Movies where the actors talk directly to the camera?

[HomeTheater911]

I am looking for movies where the actor talks directly to the camera as if they are talking to you. My two favorites for this are Ferris Bueller and High Fidelity. High Fidelity is a perfect movie in my eyes because of this and because it is really good. If you movie lovers out there know of anymore please let me know.

Later

[Cap'n Katanga]

How about Cameron Crowe's Singles.

[OneofRyan]

Wayne's World I, and II

Airplane, I and II

[Lex M]

The technique you're referring to is "breaking the fourth wall," a classic tradition in the world of live theatre that is rarely used in film, and frequently frowned upon. When used right, breaking the fourth wall has a certain sly charm, allowing the spectator to become complicit with the narrative itself. One of the most famed uses of this technique was "Alfie," with Michael Caine. Woody Allen later used it successfully in "Annie Hall." One of the riskier uses is at the end of "Goodfellas," where Scorsese allows Ray Liotta's character, who has thus far narrated the tale, to suddenly appear on-screen directly addressing the audience.

However, use of "breaking the fourth wall" is generally frowned upon, particularly in traditional or "Classic Hollywood" narratives, for destroying the narrative flow. Film generally depends on the spectator being passive -- i.e., caught up in the flow, following the plot, reacting emotionally while maintaining a certain detachment. To make the spectator an active participant, however slyly, runs the risk of throwing off the delicate balance between viewer and film, of making the artificiality of the artform stand out when the audience should be riveted to the narrative.

[Dr. Lecter, MD]

Richard Dreyfuss used it once in "Let It Ride", it was a 2 second scene.

Burt Reynolds somewhat did it in a scene in "Smokey and The Bandit"

[Chest Rockwell]

I love that tiny bit in "A Christmas Story" right after Ralphie shot himself in the eye and his mom is doing all the first aid stuff for him in the bathroom. He turns and looks at the camera when she isn't looking and his narration voice says something like "She's buying it."

[fuddo]

Fight Club does this.

[mtcarmel00]

Doesn't Culkin do this a little bit in Home Alone? "I made my family disappear." is the line I'm thinking of, but I think there are other times he talks to the camera. Can't remember if he does this in the sequel or not.

[Toefur]

Jay and Silent Bob Stike Back had a couple scenes where they looked at the camera.

[IKEA_boy]

George Carlon in the beginning of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Don't know about Bogus Journey though

[Jerm]

Originally posted by IKEA_boy
George Carlon in the beginning of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Don't know about Bogus Journey though

I am pretty sure that it did NOT happen in #2.

[LBPound23]

I know they did this on the Saved by the Bell TV show, but this thread is about movies and for the love of all that is holy I can't remember any instances of Zack talking to the camera in the Wedding in Las Vegas or Hawaiian Style movies.

[asphodel5]

This happens numerous times Fellini's Amarcord. There is a character that acts as a guide to the town. He gets Fellini to stop the camera so that he can explain characters, locations and joke with the audience.

[DimWit]

Semi related to this is the "death" scene in The Mask where the Mask has a performance and gets an Oscar-like award from an audience outside the movie. Very surreal and Peter Greene steals the moment completely.

[Samuel L. Jackson]

'Austin Powers" 1 and 2. 'Jay and Silent Bob' 'Drop Dead Goergous
'Loaded Weapon 1'.

[Riddick]

The best use of this technique in my opinion is

The Wedding scene in "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves"

Sean Connery makes his most excelent cameo, to give away Mary Elizabeth Masterantonio (knew I spelled that one wrong)

And Friar Tuck turns to the camera and says "We're waisting good celebration time"

I later found out that this had 2 meanings

1. the story line in the movie itself

2. that the movie is over (lets party)

[DVDman70]

Most of Mel Brooks films had this technique in it all the time. My favorites and probably the two funniest in any of his movies would have to be...."It's Good to be the King" from History of the World Part One and "Well it worked in Blazing Saddles" from Robin Hood Men in Tights!

[Drexl]

Originally posted by LBPound23
I know they did this on the Saved by the Bell TV show, but this thread is about movies and for the love of all that is holy I can't remember any instances of Zack talking to the camera in the Wedding in Las Vegas or Hawaiian Style movies.

For the love of all that is holy, I hope you never took the time to actually sit down to watch those two movies.

Wesley Snipes talks to the camera in One Night Stand.

Woody Allen also did it in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex....

[NotEd]

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a good example as well.

[manigrasso]

Michael Caine & Michelle Johnson do it a lot in Blame It On Rio, but beware, the theme song never...EVER gets out of your head...

What if we both went a little bit craaaaaazy, blame it on Rio?
What if our minds went a little bit haaaaaaaazy, blame it on Rio?
What if we both acted the fool? Broke a few rrules? What do we care? Blame it on Rio. :barf:

I think Gene Wilder did it on The Woman in Red. It's been awhile.

Would you include voiceover narration in this category? Stuff like the old film noirs where the private eye tells you what he was thinking at the time, or the first theatrical cut of Blade Runner?

[drudo-182]

Fight Club is the best.

Well...Malcolme in the Middle does it as well!

-drew-

[OneofRyan]

It's funny. But there's also one in the "Star Wars:Special Edition". Boba Fett turns to the camera after Jabba and Han have their smuggling talk.

Yes, there were quite a few Kevin McAllister talking to the camera things in Home Alone, but not in the sequel. In Home Alone Kevin talks about putting on after shave to the audience.

[Squall]

The camera is acknowledged a few times in Amélie, such as when she tells how many people are having orgasms at that moment, and when she's about to cut up the letters.

Of course, characters in movies such as This is Spinal Tap and Fear of a Black Hat (and to a degree, Monty Python and the Holy Grail) speak to the camera, but they are actually supposed to be seeing a camera.

In the realm a television, Doctor Who has had a few asides to the camera. During a Chistmas episode from the 1960s, the Doctor turns to the camera and wishes everyone merry Christmas. In another from the 60s, the Doctor speaks to the audience about time travel. I also remember one time when fourth Doctor Tom Baker did it: at the end of one story, his companion Leela and the robot K9 leave him and he goes off by himself. We see Leela ask if he'll be lonely, and K9 says he doesn't know. In the TARDIS, the Doctor drags out a box, then he goes to the console. Finally we see the box is labeled "K9 MK II." Then the Doctor stares into the camera for a while, and finally grins.

[Lo Pan]

Well, it doesn't count as breaking the fourth wall, but Silence of the Lambs has almost the entire cast looking into camera. Many, many scenes has the person talking to the camera as though it were the other character in the scene.

[Dehrian]

That's a Demme trademark. He has his actors do that in most of his movies. You can see Hanks, Washington and Banderas do it in Philadelphia.

[vedderstapp]

I'll throw 2 more into the mix:

Annie Hall (my favourite is when they are in the movie theatre with the guy behind them in the line)

and

Sidewalks Of New York

[vedderstapp]

and... hello....

Blair Witch Project?

[Lenny Nero]

To add to the above, you all forgot OZ

[dave70]

Kuffs

[NotEd]

Originally posted by vedderstapp
and... hello....

Blair Witch Project?

Does that really count? After all, it was supposed to be shot documentary style, even if it was fiction. Documentaries are not concerned with breaking the forth wall traditionally, although a few do ignore the camera. It's when the camera is not supposed to be part of the scene that you really achive the effect we are talking about.

Sorry, got too technical for my own good.

[billyslits]

"and... hello....

Blair Witch Project?"

I think if you count this as "breaking the fourth wall" then any movie featuring a newscaster is in the running (Bill Murray talks directly into a news camera in Groundhog Day but that doesn't count because he's a weatherman).

They were making a documentary about the Blair Witch so, it stands to reason they would speak directly into the camera. If one of the characters were to step outside of their own documentary or the movie itself and suddenly speak to a separate fourth camera, you would have a good example.

[Drexl]

Originally posted by billyslits
I think if you count this as "breaking the fourth wall" then any movie featuring a newscaster is in the running (Bill Murray talks directly into a news camera in Groundhog Day but that doesn't count because he's a weatherman).

I don't think that would count because we understand that we are watching something that the fictional audience in the movie would see because of what it is. I mean, Phil is aware of an audience for his weather forecast within the story (which we see just as that audience would), but he is not aware that an audience is seeing everything that happens to him throughout the movie. Just look at how his demeanor changes when the camera (that Chris Elliott's character holds) starts rolling.

So, like the Jonathan Demme examples, that would be an example of a character talking directly to the camera without breaking the fourth wall.

[shill66]

Originally posted by Squall
In the realm a television, Doctor Who has had a few asides to the camera.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the recently released DVD of "The Caves of Androzani" which has one of the characters (Morgus, played by John Normington) who turns to the camera to speak his thoughts aloud. A rather Shakespearian touch, I think.

[fischerj]

Originally posted by vedderstapp
I'll throw 2 more into the mix:

Annie Hall (my favourite is when they are in the movie theatre with the guy behind them in the line)

and

Sidewalks Of New York

I had read so many without any mentioning "Annie Hall". Doh!

[billyslits]

"I mean, Phil is aware of an audience for his weather forecast... ...when the camera (that Chris Elliott's character holds) starts rolling. "

No, I know. I was intentionally giving an example of a film in which a character speaks directly into the camera without breaking the fourth wall. I was trying to illustrate how Blair Witch doesn't fall into the whole self-referential, meta-movie category.

If a movie character addresses the audience, the REAL audience - meaning you and I, then he or she or it is breaking the fourth wall. If a character addresses an audience, through a camera, that exists in that movie's fictional world (the people who are watching Bill Murray's weather forecasts or the intended audience for the documentary the Blair Witch kids were making), it is not an example of breaking the fourth wall. Right? The fourth wall is the barrier between the movie or TV world and we, the audience. Right?

Now I'm getting confused.

If a tree falls in the forest and Parker Lewis hears it fall and he addresses the tree and the audience, does John Hughes get any residual checks for copyright infringement?

[Squall]

Did Parker Lewis actually talk to the camera? I thought you just heard his narration.

And I was the first to bring up fictional documentaries, in my previous post, but no one paid attention....

[Welles and Ford Fan]

Well, Woody does it a lot. Love and Death comes to mind. Also, Richard Burton in Equus, Michael Caine in Alfie; not to mention all the Shakespeare films with soliloquies.

I agree that Blair Witch does not count, since the character is not talking to us.

Almost all the characters in The Specials have "interview segments" where they address the audience outside of the narration.

I just bought this on a whim last night and watched it. I found it a fun little film, with no reliance on special effects whatsoever. It just concentrates on these rather screwed up characters and the comedy that ensues...

[Lord Crumb]

Let's not forget Christopher Walken in PULP FICTION. Another great Walken moment.

[Presuming Ed]

Walken is talking to the young Butch, not to the audience although we are seeing it through Butch's eyes. It is definately different to the stuff in Ferris Bueller or High Fidelity.

This is one moment in Trading Places where Eddie Murphy "breaks the fourth wall". Its during the part where the two Dukes are explaining stocks and stuff to Eddie using food and one of them says something like "and this is bacon like you would find in a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich". At this point Eddie, who is sitting down looking up at the Duke, turns and looks directly into the camera with a "no shit sherlock" look on his face. Don't know why but it floors me every time I see it. Speaking of which, where the hell is Trading Places on DVD!

Presuming Ed