Albert Brooks Movie with funniest lines (1 Viewer)

[DennisP]

I didn't even realize I was an Albert Brooks fan until I noticed how many movies of his I own. After re-screening them again..I've found that that "Defending Your Life" has the funniest dialog of all his movies I own (Muse, Modern Romance, Lost in America, Mother). I found myself laughing out loud at his lines....he is almost "Woody Allen-ish" in his delivery. Anyone have an opinion?

 

[Joel C]

I guess you are a fan, the only one of his you don't have is Real Life! Modern Romance isn't on DVD yet, is it?
I think LiA is very funny, and Defending Your Life is great, but the best, for me, is Mother.
"Stop. No more food. It's like FANTASIA."
"He's not that famous a writer that he can afford to go nuts."
"You named the layer of ice that forms over the ice cream?"

 

[Mike St.Louis]

I love his 'nest egg' speech in "Lost in America".

A great talent indeed.

 

[Nicholas Vargo]

And the winner of the Oscar for the funniest Albert Brooks movie is...

By just a hair...

"Defending Your Life"

No other Albert Brooks film has funnier lines.

Daniel: You're great people to work with and this is a great persent and I wish I could squeeze you all into one pretty woman...and if you like to come to my office, I'll try.

Julia: Who are you?

Daniel: Dinner!

Bob Diamond: Actually, there is no hell. Although I hear Los Angeles is getting pretty close.

Bob Diamond: You honors, I like to get off this scene and move on to something that I think we'll have a ball watching. This is damn exciting stuff!

 

[Mitchell Kaufman]

I think Albert Brooks is a scream, though his films don't always show him off to best advantage. He did some short films for Saturday Night Live in the '70s that were extremely funny, too. (BTW, when, if ever, are we going to see those hilarious Robert Smigel cartoons on DVD?)

The first time I ever saw Albert Brooks on TV was in the mid-'70s, doing the worst ventriloquist act of all time--"Danny and Dave" (he was Dave and the dummy was Danny). Not only did Brooks make no attempt to disguise moving his lips, but instead of drinking water and smoking while throwing his voice, he gave a cigarette to the dummy and fed him a glass of water (which poured out of the holes in the dummy). Then, when he got ready to put the dummy in a trunk, he first threw it on the floor, face down. Then, when he put it in the trunk, he shut it with the dummy's legs sticking out.

It was probably the funniest stand-up act I ever saw.

MK

 

[Gabe D]

Albert Brooks also released a couple of comedy albums. "Comedy Minus One" was rereleased by Rhino a few years ago, although I believe it's out of print now. It's great, worth tracking down. His other album, "A Star is Bought," is harder to find. (I've been looking for it for a long time.)

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Paramount has done a very nice DVD of "Real Life". This film may not have the best one-liners, but its situational humor is both painful and hilarious to watch. Given the subsequent reality TV explosion, this satire of a PBS series has actually become prophetic. I also think Mother is somewhat underrated among his films.

Regards,

 

[Brad Porter]

IMO, the funniest Albert Brooks movie is not an Albert Brooks movie - it's a James L. Brooks movie called Broadcast News. The Aaron Altman character is wonderfully droll and witty, but the character also has emotional depth. He also has some of the best lines in the film. It's one of my top five movies of all time.

Out of Albert Brook's directorial efforts, I think Defending Your Life and Lost In America are his best achievements.

Brad

 

[MartinTeller]

My favorite is Lost in America, but I also love Defending Your Life, Real Life and Modern Romance. I thought The Muse was pretty weak. Still haven't seen Mother.

 

[MatS]

Lost In America

 

[Nate Anderson]

Albert Brooks suggested the scene of Aaron sweating profusely while anchoring the Weekend News. He saw it happen to a guy on CNN, and knew that had to happed to Aaron.

Some of his dialouge is great...

"I can't believe I risked my life for a network that tests my face with focus groups."

"Okay, I'll meet you at that place where we went that one time."

 

[Christopher Bosley]

For me its a tossup b/w "Defending Your Life" and "Lost in America" (though I admit, ashamedly, to not having seen "Modern Romance"). Soo many good scenes in "Defending":

Daniel talking about "the Bond" is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

" . . . and sometimes, I found, in the middle of a lie, the Bond would kick in, squeeze a little truth out."

And then Bob Diamond telling him to wrap it up.

"You can't threaten to take away tv from a 10-year old! It's like heroin!"

"What's Casio at now? . . . In six months, it'll be at three!"

"How'd you die sir? . . . Onstage, like you!"

 

[Jack Briggs]

Since we're discussing the films as opposed to the DVDs upon which they may be available, we have two choices: move this over to "Movies" or over to "Polls." Since this is not that poll-like a thread, I am opting for "Movies."

Now, carry on.

 

[Michael Reuben]

From Defending Your Life:

: First of all, I don't like to call it a trial. Second, yes.

The film that caught me off-guard was The Muse. The first time through, I found it mildly amusing. The second time, when I knew the ending, I couldn't believe how thoroughly it savages the movie industry -- and so subtly that the people who paid to make the movie probably missed most of the attacks, as did many of the critics. I was howling.
M.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

Personally, this one exchange just kills me:
Albert Brooks: How did you die?
Meryl Streep: I tripped over a lawnchair, hit my head on the concrete and rolled into the pool.
Albert Brooks: What did the East German judge give you?

Defending Your Life is comic brilliance.
Bruce

 

[Jay E]

One of the funniest scenes in any Albert Brooks film is in Modern Romance where they are adding sound affects, (Albert Brooks plays an editor), for a bad sci-fi film starring George Kennedy. They are picking out the sound for George Kennedy's footsteps as he's running through a spaceship and somebody picks a sound clip of footsteps & growling of The Hulk. Just picture George Kennedy running with the sound of the Hulk, I couldn't stop laughing.

 

[John Torrez]

Sorry Joel C, I have to correct your last quote. It goes: "You actually named the clear hard crap that sits on top?"

Btw, "Mother" is one of my favorites. A very funny movie.

 

[Paul D G]

Glad to hear Defending Your Life is a favorite among so many. It's been a favorite of mine for years.

"NINE DAYS!!"

-paul