There's no denying that the script is one of the most important aspects of a film
It's the source of the story, characters and great lines of dialogue that hopefully will form a strong connection with the audience
but the screenplay is more of a guideline than anything else.
There are no rules that state directors and actors need to stick to what's on the page
Filmmaking is a fluid creative process and ideas can be thought up on the spot.
In fact some of the most iconic movie moments were ad-libs
Here are 10 memorable movie scenes that were completely improvised
Bad Boys 2
Improvising has become a staple of the comedy Genre
And you'd be hard-pressed to find two funnier action stars than Martin Lawrence and Will Smith
The two headlined the bad boys films and used
their talents in a hilarious sequence in Bad Boys 2
where Mike and Marcus harass a teenager looking to take Marcus's daughter out on a date
Dennis Greene, the actor who played Reggie was told to not look or speak with
Lawrence when he arrived on set so he was scared of him
and nobody told Greene that Will Smith was going to pull a gun on him
It was all in good fun, but Greene didn't seem to be laughing
Django Unchained
Few actors are as dedicated to their craft as Leonardo DiCaprio and the now Oscar winner will stop at nothing to get a scene right
He doesn't even let personal injuries stop him
While filming Django Unchained, DiCaprio cut his hand on a piece of glass after slamming a table.
He started to bleed, but remained in character delivering his monologue
He even incorporated the wound in the sequence smearing his blood-soaked hand all over Kerry Washington's face
It was pretty amazing to watch and Quentin Tarantino was left with no choice, but to put that take in the finished film
Leah may not have been nominated for this role, but he left a strong impression
Aladdin
Robin Williams was one of the greatest comedians who ever lived
Full of energy and non-stop enthusiasm
That's what made him a perfect choice to play the Genie in Disney's Aladdin
where he was the clear star of the show
Williams improvised so much during recording that the team ended up with
nearly 16 hours of material with which to work
William's performance even hurt Aladdin's Oscar chances
So many of the Genies Lines were ad-libbed that the script was
turned down for a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the Oscars
You're a lot smaller than my last master either that or I'm getting bigger
Look at me from the side do I look different to you?
Best of luck to whoever takes over the role in the remake... You have huge shoes to fill
The Empire Strikes Back
The scene where Han Solo is frozen in carbonite
Is one of the most heart-wrenching in the entire Star wars Saga
But the filmmakers had a hard time getting the dialogue right
Han Solo's reply to princess Leia's declaration of love went through several iterations
many of which failed to capture the spirit of the character
It was Harrison Ford who ultimately suggested the now-famous line, "I know"
and the rest is history.
I love you!
I know.
It's a moment that's become the stuff of legend and is now even
plastered on Star Wars-themed couples merchandise
Who knew not saying "I love you too" could be so romantic?
The Dark Knight Rises
Bane is a vicious villain who threatens Gotham with a nuclear apocalypse
But even he can appreciate the talents of a fine singer
Shortly before blowing up Gotham's football stadium, a young child sings the National Anthem
Bane, hidden from sight in a tunnel, remarks, "That's a lovely lovely voice"
It's a line that got a chuckle from audiences and they have Tom Hardy to thank
Per the film's producers, the actor improvised the line on the spot
Christopher Nolan was obviously a fan and Led his bad guy provide a brief
moment of levity before returning to his more terroristic ways
Ghostbusters
When you combine the comedic minds of Bill Murray Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis,
improvisations are going to happen
While filming the original Ghostbusters
Almost none of the scenes were shot as scripted, and many included at least one or two ad-libs
I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return
forthwith to your place of origin, or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension!
That ought to do it
Thanks very much, Ray..
One of the more noteworthy examples of this
was the scene in which Lewis Tully is interacting with his party guests
where he comments on things such as the price of salmon
What makes this sequence all the more remarkable
is that it was all one continuous shot
which meant everyone had to be on their game to not ruin the take
Fortunately, Rick Moranis was in control and made many people laugh
Casablanca
It's one of the most well known lines in cinematic history:
"Here's looking at you kid"
Rick's Farewell to Ilsa is so perfect and memorable, it had to have been
scripted in the equally acclaimed screenplay, right?
Nope!
Humphrey Bogart improvised that bit of dialogue during the Parisian scenes
that take place earlier in the film
It worked so well that it was used throughout the movie
including its climactic sequence
Bogart first uttered "Here's looking at you kid" for his
1934 vehicle Midnight
But it's using casablanca is what many cinephiles remember
In fact the AFI named it the fifth best line of dialogue of all time!
Full Metal Jacket
It's a misconception that R. Lee Ermey ad-libbed much, if not ALL, his
dialogue in this Stanley Kubrick war drama
but some improvisation did take place
Though the actor worked with the director to make the screenplay more believable
Ermey did go off-script at times, including the famous
disciplinary scene where he shouts insults at the soldiers
Most notably was the instance where he told Private Cowboy
that he was the type of guy who would have sex with another man
and not have the courtesy to give him a reach-around
When Cupric learned what that was, he thought it was funny and kept it in the final cut
The Wolf of Wall Street
Perhaps THE sequence of this Martin Scorsese flick
is when Jordan Belfort has taken way too many lemons for his own good
and is basically incapacitated and he tries to make his way back to his car
The director claims that it was improvised on the day of filming with
Leonardo DiCaprio suggesting the famous stunt
where he opens the door with his foot
The actor strained his back during shooting and could only pull off the
Act once so luckily Scorsese got everything he needed in that take
This whole scene was a sublime
illustration of the Wolf of Wall Street's Dark Comedy
And it's great to know it was as fun to film as it was for us to watch
Saving Private Ryan
When Private Ryan is upset by the fact he can't remember his deceased brothers' faces,
John Miller tells him that he needs to think of a context or a memory that involved them
Ryan goes into an amusing story that
Involved his brother and a girl who hit every branch on the Ugly Tree (lol ouch)
As it turns out that whole bit was improvised by Matt Damon
A telling sign that it wasn't in the script is when Tom Hanks glances off-camera
looking at Steven Spielberg to see if they should keep rolling
Fortunately, Spielberg let Damon complete the monologue
and a moment of heartfelt humor was injected - right before a harrowing battle
Those were our picks for memorable improvised movie moments! Are there any we missed?
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(bye! :D)