What is the best/worst/funniest/etc voice over in a film (besides Fight Club)? - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

PaddyMcAloon · 06-19-2003, 07:20 PM

Yes, the voice over, for better or worse, pops up in many films. I was just curious as to which ones you think are great or bad or funny or whatever. I suppose this is yet another ridiculous post by this pathetic loser who can't even get a job as a rodeo clown (hey- that's hard work). OKay, I'll start:

I recently saw the movie About Schmidt and the voice over in that film came off as honest and quite hilarious. Of course, I think A. Payne loves voice overs in his films. Also, the voice over in Jules et Jim is also effective.

Now, I know one of you monkeys (just kidding) is going to mention Fight Club. Seems like almost all of these threads always has someone mentioning this damn film, so why not do it now and get it out of the way. "Fight Club". There. No more mention of it please. We all know that there are voice overs in that flick and I know some of you are just dying to quote them. Let it be.

Ok, voice overs, let's hear them.

Oh, and if this has been posted before then it just re-emphasizes the fact that I am one ginat loser without a life. I am an idiot.....

FurryHumanBeing · 06-19-2003, 07:41 PM

I like most voice overs.
Dances W/ Wolves (His readings of his journal is definatly one of the best, it's what makes you understand his passion to retrieve the journal at the end)
Goodfellas
Casino
Taxi Driver (Mr. Scorsese rules the voice over)
Lolita (Jeremy Irons' cryptic motivations)
Fried Green Tomatoes
Emperor's Club
A Christmas Story
American Beauty \
Sunset Boulevard /(Both superbly done from the grave)
Shawshank Redemption (Morgan Freeman's got a great voice)
Adaptation (Definatly one of the funniest especialy when he's told voice overs are bad)
Bowling For Columbine
Roger & Me
The Big One (Do these count?)
I'm sure there's more...

aedavela · 06-19-2003, 07:47 PM

I'd add Terminator 2 and Interview with the Vampire.

WraithGTS · 06-19-2003, 07:56 PM

Two words . . . Blade Runner

Keith · 06-19-2003, 08:03 PM

My 3 faves:

Goodfellas
Apocalypse Now
The Thin Red Line

Marq · 06-19-2003, 08:24 PM

It's not even close. Furry already mentioned it...

The best and worst and funniest and most brilliant voiceover is most certainly:

ADAPTATION

The other best narration would likely be:
Taxi Driver

PolloDiablo · 06-19-2003, 11:04 PM

I really like the voice over in Trainspotting, probably one of my favorites.

DrDetroit · 06-19-2003, 11:05 PM

Another movie besides Fight Club that gets driven into the ground is "The Big Lebowski". And rightly so. You ought to list that one too. I think they even specified 'Sam Elliott's voice' in the screenplay. "Aw, shush."

Moppy007 · 06-20-2003, 02:53 AM

About A Boy

Josh Christman · 06-20-2003, 03:01 AM

Brian Cox does a wonderful voice over at the end of "25th Hour".

Cap42086 · 06-20-2003, 03:31 AM

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Examples:

"You can turn your back on a person, but, never turn your back on a drug. Especially when it's waving a razor-sharp hunting knife in your eye."

"Bazooko's Circus is what the world would be doing every Saturday night if the Nazis had won the war."

And finally, "We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of uppers, downers, laughers, screamers... Also, a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge, and I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon."

Alex88 · 06-20-2003, 04:45 AM

The Usual Suspect, of course.

kiscealguy · 06-20-2003, 04:59 AM

I normally think the use of voiceovers shows a lack of inspiration on the part of the screenwriter, and in Adaptation they acknowledged this and used it for comedic effect.

Another one that comes to mind is Christina Ricci's narraration in The Opposite of Sex. Funny stuff!

Monterey Jack · 06-20-2003, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FurryHumanBeing
Dances W/ Wolves (His readings of his journal is definatly one of the best, it's what makes you understand his passion to retrieve the journal at the end)

Sorry, but I found the narration to be one of the weakest elements in Dances With Wolves. It adds nothing to the narrative (aside from a contrived way for Dunbar to get captured when he goes back for that dammned journal), and Costner's voice is coma-inducing.

I love this movie, but wish that Costner would have pulled a Ridley Scott and axed it from the recent DVD.

As for me, I find Malcolm McDowell's narration in A Clockwork Orange to be bloody brilliant.

Bob X · 06-20-2003, 11:16 AM

Don't forget CLUELESS. Also, there's the classic opening of ARMY OF DARKNESS:

My name is Ash, and I'm a slave!

tvboy · 06-20-2003, 12:09 PM

GLEN / GLENDA - the narration is so hokey it's great!

RedBaronF2001 · 06-20-2003, 02:00 PM

I really enjoyed Alec Baldwin's narration of The Royal Tenenbaums.

I also second Sam Elliott's opening and narration of The Big Lebowski.

"... and I ain't never seen no queen in her danged undies as the fella says... "

silentmatt · 06-20-2003, 02:41 PM

Hardly what I would call grand filmmaking, but the voiceover in Half Baked has always greatly amused me. I love that kind of subjective narration, and while some of the jokes are just too corny, I still laugh every time I hear:

"It was just me, Kenny, Scarface, Brian, and lovable Old James. No wait, Old James wasn't there. I don't even know nobody named Old James. Get out of here!"

ToejamandEarl · 06-20-2003, 04:16 PM

Really liked the movie "Rounders"

Matt Damon did a few narratives throughout the film...great movie!

Jellodyne · 06-20-2003, 06:08 PM

Some of the voiceover in Kung Pow: Enter the Fist is pretty choice. When The Chosen One knocks the 'flesh plug' out of his opponent:

"Crap man! You don't see that every day. I mean that doesn't seem possible with all those body organs and cartilage and bones. I mean I'm no doctor but that was like one clean chunk!"

redcon1 · 06-20-2003, 09:35 PM

Levon Helm in "The Right Stuff"

retroboy · 06-21-2003, 08:50 PM

I've always liked Billy Crudup's voiceover narration in Jesus' Son: disjointed, contradictory, honest; it's a narration that quietly works well for the film.

Monterey Jack · 06-22-2003, 06:01 AM

Nicolas Cage in Raising Arizona.

georgep · 06-23-2003, 09:08 AM

"The doctor's wife had died. He paused to smell a rose." from "Plan 9 From Outer Space"

Then there's the voice-over that just disappeared, never to be heard again, from the beginning of "Hercules Unchained": "The King of Thebes was a--"

(cut immediately to "good-natured brawling")

(Joel: "Was...was what, what happened to him?" Tom Servo, as the narrator: "Oh, forget it, just enjoy, friends!")

06-19-2003, 07:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
PaddyMcAloon Actor Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Indiana	What is the best/worst/funniest/etc voice over in a film (besides Fight Club)? Yes, the voice over, for better or worse, pops up in many films. I was just curious as to which ones you think are great or bad or funny or whatever. I suppose this is yet another ridiculous post by this pathetic loser who can't even get a job as a rodeo clown (hey- that's hard work). OKay, I'll start: I recently saw the movie About Schmidt and the voice over in that film came off as honest and quite hilarious. Of course, I think A. Payne loves voice overs in his films. Also, the voice over in Jules et Jim is also effective. Now, I know one of you monkeys (just kidding) is going to mention Fight Club. Seems like almost all of these threads always has someone mentioning this damn film, so why not do it now and get it out of the way. "Fight Club". There. No more mention of it please. We all know that there are voice overs in that flick and I know some of you are just dying to quote them. Let it be. Ok, voice overs, let's hear them. Oh, and if this has been posted before then it just re-emphasizes the fact that I am one ginat loser without a life. I am an idiot..... __________________ The most pathetic loser in the universe, that I am HE HATE ME

06-19-2003, 07:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
FurryHumanBeing Actor Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Long Island	I like most voice overs. Dances W/ Wolves (His readings of his journal is definatly one of the best, it's what makes you understand his passion to retrieve the journal at the end) Goodfellas Casino Taxi Driver (Mr. Scorsese rules the voice over) Lolita (Jeremy Irons' cryptic motivations) Fried Green Tomatoes Emperor's Club A Christmas Story American Beauty \ Sunset Boulevard /(Both superbly done from the grave) Shawshank Redemption (Morgan Freeman's got a great voice) Adaptation (Definatly one of the funniest especialy when he's told voice overs are bad) Bowling For Columbine Roger & Me The Big One (Do these count?) I'm sure there's more... Last edited by FurryHumanBeing : 06-19-2003 at 07:53 PM.

06-19-2003, 07:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
aedavela Color Me Surprised! Join Date: May 2003 Location: Buffalo, NY	I'd add Terminator 2 and Interview with the Vampire. __________________ "Pussy? Well who taught you judo?" My DVD Collection My Top 20 Movies Guzzlefish Last DVD(s) Acquired: Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut; Ronin SE

06-19-2003, 11:04 PM	#7 (permalink)
PolloDiablo Actor Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Houston, Tx	I really like the voice over in Trainspotting, probably one of my favorites. __________________ "[Ed Wood is like] watching Pirates of The Caribbean in black and white!" - Panhead4life DVD Profiler + DVD Aficionado + Puttin' On The Ritz (Soundbite Courtesy of Movie Sounds)

06-19-2003, 11:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
DrDetroit Actor Join Date: May 2001 Location: Vancouver	Another movie besides Fight Club that gets driven into the ground is "The Big Lebowski". And rightly so. You ought to list that one too. I think they even specified 'Sam Elliott's voice' in the screenplay. "Aw, shush." __________________ And these Detroit women won't let Dr. Detroit rest. DVDs

06-19-2003, 07:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
WraithGTS Actor Join Date: Dec 2002	Two words . . . Blade Runner

06-19-2003, 08:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
Keith Actor Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: The pit of the Peach State	My 3 faves: Goodfellas Apocalypse Now The Thin Red Line

06-19-2003, 08:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
Marq Actor Join Date: May 2001 Location: Ottawa	It's not even close. Furry already mentioned it... The best and worst and funniest and most brilliant voiceover is most certainly: ADAPTATION The other best narration would likely be: Taxi Driver

06-20-2003, 02:53 AM	#9 (permalink)
Moppy007 Actor Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Melbourne Victoria Australia	About A Boy

06-20-2003, 03:01 AM	#10 (permalink)
Josh Christman Actor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Florida	Brian Cox does a wonderful voice over at the end of "25th Hour".

06-20-2003, 03:31 AM	#11 (permalink)
Cap42086 Actor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Rhode Island	Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Examples: "You can turn your back on a person, but, never turn your back on a drug. Especially when it's waving a razor-sharp hunting knife in your eye." "Bazooko's Circus is what the world would be doing every Saturday night if the Nazis had won the war." And finally, "We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of uppers, downers, laughers, screamers... Also, a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge, and I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon." __________________ A strange man defecated on my sister. My crappy DVD collection.

06-20-2003, 04:45 AM	#12 (permalink)
Alex88 Actor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto, Ontario	The Usual Suspect, of course. __________________ The True Meaning of Life, Digital Style YMDB

06-20-2003, 04:59 AM	#13 (permalink)
kiscealguy Actor Join Date: May 2002 Location: Long Beach, California	I normally think the use of voiceovers shows a lack of inspiration on the part of the screenwriter, and in Adaptation they acknowledged this and used it for comedic effect. Another one that comes to mind is Christina Ricci's narraration in The Opposite of Sex. Funny stuff!

06-20-2003, 11:16 AM	#15 (permalink)
Bob X Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cologne, Germany	Don't forget CLUELESS. Also, there's the classic opening of ARMY OF DARKNESS: My name is Ash, and I'm a slave! __________________ I apologize in advance for any incivility or insensitivity on my part, but it is beer-o-clock. Where the hell is my riot!?!

06-20-2003, 12:09 PM	#16 (permalink)
tvboy Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: The Taxation Nation: Canada	GLEN / GLENDA - the narration is so hokey it's great! __________________ Always remember that Triumph of the Will is just like Pirates of the Carribean. Only in black and white. MacAndMe My DVD Collection

06-22-2003, 06:01 AM	#23 (permalink)
Monterey Jack Wants to be John Smith Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Walpole, MA U.S.A.	Nicolas Cage in Raising Arizona. __________________ Lol VHS forty dollars??? more like dvd's 5 dollars hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha skip a long to blu ray disc and get with the freakin program!!!!!!!! LOL -ty_guy123321@hotmal.com

06-20-2003, 02:00 PM	#17 (permalink)
RedBaronF2001 Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Virginia, USA	I really enjoyed Alec Baldwin's narration of The Royal Tenenbaums. I also second Sam Elliott's opening and narration of The Big Lebowski. "... and I ain't never seen no queen in her danged undies as the fella says... " __________________ \| dvds \| website\| lastest film :: Dirty Pretty Things \| latest album :: Vespertine - Bjork \|

06-20-2003, 02:41 PM	#18 (permalink)
silentmatt Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Montreal, QC	Hardly what I would call grand filmmaking, but the voiceover in Half Baked has always greatly amused me. I love that kind of subjective narration, and while some of the jokes are just too corny, I still laugh every time I hear: "It was just me, Kenny, Scarface, Brian, and lovable Old James. No wait, Old James wasn't there. I don't even know nobody named Old James. Get out of here!" __________________ Drag the lake, you'll find it's full of love

06-20-2003, 04:16 PM	#19 (permalink)
ToejamandEarl Actor Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Atlanta, GA	Really liked the movie "Rounders" Matt Damon did a few narratives throughout the film...great movie! __________________ Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

06-20-2003, 06:08 PM	#20 (permalink)
Jellodyne Actor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minneapolis, MN, US	Some of the voiceover in Kung Pow: Enter the Fist is pretty choice. When The Chosen One knocks the 'flesh plug' out of his opponent: "Crap man! You don't see that every day. I mean that doesn't seem possible with all those body organs and cartilage and bones. I mean I'm no doctor but that was like one clean chunk!" __________________ DO NOT SIT NEXT TO DENIS!

06-20-2003, 09:35 PM	#21 (permalink)
redcon1 Supporting Actor Join Date: Jan 2003	Levon Helm in "The Right Stuff"

06-21-2003, 08:50 PM	#22 (permalink)
retroboy Actor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Rock 'n' Roll High School	I've always liked Billy Crudup's voiceover narration in Jesus' Son: disjointed, contradictory, honest; it's a narration that quietly works well for the film. __________________ "I think Canadians see the world more as anthropologists. I think we're not burdened by the weight of being a superpower and that gives us the chance to listen and understand different issues around the world."

06-23-2003, 09:08 AM	#24 (permalink)
georgep Threadkill Inspector Join Date: May 2001 Location: Where London Bridge is falling down, My Fair Lady	All time BAD (yet funny) voice-over has to be "The doctor's wife had died. He paused to smell a rose." from "Plan 9 From Outer Space" Then there's the voice-over that just disappeared, never to be heard again, from the beginning of "Hercules Unchained": "The King of Thebes was a--" (cut immediately to "good-natured brawling") (Joel: "Was...was what, what happened to him?" Tom Servo, as the narrator: "Oh, forget it, just enjoy, friends!") __________________ "I am one of the few honest people I have ever known."--Nick Carraway

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