The Top 10 "Chewing-Out" Scenes
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Written by: Ryan McNally
In honor of this week's review of Glengarry Glen Ross, Film Frat presents a list of the Top 10 ass-ripping/ass-shredding/chewing-out scenes of all-time (in no particular order). These are scenes in which the hero/villain does something we've all wanted to do at one time or another: completely shred the vanity or self-esteem of another character (or characters). Enjoy. |
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| 1. |
Glengarry Glen Ross
Alec Baldwin rips mercilessly into the company's sales staff (including Ed Harris and Jack Lemmon) in a scene for the ages. Sample Baldwin dialogue: "What's my name? Fuck you! That's my name! You know why, mister? 'Cause you drove a Hyundai here tonight and I drove an $80,000 BMW -- That's my name!" (click here for a full review of this movie).
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| 2. |
A Few Good Men
Jack Nicholson delivers some withering lines to Tom Cruise and Demi Moore as they "enjoy" some lunch. To Cruise (in cutting down Moore): "Promote 'em all [women], I say, 'cause this is true: If you haven't gotten a blow job from a superior officer, well, you're just letting the best in life pass you by." To Cruise (in cutting him down): "You see Danny, I can deal with the bullets and the bombs and the blood. I don't want money, and I don't want medals. What I do want is for you to stand there in that faggotty white uniform and with your Harvard mouth extend me some fucking courtesy."
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| 3. |
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Steve Martin memorably vents his frustration to a rental car rep amidst a bevy of f-bombs: "Well, I really don't care for the way your fucking company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere, with the keys to a fucking car that doesn't fucking exist." Also notable: Martin unloading on John Candy earlier in the film: "Here's a little advice -- When you're telling a story, have a point. It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!"
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| 4. |
Sudden Impact
When a criminal arrested by Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) gets off on a technicality, he makes the mistake of mocking Eastwood while they ride in an elevator following the judge's decision. After a moment of non-response, Eastwood grabs him by the shirt and gives him the following snarling advice a quarter inch from the guy's face: "Listen punk, to me you're nothing but dog shit, you understand?. And a lot of things can happen to dog shit. It can get scraped up with a shovel off the ground, it can dry up and blow away in the wind, or it can be stepped on and squashed. So take my advice: Be careful with the dog shit." (Eastwood runner-up: Introducing himself to his platoon in Heartbreak Ridge: "My name is Gunnery Sgt. Highway, and I've drank more beer and pissed more blood and banged more quif than all you numbnuts put together."
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| 5. |
The Silence Of The Lambs
Although people rightfully remember Anthony Hopkins' boast of eating a census taker's liver with a nice chianti and some fava beans, it's also during this scene that he dresses Jodie Foster down: "Oh Agent Starling, do you think you can dissect me with this blunt little tool? You're so ambitious, aren't you? You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube, a well-scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition's given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you Agent Starling? And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed, pure West Virginian. Was your father a coal miner, did he stink of the lambs?"
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| 6. |
Full Metal Jacket
Gunnery Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermy) delivers a profanity-laced tirade as he welcomes new recruits to Marine Corp basic training on Parris Island. During this tirade he singles out Pvt. Pyle (among others), telling him: "You're so ugly you could be a modern-art masterpiece" and to "wipe that stupid-looking grin off your face, or I will gouge out your eyeballs and skull-fuck you." No wonder Pvt. Pyle seeks revenge later on.
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| 7. |
Hoosiers
Coach Gene Hackman introduces himself to his new high school basketball team by telling them about his hardcore code of discipline ("My practices aren't designed for your enjoyment"), promptly throwing two players off the team for mouthing off during his speech, and ridding himself of a pain-in-the-ass assistant coach who tries to offer him advice: "First of all, let's be real friendly here, call me Norm. Secondly, your coaching days are over."
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| 8. |
Good Will Hunting
Matt Damon demoralizes a pompous Harvard student who tries to embarrass Ben Affleck while they're out at a bar: "Were you going to plagiarize the whole book for us, or do you have any thoughts of your own on this matter? Is that your thing, you come into a bar, you read some obscure passage, and then you pawn it off as your own idea just to impress some girls, embarrass my friend?" Bonus points for the later scene when Robin Williams strips away Will's facade of cockiness: "You don't know about real loss, because that only occurs when you love something more than yourself, and I doubt you've dared to ever love anybody that much. I look at you -- I don't see an intelligent, confident man. I see a cocky, scared shitless little kid."
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| 9. |
Erin Brockovich
Brockovich (Julia Roberts) rips into opposing attorneys when they try to lowball her firm, advising them to consider how much their internal organs are worth, and then multiply that by 30 ("Anything less than that is a waste of our time") and concluding by politely mentioning that she had the polluted water they're drinking brought in special for them. Also of note: Brockovich's brutal response to Aaron Eckhart (In The Company Of Men) when he asks for her phone number.
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| 10. |
The Godfather Part II
After Fredo (John Cazale) admits that he betrayed him, Michael (Pacino) has a chillingly cold response: "You're nothing to me now, Fredo. You're not a brother, you're not a friend. I don't want to see you anymore. When you come to visit our mother, I want to know a day in advance, so I won't be there."
Honorable Mention An Officer and a Gentleman (drill sergeant Louis Gossett Jr. waxes and wanes poetic on "steers and queers"; Glory (Morgan Freeman dresses down Denzel Washington for being too cocky and hateful); New Jack City (Wesley Snipes lets his workers have it after his drug empire is destroyed, ordering G-Money to "Sit your five-dollar ass down before I make change!"). Eager to rip us a new arse over our selections? Drop us a line and tell us which selections you agreed with, and which scenes you think we missed. You can pick any of these up any of these movies by clicking on the corresponding film image above. |
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