This is the kind of scene that appeals to something primal within all of us. Why else would sports like boxing have ever become so popular? However, we can’t all fight like Ethan Hunt, and movies know that. That’s why movie fights aren’t always nail-biting showdowns—sometimes there’s no tension at all and we’re left with gut-busting brawls of hilarity. We’re talking fight scenes that are far from serious, even to the point of being parodies of our favorite action movies with real fight scenes. Here are the funniest movie fight scenes of all time!
7. 22 Jump Street (2014)
Leave it to Jonah Hill to turn a run-of-the-mill fistfight into comedy gold, which is just one of the many highlights of 22 Jump Street. When Schmidt is tasked with hunting down Mercedes—the main supplier of a drug epidemic—a very unskilled throwdown ensues. However, it’s obvious that Mercedes is attracted to Schmidt, despite her numerous insults about his age. The result? A Mr. and Mrs. Smith-type scenario with Mercedes unsure of how to resolve the tension that she incorrectly perceives as sexual. Schmidt begs her to stop, and the two commence punching each other.
6. Catwoman (2004)
This fight scene falls under the category of unintentionally funny. Now, personally, I respect that the people involved in Catwoman were trying their hardest to bring a realistic version of a superhuman cat-like character to life. Unfortunately, they didn’t quite manage it. The result is unavoidably laughable. With questionable CGI and nauseating camera movement, they tried their best to make Halle Berry’s movements come across like a cat. This involved Halle twirling, jumping, crawling on all fours, surfing a man across a room (what??), and meowing. Hilarious!
5. Elf (2003)
In Elf, Buddy is ecstatic when he hears that Santa is coming to visit the mall he works at. However, his disappointment is immeasurable when he realizes he’s speaking with an imposter—which causes the pair to engage in a series of threats and curses. Everything comes to a head when Buddy forcibly removes the imposter’s fake, white beard. Buddy gasps, just as horrified as the children, only to be tackled by the now-beardless Santa—and the two flail about the mall. The uncoordinated, clumsy battling is hilarious to watch, but mostly it’s the shocked faces of the screaming children that makes this scene so memorably funny. A Mall Santa chasing an elf with a steel pipe, destroying a LEGO building in the process, must be pretty traumatizing for any child to witness, and that makes for a very amusing scene. Due to his exceptional talent for physical comedy, this won’t be the last time we see Will Ferrell on this list!
4. Happy Gilmore (1996)
When Happy Gilmore suffers a slump in his golf game, his golfing partner Bob Barker (the host of The Price Is Right) takes every opportunity to chastise him for it—until Happy snaps and can’t take it anymore. Happy socks Bob right in the face, sending the famous television personality to the ground. However, Mr. Barker is no slouch. He hops right back up and gives Happy more than he can handle. Bob’s impossibly slow jab somehow makes it through Happy’s defense and floors him. The two go back and forth, exchanging one-liners and insults. By the end, Happy appears to have delivered the final blow, capping it off with a snappy remark: “The price is wrong, bitch!” However, old Bob makes a resurgence and sets Happy down for good. The ridiculous quality of this fight is what makes it both amusing and infinitely rewatchable.
3. Pineapple Express (2008)
This fight scene in Pineapple Express involves Danny McBride’s Red going up against Seth Rogen and James Franco (who are both pretty much playing themselves, so character names seem superfluous). After Red warns them about how aerodynamic he is in battle, we get to see him in action—and the result isn’t as graceful as he let on. They’re all equally wimpy, constantly complaining to each other about how much pain they’re in, with Red suddenly borrowing a line from Gladiator: “What we do in this life echoes in eternity!” However, things finally draw to a close when a bong is smashed over his head and Rogen drives his face through the drywall. This scene in Pineapple Express is probably a most accurate depiction of what would really happen if a trio of stoners started fighting each other, which is why the scene never stops being funny.
2. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Austin Powers likes to live dangerously. In this scene in particular, he dances with death and narrowly avoids being assassinated. When a knife is thrown in his direction, he twirls one of the assassins into the knife’s trajectory. As the blade sinks into her back, she warns Austin: “Prepare to die, Powers!” Austin continues to use her as a human shield against everything from machine gun fire to bazooka blasts—and she still lives. In disbelief, Austin exclaims: “Why won’t you die?!” This scene is a fantastic parody of so many action films that feature fistfights where neither adversary ever seems to wilt. It’s an iconic scene that’s perfectly executed for maximum laughs.
1. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
This fight scene from Anchorman is the funny fight scene that all funny fight scenes strive to be. The bar is set by this one. When Ron Burgundy and the Channel Five News Team want to restore their sense of dignity, they walk off to buy suits. However, they make the mistake of listening to Brick’s directions and end up hopelessly lost. When they come across a rival news team (and then several others), things take a turn for the violent—with a few rules established: “No touching of the hair or face! And that’s it!” We then get to witness the throwing of tridents, the maiming of limbs, Brick holding onto a grenade, and even a man on fire running through the scene (although it’s unclear how he became engulfed in flames). Via Adam McKay’s direction and Will Ferrell’s perfect delivery, Anchorman gives us the funniest movie fight scene of all time. Read next: The Greatest Ensemble Movie Casts of All Time, Ranked
