your Love” - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

There’s been a few notable Marvel music moments over the years, but few compare to Guardians of the Galaxy opening with Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill singing and dancing in the middle of an alien planet to Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” alongside extra-terrestrial creatures. It’s the perfect way to start the trilogy and introduce Star-Lord. 

"Thriller" - 13 Going On 30 (2004) 

In the super fun romantic comedy, 13 Going On 30, Jennifer Garner plays a young girl named Jenna Rink, who dreams she is “thirty, flirty and thriving” and wakes up seventeen years later. In one of the highlight scenes of the film, Jenna brings together a whole party of 30-somethings to do the famous “Thriller” dance from Michael Jackson’s music video. 

“I’m Just Ken” - Barbie (2023) 

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is full of great music scenes and bright pink, but none quite like Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” sequence. In the third act of the movie, Ken breaks into song to express how it feels to be an accessory to Barbie all the time. The original song, reminiscent of "Singin’ In The Rain," earned an Oscar nomination (which surprised Gosling) after being penned by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt for the flick. 

“Day-O” - Beetlejuice (1988) 

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice is a ball of a gothic comedy about a couple who die suddenly and hire a bio-exorcist named Beetlejuice to haunt the new tenants living in their home. One way he causes calamity to the household is by having them sing and dance to "The Banana Boat Song" at the dinner table against their will. 

'You Never Can Tell' - Pulp Fiction (1994) 

Quentin Tarantino’s stylish crime film includes an iconic dance scene between John Travolta’s Vincent Vega and Uma Thurman’s Mia Wallace while they are at an old school diner together. Mia casually has Vincent enter a dance contest with her. When the two characters do the twist, it’s just one of many scenes that make Pulp Fiction one of the best ‘90s movies.   

“You Make My Dreams” - (500) Days Of Summer (2009) 

(500) Days of Summer takes audiences through the unexpected love and breakup story of Summer and Tom, and has a blast playing with structure throughout. In one unexpected scene that depicts how it feels to fall in love, Tom dances in the street with a group of dancers to Hall & Oates “You Make My Dreams.” 

“Peaches” - The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) 

Never did we think Bowser would sing a piano ballad in The Super Mario Bros. Movie! In the 2023 animated film based on the beloved Nintendo franchise, Jack Black’s Bowser confesses his love for Princess Peach by singing “Peaches, peaches, peaches.” It became a viral hit we all couldn’t stop listening to when it hit theaters. 

“You Don’t Own Me” - The First Wives Club (1996) 

The 1996 comedy, The First Wives Club, ends in the best way: a music number! After Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton’s characters complete their goal of getting back at their ex husbands, they celebrate in their matching white suits by singing and dancing to “You Don’t Own Me.” 

“Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” - 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 

In the romantic comedy, 10 Things I Hate About You, Heath Ledger’s cool guy character, Patrick Verona surprised both Julia Stiles’ Kat Stratford and audiences alike when he randomly broke out into song, with the help of the high school band. Patrick goes all out to woo Kat after being paid off to win her affections, and this scene is a good indicator that he’s going above and beyond. 

“Get Down Saturday Night” - Ex Machina (2014) 

In the A24 science fiction movie Ex Machina, it came out of absolute nowhere when Oscar Issac’s Nathan Bateman starts dancing with one of his A.I. androids to Oliver Cheatham’s “Get Down Saturday Night.” While it’s very much random to see a dance number in such a serious and foreboding film, it adds to the unique character building of Isaac’s role. 

“Cuban Pete” - The Mask (1994) 

Jim Carrey hilariously sings and dances to “Cuban Pete” during The Mask sequence where he ends up coercing the entire police force into singing and dancing with him while they try to pursue his arrest. In a movie as cartoony as The Mask, it’s not necessarily unexpected, but it does make us wish the whole movie was filled with wacky music numbers. 

“I Say A Little Prayer” - My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) 

During Julia Roberts’ My Best Friend’s Wedding, Julianne attends the wedding of her longtime bestie (Dermot Mulroney’s Michael). During one particularly memorable scene, the whole wedding party and guests take part in singing ‘I Say A Little Prayer” after Julianne’s friend George inspires them to. How did they all know the words? 

“Bye Bye Bye” - Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) 

At the beginning of the third Deadpool movie, Marvel fans were certainly surprised to see Ryan Reynolds’ comic book character doing the official dance to *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” in the snow while flinging around the corpse of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine from Logan in a fight against the TVA. What a way to open a movie and bring the Merc with a Mouth to the MCU! 

"I Put A Spell On You" - Hocus Pocus (1993) 

When you place Bette Midler in a movie like Hocus Pocus, you want her to sing, but who knows, the filmmakers could have let us down. Thankfully, director Kenny Ortega, who would go on to helm the High School Musical movies, had the actress sing “I Put A Spell On You” during the 1993 movie to have the witch literally cast a curse over Halloween partygoers during the non-musical. 

"Bohemian Rhapsody" - Wayne's World (1992)

Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” received a major bump up in pop culture back in 1992 when it was featured in a famous scene in Wayne’s World. While the movie itself is all about music fans, there’s something totally original and fun about this being in the comedy. Then, Mike Myers was cast in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody as a nod to the whole thing, 

"Twist and Shout" - Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

John Hughes’ beloved coming-of-age movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, features a massive music number when Matthew Broderick’s high schooler, who is on a wild day of hooky, ends up lip-syncing The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” after jumping on a parade float. 

“Age of Aquarius” - The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) 

At the end of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Steve Carell finally partakes in the deed. To illustrate the joys of this, Carell and the cast have a dance sequence to “Age of Aquarius.” It’s pretty hilarious to see actors like Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen dancing shirtless to the song in the comedy that did not otherwise call itself a musical. 

“Everybody (Backstreet's Back)” - This Is The End (2013) 

During the finale of This Is The End, Seth Rogen and friends find themselves in heaven after facing a particularly hilarious apocalypse. When they get there they are told they can dream up anything and Jay Baruchel thinks up the Backstreet Boys appearing to sing and dance to “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and yes, they fully go into the choreo! 

“Afternoon Delight” - Anchorman (2004) 

During the 2004 goofy comedy Anchorman, Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy randomly breaks into song to belt “Afternoon Delight” after the other guys ask him what being in love is like. In the scene, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner start to sing it with him in perfect unison like they are some sort of barbershop quartet.

"Por Ti Volare" - Step Brothers (2008) 

At Step Brothers’ “Catalina Wine Mixer,” Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s characters are coerced into taking the stage. What’s particularly unexpected about this music number is Ferrell singing Italian opera with the song "Por Ti Volaré." It also evolves into a dream sequence and epic drum solo that leaves all attendees speechless. 

“Wise Up” - Magnolia (1999) 

In Paul Thomas Anderson’s fantastic drama, Magnolia, the movie took a turn when all the characters begin to sing Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up.” The music number helps evoke the emotions the characters are collectively feeling even though they are seemingly experiencing them alone. Mann wrote original music for the whole soundtrack but the rest of the songs were not sung by the characters. 

“Try A Little Tenderness” - Pretty In Pink (1986) 

In John Hughes’ Pretty In Pink, Jon Cryer’s Duckie brought down the house in one scene at a record store where he walks in and goes completely all out lip-syncing and dancing to Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness” in front of Molly Ringwald’s Andie. 

"Love Me Tender" - Wild At Heart (1990)

David Lynch’s Wild At Heart ends with a music number when Nicolas Cage’s Sailor runs over the hoods and roofs of cars to approach Laura Dern’s Lula and their child to sing Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” to profess his love to her. It’s a callback to a previous moment where Sailor says he’ll only sing that song to his wife. 

“A Place Called Slaughter Race” - Ralph Breaks The Internet (2018) 

While Walt Disney animated movies are most definitely known for their music sequences, the Wreck-It Ralph movies never established themselves as musicals. So when Vanellope Von Schweetz got her own “I Want” song for the sequel from composer Alan Menken, it was completely unexpected, but an excellent chance for Disney to do what it does best! 

“You Always Hurt The One You Love” - Blue Valentine (2010) 

The dramatic tale of a married couple’s relationship over the years, Blue Valentine, starring Ryan Gosling, is no La La Land, but it does employ the music talents of the actor for one music number where his character strums the '60s pop standard on a ukulele in a fun-loving sequence between himself and Michelle Williams.  

“Somebody To Love” - Ella Enchanted (2004) 

In the fairytale rom-com, Ella Enchanted, we were caught off guard when Anne Hathaway’s titular character breaks into song to Queen’s “Somebody To Love” while entertaining a pub full of giants. Hathaway is well-known now for her set of pipes, but at the time she was not yet known to be a singer. 

"Ballet Sequence" - I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (2020) 

Towards of the end of Charlie Kaufman's Netflix movie, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, two ballet dancers perform to represent the perfect ideal of a romance amidst the movie itself showing the realities of the lead's relationship throughout this surrealist movie. 

"Old Time Rock & Roll" - Risky Business (1983)

In what has become an iconic sequence, everyone expects Tom Cruise to roll up pants-free in nothing but a dress shirt and white socks to jam to “Old Time Rock & Roll.” But, considering the rest of the movie is more of a coming-of-age comedy, it’s a rather startling scene in context. 

“As Time Goes By” - Casablanca (1942) 

One of the most memorable elements of the classic Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman movie is the song “As Time Goes By.” The song holds a sentimental value to the movie’s leads and ex lovers, Rick and Ilsa, and comes back to haunt them when they are unexpectedly reunited. It’s one of the most iconic movie songs – as Rick Blaine famously says, “Play it again, Sam.”  

“Why Don’t You Do Right” - Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) 

Sure, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is a Disney movie with cartoon characters left and right, it’s also a completely unique movie that turns the whole plot on its head (a few times over). It’s not a musical, but Jessica Rabbit singing 1936’s “Why Don’t You Do Right?” at a jazz club really sets the tone for what a music number looks like in it. 

"Canned Heat"- Napoleon Dynamite (2004) 

Then there’s the dance sequence in Napoleon Dynamite, where Jon Heder’s Napoleon performs a very skilled dance in front of other high school students to help market his friend Pedro in his election for class president. The best part? Apparently, Heder “winged” the dance sequence, per Business Insider. 

It's so fun to see how music numbers have popped up in movies across all genres over the years. They make the movies more memorable and give the songs an added boost.

Everyone — from some of the greatest action movie heroes to even some of the funniest sitcom protagonists — needs a friend by their side to help them out of a jam or just to keep their spirits up. For that reason, we love a good sidekick, and the following are some of our all-time favorites from the big and small screen.

Short Round (Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom)

Ke Huy Quan's young companion to Harrison Ford's titular hero in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom said it best: "... you listen to me more, you live longer!" You could even argue that Short Round is the true hero of the 1984 sequel for his bravery in breaking an enchanted Indy's spell and his brave help rescuing kidnapped children from the Thuggee cult.

Robin (Batman)

Despite the campy nature of the character, there might not be a more iconic iteration of Robin than Burt Ward's '60s-era portrayal. His sharp wit, outstanding courage, and loyalty to Adam West's Batman in the series and theatrical spin-off make him just as important to Gotham City's safety.

Chewbacca (Star Wars)

Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is not quite the "lead" character of the original Star Wars movies, but he and his furry companion, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), absolutely steal the show. The Millennium Falcon pilot and the Wookiee represent the strongest kinds of friendships in which one understands the other, literally, better than anyone else could.

George Costanza (Seinfeld)

Loyalty, support, compassion (yada, yada, yada) are attributes of an honorable sidekick, but not George Costanza (Jason Alexander). In fact, in many of the best episodes of Seinfeld, he is often relying on Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) to help him out. Nevertheless, despite all the times the comedian could have justifiably shunned George out of his life, the pair maintain a friendship is one of the few endearing things about the cynical sitcom. 

Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Top Gun)

We cannot think of a more bromantic dynamic from the 1980s than the personal and professional relationship between Maverick (Tom Cruise) and his RIO, Goose (Anthony Edwards), in Top Gun. Maverick could have never asked for a better wingman, which makes his untimely death (after his head hit the jet canopy during ejection), one of the most heartbreaking tragedies in cinema.

Ethel Mertz (I Love Lucy)

Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) would have had even more splainin' to do if not for her landlady and best friend, Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance), helping her out of trouble on occasion. Some of the best episodes of I Love Lucy see them going on crazy adventures together, such as when they got a job at a chocolate factory with a high-speed conveyor belt.

Ron Weasley And Hermione Granger (Harry Potter Movies)

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) may have been the titular wizard, but the film franchise inspired by the hit young adult fantasy book series was really about a trio. The Boy Who Lived could not have asked for a better and more loyal pair of friends to help him contend with deadly forces surrounding Hogwarts than Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).

Barney Fife (The Andy Griffith Show)

When it comes to being Mayberry's deputy, Barney Fife (Don Knotts in his scene-stealing role from The Andy Griffith Show) certainly has his shortcomings. When it comes to being a friend to his Sheriff, Andy Taylor (Griffith), and a dedicated resident of the town, he could not be more perfect.

Dr. Emmett Brown (Back To The Future)

The only real reason we count Christopher Lloyd's Doc Brown as a sidekick is because he gets second billing to Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly in the time travel movie masterpiece, Back to the Future, and its sequels. In any other story, the out-of-time teen would be considered the second banana to the brilliant, yet eccentric, inventor of the modified DeLorean who is ultimately responsible for Marty's successful trip back to 1985. 

Genie (Aladdin)

The only other genie-master dynamic in pop culture history that we might compare Aladdin (Scott Weinger) and Genie (Robin Williams) from Disney's 1992 animated classic to is Jeannie and the Captain from I Dream of Jeannie. The big, blue, highly energetic magical being grants wishes to the title character not just out of obligation, but because he genuinely likes the poor young man, who kindly offers to wish for his freedom at the end.

Dr. John Watson (Sherlock Holmes)

Watson is more than just the narrator of the mysterious adventures of Sherlock Holmes. As one can see in Guy Ritchie's film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories and the modern-day reimagining, Sherlock, the world-famous detective's flatmate and companion — also a war veteran — plays a pivotal role in all his many investigations.

Gromit (Wallace & Gromit Franchise)

There are many cases in which the sidekick proves to be the true brains behind the operation and the canine half of the world-famous stop-motion animated duo of Wallace & Gromit is one of the most essential examples of this. The silent, but notably expressive, beagle is often the one who gets himself and his bumbling human companion (an absent-minded inventor) out of trouble.

Garth Algar (Wayne's World)

Behind every great TV host is a great sidekick and the Ed McMahon to Wayne Campbell's (Mike Myers) Johnny Carson is Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) in. Despite his awkward characteristics, the blonde metalhead is really the glue that holds their cable access program, Wayne’s World, together in the original SNL sketch and movies it inspired in 1992 and 1993.

Cameron Frye (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

When you really think about it, while Matthew Broderick’s fourth-wall-breaking character is the titular protagonist of 1986’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the true heart, soul, and center of the story is his best friend, Cameron Frye. In fact, it is Alan Ruck’s neurotic teen who inspires Ferris to skip school and tour Chicago in the first place and it is his emboldened transformation by the end that makes their risky adventure worth it.

Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

The personal and professional relationship between chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) is one of the most problematic in TV history, to say the least. However, in spite of their frequent conflicts, Jesse has been known to support his business partner (and vice versa) when they both stood in the face of the same greater dangers in some of the best episodes of Breaking Bad.

Donkey (Shrek)

A protagonist does not always come to appreciate (or even like) their sidekick in an instant, such as in the first of the Shrek movies when Donkey (Eddie Murphy) crosses paths with the titular ogre (Mike Myers). Luckily, after enduring a perilous journey rescuing Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) together, Shrek came to see the talkative animal as a true friend… who still gets on his nerves on occasion.

Dwight Schrute (The Office)

Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) takes his position as Assistant to the Region Manager a little too seriously at times, exhibiting a loyalty to Michael Scott (Steve Carell) that the absent-minded manager for Dunder-Mifflin’s Scranton branch does not always deserve. However, that is what made the beet-farming, bobblehead collector more than a great colleague, but a great friend, and a perfect choice to take over the branch when The Office ended.

Igor (Young Frankenstein)

Among the different iterations of Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s lab assistant, Igor, we are partial to Marty Feldman’s portrayal (who pronounces it “eye-gore”) in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. He and Gene Wilder’s Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (who initially pronounces it “fronk-en-steen”) make a lively comedic duo in, with the 1974 horror-comedy classic, whether he is making a grave mistake or spouting a one-of-a-kind one-liner.

Samwise Gamgee (The Lord Of The Rings Movies)

One does simply walk into Mordor, especially without a selfless, loyal, and honest companion at their side. It is a good thing that Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) found exactly that in his best friend and gardener, fellow hobbit Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) during his mission to defeat the One Ring in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s seminal fantasy novels.

Spock (Star Trek)

The one character whom every fan of the original Star Trek series wanted to be more than Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) was his second-in-command, Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Also serving as the USS Enterprise’s science officer, the Vulcan was not one to be messed with (immediately knocking people out with his signature nerve pitch), but was still a kind and gentle soul who was always sure to let Captain Kirk know when any of his calls were “highly illogical.”

Silent Bob (Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse)

Not every sidekick needs to crack jokes or provide words of encouragement to make an impression on their buddy or their audience. Case in point: Silent Bob — the “hetero life mate” to motor mouth Jay (Jason Mewes) whom Kevin Smith casts himself as in most of his movies (including Clerks and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back), in which he does have at least one amusing to say.

Barney Rubble (The Flintstones)

While Wilma Flintstone was always putting her husband in his place for his bone-headed ideas, at Fred’s side helping him along the way is his best pal, Barney. You could argue that Mr. Rubble was even closer and more loyal to his friend and neighbor than his own wife, Betty, and son, Bamm-Bamm.

Bubba (Forrest Gump)

A good friend like Benjamin Buford Blue, better known as “Bubba” (Mykelti Williamson), is not something you can find just around the corner, but Tom Hanks’ Academy Academy Award-winning title role from 1994’s Forrest Gump, certainly did. Their brotherly bond was formed and tragically ended during the Vietnam War, during which Bubba passed away, but Forrest kept his promise to him to go into the shrimping business and put his name in the company title: Bubba Gump Shrimp.

Agent 99 (Get Smart)

Bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) is no James Bond, which is why it is good that he had a partner like Agent 99 to help him on missions to stop KAOS. Played by Barbara Feldon on creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry’s spy comedy series, Get Smart, 99 is easily the more competent member of the duo, let alone of the best agent at CONTROL.

Dory (Finding Nemo)

In the beloved Pixar movie, 2003's Finding Nemo, the over-protective clown fish, Marlin (Albert Brooks), would have never been able to find his eponymous son (Alexander Gould) without the help of his newfound friend, Dory (Ellen Degeneres). As we also come to find out, Marlin's friendship is what helped improve her memory, making them a duo for the ages.

Ed Norton (The Honeymooners)

One of the best qualities of most sidekicks is acting as their friend’s conscience and pointing them in the right direction, but that is not quite the case for Ed Norton (Art Carney). The sewer worker not only went along with but even encouraged most of the schemes hatched by his neighbor, Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) on The Honeymooners.

Randy Hickey (My Name Is Earl)

My Name is Earl is the sitcom that tells the story of a man (Jason Lee) hoping to better his life by making amends for the terrible things he has done in the past. Helping him along the way is his simple-minded, but good-natured, younger brother, Randy (Ethan Suplee), who admirably looked up to Earl even when he was still a troublemaker.

Duckie (Pretty In Pink)

Some sidekicks do not receive the attention or admiration from their companion that they desire and Philip F. “Duckie” Dale (Jon Cryer) from Pretty in Pink is a textbook example of this. However, at the end of the John Hughes-penned 1986 coming-of-age favorite, Duckie encourages his life-long friend, Andie (Molly Ringwald), to choose Blane (Andrew McCarthy) over him, and such a love is stronger than any high school romance.

Lane Kim (Gilmore Girls)

Not enough sidekicks are treated like true family, making Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) on Gilmore Girls a heartwarming rarity. Not only does the witty punk rock drummer boast a strong sisterly bond with Rory (Alexis Bledel), but Lorelai (Lauren Graham) treats her almost like a second daughter.

Patrick Star (SpongeBob Squarepants)

Jacques Cousteau would have to search the entire deep blue sea before he could find a friendship between two marine animals as impenetrable as that of SpongeBob Squarepants (Tom Kenny) and Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke). A moment that best summarizes their bond is when the Krusty Krab fry cook asks the unemployed starfish what he does whenever he is away from home, to which he tearfully responds, “Wait for you to come back.”

Walter Sobchak (The Big Lebowski)

A prime example of a sidekick who almost always leads the protagonist into more trouble is John Goodman’s Walter Sobchak from the Coen Brothers’ hilarious 1998 cult favorite, The Big Lebowski. However, despite his misguided ideas and potential pathological dishonesty — did he really serve in Vietnam? — the avid bowler’s willingness to help The Dude (Jeff Bridges) through his ins, outs, and what-have-yous, and even on Shabbos, is still quite admirable.

Pedro Sanchez (Napoleon Dynamite)

Jon Heder’s title role in 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite is so awkward and perfidious that he has trouble making friends (and even relating to his own family) until he meets Pedro Sanchez (Efren Ramirez). The friendship quickly proves to be a match made in heaven, leading to some of the funniest and most heartwarming moments in the high school movie genre’s history.

We wish we had people like these in our lives to be at our side and give us a kick when we need it.

Have you ever stopped to think about how your favorite characters in screen media do not realize they exist in a movie or TV show? Well, that covers most characters, while a chosen few actually are aware of their fictional parameters, and even address it to their viewers in a fun trope referred to as “breaking the fourth wall.” The following are some of the most iconic, or even underrated, characters from cinema and television that often like to get meta. 

Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

Matthew Broderick's mischievous title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off has one central goal: to take it easy. He demonstrates his secrets to master-level trouble-making directly to the audience — whom he also urges to head home in an iconic post-credits sequence — in John Hughes' celebrated high school movie classic from 1986.

Malcolm (Malcolm In The Middle)

Despite being the last-billed main actor, the Malcolm in the Middle cast was led by Frankie Muniz in the title role. The unusually intelligent youngster would profess his own life's dissatisfactions through the TV screen on a regular basis.

Rob Gordon (High Fidelity)

Director Stephen Frears' adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel, High Fidelity, stars John Cusack as Chicago record store owner Rob Gordon. The only thing that infatuates him more than music is the women who broke his heart,  the stories of which he recalls directly to the audience.

Deadpool (The Deadpool Movies)

In Marvel Comics, Wade "Deadpool" Wilson is driven so mad by his appearance post-mutation that, in addition to hearing voices, he becomes aware of the fact that he is a comic book character. While the voices do not make a sound in star and producer Ryan Reynolds' cinematic adaptations, the Merc with a Mouth is still perfectly self-aware of his fictional existence and goes so far as pointing out flaws in the writing and poking fun at the actor who plays him when turning his head to the camera.

Fleabag (Fleabag)

The title character of multi-Emmy-winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge's hit British comedy series, Fleabag, could be described as a free spirit, if not for her bouts of anger and confusion when struggling to navigate adulthood. The audience has unrestricted access to her most cynical inner thoughts, which she frequently shares when speaking directly to her viewers.

Jordan Belfort (The Wolf Of Wall Street)

One of the few examples of a fourth wall-breaking character based on a real person is Leonardo DiCaprio's Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street. Not only does he narrate director Martin Scorsese's adaptation of the former stockbroker's memoir (also one of the best Margot Robbie movies), he opens the film describing the dangerously wild nature of his daily routine directly to the audience.

Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes)

Breaking the fourth wall is pretty much a tradition in Looney Tunes shorts, but the art is absolutely perfected by the characters' de facto leader, Bugs Bunny. With his sly remarks and literal winks to the camera, he lets the audience feel like they are in on the joke with him, creating a welcoming atmosphere that makes the rascally rabbit truly one-of-a-kind. 

Zack Morris (Saved By The Bell)

Talking to the camera was not the only meta characteristic possessed by Mark-Paul Gosselaar's scheming character on the hit coming-of-age sitcom, Saved by the Bell. Zack Morris also had the ability to manipulate time, as demonstrated when he paused the surrounding action for his own soliloquy whenever he felt like it.

Jared Vennett (The Big Short)

There are actually several characters from Adam McKay's Oscar-winning adaptation of Michael Lewis' non-fiction book, The Big Short, who break the fourth wall. However, it is Ryan Gosling as Deutsche Bank salesman Jared Vennett who spends most of the film directly addressing the audience, sometimes introducing celebrities like Margot Robbie to explain financial jargon to the viewers. 

Stanley “The Mask” Ipkiss (The Mask)

Nigh-omniscience (the state of knowing all, including the audience observing you) is something that often comes with being a cartoon character, which is essentially what Stanley Ipkiss becomes when he puts on a mystical vizard. In one of the funniest scenes in 1994’s The Mask, Jim Carrey’s green, grinning anti-hero fakes his death with a speech that literally earns him an award, prompting the appearance of an applauding audience that even the criminals who tried to kill him react to.

Dora Márquez (Dora The Explorer)

Even with Boots, Backpack, Manny, and her other adventurous comrades by her side, Dora the Explorer still needs help navigating her adventures from the youngsters watching her on Nick Jr. She even politely gives her viewers time to answer when asking them about their favorite part of the journey at the end of each episode.

Wayne Campbell And Garth Algar (Wayne's World)

Breaking the fourth wall helps one of Mike Myers’ greatest creations make a seamless transition from TV to the big screen in one of the best Saturday Night Live movies, Wayne’s World. Even when they are not filming their cable access TV show, Wayne Campbell (Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) keep their running commentary on pop culture, their own lives going, and the state of their own movie by speaking to the metaphysical camera in front of them.

Claire Underwood (House Of Cards)

It was not until Season 4 of House of Cards that Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) revealed that, like her ruthless politician husband, Frank (Kevin Spacey), she was aware of the Netflix subscribers observing their every move. After she is widowed, Claire becomes the central character and the audience’s sole metaphysical companion.

Garfield (Garfield And Friends)

Just like in the comic strip he originated from, Garfield addresses the audience in his many screen adaptations, such as the popular animated series, Garfield and Friends. The hungry, lazy cat appears to have a telepathic link with the viewers since his mouth never actually moves when he delivers commentary.

Garry Shandling (It's Garry Shandling's Show)

The whole conceit of It's Garry Shandling's Show is that the late comedian (who also co-created the series) is aware he is the star of his own sitcom and his interactions with the studio audience play a role in the plot of each episode. Running for four seasons in the late 1980s and earning four Primetime Emmy nominations, the comedy was a hilariously unique and uproariously meta experiment for its time.

Clarissa Darling (Clarissa Explains It All)

Before she played the eponymous role of ABC’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa Joan Hart played the eponymous role of Nickelodeon's Clarissa Explains It All. Just as the title of the '90s sitcom suggests, the outspoken teen comments on her relationships with her friends and family and common aspects of teenage life in general, sometimes even through clever fantasy segments.

Peter Griffin (Family Guy)

While Family Guy is often branded as a rip-off of The Simpsons, Fox’s adult animated comedy from creator Matt Groening does not dabble in meta absurdity nearly as much or ever as overtly as Fox’s adult animated comedy from Seth MacFarlane. Actually, just about every Family Guy character is aware they are on a cartoon series, but Peter Griffin (voiced by MacFarlane) acknowledges the audience most often… maybe even too often?

The Colonel (Monty Python's Flying Circus)

Sometimes, if an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus would get too silly (which was every episode, if we are being honest), a military colonel played by Graham Chapman show up. He would then bring the sketches to a halt and urge the cast and crew to move on to something that better matches his own personal humorous preferences.

Will Smith (The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air indulged in poking fun at itself numerous times during its six-season run on NBC in the ‘90s, such as references to the major cast shake-up of Daphne Maxwell Reid replacing Janet Hubert as Vivian Banks. However, the central character Will Smith (played by the Oscar winner of the same name) was the one who did most of the talking to the camera and, in one episode, even went beyond breaking the fourth wall and broke the ceiling, acknowledging the set lighting above them.

Austin Powers (The Austin Powers Movies)

Breaking the fourth wall is actually a staple of many of Mike Myers’ characters, including groovy secret agent Austin Powers, who likes to thank the audience for laughing at his puns and double-entendres and even commenting on the mechanics of his spy movie spoof trilogy. For instance, in the third installment, 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember, he actually relies on the subtitles to converse with a Japanese businessman, only to misunderstand him when some of the white text blends into something of the same color in the background.

Billy Ray Valentine (Trading Places)

For a while in the 1980s, you could expect someone to break the fourth wall in an Eddie Murphy movie, including the comedian himself, and one of the funniest examples comes from Trading Places. When the Dukes Brothers are explaining commodities to Billy Ray Valentine (Murphy), Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) uses the BLT as an example of where he might find bacon, prompting him to hilariously express his annoyance with a silent, perfectly timed glance at the camera.

Rick Sanchez (Rick And Morty)

On one of the all-time best animated series, Rick and Morty, Rick Sanchez is one of the few characters who address the fact that the bizarre and absurd adventures he and his grandson, Morty, endure, are all part of a television show. We suppose that sort of heightened awareness comes from being the smartest person in the universe.

The Grinch (How The Grinch Stole Christmas)

In Ron Howard’s live-action adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas — one of the best Dr. Seuss movies — the titular, holiday-hating curmudgeon (Jim Carrey) proves that he has more than just his dog, Max, to keep him company whenever he speaks to the camera. He even interacts with the narrator (voiced by Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins), asking him to speak with “a little more stealth” as he breaks into Cindy Lou Who’s home.

Augustus Hill (Oz)

Harold Perrineau’s character on Oz, Augustus Hill, is unlike any other inmate at the eponymous Oswald State Correctional Facility, serving as the series’ narrator. He opens and closes each episode of the gritty HBO drama by addressing the audience with a monologue discussing the philosophies of the prison lifestyle.

Lemony Snicket (A Series Of Unfortunate Events)

As Lemony Snicket, Patrick Warburton speaks through the screen when recalling the treacherous adventures of the Baudelaire Orphans on Netflix’s series adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Just like in the original YA book series, the author is more than just the series' narrator, as he also exists within the world of the show.

Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk: Attorney At Law)

Deadpool is not the only fourth-wall-breaking hero in the Marvel Universe, but the first character to go meta in the MCU was Bruce Banner’s cousin, Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany), who explains to the audience how she became “She-Hulk” in the first episode of her self-titled Disney+ miniseries. The final episode sees her actually leap out of her own show and into the streaming platform’s menu and enter Marvel Studios: Assembled so she can have a talk with “Kevin” about crafting a better ending.

Robin Of Loxley (Robin Hood: Men In Tights)

In one of Mel Brooks’ best movies, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, the famed archer (Cary Elwes) acknowledges a couple of times, even in just a quick glance. However, every character in the medieval spoof is aware they are in a movie, as shown in the moment Robin and others actually pull out the script to ensure he gets another shot in the archery contest at the end.

George (George Of The Jungle)

The fourth wall is kept open for just about the entirety of Disney's cartoonish live-action adaptation of the animated series, George of the Jungle. Brendan Fraser's absent-minded, Tarzan-esque hero makes frequent nods to the camera and sometimes interacts with the narrator, and is not the only character to do so either.

Eloise (Eloise At The Plaza)

The eponymous star of Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight's popular illustrated children's books made her screen debut in ABC's 2003 made-for-TV movie, Eloise at the Plaza. Played by Sofia Vassilieva, the precocious child provides details about her residency in a New York City penthouse, her relationship with her nanny (Julie Andrews), and gives other spur-of-the-moment commentaries to the audience.

Basil Exposition (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)

In 1999's Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, as the titular groovy sleuth (Mike Myers) is about to travel back to 1969, he is compelled to ask a few very complicated questions about the science behind this trip. Basil Exposition (Michael York) recommends not worrying about such things and just enjoying the ride before suggesting the same to the people watching.

Robin "Rob" Brooks (High Fidelity)

Hulu's 2020 series adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel, High Fidelity, reimagines record store owner Rob Gordon as a woman, played by Zoë Kravitz. However, like the original protagonist, Rob Brooks is also a neurotic music obsessive who shares her deepest insecurities, particularly in the realm of romance, to the audience.

Zack Greenburg (The Zack Files)

Without explanation, Zack Greenburg (Robert Clark) has attracted the attention of aliens, suddenly developed psychic abilities, receives a phone call from his own conscience, and more strange phenomena. If things could not get weirder for the teen, he sometimes directly acknowledges the viewers of his own early 2000s Canadian show based on Dan Greenburg's book series, The Zack Files.

Have you ever taken inspiration from these fourth-wall-breaking characters and professed your own witty commentary out loud to an imaginary camera, or is that just us?

How many times have you been watching a movie or a TV show that featured a fictional band thinking, “I’d love to go to that show!” We have as well. for example, imagine a music festival with nothing but the best fictional bands from TV and movies. It would be epic. 

There are a few examples of bands you won’t find on this list. Bands like The Blues Brothers, the Monkees, and Spinal Tap may have started as fictional, but both evolved into something much more than the movies they came from. That said, here’s our list of the other fictional bands we’d love to see in the festival of our dreams! 

Wyld Stallyns

You can’t have any list like this and not include the band that saved the world! Ted “Theodore” Logan and Bill S. Preston, Esq, make up Wyld Stallyns (Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, respectively) in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and before they save the world, they need to graduate from high school and learn about some history with a little time traveling. With some help from their biggest fan from the future, Rufus, of course. A headliner in every sense of the word.

Stillwater

In Almost Famous, a movie filled with great music, Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) described Stillwater as a “mid-level band struggling with their own limitations in the harsh face of stardom.” That’s a little unfair, but the real Lester Bangs was a bit of a snob. A little classic rock is always a good time, and we’re all grateful they didn’t suffer the same fate as Lynyrd Skynyrd on that airplane. It’s a little hard to believe a band like that would be singing Elton John together on a bus though. 

The Wonders

For the baby boomers out there, the fictional band on this list that will remind them most of their teenage years is definitely The Wonders (originally The Oneders) from That Thing You Do! The Wonders are early rock 'n roll at its finest. Not as artistic as the rock from the late ‘60s, but music filled with catchy hooks and rhythms you can dance to. Plus all the members are just dreamy. 

CB4

It’s not just rock n roll we’d want to see. How about a little West Coast Gangsta Rap with the mighty CB4? They are straight out of LoCash, and they aren’t messing around. From the mockumentary of the same name, featuring a young Chris Rock as Albert Brown aka Gusto, CB4 isn’t for the faint of heart, they bring it hard. 

Daisy Jones And The Six

Daisy Jones and The Six, from the show of the same name, based on a book of the same name, are bonafide rock superstars. With lead singers Daisy Jones (Riley Keough) and Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin), the band helped define the sound of the late ‘70s in the show. Plus, any band with Elvis Presley’s granddaughter (Keough) singing lead is worth seeing in concert. 

Barry Jive and the Uptown Five

Barry (Jack Black) is a huge music snob. He and his fellow record store employees love to debate who has the best albums and songs. When a guy like that starts a band, you have to go. The band’s first name was Sonic Death Monkey and was almost called Kathleen Turner Overdrive, but Barry wisely changed it at the last minute to Barry Jive and the Uptown Five when they performed one heck of a version of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” in High Fidelity.

Mouse Rat

Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) in Parks & Recreation went through a lot of changes. We mean, a lot. The band cycled through dozens of band names, including Department of Homeland Obscurity, Harriet Tubthumping, and Mouth Smash. Finally settling on Mouse Rat, they still struggled to find an audience, but sometimes the best bands are the ones that no one has discovered yet and take years to release their debut album. 

Drive Shaft

Drive Shaft, from Lost, made the big time with their hit single “You All Everybody” in the late ‘90s. Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) led the band, along with his brother Liam. The band fell on hard times, as one-hit wonders often do, and Charlie’s personal problems made things worse. We might only know one song, but that song is enough to explore more, right? 

Ashley O

You wouldn’t expect a pop act to emerge from the depths of Black Mirror but Ashley O isn’t just any act. She’s a star with an edge, writing one of her best songs, “On a Roll,”  with a huge assist from Nine Inch Nails. Miley Cyrus plays Ashley O in the show, and she’s been known to perform “On A Roll” in concert, so it’s possible to get a taste of what an Ashley O show might be like. 

Soggy Bottom Boys

At the Bonnaroo Music Festival, Sunday morning has often been dedicated in some tents to more traditional Americana. The Soggy Bottom Boys from O Brother Where Art Thou (a movie with one of the best soundtracks ever) would fit right in there and they would be amazing. Led by Ulysses McGill (George Clooney), their hit song, “Man of Constant Sorrow”, would bring down the house! 

Otis Day & The Knights

Wait ‘til Otis sees us! Otis Day and his band, the Knights, were big on the fraternity circuit in the early ‘60s, playing a legendary concert at the Delta House in Animal House. It’s when they are playing clubs, however, that they really shine, so let’s grab a date and go dancing! 

Zack Attack

We’re not going to question how Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselar) knew how to play guitar all of a sudden, or how Lisa Tuttle (Lark Voorhies) could play bass after never mentioning it before on Saved By The Bell. We’re just going to sit back and enjoy Zack Attack’s concert. They are friends forever, so how bad could it be?

Krazee-Eyez Killa

Krazee Eyez Killa (Chris Williams) gets some great advice from the most likely person–Larry David on Curb your Enthusiasm. While we don’t know a whole lot about his music, but what Krazee promises about his on-stage persona, sounds like something that would be amazing to see in concert. Probably at an open mic, if we had to guess. 

The New Main Street Singers

The New Main Street Singers from A Mighty Wind are just old-fashioned family-friendly folk music. Though the members may have a questionable past (we’re not asking), the music is so wholesome, that you can’t help but smile. 

School Of Rock

Any band led by Dewey Finn (Jack Black) is going to rock, even one made up of 4th graders, like the band School Of Rock in the movie of the same name. Sure, they didn’t win the Battle of the Bands in the movie, but they gained a lot of fans, including us. 

More of a club act than an arena band, Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes from Star Wars is the kind of band that lets you enjoy your drink a little more when you’re stuck in a dive bar in a wretched hive of scum and villainy like Mos Eisley. Just don’t look at anyone the wrong way. 

The Be Sharps

At one point, The Be Sharps were bigger than The Beatles. At least in the world of The Simpsons. There aren’t a lot of barbershop quartets around anymore. In fact there weren’t when the group, including Homer Simpson, Apu, Principal Skinner, and Barney, took off to huge fame with their hit “Baby on Board.” It’s time for a reunion on a roof top somewhere! 

N.W.H.

N.W.H. from Fear of the Black Hat lives in the shadow of their fellow fictional rap group, CB4, as does the movie. We need to get them to the forefront. Led by Ice Cold (Rusty Cundieff) and Tasty Taste (Larry B. Scott), they could have been huge. The raunchier they get, the better they are, so they’ve got to be fun in concert. 

Hedwig and The Angry Inch

Glam Rock never goes out of style and neither does a classic like Hedwig and The Angry Inch. While it would be better to see them in a smokey club, probably, we’ll take them anyway we can, even in a stadium or with 100,000 at Glastonbury. Let’s make it happen! 

Eddie And The Cruisers

At the height of his fame Eddie Wilson of Eddie And The Cruisers, from the movie of the same name, crashed his car into a river and disappeared forever. It’s the kind of story that could lead to the biggest Coachella reunion of all time, should Eddie and bass player Sal (Matthew Laurance) and Eddie (Michael Pare) can agree on what the band is, artistically. 

The Commitments

The Commitments from the movie of the same name, fell victim to infighting and they never got the due that they deserved. It’s time to bring them back for a triumphant concert tour! Sure, it’s a little weird watching an Irish band play American soul music, but they are sure are good at it! 

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem

Let’s be honest here, is there anyone that wouldn’t want to see the house band for The Muppet Show in concert? Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem seem like the kind of band that would be at home in any venue, in a club, in a theater, or even on the main stage of a huge festival. They’d kill it, just like The Muppets Mayhem show.

Loveburger

The biggest “What if” on this list has to be Loveburger from Can’t Hardly Wait. Known more for their infighting than their music, Loveburger could be great. Or they could be terrible. We’ll never know because we never actually got to hear them play, as the cops broke up the party that was supposed to be their first gig. 

The Weird Sisters

In the Harry Potter series, there is no bigger name in music than The Weird Sisters. Made up of Hogwarts alumni, they sure know how to get the student body excited. The secret sauce is that the band’s characters are played by some pretty great real musicians, including members of Radiohead and Pulp. 

The Pinheads

Led by Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) in Back to the Future, The Pinheads never really get a chance to shine. Despite a fiery version of Huey Lewis and the News’ “Power of Love,” in an audition to play the school dance, they were shot down by one of the teachers, played by Huey Lewis, of course. Let’s get them on tour so we can all judge for ourselves! 

Johnny Bravo

The Brady Bunch, from the legendary show of the same name, were quite a band themselves, but who we really want to see is Greg Brady’s side project, Johnny Bravo. Johnny Bravo wants to be a genuine rock star and while his sound is a water-down version of what was great about the 1960s (like the show itself), he’d be great at a free concert in a park somewhere. 

Steel Dragon

Heavy metal band Steel Dragon makes dreams come true. In Rock Star, Steel Dragon fan Chris Cole (Mark Wahlberg) gets his shot to become the lead singer for his favorite band and he makes it happen. While seeing the band with its original lineup may be more satisfying for music snobs, will stick with the version of the band with Chris. 

The Lone Rangers

Okay, The Lone Rangers in Airheads are a mess. All three members are a few keys short of a full piano, but they are so darn endearing. Chazz Darby (Brendan Fraser), Rex (Steve Buscemi), and his brother Pip (Adam Sandler) are one power trio we’d love to blow away from the stage. 

Crucial Taunt

Cassandra (Tia Carrere) and her band Crucial Taunt blitz the audience in Wayne’s World. Cassandra is mesmerizing, especially to Wayne, and who is going to doubt the great Wayne Campbell’s taste in music? It’s excellent. 

Dewey Cox

Dewey Cox in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is so over the top and ridiculous, he should be on anyone’s list to see live in concert. You never know what you’re going to get with the unpredictable Cox, and we’re here for it, aren’t you?

Emmet Otter’s Jugband

It’s been decades since we were first introduced to the great Emmet Otter’s Jugband, in the Muppet special Emmet Otter’s Jugband’s Christmas and we’ve never gotten a follow-up. A reunion of these downhome muppets would be huge, we’re talking Talking Heads huge! Okay, maybe not that big, but still we badly want to see them play. 

Maxwell Demon and Venus in Furs

David Bowie is gone. So it is Freddy Mercury. Some of the greatest names in Glam Rock are gone forever which makes Maxwell Demon and Venus in Furs from Velvet Goldmine all that much more important. The over-the-top costumes and shows are something that is often missing in rock 'n roll these days, and a show by Demon and Co. would really scratch that itch. 

There’s no question that concerts by any of these bands would be instant sellouts. It’s probably best that we not ask too many questions about their entire catalog, odds are most of them are pretty thin. But no matter! We’ll just keep dreaming about seeing these legends in concert. 

Easily one of the most legendary SNL stars of the 1990s is Mike Myers — the star and creator of numerous beloved SNL sketches, from “Wayne’s World” to “Coffee Talk.” However, you could say that his most unforgettable characters come from the big screen, like shag-a-delic spy Austin Powers or the titular ogre from the Shrek movies. Well, we decided to take a look at both Saturday Night Live and our favorite Mike Myers movies to find our picks for the comedian’s funniest quotes.

"A Nerd Says, 'What?'" - Saturday Night Live 

Cable access TV host Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) has used various iterations of this disorienting gag on his guests. In a 2011 edition of “Wayne’s World,” it’s at the expense of co-host, Garth Algar (Dana Carvey), after he explains an eyepatch does not actually make Jeff Bridges’ role in 2010’s True Grit “cycloptic.”

"That Must Be Lord Farquaad's Castle. Do You Think Maybe He's Compensating For Something?" - Shrek

What makes 2001’s Shrek a kids movie the whole family will love is jokes like this that adults can appreciate. Of course, what the titular ogre (Mike Myers) doesn’t realize at that time is that Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) makes his kingdom large to counteract his height. 

"Who Throws A Shoe? Honestly!" - Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery

One of Dr. Evil’s minions, Random Task, is a clear parody of Oddjob from one of the best James Bond movies, Goldfinger. While that villain’s signature gimmick was a throwable, razor-edged bowler hat, in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Random Task just throws his shoe.

"HEAD! MOVE!" - So I Married An Axe Murderer

One of the first times Mike Myers took on multiple characters in one title was in So I Married an Axe Murderer, in which he plays beat poet Charlie MacKenzie and his father, Stuart. In one of the darkly funny 1993 rom-com’s funniest moments, Stuart bluntly tells his younger son, William (Matt Doherty), to get his “huge noggin” out of the way of the TV, which sounds like “Heed! Move!” in his thick Scottish accent.

"We'll Just Take These Home, Run Them Over With A Fine Tooth Comb, Cross The ’T’s,’ And Dot The... Lower Case ‘J’s’ - Wayne's World 2 

When applying for a permit to put on “Waynestock,” Wayne and Garth are caught off guard when they meet a “partial ocular albino” played by Kevin Pollak in one of the best SNL movies, Wayne’s World 2. After several accidental comments about the office worker’s one white eye, Wayne finally catches himself from making yet another mistake with this smooth save.

"I'm Verklempt" - Saturday Night Live

The best kind of SNL character catchphrases are short and simple, much like that of “Coffee Talk” host Linda Richman (Mike Myers). This charmingly boisterous character never failed to get the audience roaring with laughter by the way she let them know she was suddenly overcome with emotion.

"For Five Minutes, Could You Not Be Yourself? FOR FIVE MINUTES!" - Shrek 2

Even after becoming friends, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) still finds a way to get under Shrek’s skin, such as when he can’t keep his mouth shut during their trip with Fiona (Cameron Diaz) to Far Far Away. The ogre’s plea is easily one of the most quotable lines of Shrek 2 and a fun way to tell a friend to can it in real life.

"I Once Thought I Had Mono For An Entire Year. It Turned Out I Was Just Really Bored" - Wayne's World

While on a date with Wayne, Cassandra (Tia Carrere) tells him that she has been so busy with her band that she almost thought her exasperation was caused by meningitis. Wayne responds by revealing that he went through a similar situation in one of Wayne’s World’s funniest lines.

“Basically, We Have All Our Rotten Eggs In One Basket. The Objective Of Operation Kino: Blow Up The Basket" - Inglourious Basterds

A nearly unrecognizable Mike Myers steals the show in a scene from one of Quentin Tarantino’s best movies, Inglorious Basterds, as General Ed Fenech opposite Michael Fassbender’s Lt. Archie Hicox. He uses this rather cheeky metaphor to explain that most high-ranking officials of the World War II-era German government are attending a propaganda film’s premiere, giving them a perfect opportunity to strike.

"Would You Like To Touch My Monkey?" - Saturday Night Live 

The most famous catchphrase uttered by Mike Myers’ recurring character, Dieter, may understandably sound like a double-entendre. However, the host of the West German talk show Sprockets is actually referring to his pet monkey, Klaus, when voicing this request to his guests.

"Believe Me, Donkey, If It Was Me, You'd Be Dead!" - Shrek 

As they grow closer reaching the tower where Fiona is held, Donkey catches whiff of something that he suspects is Shrek letting it rip. The ogre informs his companion that he is smelling brimstone after assuring him that his flatulence is deadly and, as we know from subsequent moments in the franchise, not very silent either.

"Yes, And It's The Choice Of A New Generation" - Wayne's World 

One of the most gut-busting moments from 1992’s Wayne World sees Wayne and Garth voicing their disapproval over product placement while, ironically, showing off various recognizable brands for the camera. One of the more clever examples occurs when Benjamin (Rob Lowe), tells them they could choose to play ball with sponsors or go back to cable access, prompting Wayne to quote Pepsi’s famous slogan at the time.

"No, I Think It's Repellent In Every Way. In fact, I Think Most Scottish Cuisine Is Based On A Dare" - So I Married An Axe Murderer

This is how Charlie responds when butcher shop employee Harriet asks if he actually likes haggis after buying some for his parents during an earlier visit. This biting So I Married an Axe Murderer joke is actually recycled from an SNL sketch starring Mike Myers and Kyle MacLachlan as the father-son owners of a Scottish delicacies shop.

"Everybody In The World Has 'Frampton Comes Alive!’ If You Lived In The Suburbs, You Were Issued It. It Came In The Mail With Samples Of Tide" - Wayne's World 2

In Wayne’s World 2, Cassandra shows Wayne a collection of records she bought at a yard sale, which includes Peter Frampton’s 1976 live album. Wayne is really not too far off from the truth when describing Frampton Comes Alive! as, essentially, a common household object considering its massive popularity at the time.

"Don't Look At My Bum" - Saturday Night Live

One of Mike Myers’ most charming recurring characters is Simon, an English child who hosts his own program from a bathtub. Sometimes, as he was reaching for another drawing to show off, he would accuse the audience of sneaking a peak at his rear end.

"No Stairway. Denied!" - Wayne's World

To those who first saw Wayne’s World on VHS or DVD, this gag seems to imply the guitar shop employee must have assumed Wayne was attempting to play to what really sounds like nothing like Led Zeppelin’s most famous hit. Per GQ, the actual first three notes of “Stairway to Heaven” could be heard in the theatrical cut, but the band and Warner Music Group “denied” the filmmakers from keeping the original audio from further home video releases.

“Well, Somebody Better Be Dying" - Shrek The Third

In Shrek the Third, this is how Shrek responds when he and Fiona are interrupted right as they are about to kiss. In the very next scene, his father-in-law, King Harold (another actor with sketch comedy experience, Monty Python’s John Cleese) announces that he is, indeed, dying.

"Well, That's The Kind Of Song Teenagers Can Crank Up The Volume In Their Car And Bang Their Heads To. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Will Never Be That Song" - Bohemian Rhapsody 

In a memorable scene from the 2018 Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, this is how fictional record executive Ray Foster voices his preference for “I’m in Love with My Car” over the operative, eponymous track. Of course, the actor who plays him, Mike Myers, did, indeed, crank up the volume and bang his head in a car to this exact song in a famous scene from Wayne’s World that reinvigorated its popularity in the early ‘90s.

"Oh, Smashing. Groovy. Yay, Capitalism!" - Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery 

After Austin Powers (Mike Myers) awakens from a 30-year cryogenic slumber in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, he is at first bewildered to see a Russian general in his presence, until Basil Exposition (Michael York) tells him the Cold War ended. The spy initially assumes this means “capitalist pigs will pay for their crimes,” until Basil explains that things worked out in the United States’ favor.

“Let Me Get This Straight: You Pay This Woman To Sit On Babies? That's Disgusting. I'd Do It For Nothing" - The Cat In The Hat

The live-action, 2003 adaptation of The Cat in the Hat is not widely regarded as one of the best Dr. Seuss movies, but it does have its moments. Case in point: this cheeky little play on words courtesy of the titular feline (played by Mike Myers) and at the expense of Conrad (Spencer Breslin) and Sally’s (Dakota Fanning) babysitter, Mrs. Kwan (Amy Hill).

"If It's A Severed Head, I'm Going To Be Very Upset" - Wayne's World 

Wayne is approached by his “psycho hose beast” ex-girlfriend, Stacy (Twin Peaks cast member Lara Flynn Boyle), who is under the impression that she can wish him a happy anniversary two months after their breakup. Still, she insists Wayne open his gift, which he fears could be something very morbid, to say the least.

“Talk Amongst Yourselves. I’ll Give You A Topic: Rhode Island Is Neither A Road, Nor Is It An Island" - Saturday Night Live 

Any time Linda Richman gets “verklempt” and needs to take a moment, she offers the Coffee Talk audience a topic to discuss for the time being. Not only is this one of the funniest examples of the recurring gag, but also one of the more thought-provoking.

"Who Does Number Two Work For?" - Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery 

When Dr. Evil’s assassin, Patty O’Brien (Paul Dillon), attacks Austin Powers in a casino bathroom, the spy retaliates and takes the opportunity to interrogate the “cycloptic” gambler outside called Number Two (Robert Wagner). However, the “cowboy” in the nearby stall (played by Tom Arnold) assumes Austin is referring to a different kind of “number two.”

"I Can't Believe Paramount Is Spending The Money To Fly Us To England. I Would Have Thought They Would Just Use Two Doubles" - Wayne's World 2

Both of the Wayne’s World movies handle meta humor brilliantly, such as with this gag from the 1993 sequel. Wayne’s suspicions that the studio would not actually send him and Garth to the United Kingdom are proven correct, but only the audience is aware.

"I'm Afraid You're Gonna Ki- Leave Me"  So I Married An Axe Murderer 

In So I Married an Axe Murderer, Charlie (Mike Myers) breaks up with Harriet (Nancy Travis) and almost gives away that he fears she will kill him before replacing the word with “leave” as an explanation. However, it ends up sounding like he’s afraid she might “cleave,” which is exactly what he was worried about.

"No, Scott. I Have An Even better Idea. I'm Going To Place Him In An Easily Escapable Situation Involving An Overly Elaborate And Exotic Death" - Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery 

It really is amazing to think of how many James Bond villains could have succeeded if they just killed 007 on the spot instead of putting the skilled operative in unnecessary death traps. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery attacks this trope head-on when Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) reveals his plans for Powers, which his son, Scott (Seth Green), points out has flaws, to say the least.

"Yeah, And Monkeys Might Fly Out Of My Butt" - Saturday Night Live 

Few characters can master sarcasm quite as charmingly as Wayne Campbell. He has demonstrated this talent in just about every edition of his recurring SNL sketch with this hilarious bit.

"You Know, I Have One Simple Request, And That Is To Have Sharks With Frickin' Laser Beams Attached To Their Heads!" - Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery 

Probably the one thing that made Dr. Evil relatable was his interest in this odd combination of machine and beat that, admittedly, sounds pretty cool. He would finally get his wish in 2003’s Austin Powers in Goldmember when the newly wicked Scott presents his father with the long-desired gift.

"Oh, No No No No. Dead Broad Off The Table" - Shrek 

When Shrek finds a group of exiled fairytale creatures invading his swamp, he finds that the seven dwarfs have taken the initiative to put Snow White’s casket on his dining table. In their defense, the bed was taken by the Big Bad Wolf.

"Women: You Cannot Walk With Them, And Yet, You Cannot Club Them" - Saturday Night Live 

In a sketch called “Lothar of the Hill People,” Mike Myers plays the titular barbarian chieftain who converses with his brethren over their experiences and philosophies. One of the funniest instances of the recurring bit is when Lothar utters this unique take on an old adage.

"No One Gets Married At Your Age Unless They're Trying To Prove Something” - 54 

In 1998’s 54, Mike Myers plays Steve Rubell, the real-life co-owner of the famous, eponymous night club, Studio, who, at one point, comes on to Breckin Meyer’s character, Greg Randazzo with an indecent proposal. When Greg explains that he is, Steve insists that it can’t be genuine for a young man like him.

"Throw Me A Frickin' Bone Here!" - Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery 

When the freshly unfrozen Dr. Evil comes to his subordinates about his evil plans, he is soon informed that none of them apply to the way things are in 1997, prompting him to ask that they give him a break and try better to bring him up to speed. This line has since become one of the first things people quote when demonstrating their own impersonation of Austin Powers’ nemesis. 

These quotes are are undeniably groovy, baby.

Wayne's World was released over 30 years ago, but it still remains a fan-favorite amongst comedy lovers, thanks to both the goofy premise and iconic performances from Mike Myers and Dana Carvey makes it a certified classic. The movie was famously based on an SNL sketch that developed a cult following, and while opening up about working on the film and what it meant for his career as a whole, Rob Lowe revealed the movie has a big SNL connection that fans may not be aware of. 

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the Parks and Recreation alum chatted about his comedy origins, including working on Wayne’s World back in 1992. While watching a clip featuring his Chicago-based television producer, Lowe seemed to remember the experience fondly, and revealed that his character was very much inspired by SNL creator Lorne Michaels, who even lent an uncredited helping hand in regards to some of Lowe’s dialogue that ended up in the film. He said:

Michaels' influence is all over many of the films that came from SNL cast members following their stints on the NBC mainstay. He's not only a prominent figure in the lives of many comedians, but even his mannerisms have become almost famous amongst fans. The Dr. Evil character in Austin Powers is based on Dana Carvey's impression of SNL's creator, and almost every former cast member has put forth an impression of their fearless leader at some point. It’s no surprise he would have more of a direct personal stamp on Wayne’s World, especially with the film so intimately tied to the sketch show, and TV producers in general.

Lowe also revealed that being cast in Wayne’s World was a big deal for him as a comedy star. So much so, that The Outsiders star had delayed his own honeymoon to be able to work on the film. He said: 

The role opened up many unexpected doors for the actor. While he was already a well known 80s heartthrob, the film helped him expand his reach. After Wayne's World, his SNL connections remained strong with roles in Chris Farley's Tommy Boy and three Austin Powers films. The movies are comedy-gospel for many of the most ardent fans, and sending Rob Lowe up as a comedy star is a bonus. While probably inconvenient at the time, it seems like that honeymoon delay was worth it. 

Lowe has since remained within comedy for a large chunk of his career, starring in shows like Parks and Recreation, and most recently Unstable, which is currently available to stream with a Netflix subscription. The sitcom was just renewed for a second season, so there will be a lot more Rob Lowe on the small screen very soon. You can also revisit the actor’s Lorne Michaels-inspired performance in Wayne’s World, which is streaming now for Max subscribers.

Though the region is often referred to as “Flyover Country,” the states that make up the Midwest have been home to some all-time classics when it comes to American cinema. There have been great films set in Chicago and other major cities in the region, and even some Best Picture winners have used the loosely defined group of states as a backdrop. 

Here are 32 great movies set in the Midwest, including comedies, dramas, and almost every other imaginable genre. So please, quit knocking on the Midwest and calling it a land void of creativity and culture. An odd place? Yes. But a void? Never!

Fargo (1996)

When it comes to quirky black comedy movies set in the region, the Coen Brothers’ 1996 crime film, Fargo, is in a league of its own. With action, drama, and murder happening in states like Minnesota and North Dakota, this Academy Award-winning film has the Midwest stamped all over it, even when you discount Frances McDormand, William H. Macy’s, and other iconic characters with their wild accents.

Grumpy Old Men (1993)

Set in the southern Minnesota town of Wabasha, Grumpy OId Men follows feuding next-door neighbors John Gustafson (Jack Lemmon) and Max Goldman (Walter Matthau) as they try to coexist in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” a feat that’s easier said than done. Ice-fishing, small-town attitudes, and a general disdain for the IRS perfectly sum up life in semi-rural areas of the Midwest.

Planes, Trains And Automobiles (1987)

One of John Candy’s best movies, as well as an all-time great Steve Martin comedy, Planes, Trains and Automobiles enlists not one but many Midwestern cities for its story of road trip misadventure. As Neal Page (Martin) and Del Griffith (Candy) attempt to get home for Thanksgiving, the unlikely pair learn a great deal about themselves and the I-55 corridor in this John Hughes classic.

Hoosiers (1986)

While Texas holds its down when it comes to great football movies, Indiana does the same when it comes to some of the best basketball films. For example, look at the 1986 sports flick, Hoosiers, which follows disgraced coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) as he takes over a high school basketball team and attempts to lead them to glory and a better future.

Chicago (2002)

Not only does Rob Marshall’s 2002 musical, Chicago, take place in the “Windy City,” it also spends a considerable amount of time in the Cook County Jail, one of the most notorious facilities in the region and country. Featuring one of the best Renée Zellweger performances, Catherine Zeta-Jones on top of the world, and some catchy 1920s song-and-dance numbers, this one has it all.

Super 8 (2011)

Set in the fictional town of Lillian, Ohio, J.J. Abrams’ 2011 sci-fi coming-of-age thriller follows a group of aspiring filmmakers as they find themselves caught in the middle of a massive train derailment and alien spotting that makes their Midwestern town the epicenter of a massive story.

Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher’s Gone Girl centers on the sudden disappearance of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) and the highly-televised investigation into whether or not her husband, Nick (Ben Affleck), had anything to do with it. Set in and around Missouri, this visually arresting and twist-heavy psychological thriller captures the fear, uncertainty, and general vibes of the Midwest better than most.

Twister (1996)

Do you know what Midwesterners, especially those in more rural areas, love to do? If you guessed talk about tornadoes, then you would be correct. Twister, which was one of the biggest box office hits of 1996, takes place in the plains states of Oklahoma and Kansas, which some would argue to be part of the Midwest. And since we (I know from experience) love storms up here, we’ll let it slide.

Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

In addition to featuring one of the most emotional and sentimental renditions of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” the 1944 classic, Meet Me in St. Louis, also makes great use of the city at the core of its story. With the 1904 World’s Fair, a great trolley scene (St. Louisians LOVE trolleys), and one of the most terrifying depictions of Halloween, this cherished film has it all.

Field Of Dreams (1989)

Though Ray Kinsella’s (Kevin Costner) journey of self-discovery takes him around a large portion of the country, Field of Dreams gets started (and ends) in his Iowa cornfield. Not only one of the best baseball movies but also an emotional experience that has resulted in countless phone calls to dads over the years, Phil Alden Robinson’s beloved classic captures the very essence of Midwestern life, for better or worse.

The Blues Brothers (1980) 

Perhaps the best movie based on SNL characters, The Blues Brothers makes perfect use of the City of Chicago as well as its residents and culture to tell its unforgettable story about Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) getting the band back together. And really, could that awesome police chase take place anywhere besides the “Windy City?”

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

John Hughes was a director who liked to use the City of Chicago more than pretty much everyone before or since, and one of his best movies set in the “Second City” was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Whether it’s when Matthew Broderick’s titular character is trying to escape suburbia or when he uses the big city as his personal playground, the Illinois metropolis gets a lot of love here.

Tommy Boy (1995)

The 1995 Chris Farley comedy, Tommy Boy, is primarily set in the “Rust Belt” of America as Tommy Callahan (Farley) and Richard Hayden (David Spade) travel throughout the Midwestern states to keep the former’s family’s brake pad company in business. Ohio, Illinois, and every state (and roadway) in between adds a lot to his comedy gem.

A Christmas Story (1983)

Set in the fictional city of Hohman, Indiana, Bob Clark’s iconic holiday movie, A Christmas Story, follows young Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) as he prepares for the biggest holiday of the year. Though filmed in the early ‘80s, the movie very much captures the look and feel of a Midwestern town in pre-World War II America with its massive (and temperamental cars), snow-covered alleys, and a balance of cynicism and sentimentality.

American Pie (1999)

Though it feels like American Pie takes place somewhere like California, Florida, or pretty much anywhere in the continental United States, this 1999 R-rated comedy calls Michigan home, specifically, the fictional town of East Great Falls. The setting becomes more prominent in later films in the franchise, but there are hints of the Midwest throughout. 

A League Of Their Own (1992)

The 1992 sports comedy-drama, A League of Their Own visits places like Chicago (the setting of the great audition scene), but spends a great deal of its runtime in Midwestern cities like Rockford, South Bend, Kenosha, and Racine, whose Belles provide some stiff competition to the successful and popular Peaches.

Wayne's World (1992)

Based on the popular SNL sketches of the same name, Wayne’s World follows Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s iconic characters as they find themselves going from hosts of a public-access TV program in Aurora, Illinois to being massive hits in the greater Chicago area. And since we’re talking about the Midwest, we can’t help but recall that hilarious interaction with Alice Cooper in Milwaukee.

Thief (1981)

Michael Mann is known for using the city of Los Angeles better than just about everyone with movies like Heat and Collateral, but early on in his career, the acclaimed filmmaker treated Chicago like the second lead next to the late James Caan in his 1981 crime thriller, Thief. The use of the city, Robert Prosky’s accent, and Dennis Farina's presence make this a Midwestern all-timer.

The Mighty Ducks (1992)

Set in Minneapolis, the 1992 sports comedy, The Mighty Ducks, follows Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) as he leads a group of misfit youth hockey players to glory while also finding peace in the world and remembering his roots. Plus, there’s even an appearance by Minnesota North Stars (before they moved to Dallas) players Basil McRae and Mike Modano.

Angus (1995)

If there’s a movie that best captures the attitudes and sensibilities of the Midwest, it has to be the forgotten 1995 teen comedy, Angus. Set in Minnesota, this coming-of-age story follows Angus Bethune (Charlie Talbert) as he tries to balance school, football, his own insecurities, and a conspiracy to make him king of the Winter Ball. It’s not happy-go-lucky, but neither is the Midwest.

Nebraska (2013)

As its title suggests, Alexander Payne’s 2013 road comedy-drama, Nebraska, spends a great deal of time in the “Cornhusker State” with its story about an elderly man (played by Bruce Dern) as he attempts to claim a $1 million lottery ticket. The movie also ventures to South Dakota as well as outside the Midwest before everything is said and done.

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Academy Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins turns banality into beauty with how he brings the State of Missouri to life in Andrew Dominik’s 2007 Western, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Several of the film’s sequences, including the epic train robbery and Jesse James (Brad Pitt) in his final moments, are works of art.

The Fugitive (1993)

One of Harrison Ford’s best movies, The Fugitive is also one that makes great use of Chicago (and not just “The Loop” portion of the city). However, it should be noted that while there are some foothills in Southern Illinois, no part of the state is as mountainous as depicted in the prison bus escape or dam sequences.

Major League (1989)

Here’s some well-known trivia about Major League, aka, one of the best sports movies of the ‘80s – this baseball comedy is set in Ohio (it follows the Cleveland Indians), but was filmed “just a bit outside” Cleveland in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This explains why Bob Euker, a great WrestleMania celebrity guest and Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster, appears throughout the movie and its sequel. 

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, which is arguably the best entry in the Vacation franchise, is another great flick set in the Midwest. Though the movie’s depiction of Chicagoland looks like it was placed in Colorado instead of Illinois, there are enough shots of downtown Chicago and regional sports references to let the viewer know that Clark Griswold’s (Chevy Chase) Christmas Eve meltdown is firmly in the center of the country.

Halloween (1978)

Halloween, one of the best horror movies of all time, takes place in Haddonfield, Illinois, a fictional city that is supposed to be just north of Bloomington and Pontiac (about halfway up the state). Michael Myer's reign of terror, if real, would have pretty much taken place in the middle of the country; you can’t get more Midwestern than that. 

Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone is one of the best representations of suburban Chicago, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that John Hughes wrote and produced the beloved 1990 Christmas movie. It’s not as close to the city as other movies set in the greater Chicago area, but it does have loads of references to the region with various sports memorabilia and great accents.

Mean Girls (2004)

Set in Evanston, Illinois, the birthplace of Northwestern University, John Cusack, and Steve Albini, Mean Girls has gone down in history as one of the best 2000s movies and remains a good watch years later. There’s just something timeless to the Tina Fey-penned script about teenagers finding their place in the world.

Adventures In Babysitting (1987)

Chris Columbus’ directorial debut, Adventures in Babysitting, has to feature one of the best uses of the City of Chicago in the history of cinema. Starting in Oak Park and working her way east to the city center, Elisabeth Shue’s Chris Parker goes to great lengths to save a friend while also taking care of a group of young kids, a journey full of twists and turns and all kinds of misadventure.

In Cold Blood (1967)

Based on Truman Capote’s true crime book recounting the real-life 1959 Clutter family murders in rural Kansas, Richard Brooks’ In Cold Blood follows Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson) in the days surrounding the grisly slayings. The Kansas scenery, or lack thereof, adds great weight to this already dark and dismaying crime thriller.

Detroit Rock City (1999)

Adam Rifkin’s 1999 teen comedy, Detroit Rock City, follows a group of friends as they put everything on the line (and Cleveland, Ohio, in the rear-view mirror) as they travel to the “Motor City” to see KISS in concert. Though not successful by any means, it has become a cult classic and a great representation of the moral divide in the Midwest.

Road To Perdition (2002)

Directed by Sam Mendes, Road to Perdition goes all over the State of Illinois to tell its story about a mobster (played by Tom Hanks) who goes to great lengths to protect his son who witnessed a mob hit. It’s dark and at times devastating, but this graphic novel adaptation provides a brilliant representation of the Midwest during the early days of the Great Depression.

Each movie on this list captures at least one aspect of life in the Midwest, a region in the United States that has a little bit of everything, be it good, bad, or somewhere in between.

Music transforms movies. I’m not talking about the score, or songs written for movies like anything Lin-Manuel Miranda does, but the great songs that when you hear them later on the radio or on Spotify, you can’t help but immediately think of a scene from the movie they made better and more memorable. These are the 21 movie songs that I can only associate with a specific scene in a movie. 

Bittersweet Symphony - Kathryn Gets Busted In Cruel Intentions

I’ll start here because the scene is just so fantastic. The building momentum of the strings in The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” fits so well with the slow reveal of Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) getting her mean girl life turned completely on its head in Cruel Intentions. Not only is her reputation completely trashed, but she’s busted with the cocaine in her crucifix. I could watch the scene over and over with that music. It's a good thing the production paid the insane amount of money they did for the song; nothing else would've worked. 

Where Is My Mind - The End Of Fight Club

A perfect example of a classic track, in this case it's The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” blending into a dramatic scene that elevates the moment to new heights at the end of Fight Club. As the walls literally come down around The Narrator (Edward Norton) and Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), he tells her she’s met him at a very strange time in his life, as Pixies lead singer Black Francis asks everyone “Where is my mind?” Unless you see it in China, where the movie ends very differently. 

Layla - Covering Up The Heist In GoodFellas

“Layla,” by Derek and the Dominos was almost 20 years old when GoodFellas was released in 1990, but it still ends up in what I think is actually the best use of a popular song in a movie. In case you’ve forgotten, Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) is cutting all ties between him and the others involved in the Lufthansa heist. One by one, bodies are discovered in a montage as the piano-and-guitar coda of “Layla” plays over it. It almost makes murder look cool.  

The End - The Opening Of Apocalypse Now

There may be any opening scene in any movie that sucks you in quite like the opening scene of Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece Apocalypse Now. The wide shot of the jungle being napalmed as the haunting beginning of The Doors' classic "The End" plays over it. Just as the music gets chaotic, so does the movie with Martin Sheen busting his hand open in his hotel room. Brilliant. 

Mr. Blue Sky - Opening Scene Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

There are a whole bunch of music moments from Guardians of the Galaxy I could choose from the trilogy, as songs are, of course, a key component of the storytelling. For this list, I’ve chosen “Mr. Blue Sky” by the great Electric Light Orchestra that opens Vol. 2. It sets the tone for the movie perfectly. These movies are most of all about having fun, and there’s nothing more fun than this opening scene, and when I hear the tune, I always see Groot dancing. 

Fight The Power - Sal Destroys Radio Raheem’s Radio In Do The Right Thing

The use of Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” in Do The Right Thing is anything but fun. After a long, hot, stressful day, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) confront Sal (Danny Aiello) in his pizzeria while blasting the song from the boombox. Not only do the lyrics fit the scene well, but the chaotic nature of it adds a level of desperation to the argument that eventually leads to the tragedy that follows.  

Everything In It's Right Place - The Opening To Vanilla Sky

There's a very good chance that I would not have liked Vanilla Sky if not for the epic beginning of the movie with Radiohead's Everything In It's Right Place playing over the montage of Tom Cruise's character starting his day. The song has just the right amount of excitement mixed with forboding to set the tone for the whole movie. 

Stuck in the Middle With You - Mr. Blonde Cutting A Cop's Ear Off In Reservoir Dogs

Another movie that brilliantly uses music is Reservoir Dogs, and nowhere is that more true than the happy-go-lucky tones of Steelers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You” during the most violent scene of a very violent movie, when Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) cuts off the ear of a cop he’d tied up and tortured. Something about the contrast between the sweet song and the ultra-violence just works. 

Goodbye Horses - Buffalo Bill Getting Dressed In Silence Of The Lambs

There is no way anyone, anywhere, hears the song “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus and thinks of anything except Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) getting dressed and dancing in front of the mirror in The Silence of the Lambs. The scene is so iconic that I can’t help but shiver a little when I hear the song, no matter where I am. 

Time To Pretend - The Opening Of 21

The opening scene of 21, as the audience is taken on a quick tour of Boston and Cambridge by way of the Charles River is great. The music, "Time To Pretend" by MGMT fits perfectly. It's an upbeat song about having the time of your life, and it's about pretending to be someone else, just like the MIT blackjack team in the movie.

Old Time Rock And Roll - Tom Cruise Dancing In His Underwear In Risky Business

Bob Seger wrote “Old Time Rock and Roll” in 1979 and it became a moderate hit for him, but it was four years later when it was used as the music Tom Cruise dances in his underwear to in Risky Business that it became an American classic. How many times have you heard it and thought about dancing around in your underwear? I know I have, many times. 

O-o-h Child - Doughboy Gets Busted In Boyz N The Hood

“O-o-h Child” by the Five Stairsteps is a soul music standard, and when I hear it now, I immediately think about the scene in Boyz N the Hood, when Furious (Laurence Fishburne in a performance that should have gotten him an Oscar) is returning home after a nice day fishing with his son Tre. At first, the song is a nice moment for Furious, but in the context of the movie, it changes almost immediately when they drive by young Dough Boy’s house as he’s getting arrested. Things are going to get better according to the song, but they don’t, really. 

Hurricane - Wooderson Walks Into The Emporium In Dazed & Confused

I love Bob Dylan, but now whenever I hear his classic call for justice song, “Hurricane,” I can only think of how cool Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) and Pink (Jason London) look as they stroll into the Emporium and meet up with the other characters just as the legendary night is getting underway. 

In Your Eyes - Outside The Window In Say Anything

An old crush once asked me if I’d ever stood outside a girl’s window and played a song on a jukebox like Lloyd (John Cusack) does in Say Anything. I told her no, but she would’ve been the first to know if I had. You simply cannot hear Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” without immediately picturing Lloyd with the radio above his head in front of his Chevy Malibu. 

The Times They Are A-Changin - Opening Credits Of Watchmen

I’m not going to debate whether Zach Snyder’s adaption of the graphic novel Watchmen is well done or not (it is). What I will debate is how great the opening scene is accompanied by Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin.” 20 years ago it was unthinkable to me that I would think of anything but the 1960s when I heard that song, now all I see is the bloody Smiley Face button. 

Flower Duet - Clifford’s Death In True Romance

The most powerful use of music on this list comes from one of the best scenes in movie history. It’s when the “Flower Duet,” from the Léo Delibes opera Lakmé, is played over the True Romance scene between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. The music swells as Hopper realizes that no matter what, this confrontation is going to lead to his death. It is an immensely commanding moment and while the music may be over 100 years old, it will, at least for me, be forever connected to this one amazing moment. 

Hip To Be Square - Paul Allen’s Murder In American Psycho

Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? If you do, and you’ve never seen American Psycho then you might think twice, because after you do, you will only associate their 1986 hit, “Hip To Square,” with one thing: the murder of Paul Allen (Jared Leto) by Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale). Try getting a reservation at Dorsia now! 

Sister Christian - Drug Deal In Boogie Nights

Maybe the most tense I’ve ever felt from a film scene is in Boogie Nights when Dirk (Mark Wahlberg) and the others attempt to con Rahad (Alfred Molina). The stress of the scene, with the fireworks going off and the incredible performance by Molina is enhanced by Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian.” I still get the jitters when I hear the song. 

Hurdy Gurdy Man - The First Murder Scene In Zodiac

Speaking of getting the willies, Donavan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” will never be the same for me after seeing it used in Zodiac. The way the volume rises on the song as the killer’s car approaches the soon-to-be-murdered couple, then fades as it pulls away, to the relief of the couple, only to rise again as he returns. Yikes! Brilliant!

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - Dream Sequence In The Big Lebowski

The Coen brothers are masters of using music to set the tone of their movies. In The Big Lebowski they up the ante by adding two musical vignettes, almost like music videos as dream sequences. The second, with the song “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” has become so classic that when I saw Kenny Rogers in concert (who sings the song with his old band The Third Edition) he even acknowledged it’s what’s made the song so timeless. 

Tiny Dancer - The Bus Ride In Almost Famous

“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John is a great song to sing along to. When I’m hitting those high notes all by myself in the car, I feel just like the band Sweetwater in Almost Famous as they travel down the highway on tour in their big bus. It’s just a fun scene after a tense moment, which is perfect for that song. 

Pocket Full Of Sunshine - The Opening Scene Of Easy A

In Easy A Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) declares “Pocket Full of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield to be the “worst song ever” before she hears the earworm of a tune so many times that it becomes her favorite song. That’s kind of exactly how I feel about it, and now when I hear it, the guilty pleasure I enjoy is justified because Olive said it was okay to love it. 

Bohemian Rapsody - The Car Ride In Wayne’s World

You knew I couldn’t end this list without including “Bohemian Rhapsody” from Wayne’s World. I’ll fully admit Queen is not my favorite band, and this is not one of my favorite songs, but the scene is so classic that you can’t help but immediately be transported back to seeing it for the first time. Look, see? I’ll bet you’re banging your head right now.

You Should Be Dancing - The Famous Dance Scene In Saturday Night Fever

You can't have this list without including one of the best music movies of all time, and there is no way to here "You Should Be Dancing" by The Bee Gees without thinking of the icon scene of John Travolta taking over the nightclub. 

Shipping Off To Boston - Billy Goes Undercover In The Departed

There is no more iconic song about Boston than the Dropkick Murphys' "Shipping Off To Boston" so Martin Scorsese's decision to not only use it in The Departed but where uses it, as Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes into jail to start his undercover work, is perfect. 

Tequila - The Bar Scene In Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

There are rumors that a time existed when the song "Tequila" by The Champs was known for some other than Pee-Wee Herman's famous dance in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, but that's hard to believe. The scene is so iconic now, that it's all anyone thinks of, and it's sure to get people dancing like Pee-Wee. 

Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) - Dinner Scene In Beetlejuice

Harry Belafonte had a huge hit with "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" back in the day, but it was Beetlejuice that opened it up to a whole new generation. That generation always associates with the amazing scene when the ghosts try to scare the new homeowners off. 

Also Sprach Zarathustra - The Opening Of 2001: A Space Odyssey

Composer Richard Strauss could never have predicted what would become of his music work, "Also Sprach Zarathustra" as conceived by the brilliant mind of director Stanley Kubrick. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, it probably becomes very different than what Strauss had in mind. It's so iconic today, that people usually refer to the music as "2001."

You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Funeral In The Big Chill

One of the things that makes the use of The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" so cool in The Big Chill is that instead of the choir that opens the original version before fading into the song, the movie does it on organ. It's perfect and now the only way I ever want to hear it. 

I Got You Babe - The Alarm Clock In Groundhog Day

If there are two things I hate in this world, it's alarm clocks and the Sonny & Cher song "I Got You Babe." It's likely because I connect the two so closely in my mind because of Groundhog Day.

Lust For Life - Opening Scene Of Trainspotting

Director Danny Boyle using "Lust For Life" by Iggy Pop at the beginning of Trainspotting makes it one of the most bombastic openings ever and the chaotic music is perfect for the chaotic nature of the movie. 

These Days - Margot Gets Off The Bus In The Royal Tenenbaums

Wes Anderson has a deft touch when it comes music in his movies, and I love a lot of the songs he choses, but for my money, using Nico's "These Days" is probably the best. I love the song, and now I always picture Gwyneth Paltrow in her fur coat. 

Great film scores transform movies, but nothing transcends like a well-placed classic pop song like the ones on this list. There are so many more songs I could’ve chosen that I could have 100 more entries. Adding the right song at the right time is the easiest way to make me nostalgic for a time and place, and that includes on film and on television, as well. 

In 2023, Conan O’Brien had his former Saturday Night Live colleagues — Robert Smigel, Dana Carvey, and Kevin Nealon — on his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, to dramatically read their script for an unmade movie based on Carvey and Nealon’s popular characters, Hans and Franz. Despite the bizarre content of the screenplay, I am surprised it was never greenlit, considering how many other movies based on SNL characters have ended up getting made.

In fact, despite being a life-long fan of The Blues Brothers and enjoying other known classics like the Wayne’s World movies, I did not realize how many there were until my research brought up a total of 11 titles. As an also life-long fan of the legendary comedy series, I watched each feature-length adaptation of some of the most popular SNL sketches ever and ranked them from my least favorite to the most hilarious and memorable. We shall start with one I believe most agree deserves to be at the bottom.

11. It's Pat (1994)

The Plot: A person whose gender becomes a perplexing mystery to everyone they encounter (Julia Sweeney) meets and falls for someone equally androgynous (Dave Foley).

The Reason For The Ranking: The concept of It’s Pat has aged poorly, but I was espeically offended by the film’s complete lack of humor — even with an uncredited rewrite by Quentin Tarantino, according to Playboy (via Uproxx). I was also put-off by Sweeney’s portrayal of the title role — whom Norm Macdonald claimed was meant to be a woman — as more selfish and ignorant than I remember from their original SNL appearances, resulting in a throughly unenjoyable experience that, at least, lasts only 77 minutes.

10. Stuart Saves His Family (1995)

The Plot: Stuart Smalley (Al Franken), the host of a public access self-help show, must rely on his own therapeutic methods when struggling keep his extremely dysfunctional family together.

The Reason For The Ranking: It actually pains me to rank Stuart Saves His Family so low, out of admiration for the Daily Affirmations sketches, respect for SNL star-turned-politician Franken — who, as his character, wrote the 1992 book the movie adapts — and because it is probably the most mature and heartfelt of these films. Unfortunately, I also think it is one of the least funny and most dull of the bunch, even with the late, great Harold Ramis at the helm.

9. The Ladies Man (2000)

The Plot: After his risqué sensibilities cost him his job, a call-in radio show host and outspoken womanizer (Tim Meadows) searches for a wealthy past lover, while being unwittingly pursued by a legion of men he has cuckolded over the years.

The Reason For The Ranking: The vastly underrated Meadows (one of SNL’s longest running cast members) brings a certain charisma to Leon Phelps that made the character’s sketches a success and The Ladies Man somewhat enjoyable for me (in addition to its choice soundtrack of classic funk hits). However, I would not necessarily recommend this Reginald Huldin-directed comedy, as I feel it suffers from recycled and oft-repeated jokes and lacks real authority over its more important themes: heart and raunch.

8. Coneheads (1993)

The Plot: After becoming stranded on Earth, married extra-terrestrials (Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin) and their Earth-born daughter (Michelle Burke) try to blend in among humans, despite their unusual mannerisms and conical head shape.

The Reason For The Ranking: I definitely chuckled a few times at this somewhat heartwarming sci-fi comedy from 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles director Steve Barron and was amused by how it reimagines the characters’ lore. For instance, Beldar and Prymatt’s daughter, Connie, is a naturalized Earthling as opposed to the full-blooded Remulak native originally played by Laraine Newman, who also cameos here. However, I still think the Coneheads are a prime example of SNL characters that work best when limited to a minutes-long sketch, especially with how their struggle to fit in becomes the only joke, and their distinct, robotic speech pattern grows irritating.

7. Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)

The Plot: After his brother dies in prison, a recently released musician (Dan Aykroyd) reunites old bandmates and recruits a few new members (John Goodman, Joe Morton, J. Evan Bonifant) to enter a music competition while avoiding the pursuits of cops, Russian mobsters, and white supremacists.

The Reason For The Ranking: Speaking as someone who has a deep passion for its predecessor (which we'll get to), I find Blues Brothers 2000 to be a pretty weak attempt at a sequel in its clear attempt to recapture that magic with cheap references, weak humor, and its overall needlessness, especially nearly two decades after John Belushi’s death. The reason it ranks closer to the middle of our list is because, much like the first movie, the soundtrack — performed by an incredible assortment of legends like Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, and more — is chock-full of irresistible bangers.

6. A Night At The Roxbury (1998)

The Plot: A pair of brainless, self-absorbed brothers (Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan) chase their dream of getting into an exclusive night club and, hopefully, running one of their own.

The Reason For The Ranking: Catchy needle drops — the most prominent being Haddaway’s “What Is Love” — also won me over while revisiting this early Will Ferrell movie “classic” that I recognize is as dim-witted as its protagonists, who were first referred to as Steve and Doug Butabi upon the film’s release. However, I would still call A Night at the Roxbury one of the better attempts at needlessly stretching an SNL sketch to feature-length for its candid lampooning of the ‘90s club scene and free-wheeling approach to humor that I, shamelessly, could not help but get lost in.

5. MacGruber (2010)

The Plot: A retired special forces operative (Will Forte) is called back into action to prevent his archnemesis (Val Kilmer) from releasing a nuclear warhead with help from a former colleague (Kristen Wiig) and a young lieutenant (Ryan Phillippe).

The Reason For The Ranking: With this otherwise sharp send-up of yesteryear's best action movies, I, admittedly, began to grow weary of Forte’s title character — based on Richard Dean Anderson's orginal MacGuyver — for his pervasively selfish absent-mindedness and crudeness that I still feel is more suitable for his original sketches. However, I applaud MacGruber — co-written and directed by The Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone —  for not being a direct, two-hour adaptation of those hilarious, rigidly structured segments and admire how it overcame its low RT scores and box office returns, gained a passionate cult following unlike most SNL movies can claim, and inspired its own spin-off series on Peacock.

4. Superstar (1999)

The Plot: An idiosyncratic teenager (Molly Shannon, one of the most iconic ‘90s SNL stars) tries out for her Catholic high school’s talent show, hoping to achieve her ambitions of being famous and getting kissed.

The Reason For The Ranking: Similar to Tim Meadows’ Leon Phelps, I believe that Shannon’s unmistakable, endlessly compelling comedic talents are why a character as eccentric as Mary Katherine Gallagher became such a memorable staple on SNL and why her feature-length moment is such a hilarious winner. Honestly, I think Superstar could have been just another quirky high school comedy if it centered on a character any less distinct or starred an actor any less unique. 

3. Wayne's World 2 (1993)

The Plot: A successful cable access show host (Mike Myers) and his co-host/best friend (Dana Carvey) are inspired by a strange dream to put together a star-studded rock music festival, but a slimy record producer’s (Christopher Walken) manipulative wooing of his musician girlfriend (Tia Carerre) gets in the way.

The Reason For The Ranking: I genuinely consider Wayne’s World 2 to be one of the most enjoyable and satisfying comedy sequels of its time, especially with cameos by the legendary James Hong and Aerosmith, who previously collaborated with Wayne and Garth in one Mike Myers' single funniest SNL sketches. However, to more specifically describe what makes it great would be to describe what makes the first one great. So, without further ado…

2. Wayne's World (1992)

The Plot: A cable access show host (Myers) and his co-host/best friend (Carvey) are faced with the ultimate challenge to their moral integrity and relationship after a sleazy executive (Rob Lowe) offers them the chance for a network deal.

The Reason For The Ranking: Out of all of Mike Myers’ best characters, I still have a soft spot for Wayne Campbell who, along with Carvey’s charmingly strange Garth Algar, headlined one of SNL’s most beloved recurring sketches with “Wayne’s World.” It is no wonder that this ceaselessly jovial, cleverly self-aware barrage of absurd humor and pop culture references — such as the famed “Bohemian Rhapsody” sing-along — was an instant box office hit, a winner among critics and audiences, and remains an enduring favorite that exceeds generations. 

1. The Blues Brothers (1980)

The Plot: After reuniting when one is released from prison, two brotherly musicians (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) set out on a mission from God to put their old band back together for a show to benefit the orphanage where they were raised.

The Reason For The Ranking: After technically making their musical SNL debut dressed as bees in 1976 (according to Primetimer), Belushi and Aykroyd officially appeared as the leaders of the Blues Brothers Band — Jake and Elwood — two years later and went on to serve as the official musical guest for an episode hosted by Carrie Fisher, land a record deal, and go on tour. The moment they entered the public consciousness as icons was with the release of director John Landis’ undisputed classic of both comedy and musicals for its uniquely surreal and invigorating mastery of both genres (with help from guests like Ray Charles and Cab Calloway, to name a few), that has since transcended way beyond its roots in Studio 8H as one of the most important movies set in Chicago and, apparently, a Catholic classic, as well.

Saturday Night Live is always at its best when it is, indeed, live. However, most of the movies above prove that some of the sketch comedy series’ most iconic characters do translate well when pre-taped and on the big screen.

In the 30 years since Wayne’s World 2 was released, bringing to life a slapdash music festival that foreshadowed doom-laden events such as Woodstock ‘99 and FyreFest, fans have been eager to see Mike Myers and Dana Carvey returning to the big screen in tandem for a third film from the SNL-originated BFFs Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar. (Some more actively than others.) Despite a handful of schwing-a-licious and small-scale TV reunions coming together, nothing by way of a new movie has been announced. But Carvey lit a new fire beneath the fandom that may or may not be an artful way of hinting at Wayne's World 3.

No doubt knowing exactly the kinds of agog reactions the post would inspire, Dana Carvey shared the pic below, featuring former co-star Mike Myers in what would appear to be the set for Wayne’s basement, where their public access show is filmed. While staring at a grain of salt through rose-colored glasses, check out the comedian’s Instagram post and fail in your attempts not to spew chunks of pure bliss.  

Ex-squeeze me? A baking powder? Do you have any Grey Poupon? (Okay that third one doesn't cut the mustard, shyeah.) It's obviously difficult not to automatically jump on the hope that Carvey's post has everything to do with Wayne's World 3, and isn't just another ad campaign for UberPaints or something. The duo paired up for a fun Super Bowl commercial for UberEats in 2021, with Doja Cat appearing as well, so the ad route probably makes more logical sense in 2023 than a third movie, but since when have Wayne and Garth relied on logic to succeed? The first film's $121 million box office earnings, which made it one of the '90s biggest surprise hits, certainly didn't seem to mesh with rational thought at the time.

Not that another movie needs to exist purely for financial reasons, even though that’s par for the course. Dana Carvey’s post drew a lot of responses from fans who would go apeshit to see him and Mike Myers back as their eternally youthful rock-loving derps. Such as Josh Gad, who certainly wasn’t clamoring for “another short sketch and that’s it!” Rather, he commented with:

Not that I or anyone else would scoff disdainfully at the idea of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey rocking their signature Wayne and Garth looks for another Saturday Night Live special, as they did for the 40th anniversary. Hell, even if they got together for a karaoke version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” on The Voice, fans would jump at the chance to watch. But again, Wayne’s World 3’s existence would clearly be the ideal source of inspiration for this post.

Check out more comments from fans below, starting with actor Skyler Stone:

• Wait. What. What is this. You know I started a Facebook page a while ago for people that wanted Wayne’s World 3 to become a real thing. Am I to understand that… it is?!?! - @theskylerstone
• Wayne’s World 3 but it’s them streaming - @yowhatsupitsrob
• A trilogy?!?! Yes please!! - @clintcart
• DON’T PLAY WITH ME LIKE THIS - @shelbyjaems
• Whaaaaat. What is this. Is this another film? Be still my beating heart!! - @christinaschaarphotography
• Lookin for that Sports Illustrated football phone!😎 🏈 📞 - @jackclendenen

Many more fans commented on the post than those above, to be sure, but a lot of the comments were of the same shocked "is it really happening?" variety, while others understandably filled the space with quotes from the first two films. Not to mention multiple references to the famed painting scene in James Cameron's Titanic. 

To note, Dana Carvey did comment on his own post later, but only with a paint palette emoji. Which kinda strengthens its cryptic nature while also making it seem very much like this really is about paint or art, and not so much about a film sequel. But like my friend Jim Morrison was just telling me in a dream, "Love me two times." Which may not be relevant here, but it feels right. 

Also worth noting is Carvey's Fly on the Wall podcast co-host David Spade liked the post, so if anyone wants to crank out some Wayne's World and Joe Dirt crossover fan art, I am all eyeballs for it. In the meantime, I now feel obligated to rewatch both movies, which are available to stream for anyone with an HBO Max subscription.

Let's end with the all-too-true comment from MadTV vet and Dudesy podcast co-host Will Sasso:

Because no matter what Dana Carvey is referring to, we're still not worthy of it. But that hasn't stopped us from enjoying everything else in life, so bring on Wayne's World 3! 

There are few fans quite as passionate as those that are dedicated to Star Wars. For better or worse they tend to be quite dedicated to being Star Wars fans and while that can result in some quite heated arguments over the state of Star Wars today, we also see them come together in a shared love for the galaxy, far, far away. We saw that with the recent Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, and now we’re seeing it in a viral clip of fans singing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” together.

Following the recent Star Wars celebration there was an afterparty event called Mosh Eisley, that saw fans come together at a local bar for one last hurrah. Lucasfilm Story Group member Matt Martin, who has been involved in everything from the Galactic Starcruiser to video games and books, recently posted a clip of the event to Twitter, which includes the audience singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” together like something out of Wayne’s World. The whole thing is just incredible. Check it out. 

As Matt Martin says, this fandom is quite weird. It’s certainly not everyday that you see a dark room full of lightsabers that includes a group performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” At the same time, when the song starts playing, it’s difficult not to get wrapped up and start singing along.  A few fans responded to the initial tweet with their own videos of the same event and you can tell literally everybody is just rocking out to Queen.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of those songs that just lends itself well to group singing. There’s a reason the scene from Wayne’s World is the most iconic part of that whole movie. And group singing is nice because that way even those of us who can’t sing can have fun as the collective voices always sound good.

Fandoms can so often get toxic and obnoxious, just ask Game of Thrones,  that it’s cool to see moments like this because it reminds you why people got into things like this in the first place. When fandoms get out of control and people start to get angry about a movie they didn’t like or a character that does something they don’t approve of, you can start to wonder why you started to become a devoted fan in the first place. “Bohemian Rhapsody” may have little to do with Star Wars but it’s a song that most people love and they get to share that joy in it together. It’s why events like Star Wars Celebration happen. 

There are darker parts of any fandom. Star Wars itself has been dealing with racist backlash against one actress recently, but we know that’s not all there is. Fans of Star Wars, and all other things Disney, will come together once again later this year when the D23 Expo gets underway. Hopefully we’ll see more moments like this, where fans come together and celebrate what they love among others who feel the same way.  

Wayne’s World is a rewatchable comedy classic across multiple generations. Of course, much of that rewatch value is owed to the chemistry of Saturday Night Live cohorts Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar. The film is still relevant enough for the onscreen duo to reunite for a Super Bowl commercial. But working with Carvey was more than just turning a popular sketch into a comedy classic. Myers opened up about how working on the cult classic with his fellow SNL alum indirectly affected Austin Powers.

Much like Wayne’s World, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is regarded as a classic on Myers’ lengthy acting resume. The SNL alum mentioned Carvey’s influence while being interviewed by GQ. He revealed Wayne was just in his “trunk of characters” after previously debuting the character on Canadian television. After making a splash on the late-night sketch show, producer Lorne Michaels pitched Myers one movie idea. But the actor resisted and pushed for a film focused on the cable-access rock enthusiasts. Of course, the gamble paid off as the comedy became the series’ first box office success. After more than three decades, the Austin Powers actor spilled what it was like co-starring with Carvey.

Knowing how the comedian’s performance influenced the spy comedy proved how great he is. That’s why he’s regarded as one of SNL’s greatest cast members. Of course, Myers is no slouch either. Looking back now you can see a few of Carvey’s mannerisms and physicality in the movie. Myers’ writing had traces of his Wayne’s World 2 co-star as well. The Shrek actor revealed how his co-star’s comedic energy and timing influenced his movie performances.

The madcap behavior of Austin Powers is finally explained. The Love Guru actor understood writing or reading the script is completely different from performing it. Admitting his co-star’s contribution to the successful spy satire was a nice gesture after burying the hatchet years ago. Of course, this was nice to learn considering Carvey almost quit the film over his contributions being cut from the original script.

Of course, since his success in comedy movies, Myers has shifted to streaming with his Netflix series The Pentaverate. You can catch it along with some of Netflix’s best TV shows by getting a Netflix subscription. If you want to relive every outlandish Wayne and Garth moment, you can watch Wayne’s World by getting an Apple TV+ subscription.

You know, when I married a Filipina, I didn’t just marry her. I married into her entire family. And while I can’t really marry into her culture, I have certainly adopted a great deal of it, not only for myself, but also for my two children, as I want them to embrace being both Black and Filipino. In that way, I’ve become very familiar with Filipino food, Filipino traditions, and of course, Filipino actors. 

Because you know what’s interesting? There are quite a few actors that you know and love who have Filipino roots. I would be remiss if I was talking about Filipinos and didn’t mention Jo Koy and his great comedy specials, because if you’re Filipino, then you’re likely familiar with Jo Koy. But, with him now mentioned, here are seven great Filipino actors, and where to watch them.  

Dave Bautista - Guardians of the Galaxy 

I've always believed that every great wrestler could make for a great actor, since they're pretty much maintaining a role and storyline every single week. Dwayne Johnson's best recognized for his movies now, but for a time, wrestling fans were on the edge of their seats for him every week when he portrayed The Rock. And, the same could be said for Dave Bautista, who simply went by Batista when he was still wrestling in the WWE. Bautista is the son of a Greek mother, and a Filipino father, making him biracial.   

As an actor, Bautisa has been in a lot of noteworthy films lately, such as his brief (but potent) role in Dune, which he considered “a blessing," the lead role in Army of the Dead, and many others. But he’s definitely best known as Drax the Destroyer, in the Guardians of the Galaxy series. The third film will be the last time we see Bautista play Drax, but you can still check him out in Volumes 1 and 2, if you ever start to miss him.     

Watch Guardians of the Galaxy on Disney+.   

Lea Salonga - Mulan 

Any theater-junkie can tell you that Lea Salonga can act and sing her heart out. In fact, the quintessential version of Kim from Miss Saigon, belongs to Miss Salonga, who portrayed her in both the original West End production, as well as the eventual Broadway version, making her the first Asian actress to ever win a Tony Award. She was also the first Asian actress to portray the roles of Eponine and Fantine for Les Miserables, so her theater cred is well established.  

That said, most Disney fans will likely know her pipes from the singing voices of both the original Princess Jasmine as well as Fa Mulan from the animated versions of Aladdin and Mulan, respectively. Honestly, when I think of my favorite Disney songs, I usually hear them in Lea Salonga’s voice, and I know that I’m not alone. 

Watch Mulan on Disney+. 

Dante Basco - Avatar: The Last Airbender 

I, like many people of a certain age, was introduced to Dante Basco from the Steven Spielberg movie, Hook (though, his first movie role was actually as Romeo in Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, which is a movie that scarred me as a child). In Hook, though, he played the leader of the Lost Boys, Rufio, and (spoiler alert!) what happened to him in that movie also scarred me as a child.   

But, I think he’s probably most known now as the voice of Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Some of the best episodes of Avatar feature Zuko, and they wouldn’t be nearly as good if Basco didn’t infuse his voice with such a full range of emotions. In every way, Dante Basco brought the heart and soul to Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  

Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix.     

Vanessa Hudgens - Tick, Tick…BOOM! 

Like Lea Salonga, Vanessa Hudgens is a singer who can also act. Her late father was of Irish, French, and Native American descent, and her mother is a Filipina, making her biracial, much like Bautista. (And my own children!) Hudgens rose to fame with High School Musical as Gabriella Montez, but has also been in a number of other popular films like Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Spring Breakers, and was even in the DC sitcom, Powerless, so she’s got massive range.    

But, I wanted to focus on Vanessa Hudgens in tick, tick...BOOM!, as she did a marvelous job as the friend of Jonathan Larson (played by Andrew Garfield) and also a performer in his plays. Through her acting and singing, she proved yet again what a powerhouse force she can be.  

Watch tick, tick…BOOM! On Netflix. 

Lou Diamond Phillips - Longmire 

Lou Diamond Phillips was born in the Philippines to a Filipina mother and an American father of Scotch-Irish Cherokee descent. He’s been around since the early '80s, but rose to superstardom when he played Ritchie Valens in La Bamba back in 1987. One year later, he played the troubled youth, Angel Guzman, in the classic school movie, Stand and Deliver. And he’s been acting pretty much nonstop ever since.   

I wanted to focus, though, on his work in the long-running show, Longmire. Phillips plays the sagacious Cheyenne, Henry Standing Bear, who runs a bar and is Longmire’s best friend. Phillips plays him with the kind of confidence that only an actor of several decades could acquire, making him feel both ancient and fresh as a character at the same time.  

Watch Longmire on Netflix. 

Tia Carrere - Lilo & Stitch

Tia Carrere was born in Hawaii, but her lineage is Filipino. I’ll always loved her for her work in the two Wayne’s World movies as Cassandra Wong, but she’s had a long career in both movies and television, with some of her credits including the soap opera General Hospital, the comedy High School High, and the James Cameron action movie, True Lies, with Arnold Schwarzenegger.  

That said, like Lea Salonga and Dante Basco, a lot of people, especially young people, might know Carrere best from her voice, as she voiced Lilo’s older sister, Nani, in the Disney movie, Lilo & Stitch. Tia Carrere plays Nani perfectly as a super stressed, older sister who is just trying to keep the little family they have together. Plus, it’s set in Hawaii, which plays into Carrere’s birth place. Just always remember, “Ohana means family.” 

Watch Lilo & Stitch on Disney+. 

Jacob Batalon - Let It Snow 

And lastly, I wanted to highlight Jacob Batalon, who, when I asked my wife for potential actors to talk about for this article, she said, “Little Spider-Man.” When I pressed her on who she meant, she said, “You know, Little Spider-Man. His friend.” That’s when I realized she meant Ned Leeds from the recent Spider-Man trilogy, and yes, Jacob Batalon is Filipino, and he plays Ned Leeds in the Spider-Man movies. 

But, everybody knows that. So, I instead chose to focus on his role as Keon in the Netflix romantic comedy, Let It Snow, which is based on a YA novel. In it, Batalon plays a loveable employee named Keon at a diner called Waffle Town. It’s an ensemble cast, and it all leads to a big party that he throws, which brings all the characters together. It’s a fun little holiday film, and Jacob Batalon is a highlight. 

Watch Let It Snow on Netflix. 

Those are just seven Filipino actors in movies and television. For more news on other Filipino actors and actresses, make sure to swing by here often. 

You want to talk about one of the best character actors ever? To me and to many others, Mike Myers has always been among the first name that comes to mind. 

From his early days on Saturday Night Live to his movie personas that have taken on a life of their own, Mike Myers has created some of the funniest characters to grace television and the cinema in the modern era. To celebrate the Canadian star's impressive career, we've put together this feature reflecting on his most unforgettable characters – starting with one that I grew up on... 

Shrek (Shrek Series)

We can’t have a Mike Myers list without mentioning the green man himself, Shrek. 

For four movies in the Shrek series – and a possible fifth one – Mike Myers voices the titular green ogre: a mean creature with a hidden heart that is only revealed when he meets Princess Fiona and finds the true meaning of love. It's arguably the greatest success of the actor's career. 

Mike Myers’ incredible voice-acting skills take this character to a new level, and kids and adults alike find him loveable. He has continued to be a fan favorite for audiences everywhere – except for Mike Myers’ own children, but that's a small exception. 

Austin Powers (Austin Powers Series)

“Oh, behave.”

When a lot of movie fans think of Mike Myers, Austin Powers from the Austin Powers series is one of the first characters they ever think of. His disgusting teeth, eccentric personality and ridiculous spy films are hard to forget – primarily because he’s just so damn funny, and Myers rocks it in this role from start to finish. 

With a possible Austin Powers 4 in the works, it might not be that long before we get to see the titular character again, and his returned would be welcomed if the comedy standard can be continued. There are so many jokes from the Austin Powers franchise that have somehow stood the test of time, and I can’t wait to see how a new story may add to the legacy of the international man of mystery. 

Dr. Evil (Austin Powers Series)

I mean, obviously. 

From that hilarious egg-like head, to the way he positions his pinky finger when he says “one million dollars,” Dr. Evil is the perfect parody of a Bond villain in so many ways, and only Mike Myers in the Austin Powers franchise could portray him. Every moment is he is on screen is hysterical, and Myers adds a perfect flourish of sass. 

The character is so popular that fans have inspired the idea of a possible Dr. Evil solo movie – but since nothing like that has been confirmed, we’re just going to have to wait and see if that ever gets made. If it does, you can bet my butt will be in the theater to see it and ready to laugh.

Linda Richman (Saturday Night Live)

This is the first of many Saturday Night Live characters on this list. Mike Myers portrayed the iconic Linda Richman on the sketch show – a Barbara Streisand superfan that has plenty of brilliant moments in her special segment, “Coffee Talk.” There is nothing quite like seeing Richman speak to guests like Bill Murray, Madonna, and more with her big New York personality, Yiddish phrases and tendency to become emotionally overwhelmed (or as she puts it, "I'm a little verklempt.") 

With many appearances during Mike Myers’ run on Saturday Night Live, Linda Richman was a staple character for him – and a personal one as well, as he has said that Linda Richman was based on his former mother-in-law (according to People).

Pat Arnold (Saturday Night Live)

As a sports fan myself, I love Mike Myers as Pat Arnold on Saturday Night Live – a character that was part of a recurring sketch series called “Bill Swerski’s Superfans” parodying the sports culture of Chicago during the 80s and 90s and the fandom that surrounded it. 

Paired with Joe Mantegna, Chris Farley, and Robert Smigel, he brilliantly pulls off the midwestern accent and portrays a perfect caricature of a sports fan from the region at the time, letting you smell the beer and sweat as they root for "Da Bears."

Wayne Campbell (Wayne’s World)

Mike Myers’ Wayne Campbell first appeared on Saturday Night Live in the recurring sketch Wayne’s World, and his popularity only grew over the years, culminating not only with Wayne’s World movie, but also a sequel co-starring Dana Carvey as Garth Algar. And you really can’t get much better than Wayne Campbell. 

He’s a rock and roll lovin’, good-time character that you just can’t help but love, and Mike Myers performs the attitude to perfection. His chemistry with Dana Carvey in particular is a huge reason he inspires so much love. Wayne and Garth have a friendship like no other, and it was brilliant to seem them reunited years later to do a Super Bowl ad together – my childhood, fulfilled. 

Dieter (Saturday Night Live)

Dieter was one of those characters that confused me as a kid just because of the strange stuff he would say. But honestly, as I've gotten older, I wouldn’t want it any other way, as Mike Myers is terrific as this Saturday Night Live character.

Dieter, who was the host of a German variety show called Sprockets, is a great character that interviewed supposed art-world celebrities (played by other SNL cast members) to try and get their hot takes on the culture surrounding them, and it is hysterical. Watching his old sketches will make you as “happy as a little girl.”

Simon (Saturday Night Live)

Okay, look: Simon is a little creepy. I don’t think I need to see a grown man in a bathtub... but it’s works because it's Mike Myers. Simon, a boy who does “drawerings” and creates stories that feel a little too adult for him to fully get is a perpetually hilarious sketch, and often features other celebrities join in on his bath-time shenanigans (my personal favorite being Danny DeVito’s time in the tub). 

In my eyes, I look at Simon and almost think of him as a precursor to Austin Powers, because if Austin was a kid, him and Simon would get along very well. Their personality is so similar it’s astounding. Perhaps that's something that Austin Powers 4 can make canon somehow.

Stuart MacKenzie (So I Married An Axe Murderer)

Last but not least, we have to take a look at Stuart MacKenzie, from So I Married An Axe Murderer. Mike Myers also plays protagonist Charlie MacKenzie in the film, but there’s just something about Stewart, Charlie’s father, that I love even more. 

Stuart MacKenzie has an unyielding passion for his homeland of Scotland, evidenced by a literal wall of fame of famous Scottish figures in his home, and Mike Myers is laugh-out-loud funny flinging around ridiculous conspiracy theories. He's a character that you want to sit down with and have a drink – a nice scotch, naturally.

Mike Myers has some truly beloved characters, and these are just some of my favorites from his decade-long career. I’m sure that over time, we’ll only get to see more of his creations become famous. Now, if more news about Austin Powers 4 could come out, that would be great.

His most recent series, The Pentaverate, is now streaming on Netflix.

It’s no secret that some of the best ‘90s movies came out and dominated the box office. Though Jurassic Park, Titanic, and Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace were the biggest movies of their respective years, there are others that also made a ton of money upon release.

Well, since we are fans of digging through box office totals and geeking out when we find movies that made way more than we remembered, we have put together a list of more than 30 ‘90s movies that made way more at the box office than you’d guess.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) 

On the heels of Dances with Wolves, Kevin Costner starred in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, a 1991 action-adventure film about one of the most iconic characters of all time. Released during the middle of a busy summer blockbuster season, this star-studded epic brought in a staggering $390.5 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo.

While it’s no secret that Prince of Thieves was one of the most successful films of the year, second only to Terminator 2: Judgment Day and its $521 million worldwide gross, it’s crazy to think it made THAT much money, simply because it hasn’t stood the test of time 30-plus years later. Well, except for Alan Rickman’s scene-stealing performance.

The Flintstones (1994)

There were a ton of massive box office hits in 1994, with The Lion King, Forrest Gump, True Lies, The Mask, and Speed, all bringing in excess of $300 million worldwide. But you know what was just outside the top five that year? Yep, The Flintstones, the live-action adaptation of the beloved cartoon series. According to Box Office Mojo, the John Goodman-led prehistoric comedy brought in $341.6 million during its theatrical run, which is wild!

Looking back, The Flintstones is one of those nostalgic ‘90s movies that actually sucks, which makes its massive box office draw so peculiar. It wasn’t like we were starved for good movies at the time, as there were iconic 1994 movies in theaters at the same time.

The Full Monty (1997)

The Full Monty was one of the biggest Cinderella stories of the ‘90s when it comes to small movies finding massive success in theaters, but did you know that it made its budget back nearly 100 times over? According to Box Office Mojo, the British comedy about a group of unemployed men who formed a male striptease group to make some money brought in $257.9 million on a $3.5 million budget.

Though The Full Monty is still considered one of the best indie films of the ‘90s, it’s still wild to think how much money it made nearly 30 years ago. Adjusted for inflation, that’s nearly $500 million.

Godzilla (1998)

Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla is considered by most to be the low point in the iconic monster movie franchise, and there are plenty of reasons to back up those claims. However, this doesn’t mean the 1998 action film was a failure by any means. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie made $379 million worldwide

Only two movies performed better than Godzilla – Saving Private Ryan and Armageddon – which is pretty surprising considering all the backlash the film has received over the years.

Notting Hill (1999)

The 1999 box office was dominated by the likes of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Sixth Sense, and Toy Story 2, but did you know that a romantic comedy about a travel book store owner and an A-list actress falling in love in a busy London neighborhood made more than a James Bond movie that year? Well, that was the case for Notting Hill, Roger Michell’s rom-com starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.

Yeah, Notting Hill is considered one of the best romantic comedies of all time and had heavy hitters on both sides of the camera, but according to Box Office Mojo, it made $363.8 million worldwide. Maybe it was because of all those quotes and scenes that made us laugh, cry, and swoon 25 years ago.

American Beauty (1999)

A classic ‘90s movie that hasn’t aged well, American Beauty took home five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Sam Mendes), and Best Actor (Kevin Spacey), so it’s no surprise that it made some cash. But did you know this black comedy about a man going through a midlife crisis and its impact on his family was one of the highest-grossing films of 1999?

According to Box Office Mojo, American Beauty brought in $356.3 million worldwide, making it the ninth most successful release of the final year of the 20th century.

Ghost (1990)

There is no denying Ghost is one of the most iconic ‘90s movies, but the 1990 romantic fantasy starring Patrick Swayze as a banker who is brutally murdered, turns into a spirit, and tries to reconnect with his girlfriend, played by Demi Moore, was also the second most successful release of the year. According to Box Office Mojo, the eventual Academy Award winner brought in $505.7 million worldwide.

Problem Child (1990)

Released just a few months before another movie about a mischievous kid dominated at the box office at the end of 1990, Problem Child came into theaters and made a respectable $72.3 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Although that may not seem like all that much money, this little dark comedy about a young orphan bonding with his adoptive father, played by the late John Ritter, and getting into all sorts of trouble ended up beating Goodfellas, Rocky V, and dozens of other more-remembered movies.

Misery (1990)

Rob Reiner’s 1990 adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery will forever go down as one of the most terrifying psychological thrillers, but you might have forgotten that it was one of the most successful movies of that year, bringing in $61.2 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning portrayal of an obsessive fan was enough to put the movie in the top 20 of domestic releases, beating out Edward Scissorhands, Look Who’s Talking Too, and Goodfellas.

City Slickers (1991)

Sure, City Slickers is one of the best Billy Crystal movies and it has quite a legacy, but some will forget just how successful it was in theaters. According to Box Office Mojo, the western comedy made $124 million domestically, which has it in the top five of all releases in 1991. Only Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Beauty and the Beast, and The Silence of the Lambs did better financially.

Wayne’s World (1992)

Aladdin, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Batman Returns all seem like movies you would expect to see when looking at a list of the most successful movies of 1992, but what about Wayne’s World? Arguably one of the best Saturday Night Live movies, the Mike Myers and Dana Carvey comedy about a public access show made a whopping $183.1. million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo.

Unforgiven (1992)

One of the best Clint Eastwood movies, Unforgiven blasted its way into theaters with its story of a gunslinger reluctantly coming out of retirement, bringing in just north of $159 million, per Box Office Mojo. It’s often remembered as one of the best westerns (it won four Oscars, including Best Picture), and its nine-digit return is nothing short of impressive and kind of hard to believe considering the competition in 1992.

The Fugitive (1993)

There’s a case to be made for The Fugitive being one of the best Harrison Ford movies, but there is no denying its place in the top tier of 1993 domestic releases. This cat-and-mouse crime thriller that also starred Tommy Lee Jones trying to track down an escaped convict trying to clear his name was only beat out by Jurassic Park and Mrs. Doubtfire, bringing in $368.9 million, per Box Office Mojo.

Indecent Proposal (1993)

When looking back on the list of big movies that defined 1993, you’d expect to find titles like Jurassic Park, Sleepless in Seattle, and Mrs. Doubtfire. But what about Adrian Lyne’s erotic thriller, Indecent Proposal? The movie, which centers on a couple (Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson) whose relationship is put to the test when a stranger (Robert Redford) comes forward with a tempting offer, made $266.6 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo. That’s more cash than In The Line of Fire and Schindler’s List. You can revisit it if you’d like, as it’s one of numerous sexually explicit movies streaming on Max.

The Pelican Brief (1993)

John Grisham movies typically do quite well, which happens to be the case for the 1993 legal thriller The Pelican Brief starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington as a law school student and reporter who uncover a deep conspiracy. But, it’s crazy to think about how the movie made $195.3 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Clear And Present Danger (1994)

Although there aren’t too many surprises with 1994 box office numbers, there is one top movie of note that performed better than you probably remember. Clear and Present Danger, the second of two Tom Clancy movies with Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, brought in a staggering $215.9 million upon its release, per Box Office Mojo.

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

With the success Jim Carrey had in 1994 (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Dumb and Dumber, and The Mask), it should come as no surprise that 1995 would be another landmark year for the actor. And he did just that with not one, but two movies in the top five domestic releases: Batman Forever and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. And while the former is no shocker, the latter, however, is quite surprising with its $212.4 million gross, per Box Office Mojo.

Se7en (1995)

David Fincher’s Se7en will forever go down as one of the most frightening crime thrillers, but it also went down as one of the most successful movies of 1995. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie about a pair of detectives hunting down a sadistic killer using the deadly sins as his motive made $327.3 million worldwide. I guess people really wanted to know what was inside the box during the Se7en ending.

The Birdcage (1996)

Robin Williams was still in the middle of his impressive box office run by the time The Birdcage was released in 1996, but the movie’s domestic take is still something impressive. According to Box Office Mojo, the hilarious comedy about a man trying to hide his sexuality and lavish lifestyle from the conservative parents of his son’s girlfriend made $185.3 million.

Ransom (1996)

Ransom, the 1996 thriller starring Mel Gibson as a father who will do anything to get his son back, doesn’t get talked about all that often these days. This is a shame considering the movie made $309.5 million, per Box Office Mojo, and was only out-performed by Independence Day, Twister, Mission: Impossible, and Jerry Maguire. Yeesh.

Phenomenon (1996)

The 1996 fantasy drama starring John Travolta, Phenomenon, is one of those movies you’ll randomly catch on cable on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but it was one of the highest grossing movies upon its release. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie brought in $152 worldwide, and was only a few million dollars shy of being in the top 10 that year.

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

By the time My Best Friend’s Wedding came out in 1997, Julia Roberts was one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood and Cameron Diaz was well on her way to superstardom. But still, despite being one of the best romantic comedies of all time, it’s still surprising how well it performed domestically. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie brought in $299.3 million worldwide.

Con Air (1997)

Despite its issues, there are few ‘90s movies I enjoy more than Con Air, but even I was surprised by its domestic haul at the box office upon release in 1997. The over-the-top action flick about prisoners hijacking a plane with a cast featuring Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, and John Cusack sounds like something that should have failed in theaters and found new life on cable, but according to Box Office Mojo, it brought in $224 million.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

In 1997, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck went from two fairly successful actors to overnight sensations with the release of Good Will Hunting. The rags-to-riches story for the two Hollywood powerhouses is still remembered more than 25 years later, one thing that doesn’t get mentioned all that much is just how much money the movie brought in during its run. All in all, it made $225.9 million, per Box Office Mojo.

There's Something About Mary (1998)

I know There’s Something About Mary was a massive movie upon release with all of its iconic scenes and side-splitting gags, but I completely forgot it was an absolute juggernaut at the domestic box office upon release in 1998. According to Box Office Mojo, it brought in $369.9 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of the year.

The Waterboy (1998)

Adam Sandler was on a roll by the time The Waterboy was released in late 1998, but it’s crazy to think that it was the fifth highest grossing movie that year. According to Box Office Mojo, it brought in $185.9 million.

Doctor Dolittle (1998)

Though none of the subsequent films based on the classic property have done that well at the box office, the Eddie Murphy-led Doctor Dolittle was rather successful domestically and was in the middle of the top 10 highest grossers in 1998. According to Box Office Mojo, the star-studded comedy made $294.5 million worldwide.

Rush Hour (1998)

Sure, Rush Hour launched a franchise (that also included a short-lived TV adaptation), had two of the biggest stars of the ‘90s, and had a huge marketing push behind it, but this doesn’t mean its domestic gross was any less impressive. With a total of $244.7 million, per Box Office Mojo, the Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker buddy cop comedy out-performed Lethal Weapon 4.

Patch Adams (1998)

The 1998 biographical drama Patch Adams, may not be the most successful Robin Williams movie of the 1990s. But the film, which sometimes seems all but forgotten, made $202.3 million, per Box Office Mojo, with a large chunk of that coming from its Christmas Day opening.

Stepmom (1998)

Stepmom, the emotional drama starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon, was another movie that opened Christmas Day 1998 and ended up with a domestic total close to reaching nine figures. According to Box Office Mojo, the tearjerker made $159.7 million by the time its theatrical run concluded.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the sharp and crude Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was a massive hit upon release in the summer of 1999. But what is surprising is just how much money it made when compared to its predecessor, two years earlier. According to Box Office Mojo, the Mike Myers spy comedy brought in $313.7 million worldwide.

Runaway Bride (1999)

Though not brought up nearly as much as the first movie starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, 1999’s Runaway Bride will still surprise you with how much money it drew upon its release. Per Box Office Mojo, the film brought in $309.5 million by the time everything was said and done.

Big Daddy (1999)

Adam Sandler was one of the highest grossing comedic actors of the 1990s, and he ended the decade with one of his most successful movies yet: Big Daddy. Opening about a week before the July 4th weekend, this surprisingly heartfelt comedy had an even more surprising theatrical run, bringing in $234.8 million, per Box Office Mojo.

Each of these movies were massive hits, though some of them may not have been remembered that way, but hopefully this helps us all remember how much we loved these titles way back when. If you want to know what movies stand a chance at becoming a surprise hit in the near future, check out CinemaBlend's 2024 movie schedule.

During the Super Bowl this year, comedian Mike Myers revived one of his all-time classic on-screen characters: Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers film franchise. It reminded us how Myers, in his prime, had a unique gift to create original personalities out of whole cloth, and shape them into unforgettable members of pop culture history. One of those characters, the perpetually optimistic headbanger Wayne, is seeing his feature-length movie Wayne’s World celebrating its 30 year anniversary (don’t hurl!), and director Penelope Spheeris is using the occasion to clear up some long-standing rumors. 

Back in 1992, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey carried their popular Saturday Night Live characters of Wayne and Garth (whom they recently reprised) from the sketch comedy show to the big screen. As was the case in those days, SNL characters frequently got standalone movies, but few of them worked as well as Wayne’s World. The singalong to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody remains one of the most memorable scenes in this, or any other, comedy, and Wayne’s World director Penelope Spheeris clears up a major misconception about its use to Variety, saying:

There’s no question that "Bohemian Rhapsody" was the perfect choice for that scene. The peculiar nature of the Queen hit meshed beautifully with the quirky humor Mike Myers was weaving into Wayne’s World. And so much about his character was an appreciation for classic rock icons such as Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin, so I’m not certain a Guns n’ Roses song would have worked in that format. Here, revisit the scene, in case it has been a while since you last watched it.

As it turns out, Mike Myers has a long history both with the song, and with the band. He tells an emotional story about how he and his brothers loved the song Bohemian Rhapsody as teenagers, and when it came time to write Wayne’s World, he included that tune. He does tell Stephen Colbert that the studio DID want Guns n’ Roses, but Myers pushed back because he didn’t grow up with that band. With the help of Lorne Michaels, Mike Myers got his way, and the rest was history. 

Celebrate the anniversary of Mike Myers’ Wayne’s World in your own unique way. Maybe by watching the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, where the comedian cameos as the EMI agent who tells the band Queen that they can’t have the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” on their album. Talk about going full circle.

The big game is almost upon us, football fans. And, with Super Bowl LV coming down the pike so quickly, you can bet that we're already starting to get to see some of the commercials which will (hopefully) help to brighten our lives in the coming days. One such spot which has been revealed reunites the Wayne's World duo of Dana Carvey and Mike Myers, and while they both seem to have stepped back into their iconic roles easily, Carvey, somehow, looks exactly the same.

Super Bowl commercials are very well known and loved for bringing in celebrities to either do things we've never seen then do before, or to have them revisit some of their most famous roles in (sometimes) very odd situations. I'm sure this year will be no different, and former Saturday Night Live mainstays and Wayne's World stars Mike Myers and Dana Carvey have now brought Wayne and Garth back to help remind all Super Bowl viewers about Uber Eats. But, one of them appears to have found a way to make time stand still. Take a look at the ad, which was posted to the brand's YouTube page, below!

Wow. Alright, first off, it's not as though Mike Myers doesn't look good back in his shoddy black wig, black tee and Wayne's World cap, and he's certainly slipped reliably into Wayne's speech pattern and movements. But, Dana Carvey as Garth is just so shockingly the same after all of these decades, that's it's hard not to notice.

Seeing as how this spot is only a teensy bit over half a minute long, and Wayne and Garth talk about how they'll see us for the game "which for legal reasons cannot be named," I'm guessing that we'll get to see an even longer spot come Super Bowl evening. And, should that happen, that will give us more time to marvel over this reappearance of the classic characters.

Wayne and Garth made their debut on SNL in early 1989, and quickly became popular characters which Mike Myers and Dana Carvey would reprise many times on the show, mostly through the end of 1992. Obviously, the sketch about two young metalheads who co-host a public access TV show from the basement of Wayne's parent's house took off to the point where the sketch was turned into only the second movie based on an SNL sketch (with 1980s The Blues Brothers having paved the way).

Lorne Michaels clearly made the right choice there, because Wayne's World went on to become the tenth highest grossing film of 1992, and spawned a sequel which came out the following year.

It's always nice when Dana Carvey and Mike Myers take the time to pay tribute to something they'll always be known and loved for and decide to revisit Wayne and Garth. Who knows? Maybe the realization that they'll likely be asked to step back into character until their dying day has convinced Carvey, especially, to stay in peak Garth form as long as possible.

While we wait to hear if this Super Bowl ad leads to any updates on a potential Wayne's World 3, you can revisit the original sketches via Peacock, and the two movies on a variety of services. For more to watch right now, check out our guide to winter / spring 2021 TV. Party on!

Throughout a legendary career that’s seen him rise through the ranks of moviemaking, producer Hawk Koch has been through his fair share of movie shoots and seen many historic movie scenes committed to film. And one of the funniest moments Koch had ever witnessed on a set came thanks to his son Robby, as he made comedy history when watching Robert Patrick’s cameo as the T-1000 being shot for director Penelope Spheeris’ legendary comedy Wayne’s World. It's a scene that, surprisingly enough, was re-written by Robby Koch, when he disapproved of the originally drafted gag.

The way that the scene plays out in Wayne’s World is that Mike Myers’ Wayne is speeding through traffic, driving rather recklessly. Eventually, he’s stopped by Patrick’s T-1000, and asked if he’s seen the boy in the Polaroid photo he’s holding up. Wayne screams and speeds away, with the infamous law enforcement cyborg beginning to chase him on foot.

But that wasn’t what was originally scripted, in a script that already had quite a bit of changes made to its original form. In his recently released memoir, Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood, Hawk Koch recalls the story of how that moment was originally supposed to play out, and how his own son helped rewrite that moment on the fly.

Watching the set of Wayne’s World in action, Robby saw a take of the originally scripted joke, and in Hawk Koch’s own words, the following occurred:

I was able to interview Hawk Koch ahead of this week’s release of Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood on behalf of CinemaBlend, and sure enough, he laughed proudly when we discussed this story in particular. In a book that has quite an impressive litany of tales that his friends have been telling him he needed to write down, this is one of the most personal, and certainly one of his proudest moments as a father and an industry legend.

Like any other kid growing up in the wake of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Robby Koch knew that if you’re going to have the T-1000 doing anything, it’s going to be searching for John Connor. So obviously, a simple joke about speeding wasn’t going to do.

While the James Cameron-directed sequel was released in 1991, Wayne’s World would only be a year behind that very film, which was an impressive box office juggernaut in its day. Its place in the pop culture world cemented so early in its legacy, there were bound to be jokes from all sorts of sources that pulled from the well of humor inspired by the film.

This also wasn’t the only time that the always eager Robert Patrick would make a cameo as the T-1000, as he not only appeared in the video for the Guns and Roses’ song used in T2, “You Could Be Mine,” he also reprised the role in the 1993 action-comedy The Last Action Hero, as well as a DirecTV ad In 2000. Patrick’s deadpan killing machine chops made his menacing character a pop culture landmark in the ‘90s, and Wayne’s World feels like it kind of kicked off that trend.

With that in mind, watch the scene that inspired one of the many anecdotes in Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood, shared below, and try to imagine it playing out any other way:

Interestingly enough, because of Robby Koch’s suggestion on the set, when it came time to take the Polaroid of the boy Patrick’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day character was looking for, he earned himself another fun spot in movie history. Thanks to an impromptu Polaroid taken on the set, young Robby’s honest teenage feedback helped director Penelope Spheeris’ comedy classic land a Terminator 2 joke that’s as timeless as both Wayne’s World and the James Cameron movie that it was cribbing from. And to think, if Billy Idol played the role as initially intended, we might have seen yet another different joke come out of the process.

Looking back on what is one of the most memorable Wayne’s World cameos that have ever been filmed, it’s hard to imagine how that particular scene would have played out if Robert Patrick has merely pulled Mike Myers’s Wayne over for speeding. It’s certainly a joke that could have worked, as both performers involved were game to the task, and Wayne clearly was speeding. But sometimes, there’s a better joke to be found in the moment, and Robby Koch found it, giving his father Hawk one hell of a story to tell in his memoir.

With his career in comedy punch-up work secure, Robby went to the only place a young man with such a comedy background could: he went into entertainment law. Eventually, Hawk’s son had become the representative to such high-level talents as The Handmaid’s Tale and The Invisible Man star Elizabeth Moss, and has built a reputation for being a friendly pitbull to his clients.

But if you talk to Hawk Koch about his son’s moment in the sun, he’ll tell you the following:

Inspiration comes from anywhere, if you know what mark to hit. Magic Time: My Life In Hollywood is evidence of that point, as Hawk Koch has gotten to participate in many a box office success, and tells the stories he earned from seeing those films through in various positions of power.

Of course, this is just scratching the surface of the tales the book contains, and if you’re interested in reading more, Magic Time: My Life In Hollywood is currently available for your enjoyment!

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprised their roles as Wayne and Garth for the 1992 feature film adaptation of their recurring Saturday Night Live sketch, Wayne’s World. That film remains the most successful film based on an SNL sketch and Wayne and Garth are two icons of the '90s. However, it almost didn’t happen, or history might have viewed Wayne’s World differently, because Dana Carvey actually quit the film at one point over the script, as he explained:

Mike Myers, Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner are credited with writing the script for Wayne’s World, but during the writing process, Dana Carvey was trying to have some creative input by adding things in. As he told Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show, everything that he was putting into the story was getting cut and that led to him quitting the film shortly before production was set to begin.

Based on his conversation with Howard Stern, Dana Carvey was trying to beef up his role in the film and give the character of Garth Algar more to do. He still viewed Garth as the sidekick, but wanted to add in things to the story to give him more of an arc. Carvey felt that he had nothing to do otherwise and there was no point in him even being in it with such a limited role.

These additions were not accepted though and they all got the axe, resulting in a story where he felt his character was getting short-changed. Dana Carvey understandably became frustrated that he wasn’t getting a creative say, and that frustration built to the point that he no longer wanted to even be a part of the film.

Apparently the powers that be didn’t initially believe that Dana Carvey was really quitting, and had he not come back, Wayne’s World would have presumably recast the role of Garth if it went forward at all. Fortunately, Dana Carvey’s exit wasn’t permanent.

Although the comedian/actor didn’t elaborate on what specifically changed his mind, Wayne’s World got to party on and went forward with him and Mike Myers as the two metalheads, ultimately becoming the cult classic it is today. Dana Carvey also said that he and Mike Myers wound up getting along during the making of the film and noted how great Wayne’s World turned out.

It is unfortunate that Dana Carvey felt like he didn’t get much creative input, but given Wayne’s World’s classic status, it’s hard to say that changing it would have improved it. Wayne does have a more robust story arc with his various girl troubles, but the film needs Garth too, even if his story is very much tied to Wayne.

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprised their roles as Wayne and Garth for the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary a few years back and the two comedians showed up on stage together at this past Academy Awards. Whether that means we’ll ever get a Wayne’s World 3 is anyone’s guess, but Mike Myers hasn’t closed the door on it.

Dana Carvey lends his voice to the character Pops in The Secret Life of Pets 2, in theaters on June 7. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.

When Wayne's World used Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the ultimate headbanger, it revitalized the song's reputation and created one of the most iconic moments in comedy history. So with Bohemian Rhapsody deeply in the mix during this year's Academy Awards, it was the perfect time to bring Mike Myers' Wayne and Dana Carvey's Garth back together for one more ride. And as you'll see below, that's exactly what happened, as for one night only, Wayne's World returned to celebrate the music of Queen:

It certainly helps that Mike Myers was a co-star of the Academy Award winning film, in a scene where he specifically says that a moment like the one in Wayne's World would never happen with the film's titular song. But to bring back Dana Carvey and to have the two of them riff yet again as the legendary Wayne and Garth of Aurora, Illinois is a moment that every 90's kid has been dreaming of for some time.

A fitting moment of reciprocity for the cultural longevity of the famous Queen tune, this tribute to both Wayne's World and Bohemian Rhapsody was one of the highlights of the evening's proceedings. And of course, what Wayne's World reunion would be complete without Myers and Carvey proclaiming, on one of the biggest stages in the world, that they are not worthy to be in the presence of the surviving members of the band that brought them to the party.

It certainly was a fantastic night for Bohemian Rhapsody, with four wins out of the film's five nominations, and having Mike Myers and Dana Carvey introducing the film's respective clip highlighting the Best Picture-nominated film was just the cherry on top for all involved. It's a cyclical game of congratulations really: without Wayne's World, Bohemian Rhapsody may have never happened. Likewise, without the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” making that moment in Wayne's World all the more memorable, that film may not have made its own crater of nostalgic remembrance on the world when it did.

While Bohemian Rhapsody didn't ultimately take the Best Picture award, it certainly was one of the a huge winners of the night. And, in their own way, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey are winners, as they got to bring back their most iconic Saturday Night Live characters in the service of Queen during the Academy Awards. If it gets any better than that, feel free to correct us in the comments below.

Bohemian Rhapsody , starring Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander, and Mike Myers, is available now on Digital HD, 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD; and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all of the post-game coverage of the 91st Academy Awards you could ask for!

There are a lot of funny and memorable scenes in Wayne's World, but none of them quite compare to the "Bohemian Rhapsody" sequence from the beginning of the movie. Wayne, Garth and their friends rock out to the classic Queen song in their car, banging their heads and lip-synching along with the track. It's a classic moment in modern comedy, but in the real world it was actually a spectacularly bad time for the actors. Dana Carvey admitted as much while recently looking back on filming the scene:

Dana Carvey appeared as a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden, where the host asked him what it was like to film the "Bohemian Rhapsody" scene. Turns out, it wasn't great. Carvey was not a happy camper while filming the scene, but I don't think anyone would be after banging their head back and forth for some five hours. The whole experience left Carvey sore and it didn't help matters that he didn't know the lyrics to the Queen song. He told James Corden that he just moved his mouth up and down to make it look like he was lip-syncing. Acting!

Despite the joyousness of the scene, it wasn't a fun time for the people involved. Wayne's World director Penelope Spheeris told a similar story about how Dana Carvey and Mike Myers hated shooting the scene and constantly complained why it was even necessary. Of course, we're glad that they did finish the scene because it helps set the tone for the entire movie and it's just a blast to watch.

Speaking of a blast to watch, here's the "Bohemian Rhapsody" scene in question. Now that I know Dana Carvey didn't know the words, I can kind of tell that he's just pretending. Check it out.

Dana Carvey later made an intriguing proposal to James Corden that they get Garth and Wayne to appear on Corden's hit segment, Carpool Karaoke. Should that ever happen, fingers crossed they can power through "Bohemian Rhapsody" for just a few measly minutes.

Out of all of the anniversaries that 2017 will see in the world of film, Wayne's World may be one of the ones we're most forward to celebrating. Twenty-five years ago, we all saw one of Saturday Night Live's best sketches become a movie that's lasted as a comedy classic through the years. But no one is more excited to celebrate the release of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey's cinematic opus than the actual town it was set in: Aurora, Illinois. How excited are they? Well, apparently, they're about to dedicate six whole months to commemorate Wayne and Garth's journey to stardom.

The news came from director Penelope Spheeris, as she spoke to Entertainment Weekly in connection to an anniversary screening of Wayne's World. In particular, Spheeris described how the celebration became the behemoth event it is now as follows:

At first, we kind of thought celebrating Wayne's World's 25th anniversary for six whole months was a bit excessive. But when we realized that the entire event would end on July 4th, with the biggest collective headbanging session ever, we couldn't help but see the genius in it. What better way to celebrate the freedom of this nation than to honor one of the most memorable moments in film history by recreating it? Though we've rhetorically posed the question to you all, we can sense that some of you are doubting just how memorable this scene is.

That's fair enough, and to that point we'd like to run a little test. Included below is the video of what's arguably Wayne's World's most memorable scene. Feel free to watch it, with the volume turned up as high as you can stand or your current environment will allow, and try not to get your own head banging along with the music.

Whether you banged your head or not, if you're a Wayne's World fan, you may want to keep on top of what's going on in Aurora, Illinois during its "Party On!" celebration of 25 years of Wayne's World. If that's the case, then feel free to check out the town's official calendar, as they've got plenty of events in the months to come.

There aren't many more iconic musical moments in movie history than Wayne and Garth rocking out to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody in Wayne's World. But while movie fans have been adoring their efforts ever since the film was released back in 1992, it turns out that Mike Myers and Dana Carvey despised shooting the sequence.

This revelation was made by Wayne's World director Penelope Spheeris when she sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the beloved comedy, which next month is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Spheeris revealed that even though it's probably the most memorable scene in the entire movie, at the time, those involved in its shooting couldn't see why it was so important. Spheeris recalled

Thankfully Penelope Spheeris was able to convince those around her that the scene was integral to the film. During her discussion with EW, Spheeris opined that the scene is "so memorable because it's sort of like the epitome of joyous youth," while noting that the operatic structure of both the song and Freddie Mercury's writing added a drama to it, too. Those of you that bizarrely can't remember the sequence in question, and those of you that simply want to relive the moment and head-bang along to Queen with Garth and Wayne again, can do so by watching it below.

But while Penelope Spheeris is undoubtedly pleased to have her name associated with such a popular franchise, her experience shooting Wayne's World was quite tumultuous. There was tension between her and Mike Myers over the final cut of the film, which ultimately led to her being dropped as the director for Wayne's World 2, as Stephen Surjik was brought in as her replacement.

In hindsight that might not have been the best decision, because while Wayne's World was a smash hit success, grossing $183.1 million from just a $20 million budget, its follow-up failed to match it. In fact, Wayne's World 2 only grossed $48.2 million from a budget that had been doubled to $40 million.

Still, Penelope Spheeris insists that there are no hard feeling from herself to Mike Myers regarding their past problems, revealing that she forgave him after watching Austin Powers and realising that he was a "genius" for making so many people feel good. Penelope Spheeris probably hasn't watched The Love Guru then, because I'm pretty sure that would instantly change her mind.

When it comes to Saturday Night Live sketches, some have the potential to become amazing movies, while others most certainly do not. For every Blues Brothers, we get an It's Pat. However, there's arguably one distinct Saturday Night Live film franchise by which all others are compared: Wayne's World. The series has been on ice for almost two and a half decades, but apparently Mike Myers isn't opposed to thawing out iconic, dimwitted metal heads, Wayne and Garth, in the near future. Myers elaborated:

During a recent interview with CTV News, Wayne's World star Mike Myers revealed that he would certainly be interested in dusting off his classic character Wayne Campbell at some point. He doesn't necessarily know what a Wayne's World 3 would look like, but it's something that consistently intrigues him when he considers the possibility. The original Wayne's World turns 25 next year, so a sequel would most certainly look and feel incredibly different from what we've already seen - though that could help the franchise branch out into a new direction.

Before you start to roll your eyes at this idea, it's important to remember one very important thing: the Wayne's World series has a proven track record with sequels. Although most franchises (particularly comedy franchises) tend to falter when it comes to follow-up installments, Wayne's World 2 has often found itself lauded as one of the best comedy sequels of all time. There's no guarantee that Wayne's World 3 could capture that spirit, but Mike Myers and Dana Carvey have already proven that Wayne's World wasn't a one-off the first time around.

Of course, we should note that both Mike Myers and Dana Carvey also recently reaffirmed that they still definitely have what it takes to make Wayne's World work in the modern age. They recently donned their respective characters of Wayne and Garth once more during last year's Saturday Night Live anniversary special, and it felt like a total blast from the past. Check out the clip below to see for yourself.

Whether or not Wayne's World 3 will actually ever come to fruition remains a mystery, but I will come out right now and firmly declare that I will be the first one in line to see it if it does. Until then, party on, Wayne and Garth!

Next month, Netflix will have some really fantastic movies available for streaming - including the Best Picture-winning Spotlight and the original Jurassic Park trilogy – but whenever new titles become available, that means it’s also time for certain contracts to expire. As a result, there are some great films that will be leaving Netflix in June, but the good news is that there is still time to watch a bunch of them.

With the end of May fast approaching, we’ve plucked out 10 awesome movies that will be departing the Netflix streaming service next month, and recommend checking them out in the next few days. Read on to see what titles are standing on the knife’s edge!

Clear and Present Danger

Harrison Ford has played a number of iconic roles in his career – and while Indiana Jones and Han Solo are the first two parts that jump to mind, one also shouldn’t be quick to forget his time as Tom Clancy’s legendary hero, Jack Ryan. Between Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, the latter is definitely the better of the two and simply a well-made spy thriller from director Phillip Noyce, following Ryan as he roots out information from within the CIA about a covert war being fought against drug lords in Colombia.

Darkman

Years before he brought us the first live-action version of Spider-Man, Sam Raimi got to bring a much different kind of superhero to the big screen, and one that played much more into his horror sensibilities: Darkman. Starring Liam Neeson as the titular hero, who has his face burned off in a lab accident but can create incredibly realistic masks to disguise himself, the movie is a fun, occasionally ridiculous vigilante story that is made brilliant and memorable by Raimi’s auteur style. If you can only choose one of the movies on this list to watch before June 1st, this is the one I’d most recommend.

Groundhog Day

A lot of people find time to watch Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day annually on February 2nd, but given that the movie is about to leave Netflix, we recommend giving it a summer watch for a change. The 1993 fantasy comedy has become a modern classic both because it features one of the best performances of Bill Murray’s career, but also because the film is utterly fascinating to watch from a philosophical angle as well (borrowing perspectives and ides from great thinkers like Jean Paul Sartre and Friedrich Nietzsche).

The Others

We always hope that Netflix’s roster of horror films will be in tip top shape by the time that October rolls around, but next month the streaming service will be losing a genuinely creepy title. It’s true that ghost stories are kind of a dime a dozen in Hollywood today, but Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others is a tense, psychologically creepy movie that is anchored by a great turn from Nicole Kidman. Also, if you haven’t seen the movie yet and nobody has spoiled the ending, we recommend watching it ASAP just for the fun shock value that could one day disappear during a random conversation with a friend.

The Station Agent

Game of Thrones fans have the pleasure of seeing Peter Dinklage perform on a week to week basis, but those who love watching him as Tyrion Lannister would be doing themselves a favor by checking out some of his film work. In particular, Tom McCarthy’s The Station Agent is absolutely wonderful. An excellent blend of drama and comedy, the film stars Dinklage as a man devastated by the death of his only friend, and becoming close with two oddballs after moving to New Jersey to live a life of solitude. It’s a small movie made by a lot of very talented people, and it shines.

About a Boy

This weekend, movie-goers will be able to see Nicholas Hoult play Hank McCoy a.k.a. Beast for the third time in Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Apocalypse, but before the calendar flips over to June, you should do yourself the favor of watching the performance that put Hoult on the map as a young actor. Chris and Paul Weitz’s About A Boy is a really wonderful adaptation of the book of the same name by Nick Hornby, and while it doesn’t exactly feature the blockbuster action of a superhero movie, it most definitely qualifies in any "feel good" category and is effortlessly heartwarming.

Wayne's World

The list of great movies based on Saturday Night Live sketches is impressively short, but Penelope Spheeris’ Wayne’s World is certainly the best of the lot, and if you haven’t seen it by now or have an itch to see it again, you should do so before June 1st. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey truly make an unbelievably funny pair, and the movie happens to have one of the best soundtracks of the 1990s. It’s also worth mentioning that the "Bohemian Rhapsody" lip-sync scene will go down in history as one of my favorite comedy sequences.

Mulan

Truth be told, there are a few classic Disney animated movies about to leave Netflix – including both Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame - but of the group, Mulan is the one we think is most worth either a revisit or a first watch. The movie tells a classic story of a young woman who disguises herself as a man so that she can fight as a soldier, and it’s wonderfully executed with beautiful animation and also a great supporting performance from Eddie Murphy. The good news is that you actually have until June 24th to watch this one, but don’t waste time!

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Robert Zemeckis is a filmmaker known for using his movies to explore new innovations and styles, and while that approach has led to many great films, one could argue that Who Framed Roger Rabbit remains his greatest work. The feature (which won’t be disappearing from Netflix until June 24th) somehow manages to be for audiences of all ages while simultaneously never losing the edge from its noir atmosphere, and it has some truly legendary performances from Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd. Plus, it’s may wind up being the only work in history that legally features a conversation between Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny.

Sophie's Choice

Since 1979, Meryl Streep has been nominated for 19 Academy Awards, and has won three times: for Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie's Choice and The Iron Lady. Of these select few, only Sophie's Choice is currently available on Netflix, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you should probably check it out before it disappears on June 30th. The film is certainly a rough emotional ride, as the titular "choice" is one of the most tragic in cinema history, but it’s a movie worth experiencing if not just to understand just how incredible Meryl Streep is.

Sometimes that perfect sequel is just waiting to be found, hiding in the recesses of Hollywood's many admirers. At least, that's what aspiring screenwriter Trevor Schindeler thinks, considering he's been trying to get Mike Myers to read his script for Wayne's World 3 for the last 23 years. Yes, you read that correctly.

Trevor Schindeler's ambitions started when Wayne's World II ended back in 1993, as he drafted the synopsis for Wayne's Leisure World: The Final Sequel?. This was merely the beginning of Schindeler's epic quest, as Uproxx reported that this synopsis eventually became a full fledged screenplay that Schindeler would try to put before the eyes of anyone who had something to do with the original Wayne's World films. And now, Schindeler is trying to drop an A-bomb of publicity on Mike Myers and his Wayne's World collaborators with one, grand gesture.

Schindeler's overall goal is to raise $2,500 in order to launch an “outdoor advertising” campaign that'll draw the attention he feels his script deserves. Over at the official Wayne's Leisure World: The Final Sequel? page, you can both read the screenplay and watch a fan trailer constructed to tell the story of the third, and possibly final, entry. Though, to be fair, that fan trailer is only the trailer for the original film with a voice-over from Trevor Schindeler explaining how the story of the new film is focused on Wayne and Garth in their “golden years.” It may not be much, but it's Schindeler's big push after being denied by the folks in Hollywood who have rejected him wholesale.

Of course, the truth is far less nefarious, as even Trevor Schindeler has proven with his several official rejection letters that his unsolicited Wayne's Leisure World: The Final Sequel? manuscript is obliged to be returned to him without being read. The simple fact is that Hollywood isn't shutting its doors to new ideas when it does this, it's covering itself against the litany of reasons an independent screenwriter might try to sue a studio. With lawsuits occasionally cropping up involving story theft, non-solicited material is the bane of any studio or talent agency's existence. So it's not that no-one wants to read a script to a second Wayne's World sequel, it's just that there are a lot of channels and connections needed for such a prospect to happen.

But perhaps the biggest roadblock in the progress of Trevor Schindeler's 23 year old dream is the fact that Mike Myers more than likely has little to no interest in a new Wayne's World film; and frankly, Paramount probably matches that level of enthusiasm. With Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and Zoolander 2 both under-performing after years of fans shouting for their existence, Wayne's Leisure World: The Final Sequel? might be a scary prospect for the studio, as they've already been burnt twice. Still, with the 90's nostalgia boom still raging, maybe Schindeler's script is what the world needs right now. Then again, it may not, and frankly we'll probably never know which sentiment is the right one, as this is one of those films that seems doomed to never see the light of day.

If you're one of those fans who thinks Wayne's Leisure World: The Final Sequel? is a good, or even intriguing idea, you can read the full script at the film's official Go Fund Me page.

Going into the 40-year anniversary special of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, we all knew that some of the best sketches from the series run would be brought back to life in some incredibly awesome ways. But, when the special came towards the end, everyone was surprised to see their favorite two metalheads, Wayne and Garth take the stage. Watch as Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprise their classic characters and pay tribute to the decades of SNL success.

The kooky recurring characters that spawned into feature length films and pop culture icons are one of the prime examples of SNL’s long-standing effects on comedy. The first time the now iconic opening theme song “Wayne’s World! Wayne’s World! Party time! Excellent!” was sung by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey it was 1988 and only the 13th episode of the sketch comedy show (which by the way is now on episode 780 for comparison). The sketch had evolved from Myer’s segment entitled “Wayne’s Power Minute” on the CBC series It’s Only Rock & Roll in 1987, and the actor recreated the character on SNL and Wayne would end up doing his public-access TV program live from his parents basement on over 20 episodes of SNL. The role was reprised during the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, reunited on a 2011 SNL cold open and spawned into two feature films in the early 90s.

Everyone knows Wayne and Garth, so it was only natural that they be the ones to list off the the reasons why SNL rules, in their “Top Ten Things About SNL” special. And while still rocking the sweet metalhead lingo, the two listed off their top 10, which included a slew of modern references, because obviously with Kanye in the crowd, it’s prime material this week to throw the artist under the bus for his ridiculous ‘joke’ at the Grammy’s. And thank you Garth who added: “I think Beck was one of the best, even better than Beyonce,” while listing off musical guests as one of the top ten things about the show. And of course, the list included the catchphrases, the satire, the opening credits, aftershow orgies and more. But it played special tribute to show creator, Lorne Michaels who Wayne and Garth took opportunity to mock with fake glasses of wine in hand.

The special was filled with terrific reprisals of our favorite sketches including “The Californians” (featuring a make out session between Bradley Cooper and Betty White), a star-studded “Celebrity Jeopardy” and even an epicly hysterical weekend update. But, above all else, the special proved how important SNL is to us fans, and that the characters created on the show will bring us laughs for years to come.

As anyone who has ever thwacked a cymbal with a stick before can tell you, there’s something quite cathartic about sitting behind a drum-kit. You’re able to get a lot of stress out of your system, while you’re also able to look pretty damn cool doing it too. That’s why being a drummer has always leant itself quite well to the big-screen. To celebrate the release of Whiplash, Yahoo have compiled the greatest ever drum solos in movie history and it makes for pretty stellar viewing. Click the image below to check it out...

Told you! So who do we get to see laying down a great wallop on the drums? Well, of course, the clip starts and ends with Garth Algar from Wayne’s World, but it also incorporates probably television and film’s most famous ever drummer into the mix too in the shape of Animal from The Muppets, before then going on to show us the rhythmic talents of Hop’s E.B, Judge Reinhold in Vice Versa, Sal Mineo in The Gene Krupa Story, Taxi Driver’s unknown street drummer, John C Reilly and Will Ferrell in Step Brothers, and Miles Teller in Whiplash too.

It’s hard not to feel your toes tapping to the glorious beats being laid down by the above maestros, and it’s enough to make you even contemplate giving up your job and joining a band on tour. As long as you’ve got rhythm that is.

This entire montage has been inspired by Miles Teller’s virtuoso display in Whiplash, which will be released around the US on October 10. The dramatic thriller revolves around Miles Teller’s promising, young jazz drummer, Andrew Neyman, who enrolls at the country’s top music school and then comes under the wing of Terence Fletcher, a perfectionist music conductor who will go to great, and sometimes soul destroying, lengths, to get the best out of his students. But it would be doing a huge disservice to the film to just single out Teller for his mesmerising performance. J.K. Simmons is truly petrifying as Fletcher, the intense music teacher who won’t forgive a single mistake, while Damien Chazelle manages to capture the manic depression and orgasmic rush that come hand-in-hand with being involved in such a band in a truly engrossing fashion.

Seriously, it’s not only one of the best films of 2014, but of the last five years too. It will also give you a greater appreciation of the effort involved in the performances of each actor who has played a drummer. Don’t believe me? Then check out the trailer for Whiplash on the next page...

Over the past few days, Guardians Of The Galaxy officially won the weekend box office for the fourth time since its release. That might not sound like a huge deal, but that almost never happens. In fact, only 4 movies including Guardians have done that since 2000, and only 32 movies have done it since these things started being closely tracked and made available in the early 1980s.

So, yeah, Guardians Of The Galaxy is a hit. You probably knew that already, but in order to properly contextualize it, let’s take a closer look at those 32 movies that won five or more consecutive weekends. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to revisit these incredibly popular movies from our past and remember why they had such a huge impact at the box office.

#32) Mr. Mom

Release Date: July 22, 1983

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Jeffrey Tambor, Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull

Domestic Gross: $64,783,827

Plot: Michael Keaton loses his job, forcing his wife to take a job. He does his best to keep the house clean and the children fed, but he’s absolutely horrible at it. Fortunately, the neighborhood mothers take a liking too him, and he finds amusing enough ways to pass the time.

#31) Police Academy

Release Date: March 23, 1984

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow

Domestic Gross: $81,198,894

Plot: The requirements for becoming a police officer are severely relaxed in order to up the number of recruits. An influx of dumbasses then sign up, and to combat it, the city decides to make the Academy as difficult as possible in order to make people quit. Eventually, some real police work happens, and the main characters learn the required lessons.

#30) The Golden Child

Release Date: December 12, 1986

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Eddie Murphy, Charles Dance, J.L. Reate and Charlotte Lewis

Domestic Gross: $79,817,937

Plot: Eddie Murphy gets dragged into a weird Tibetan conflict after he’s revealed to be The Chosen One who must save the title Golden Child. He fights it as best as he can, but eventually, he accepts the situation he’s in and does everything he can to save the kid, even when it means fighting a bunch of warriors who are more powerful than him.

#29) The Secret Of My Success

Release Date: April 10, 1987

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Michael J Fox, Helen Slater and Richard Jordan

Domestic Gross: $66,995,879

Plot: Michael J Fox is an overeducated financial wizard working in the mail room of a large company. In true 80s fashion, he decides to manufacture a secret identity for himself as an executive in order to right the ship. There’s also a woman involved. He falls in love with her, but she has no idea he’s been lying to her the entire time.

#28) Stakeout

Release Date: August 7, 1987

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez

Domestic Gross: $65,673,233

Plot: Two bumbling detectives stakeout a waitress’ apartment. One of them falls in love with her. The waitress’ ex-boyfriend breaks out of jail. Full blown shenanigans ensue. The police force turns against the stakeout guys. There’s a lot of shooting and running around, and eventually, they made a sequel.

#27) Three Men And A Baby

Release Date: November 25, 1987

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson

Domestic Gross: $167,780,960

Plot: Three successful dudes live in an apartment together. One day, a baby arrives. Through an only-in-the-movies-type misunderstanding, two of them decide to take care of the baby for a few days until the third returns. A side plot involving drug dealers and the police eventually becomes the plot, and all involved fall in love with the baby.

#26) Look Who’s Talking

Release Date: October 13, 1989

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Kirstie Alley, John Travolta, George Segal

Domestic Gross: $140,088,813

Plot: A woman falls in love with and later has a child with a married man. He wants nothing to do with her or the baby, and she vows to find the kid a father. Eventually, she becomes involved with the cab driver who rushed her to the hospital, but she’s unwilling to commit since she doesn’t respect his job and thinks he’s too immature.

#25) The Silence Of The Lambs

Release Date: February 14, 1991

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine, Scott Glenn

Domestic Gross: $130,742,922

Plot: An FBI trainee is sent to interview a sociopathic serial killer and cannibal who is of extreme intelligence. She’s trying to hunt down a different serial killer who kidnapped a politician’s daughter and has done all sorts of other gross and disgusting things to his victims. A clever game of cat and mouse commences involving information and misinformation in equal doses. Somewhere along the line, the viewer realizes how incredibly talented Anthony Hopkins is.

#24) Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Release Date: July 3rd, 1991

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong

Domestic Gross: $204,843,345

Plot: It would take nine paragraphs to explain this movie properly. Let’s go ahead and give the cliff notes. John Connor is ten-years-old and being hunted by a T-1000. Fortunately, he has a T-800 which has been reprogrammed to protect him by his future self who knows he’s in trouble. Sarah Connor is in a mental institution at the beginning of the movie, though she’s later freed in order to help all involved prevent Judgment Day from happening.

#23) Wayne’s World

Release Date: February 14, 1992

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Lara Flynn Boyle, Tia Carrere

Domestic Gross: $121,697,323

Plot: Two dumbasses and local television hosts in Aurora, Illinois decide to sell the rights to their beloved show in order to earn a quick $10,000. Unfortunately, they regret the move almost instantly when the show suddenly turns into a real job with sponsors and comments about what they can and cannot do. So, they embark on a quest to get their old show back and in short, return their lives to a more relaxed and enjoyable position.

#22) Basic Instinct

Release Date: March 20, 1992

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone

Domestic Gross: $117,727,224

Plot: A detective gets involved with a manipulative, sexually adventurous writer who may or may not have murdered a famous rock star with an ice pick while they were having sex. As he digs further into the case, he starts acting more and more impulsively, having sex with women, assaulting co-workers and running his mouth. All of that leads him further down the rabbit hole and clouds his judgment as he starts behaving like a madman living for the moment.

#21) Mrs. Doubtfire

Release Date: November 24, 1993

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Mara Wilson

Domestic Gross: $219,195,243

Plot: A voice actor who was recently kicked out by his estranged wife decides to dress as an elderly housekeeper/ nanny in order to continue seeing his children on a regular basis. The ruse goes over remarkably well until he’s discovered first by his children and later by his wife. While the gig lasts, however, it provides plenty of laughs and more than a few sentimental moments too.

#20) Forrest Gump

Release Date: July 6, 1994

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson

Domestic Gross: $329,694,499

Plot: A kind, unintelligent man from Alabama spends his life criss-crossing through many of the most important events of the 20th Century. Through wars, political shake-ups and pop cultural changes, he carves out his own little place in the world and somehow helps a remarkable number of people through difficult times in their own lives, all of which he explains to random people sitting on a bench.

#19) The Sixth Sense

Release Date: August 6, 1999

Number Of Weeks Won: 5

Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette

Domestic Gross: $293,506,292

Plot: A young boy sees ghosts. A doctor sees his marriage slowly failing. Together, they start helping random ghosts with their problems and reasons why they are unable to depart the world. In doing so, they learn a ton about their families and themselves, all of which is shocking and awesome in equal doses. Seriously, let’s all take a second to appreciate how incredible this movie was that fifteen years later, we’re still giving M Night money to try and top it.

#18) Return Of The Jedi

Release Date: May 25, 1983

Number Of Weeks Won: 6

Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fischer

Domestic Gross: $252,583,617

Plot: Han Solo has been taken prisoner by Jabba The Hutt. The Empire seems to have turned everything in their favor. And Luke is reeling from news that (SPOILER) might be his (SPOILER). All of our heroes plan a daring mission to rescue Han and destroy the Death Star. There are a lot of strange creatures and fighting involved. People change allegiances. Characters are redeemed. It’s pretty sweet.

#17) Terms Of Endearment

Release Date: November 23, 1983

Number Of Weeks Won: 6

Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels, John Lithgow

Domestic Gross: $108,423,489

Plot: A careful, multi-year story about the relationships of a mother and her daughter. The daughter falls for a philandering college professor who can’t stay away from graduate students. The mother falls for a former astronaut who isn’t good with his feelings or staying sober. The finished product is extremely affecting and went on to win a slew of Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.

#16) Rocky IV

Release Date: November 27, 1985

Number Of Weeks Won: 6

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Carl Weathers, Talia Shire

Domestic Gross: $127,873,716

Plot: Rocky’s old buddy Apollo Creed agrees to an exhibition match against a monster of a Russian. It does not go as planned. The huge Russian dude straight up kills Apollo, then adds insult to injury by not caring in the slightest during a ringside interview. Rocky, of course, can’t let that stand because ‘Merica. So, he heads to Russia to avenge his friend and engage in a whole bunch of old world training exercises.

#15) Rain Man

Release Date: December 16, 1988

Number Of Weeks Won: 6

Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise

Domestic Gross: $172,825,435

Plot: A selfish, money-obsessed importer meets his highly autistic older brother after the death of their father. Furious over how the estate was divided, Tom Cruise takes Dustin Hoffman on a road trip across the country in a scheme to be granted legal custody and control over the money. Along the way, they, of course, bond and decide to hit up a casino in order to count cards and win as much money as possible.

#14) The Fugitive

Release Date: August 6, 1993

Number Of Weeks Won: 6

Stars: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pantoliano

Domestic Gross: $183,875,760

Plot: After Harrison Ford’s wife is murdered, he’s wrongly put on trial and sentenced to death. By sheer happenstance, the transport vehicle he’s taking to jail is overthrown in an escape attempt by numerous inmates. Ford uses the good fortune to escape and try to hunt down his wife’s real killer. Along the way, he’s pursued by Tommy Lee Jones who starts to look into the larger mystery of what the hell happened here too.

#13) On Golden Pond

Release Date: December 4, 1981

Number Of Weeks Won: 7

Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda

Domestic Gross: $119,285,432

Plot: An elderly couple invites their estranged daughter, her fiancé and his son out to visit by their beloved lake, Golden Pond. At first, a lot of old wounds are reopened but when the daughter and her fiancé leave for Europe and leave their son behind, the grandparents are able to relax and start really enjoying his company. There’s also a side-plot about catching an epic fish involved.

#12) Avatar

Release Date: December 18, 2009

Number Of Weeks Won: 7

Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore

Domestic Gross: $749,766,139

Plot: Humans have run out of resources and are now mining as many other planets and moons as possible. To gather information, a complicated system of Avatars are built that allow humans to resemble and interact with the natives. Of course a large deposit of Unobtanium is discovered underneath a spiritual landmark of the native people and all involved must decide whether it’s more important to do their jobs or protect these nice people who cared for them. You know what they choose.

#11) Porky’s

Release Date: March 19, 1982

Number Of Weeks Won: 8

Stars: Don Monahan, Mark Herrier, Wyatt Knight

Domestic Gross: $105,492,483

Plot: After a group of high school students try to lose their virginities and are humiliated for it, they enact a wild scheme to get even with the owner of Porky’s. Along the way, they also spy on a bunch of different girls in the shower, run afoul of the local gym teacher and flee from rogue cops who are aligned with Porky. It’s like American Pie with less thoughtfulness.

#10) Fatal Attraction

Release Date: September 18, 1987

Number Of Weeks Won: 8

Stars: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer

Domestic Gross: $156,645,693

Plot: Michael Douglas decides to have an affair while his wife and child are out of town. He thinks it’s a one-off thing that will never be discussed again. The woman, Glenn Close, however, is irate that he doesn’t leave his wife and start a new life with her. She begins stalking the entire family, leading the police to become involved and Michael Douglas’ wife to get royally pissed off about his philandering. It does not end well, as you might expect.

#9) Crocodile Dundee

Release Date: September 26, 1986

Number Of Weeks Won: 9

Stars: Paul Hogan

Domestic Gross: $174,803,506

Plot: A llikeable and fearless Australian crocodile hunter is the subject of a magazine article by a journalist from New York City. She flies Down Under to meet him and his friends and quickly becomes enchanted by his entire environment. She later invites him back to New York City where his unusual methods take the City by storm and eventually win the heart of the journalist. There are a lot of knives and snakes involved.

#8) Good Morning, Vietnam

Release Date: December 25, 1987

Number Of Weeks Won: 9

Stars: Robin Williams

Domestic Gross: $123,922,370

Plot: Robin Williams is a DJ in Vietnam. Most of his superiors hate how loose he is on the air and how willing he is to play Rock N Roll music, but the troops and some of the way higher ups love his attitude. Eventually, he falls in love with a local girl whose brother may or may not be bad news. Some tragic things happen. He’s taken off the radio. He’s put back on the radio, and along the way, he wins all of our hearts.

#7) Ghosbusters

Release Date: June 8, 1984

Number Of Weeks Won: 10

Stars: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson

Domestic Gross: $229,242,989

Plot: Four ghost hunters living in New York City find themselves in the middle of a shitshow after the city shuts them down and all of their captured ghosts are suddenly released back into the world. One of their client, a woman named Dana, has an apartment building that may be a portal that would allow a god to emerge and destroy everything. Also, Bill Murray needs to find love.

#6) Back To The Future

Release Date: July 3, 1985

Number Of Weeks Won: 11

Stars: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd

Domestic Gross: $210,609,762

Plot: A high school student travels back in time 30 years. There, he meets younger versions of his parents and must play matchmaker after his presence alters their behavior and raises the possibility that he might never be born. While doing so, he must also fix the time machine and figure out a way to prevent his buddy/ the time machine creator’s murder. Crispin Glover is also involved in perhaps his greatest weirdo creation of all-time.

#5) Home Alone

Release Date:November 16, 1990

Number Of Weeks Won: 12

Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern

Domestic Gross: $285,761,243

Plot: A young boy is left home alone after his parents and entire extended family leave for vacation without him. Two burglars, nicknamed The Wet Bandits, decide to use the opportunity to rob the young boy’s beautiful home. Unwilling to watch his stuff get taken, he designs a series of booby traps to try and keep the burglars at bay. There’s a neighbor with a sweet beard and a shovel and John Candy as a polka king.

#4) Tootsie

Release Date: December 17, 1982

Number Of Weeks Won: 14

Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Teri Garr, Jessica Lange, Bill Murray

Domestic Gross: $177,200,000

Plot: An actor with a horrible reputation decides to try out for a role by dressing as a woman and disguising his identity. He gets it and is lauded all over town for his work. This, of course, complicates his personal life immensely, especially when the fictional actress he invented starts getting her own suitors and admirers. Pretty much everyone involved was nominated for Oscars, and Jessica Lange actually won for her work.

#3) Beverly Hills Cop

Release Date: December 5, 1984

Number Of Weeks Won: 14

Stars: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton

Domestic Gross: $234,760,478

Plot: A fast talking Detroit Cop goes to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his childhood friend, a security guard who worked at a high class art dealership. While in Southern California, he, of course, ruffles more than his share of feathers and confuses the local police with his aggressive, balls to the wall detective style. They eventually grow to love him, however, and team up to solve the case and bring down some smugglers in the process.

#2) Titanic

Release Date: December 19, 1997

Number Of Weeks Won: 15

Stars: Leonardo Dicaprio, Kate Winslet, BILLY ZANE!

Domestic Gross: $600,788,188

Plot: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A luxurious boat stocked with some of the richest passengers in the world and some "lucky" third class guests departs to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. It hits an iceburg which triggers one of the most famous sea disasters in the history of the world. There’s also a love story that cuts through social classes that involves Kate Winslet (rich) and Leonardo Dicaprio (poor). The special effects are awesome, and there’s a lot of sadness involved.

#1) E.T.

Release Date: June 11, 1982

Number Of Weeks Won: 16

Stars: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote

Domestic Gross: $359,197,037

Plot: A young boy and his little sister befriend an alien who visited Earth to collect plan samples. They secretly hang out for awhile before the government catches on to what’s going on and put them all in quarantine. They eventually escape, allowing ET to communicate with other members of his species and finally get off the planet. It’s all extremely touching and the performances director Steven Spielberg was able to get out of children were nothing short of incredible.

No Bohemian Rhapsody! Denied.

It's hard to imagine certain scenes being omitted or drastically altered in certain movies. Such is the case for the "Bohemian Rhapsody" scene in Wayne's World. It's such an iconic moment in the film and it's really hard to imagine any other song being blasted through the speakers of that car while all passengers and driver lip-synced their hearts out. But Mike Myers has succeeded in creating a blurry but altered mental picture by revealing that a Guns 'n Roses song might have been used instead.

Via TheSoundLA, Mike Myers joined Marc Maron on the WTF podcast to talk a bit about his career. That included making Wayne's World happen on Saturday Night Live and the reveal that Myers had to fight "very, very hard" to get "Bohemian Rhapsody" into the movie for that scene. "They wanted Guns N' Roses," Myers told Maron. "Guns N' Roses were very, very popular. They're a fantastic band." Wayne's World came out in 1992, a year after Guns N' Roses released Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, so the timing certainly lines up there. And as Myers notes, Queen wasn't exactly at the height of public interest at the time...

Sounds like he really put his foot down. In the end, the song made it into the movie and as we mentioned, it's one of the more memorable scenes from Wayne's World, and one of the more memorable Rock & Roll moments in film. Rolling Stone ranks it as #4 on their list of the 30 greatest Rock & Roll Movie Moments.

On a more personal note, I was a kid when Wayne's World came out, and while "Bohemian Rhapsody" certainly wasn't the first Queen song I'd ever heard by that point, I do remember the tune bringing Queen to my attention in a more direct way, beyond my default appreciation for hit songs like "Another One Bites the Dust," "We are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You." And given the song's re-rise to popularity after Wayne's World came out, which was actually just months after Freddie Mercury passed away, it may be safe to say I wasn't alone in developing a fast appreciation for Queen's music, due at least in part to Wayne's World. The song and its use in Wayne's World is a fine example of how popular film can expose great music to a new generation, who might experience it in a new and fresh context.

Go ahead and watch the scene after the jump...

Ever wonder why there was no Wayne's World 3? Part of the reason could be the lackluster box office totals for Wayne's World 2, but it could also be blamed on the rift that formed between star Mike Meyers, his co-star Dana Carvey and Wayne's World director Penelope Spheeris. Despite the first film's happy-go-lucky vibe, there were squabbles behind-the-scenes. But years later, this is all just water under the bridge, and now the three will reunite for a Wayne's World panel on April 23 at the Academy's Wilshire Boulevard headquarters.

Speaking with THR about the event, Spheeris said:

But what was the brouhaha all about? Reportedly Myers and Spheeris fought over the film's final cut, with her often rejecting his suggestions. To her credit, her version scored well with test audiences, and went on to be a beloved box office hit. Still, when it came time to make a sequel, the spurned Meyers pushed Spheeris out of consideration for the director's chair. Instead, Stephen Surjik helmed Wayne's World 2, which barely broke even at the domestic box office and was less loved by critics. Spheeris went on to helm such bubbly comedies as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Little Rascals and Black Sheep.

The rift between Meyers and Carvey came a little later when the latter saw Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Carvey felt burned, believing Meyer's had ripped off a goofy impersonation he'd done of Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels to create Dr. Evil. That might have stung less if Carvey had been offered a role in the popular franchise. Still, this trio of comedy crafters are burying the hatchet, so it's party time. Excellent!

The Saturday Night Live-based MacGruber hits theaters next Friday and with it will come a cavalcade of lists ordering the movies based on the sketch comedy show. Presents under the tree for Wayne's World, stockings of coal for Stuart Saves His Family. We get it. Most SNL films have blown. Turning a three minute sketch into a feature length film usually doesn't work. In fact, the proposition frequently fails abysmally from conception. How Mary-Katherine Gallagher got her own movie before the Land Shark is anyone's guess, but endlessly slandering The Ladies Man doesn't tell the whole story. Saturday Night Live has always been a stepping stone. Put in five or six years of writing and character work and Hollywood will come calling. From A-list stars like Bill Murray to reliable cogs like Bill Hader, SNL has provided the stars and featured players for hundreds of movies during the last three and a half decades. It's time we started celebrating those.

And why shouldn't we? Saturday Night Live may not have penned Elf, but would we even know who Will Ferrell was without it? Would it have been half the movie if it starred Adam Sandler? Err…I mean Ben Stiller? What about Chris Farley or Chris Rock or Chevy Chase or Jason Sudeikis or Phil Hartman or Robert Downey Jr or Anthony Michael Hall or Dan Akroyd or Eddie Murphy? Goddamnit. Would it have worked if it starred Jack Black? That's the dude I was looking for. No. Take away SNL and its cast members and the majority of memorable late 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s comedies would either not exist or require significant recasting. And its not just lighter fare. I can't think of a single genre which hasn't been affected. Lost In Translation, Iron Man, even Satan's Slay featuring Bill Goldberg had a Chris Kattan cameo. Here are 25 great movies we wouldn't have without Saturday Night Live.

Ghost Busters

Ghost Busters was more than a movie. In a way it stood for something. "Back off, I'm a scientist!" shouted Bill Murray's Peter Venkman. In the process he staked his claim as part of that new wave of 80s movies which said being smart was cool. Ghost Busters was a product of a brighter time; a time when science trumped everything and where, occasionally, being smart meant getting the girl. It's a movie, quite simply, about science kicking the supernatural's ass; blasting it to bits with homemade proton packs, turning the unknown into just a speed bump which can be easily conquered with the application of brainpower. Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler were the direct forbearers of rock star geniuses like Jurassic Park's Ian Malcolm and the inspiration for millions of nerdy kids pulling back the curtain on the superstitions of their parents with homemade chemistry sets in their basements while other kids wandered around worrying about black cats crossing the path. Thanks to Murray, Akyroyd, and Ramis, we ain't afraid of no ghosts.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

The first Austin Powers is brilliant, brilliant in a slap-happy, overly confident, cock-sure, zany kinda way, a byproduct of uniting ridiculous men drunk on their own goofy confidence and commanding they continually ask but how can we take this further?. The plot itself is ludicrous, an over-sexed, 1960's super spy frozen in time, laying in wait for a bald-headed evil genius frozen in a Bob's Big Boy crypt of delicious menace and solitude, so ludicrous, in fact, that it almost commands itself to push further, as if Mike Myers thought “well, we've come this far”. An angst-ridden son who attends counseling with his evil genius father, a ransom call for one million dollars, a cat who's mere irritation causes his owner to kill without mercy, a corridor not quite wide enough to turn vehicles around, and a nefarious henchmen deftly played by SNL's Will Ferrell who refuses to die quickly. Austin Powers, like Clue, like The Princess Bride, like so many other perfectly constructed comedies, grows more charming with each re-watch. It is an amalgamation of the absurd, a cross-every-line, pull-no-punches, tribute to what can happen when a brilliant comedian at the top of his game fully invests in material that works. Watch out for the mutated sea bass, I hear they're ill-tempered.

Tropic Thunder

The number of A-list comedians Saturday Night Live has propelled to stardom is stunning, but perhaps more stunning are the scores of featured players who languished before ultimately finding success elsewhere. Chris Rock, Larry David, Sarah Silverman, Dave Atell, Jeanine Garafalo, and of course, at the center of Tropic Thunder, Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. Neither lasted more than a season, but the initial thumbs-up Lorne Michaels gave to their talent was spot-on. Who else but Robert Downey Jr could have pulled off blackface? Who else but Ben Stiller could have gone full retard? Throw in SNL's Bill Hader enthusiastically singing rap lyrics to a gyrating Tom Cruise, and you've got three wonderful comedic turns from former or current products of the variety show. Ben Stiller started the screenplay for Tropic Thunder nearly a decade before production finally began. He thwarted early offers before waiting on the perfect opportunity. SNL may not have made Robert Downey Jr or Ben Stiller, but its early offer set the wheels in motion to make opportunities like Tropic Thunder happen. It may not be Satan's Alley, but it's certainly funnier.

Animal House

There are few pure comedic talents in history like John Belushi and never was he better than as John "Bluto" Blutarsky in John Landis' Animal House. The quintessential college comedy, it set the bar for raunchiness back in 1978 and has been a reference point for hundreds of comedy films and directors in the decades since. In many ways the film is an ensemble piece that gives all of its principals ample screen time, but it's hard to argue that the movie isn't Belushi's. Though his character is never fleshed out in the slightest – he might as well have been called Frat Guy #3 – Bluto steals the movie and creates some of comedy's most iconic moments. With scenes such as using a ladder to spy on sorority girls, filling his cheeks with mashed potatoes to imitate a zit, inspiring the troops with lessons about Pearl Harbor, and smashing a hippie's guitar, it is, simply put, one of the greatest comedic performances of all time. Landis' original choices for the characters Boon and Otter were Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, which would have made the film one of the more SNL-powered features of all time, but while the actors turned down the roles due to scheduling conflicts, Belushi provides all of the Saturday Night flavor needed.

Wayne's World

Wayne's World is one of only two movies on this list actually produced by Saturday Night Live and based on one of the show's sketches. SNL's big contribution to entertainment has been in discovering and promoting new talent, without it we wouldn't have had any of the movies on this list. But in Wayne's World SNL made a direct contribution, helping Mike Myers and Dana Carvey break the bonds of late night television to create one of the best rock and roll comedies of all time. Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar are iconic characters, but the movie works in large part because Myers is brilliantly talented and Wayne's World is really just all about giving him a place to show that. Carvey, meanwhile, is the perfect sidekick and the movie's so good that even the sequel kind of works. It's unlikely that SNL will ever produce another cultural phenomenon like this one, but even if there were only this one, it's enough to justify the late night staple's contribution to movies.

Elf

Eight years after his debut on Saturday Night Live and after significant supporting roles in movies like Zoolander and Old School, it was Elf that solidified Will Ferrell as more than just comedic side character. Elf is brilliant, not just because Ferrell's funny, but because he's just as good at sympathetic and sweet. It's Ferrell and Ferrell alone who makes Buddy Elf work and in the process, with a little help from director Jon Favreau and Zooey Deschanel's soul-shakingly beautiful singing voice, Elf became an instant holiday classic. It's on the shortlist of movies we watch every holiday in my house alongside greats like It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, and a healthy dose of Christmas Vacation. Like those movies it's timeless, the kind of film we'll all be watching twenty years from now; old and gray, huddled in a dimly lit living room on a snowy night with our children and our children's children, laughing as Ferrell battles angry elves and indifferent New Yorkers, and feeling Christmas chills in that final sequence where New York gets together and sings Santa's sleight into the air through sheer force of will. Thank you Saturday Night Live and thank you Will Ferrell.

Mystery Men

Before Kick-Ass there was Mystery Men, an underrated and woefully underwatched comedy about real people with only minor talents becoming superheroes. “God gave me a gift. I shovel well. I shovel very well.,” declares William H. Macy before grabbing his best spade and tromping out the door to fight evil. They're not your classic heroes, they're the other guys. From Ben Stiller's epic turn as the ticking time bomb of fury Mr. Furious, to Paul Reubens first attempt at a comeback role farting his way through as The Spleen, to Geoffrey Rush as the bizarre Casonova Frankenstein, to Hank Azaria's silverware obsessed Blue Raja, Mystery Men is packed with more genuine entertainment and more flat out perfect absurdity than any superhero movie before or since. It's more than just laughs, of which it has plenty, in a weird way it's more about camaraderie and friendship and people who've found a way to stay sane in an insane world by embracing whatever it is about them, no matter how mundane it might seem, that makes them special.

Groundhog Day

We never really know just how long Bill Murray's Phil Connors is trapped in Puxatawny and the great thing about Groundhog Day is that in the end, it doesn't matter. Groundhog Day is a movie smart enough to know when to stop asking questions, smart enough to know when to leave well enough alone. When it's over, after Phil has learned to become a brilliant piano player, after he's learned French poetry, after he's given Ned Ryerson his much deserved punch in the nose, after he's won the heart of Andie MacDowell, he walks away a better man. We walk away without answers, you never know why he was stuck there, but we're utterly satisfied simply to have been there to witness a beautiful, magical, one time only confluence of fate and filmmaking magic. After his start on Saturday Night Live, Murray went on to make a lot of great movies, many of them are on this list, but there's none better than this simple, mysterious tale in a tiny, dead-end town on a single, snowy day which went on forever and ever. And even though Phil Connors finally got out of town, I like to think that whether or not he's there, it's still snowing in Puxatawny.

Step Brothers

The first time I saw Step Brothers, I thought it was a B- at best. The story too frequently devolved into goofing off, the father's alcoholism came out of nowhere, and the ending was absurd. I remember Roger Ebert's review asking when comedy became so mean-spirited, a fair critique considering the audience is expected to laugh at an attempted drowning and a botched buried alive scheme, but you know what, Step Brothers is hilarious. (Boats and Hos) It's goofy, it's fun, it never pretends to be anything more than it is. Take Horatio Sanz's turn as the lead singer of a 1980s Billy Joel cover band who refuses to sing anything not released in said decade. Take Rob Riggle's performance as Ferrell's coworker who screams “pow” unnecessarily loud during business meetings. (Boats and Hos) And take the amazing improvisational work of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Everything may not work, but there's fifteen or twenty laugh out loud moments, thirteen or eighteen more than your average, run-of-the-mill comedy. Besides, like Chewbacca masks, it's okay if things aren't always movie quality. (Boats and Hos)

Tommy Boy

If Chris Farley hadn't been taken from us before his time, then it's possible that he'd have topped Tommy Boy and we'd be talking about some other film. But Chris flamed out too fast, too soon, and what we're left with is a very funny movie called Tommy Boy in which Chris Farley is at his best. Together, Farley and David Spade are like a modern day Abbott and Costello at the top of their game. Chris is the floundering, sweating, master of physical comedy and accidental absurdity. Spade the sarcastic straight man forced to endure his antics. Tommy Boy would deserve a place on this list for Farley's Fat Guy in a Little Coat bit alone, or for his hilariously resonate “Take a Dump in a Box and Mark it Guaranteed” speech. But the film is carried by the amazing comedic chemistry between Farley and Spade, of the kind that just hasn't been duplicated by anyone else since.

Chaplin

When Charlie Chaplin first began his comedy, his whole body was a performance, often set up to achieve one laugh. He had no dialogue to supplement his movements—after all, in the beginning, there were no talkies. It's funny how audiences now barely tolerate montages lasting more than several seconds before scenes get buried in quick dialogue. When SNL started, there was an entire sketch to get to a single laugh, but now, like most comedy, SNL has evolved into quick and pithy punchlines, often regurgitated to loving familiarity. The film Chaplin fails when it plays out like these jokes, focuses on personal failings and broken relationships that would now be splattered all over Entertainment Magazine. But when it works, when it focuses on Chaplin's legacy, on the lasting images of him evolving from Charles into Charlie, tramp into director, pantomime into sound, it leaves little doubt why Robert Downey Jr. became the first former SNL cast member to be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. Aykroyd's great, too, as Mack Sennett, turning a furrowed brow and a straw hat into a trademark as apt as Jon Lovitz's characteristic cigar in A League of Their Own. The film is good because the acting is excellent, and because Chaplin leaves us with the greatest punchline of all: the world still waits for the tramp to speak, and in keeping that secret, the tramp becomes immortal.

Punch Drunk Love

Barry Egan is the role Adam Sandler was born to play. Adam takes what he's best at, quiet timidity mixed with insane, mind-bending rage and uses it to create one of the most realistic, touching portrayals of a social anxiety and shyness ever seen on screen. Your heart aches for Barry as you watch him, struggling to deal with a life that keeps kicking him in the balls, letting the frustration build up as he internalizes everything until he at last explodes in a boiling cauldron of rage. It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for, and Barry is the quietest. Amongst all the complexity of Barry there's a love story too, one that seems unconventional only because we've seen too many bad romantic comedies. Barry's struggle to find his own voice in a life full of disappointments is brilliant and affecting, one of Paul Thomas Anderson's best films, and who'd have thought it would star the guy from SNL who used to sing songs about pudding cups.

The Blues Brothers

Virtuoso musicians, lifelong best friends and steadfast devotees on a mission from God, Jake and Elwood Blues destroyed more cop cars than Ice-T, ate more chickens than the Fantastic Mr. Fox and negotiated to buy more women than Genghis Khan, all to save an orphanage and beat the shit out of some Illinois Nazis. In an age when unfettered lawlessness, glorified obscenity and the independent spirit were being stamped out like union autoworkers, the Blues Brothers carved out their own path of seedy autonomy, unwilling to compromise for an uptight society both fearful and incredulous of their behavior. It had to be the bedraggled, decaying road less traveled for these two outlaws. Some men nobly side with the law, others chart their own course of mayhem. Had they been born in a simpler time, they would have been bootleggers or Mafioso or buccaneers. Instead they'll go down as miscreants, two guys who just don't give a fuck about what you have to say. Heroes are bound by codes of honor; legends take what they want by any means necessary. Jake and Elwood Blues may not be heroes, but for at least one inner city orphanage, they'll always be legends.

City Slickers

City Slickers is one of those rare movies which, if it shows up on your television, you have to leave it on. It sticks with you and even all these years later it sucks you in and won't let you go. Billy Crystal had a career before SNL as a stand-up and on sitcoms like Soap, but it wasn't until he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live that he became a film star. He's had a career of great moments, maybe his best is as Miracle Max in The Princess Bride, but City Slickers is without a doubt his biggest achievement in a starring role. It's a film that send thousands of middle-aged suburbanites running to Texas looking for cattle drives, moving audiences with genuine humor against an amazing backdrop. Crystal's love for the material is obvious and the film won Jack Palance an Oscar. Maybe unlike a lot of the connections on this list Billy Crystal would have been Billy Crystal even without SNL. His kind of talent can't go unnoticed forever. And maybe not. I don't want to find out. Hey look, City Slickers is on.

Beverly Hills Cop

Eddie Murphy entered SNL as an unknown and left the cast as one of the world's biggest movie stars. He's never been better than he was in 1984 as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop. In an era were all cop movies seemed to be buddy cop movies Eddie stepped up and carried his own film as a fish out of water Detroit detective stuck dealing with the Beverly Hills police department. Eddie Murphy's so good here he makes Judge Reinhold seem talented, proof that Beverly Hills Cop must be something truly special. Axel Foley's laugh alone is iconic to say nothing of the character, whom audiences loved so much they paid to watch him in two more films, even though neither of them was ever as good.

This is Spinal Tap

This Is Spinal Tap features four former or soon-to-be Saturday Night Live cast members, five if you're counting band leader Paul Shaffer, twelve if you get bored and start counting deceased drummers instead. It would probably make more sense if, like their amps, they'd given up at eleven, but apparently, people are less concerned with common sense and rationality on the sex farm. Who knew? Probably anyone who bothered smelling the glove. Lead singer David St. Hubbins and lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel certainly aren't self-aware enough to understand these implications, which is maybe why they have more brilliant and documented quotes than anyone since Oscar Wilde. It's such a fine line between stupid and clever. This Is Spinal Tap never even brushes against the median.

Caddyshack

Perhaps the only major comedy to ever truly feature four evenly-billed leads, Caddyshack is a clusterfuck of altering comedic styles. Like an episode of 30 Rock, it traipses from Rodney Dangerfield's motor mouth schtick to Bill Murray's insane irreverence to Chevy Chase's brash aloofness to Ted Knight's white collar elitism. Yeah, it occasionally falls apart when it stops to develop the plot, but unrestrained mayhem is no good. You need a few short breaths on occasion before you plunge back into gopher-killing, grass-smoking, candy bar-crunching, pregnancy-scaring chaos. Regardless, the true test of a film like Caddyshack isn't how well its plot holds up; it's how many scenes you remember with near absolute clarity thirty years later. I count at least 5 I always laugh about in retrospect. Bill Murray caddying for the Llama. Chevy Chase ad-libbing dirty songs about women being born to rub him first. Ted Knight explaining he sentenced teenagers to the gas chamber because he felt he owed it to 'em. Rodney Dangerfield barreling through an entire dinner service with rapid fire insults. And of course, the candy bar with the Jaws score. 4 brilliant dissenting comedians on top form and one shit-joke sight gag. Like I said, clusterfuck.

Mean Girls

When Tina Fey decided to adapt the nonfiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes into a movie, it would have puzzled everyone if anyone cared at the time about the bespectacled SNL head writer. But not only did her movie help launch what could now fairly be described as the Cult of Tina, it also became one of the sharpest, most hilarious and honest high school comedies we've ever seen. You can watch it for the one-liners-- "I will keep you here until four!" "I want my pink shirt back!" "You go Glenn Coco!"--you can watch it for the weirdo characters-- Tim Meadows' downtrodden principal, the "I just have a lot of feelings girl," Fey's math teacher who moonlights at the cosmetics store-- or you can watch it for the painfully true insights it has about how awful we can be to each other, whether we're high school girls or not. It's got Lindsay Lohan's last great performance, and Amanda Seyfried's first great one. It gets funnier every time you watch it. No offense to 30 Rock or the Palin impression, but Mean Girls may be the best thing Tina Fey ever gave us.

The Wedding Singer

Some might argue Happy Gilmore is funnier or Spanglish is more charming, but for me, The Wedding Singer is the best example we have of Adam Sandler playing the immature, charming, loveable Adam Sandler character an entire generation learned to laugh with. Penned by SNL scribe Tim Herlihy and featuring Kevin Nealon and Jon Lovitz in brilliant supporting turns, the retro-80s comedy is formulaic, sure, but also crass and heartwarming with enough Puerto Rican prostitute jokes to satisfy the Billy Madison demographic and enough Buddy Hackett references to entertain ignorant forty-somethings who mistakenly thought this was a J-Lo movie. It's not. J-Lo movies don't have Billy Idol cameos, nor do they have jokes about nipple twisting or wannabe transsexuals who only know the words to one song. Those are lowbrow moments reserved for the likes of Adam Sandler and his buddies, and goddamnit if those of us without sticks up our asses don't love them for it.

Dirty Work

Easily the most critically-despised film on this list, Dirty Work is shoddily-acted, hastily-put together and downright awful on every conceivable level, save one. It's really fucking funny. Like Norm MacDonald's tenure as Weekend Update host, Dirty Work is unpolished and arrogant, a cocky grin which evokes home movie more than motion picture. If Mike Myers' total commitment to Austin Powers and Dr. Evil is on one end of the spectrum, Dirty Work most assuredly bookends the other flank, an embankment of shit-eating grins and we're-too-good-for-this-shit shoulder shrugs. Take Chris Farley as a YMCA border whose nose was bitten off by a Vietnamese prostitute. Take Chevy Chase as a doctor with a gambling problem telling a patient's son he should bet everything on death. Take Don Rickles as a movie theater manager who tells employees to buy a horse and go live in the mountains by themselves. Take SNL writers Fred Wolf and Jim Downey as homeless guys, philosophical about losing the will to live. These are men who know they're funny, know they're in a B-movie, but perhaps seasoned comedians and writers with tongues in check in their cheeks are better than those with delusions of grandeur. Some people hate the cocksuckers who goof off and fly by the seat of their pants; I love them; especially when they're all mocking each other in the same film.

Iron Man

Iron Man would probably have been made with or without Robert Downey Jr., but it's hard to imagine anyone else getting the character of Tony Stark right. In a superhero movie world full of angsty brooding characters and whiny teenagers, Downey's hard-drinking, hard-living, stripper-banging superhero is a breath of fresh air. He's a man's man, mustache, flaws, foibles and all. Even in Stark's most excess driven moments there's a layer of brilliance and complexity to him that another actor might not have captured. In some ways Robert Downey is Stark, right down to his own battles with excess and addiction. It's been the comeback role of a lifetime for an actor who rose to greatness after a soon forgotten stint on SNL, only to plummet into the darkest depths of addiction. But most of all, thanks to Downey, Iron Man is a lot of fun.

Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore is Adam Sandler at the height of his comedic powers, which he uses to air hump a creative assortment of objects and yell at uncooperative golf balls. Any movie can take the most boring sport in the world and turn it into classic, almost violent comedy is worth of praise and that's exactly what happens in Happy Gilmore. We all know Sandler's great as the outburst prone Gilmore but he's not the only SNL alum on the putting green stealing scenes. Kevin Nealon delivers one of the greatest lines of the film as a random spectator (Doin' the Bull Dance. Feelin' the flow. Workin' it. Workin' it.) and Saturday TV Funhouse fixture Robert Smigel cameos. It's a comedy so packed with memorable quotes they're almost cliché. Mention Bob Barker to anyone and the first words out of their mouth are almost certain to be, “The price is wrong bitch,” and I'm sure at some point every golf course on the planet has had to deal with a mildly inebriated club member showing up on the course with a hockey stick. I've played putt putt just so I can stand next to the windmill and scream, “Why you don't you just go HOME? That's your HOME! Are you too good for your HOME?” People stopped laughing some time around 2003, but I keep right on yelling.

Vacation

You know that moment when you realize your parents aren't really grown-ups? For some, it's patently obvious from the beginning, but for most, it's a slow realization that crescendos in watching your hopelessly inept father fail at a basic task. For me, it was seeing my dad, enraged at not being able to assemble Ikea cabinets, grunt, shake his head, and flick off my mother who was nagging from the couch. It was a moment both hilarious and sad, a defensive act from a bewildered man infuriated by his own incompetence. National Lampoon's Vacation is that moment, slowly played out over an hour and a half car ride to Wally World. Dead aunts, seductive fellow travelers, skinny dipping in ice cold water, the last cries of a desperate man zealously trying to maintain control over a family who no longer sees him as a superhero. All he wanted was one more family moment, a vacation to prove he could still make his children smile. It's a miracle they didn't end up in jail. Chevy Chase became famous playing smug and arrogant; here, he peaked playing out-of-touch and perpetually confused. Don't believe me? I'd like to see Dane Cook get laughs out of dragging a dog to death.

Grandma's Boy

The only film on this list not featuring one of SNL's alums in a starring role, Grandma's Boy is here because its sole reason for existing is the mega-fame of its producer Adam Sandler. Long featured in memorable supporting turns in his best friend's movies, Allen Covert is the best and most reliable player in the Adam Sandler world, and after co-writing the script and enlisting the help of other Sandlerites, his buddy gave him a few million dollars to finish the project. The result may have been a commercial failure, but its willingness to let characters cum on people's moms, jerk off Abbott and Costello, behave like jealous robots and drunkenly lick their own boobs to Salt N Peppa guarantees its place in the sick, disgusting hearts of perverted cocksuckers like myself. High score? What's that mean? It means the witch doctor just farted, Jonah Hill just sucked on his first boob for 8 hours and Ray Barrone's mother just made ice cream sandwiches on whole wheat with lettuce. Tease David Spade's vegan waiter if you want, roll your eyes at Rob Schneider's bong-destroying landlord if you must, but do not, under any circumstances turn Grandma's Boy off at three A.M. when there's an hour and a half of fresh weed in the bowl.

Lost in Translation

I want to hate Lost In Translation. I want to hate its pretentiousness, its lack of plot, the aura of sadness which malaises over the entire thing. I get it. Lots of people can't connect with their spouses. It's sometimes easier to have fun with someone random than your significant other. It's about isolation, magnified by a language barrier, by age, by a lack of effort. These are the reasons I want to hate Lost In Translation; unfortunately, I'm writing about it on a best of list because it's somehow really good. I know. God, I want to hate it so badly. It's like going to some bullshit, trendy Vegan restaurant with new wave art on the walls, only to find out the soy pretzel you begrudgingly ordered is really good. Lost In Translation is a soy pretzel, its mere edible-ness an affront to common sense. Maybe it's Bill Murray. Maybe it's Scar-Jo. It's definitely not Anna Farris. Whatever the reason, Lost In Translation just works. Its creepy sadness is kind of endearing. Its muffled whisper ending is kind or romantic. I own Lost In Translation. I bought it almost seven years ago. I've watched it twice. Someday, I may even watch it again.

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The finest holiday that corporate institutions could devise. Jewelers, florists and candy-makers the world over revel in sales as people try to romance each other with all the things that are completely irrelevant to a successful relationship. But the classic tradition of dinner and a movie is still a Valentine’s Day tradition for many couples, and as with any holiday, some movies do better than others. So which Valentine’s Day weekend openings were history's hottest tickets? You might just be surprised. Take a look and update your Netflix queue for this weekend’s romantic (or not so romantic) entertainment.

Is it any surprise that this romantic comedy is right on top? Director Andy Tennant has carved out a career around lovey-dovey stories (he’s the guy behind Sweet Home Alabama and Ever After) but he struck gold when he unleashed Will Smith and Kevin James for Valentine’s Day weekend in 2005, raking in over $43 million. Even when you consider ticket price inflation, nothing in the last thirty years has done as well, making it the hottest ticket movie date ever for the world’s most commercially romantic holiday.

Really? Sure, why not. I mean, did you see the movie’s posters? Opening on Valentine’s Day 2003, Daredevil held the promise of then-hunky Ben Affleck in muscular skin tight hero’s garb. No doubt that boyfriends weren’t too hard to convince, what with the lovely Jennifer Garner in midriff black leather. OK, so this was totally a Valentine for comic book nerds, but they still had a chance to share their love of action comic flicks. With a $40 million opening weekend they turned it into one of February’s biggest-ever openings.

Amnesia love was a new twist for the romantic comedy genre (Regarding Henry had it covered in the drama department). Adam Sandler wisely released 50 First Dates Valentine’s weekend in 2004. Getting couples to the theater was a piece of cake since Sandler and his co-star Drew Barrymore had proven their quirky romantic chemistry before in the The Wedding Singer (which also made this list, check out below!). Romantic nights out turned the movie’s first weekend into a $39 million success.

The question really should have been, “Why on earth are you remaking Friday the 13th?” But in a brilliantly bizarre move the studio redirected everyone’s attention by setting a nonsense release date and turning the question to “Why on earth are you releasing a non-romantic horror movie on Valentine’s Day?”. Audiences didn’t seem to mind though, and the movie was the hottest ticket for the most romantic weekend of 2009, raking in over $40 million. Hey, horror fans need date nights too, right?

Jumper wasn’t particularly romantic. It wasn’t particularly good either. Maybe the double whammy of Hayden Christensen and Jamie Bell caught the eye of teenage girls who then dragged along the poor guys who had finally gotten up the courage to ask them out for dinner and movie. Whatever the reason, it banked solid sales when it opened one day early on Valentine’s Day in 2008 and then went on to be the top movie of the weekend with $27 million. Never mind that the far more romantic Definitely, Maybe also opened that weekend. It didn’t even break the $10 million mark.

Do Wayne and Garth count as a bromance? Is a clingy psycho girlfriend who still gets you gifts even though you broke up two months ago romantic? Wayne’s World hit theaters on Valentine’s Day 1992 and devastated the competition. At $18 million ($33 million in today’s box office dollars) it was the highest grossing Valentine opening to date and would remain there until The Wedding Singer struck in 1998. Not only that, Wayne and Garth right along with their dream women would sit at the top of the box office for another month. Party on, Wayne and Garth. Party on!

Could there be anything more romantic than a man who is forced to live the same day over and over and over until he resolves his selfish tendencies so that he can truly fall in love with a woman for all the right reasons? Perhaps that’s the reason why the movie wasn’t released on its namesake day and was instead held back for a couple of weeks to roll in for Valentine’s weekend. In today’s dollars it banked a solid $26 million making it one of the most popular romantic comedies to hit theaters for the holiday.

Adam Sandler had done comedy, but his first real go at playing the romantic comedy lead was The Wedding Singer in 1998. Its debut on Valentine’s weekend became the highest grossing for the holiday to date with $18 million (nearly $31 million by today’s ticket prices). But most importantly, it introduced the world to one of the quirkiest but still perfect pairings: Sandler and Barrymore. And, of course, it also gave a new generation its defining love song. No, not the Grandma Rap.

Middle aged people can fall in love too. Even if it takes tragedy and ocean flotsam to make it happen. Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn sorted all of that out when their romantic drama hit screens Valentine’s weekend in 1999. Romantic comedies are the norm on the holiday, but dramas are a little harder to come by. With or without inflation, Message In A Bottle is still the top grossing Valentine's weekend non-comedy romance flick on the books.

It didn’t open on Valentine’s Day weekend, but the fact that a movie which was already in its ninth weekend banked $46 million (with inflation) thanks to a boost from the romantic holiday deserves an honorable mention. Titanic’s love story overrode its tragic ending and lovers made their way to the theater to watch Jack and Rose meet, fall in love, and then go down with the ship.

Tia Carrere earned a lifetime's worth of fans in the Wayne's World movies, playing the bodacious Cassandra, a girl so dreamy she can be accompanied by "Dream Weaver." But will all those dudes who grew up crushing on her come out to see her hang ten?

Carrere, whose career has been fairly stop-and-start since the glory days of the early 90s, will star in and produce Wave Dancer, a biopic about Hawaiian surfer Rell Sunn, nicknamed "Queen of the Makaha." According to THR, Sunn was also an expert diver, a karate black belt, and a hula dancer. Carrere, who was born in Honolulu, has picked Martha Coolidge to direct the film.