Neuman’s Movie Monday-Best Improvised Movie Moments

As we tear up our college basketball bracket, we tear up the script in these movies where the best scenes were ad-libbed.

10. Good Will Hunting

In order for Sean (Robin Williams) to connect with Will (Matt Damon), he knows he's going to have to make it more of a conversation with give and take as opposed to just letting Will dump out all of his problems. Robin Williams (one of the best improvisers of all time) takes over and gives multiple off the cuff monologues. One being how his wife passes gas in her sleep. It was such a funny moment in the movie, if you look closely, the camera is shaking because the cameraman was laughing so hard as well. The other is a great scene with the two of them sitting by a river and telling Will that while he may know it all, he has no life experiences and that's where their therapy can really start. (Link contains explicit language)

9. Dumb and Dumber

Jeff Daniels called Jim Carrey a comedic tornado. He'll lead and you just try to keep up. Well keep up he did considering one of the most memorable scenes in this movie was all made up on the spot. Lloyd (Carrey) wanted everyone to know the most annoying sound in the world. Harry (Daniels) mimicked the sound which drove Joe (Mike Starr) to the breaking point. There can't be one road trip without someone asking if they want to hear the most annoying sound in the world. 

8. Taxi Driver

One of the best movies on the 70's was "Taxi Driver".  Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, an unstable veteran has he tries to liberate a 12 year old prostitute played by a young Jodi Foster. It's most famous scene was improvised by De Niro looking in the mirror and asking, "You talkin' to me?" (Link contains explicit language)

7. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Some of the best improvisation involves no words at all. One of the most iconic scenes proves exactly who Indiana Jones is. He is pretty good at hand to hand combat but when a sword wielding crazy person tries to take him on, he'll just pull out his gun and shoot him. Originally, Jones was supposed to use his whip, pull the sword out of his hand and beat him up. But Harrison Ford (along with many crew members) were suffering from food poisoning. So Ford went up to Steven Spielberg and said, "shoot the sucker". So that's how it was filmed and it was a great movie moment. (Link contains violence.)

6. The Shining

It's no secret that the famous line of "Here's Johnny" was ad-libbed and used in the final movie. What you might not know is that scene took 3 days to film and over 60 doors were used. The props department made doors that would break easily from the ax. What they didn't know is that Jack Nicholson was once a volunteer fire fighter and knew how to wield an ax so they had to build stronger doors. Having to do the same scene over and over again, is what sparked the improvised line. Director Stanley Kubrick was famous for doing a lot of takes. (Link could be disturbing to youngsters. A little bit of gore.)

5. A Clockwork Orange

Back to another Kubrick film and another case of just not knowing what he wants. Kubrick spent 4 days trying to get the scene right where the guys attack the couple in their home. He thought it was all too conventional so he asked star Malcolm McDowell if he knew how to sing and dance. McDowell, exhausted with the scene, sang the only song he could remember, "Singing in the Rain". Kubrick was so amused he bought the rights to the song for $10,000. (Not going to post the link to the scene due to it's content.)

4. The Silence of the Lambs

Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for this role while only being in the movie for a total of 17 minutes. To add a little creepiness to his character, Hopkins added that onomatopoeia after the fava beans and chianti line. It's super weird and fits his character perfectly. You can see the look Jodi Foster gives as proof. (2nd Jodi Foster film on this list.) It was even parodied in a movie on this list, "Dumb and Dumber".

3. Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back

Harrison Ford is at it again with showing just how awesome his character is. Here, Han Solo is about to be frozen solid in carbonite and his ultimate love, Princes Leia admits that she loves him. He comes back with the awesome, and improvised, B.A. line, "I know."

2. The Dark Knight

Another instance where an improvisation can be done without any dialogue. The scene where the hospital is being blown up, Heath Ledger knew that they could only do this in one take. So as the first explosions go off, there was some malfunction that didn't allow the rest to go off. Instead of getting mad, Ledger stayed in character, fussed with the remote detonator, and gave the crew enough time to set off the rest of the charges. He completely saved the scene and made for one of the best, and funniest, off the cuff moments in movie history.

1. Caddyshack

The whole movie is basically all improvised so we could give this as a whole number 1, but there is no better improved scene than the Cinderella Story. It's a minute and 20 seconds of pure comedic genius. His yardage to club ratio was pretty far off but who cares? This is one of the best fake commentaries for the best fake eagles on number 18, Holly, at Augusta National Golf Club of all time. Anyone that has picked up a golf club has done a pretend win at The Masters, now try it with a sickle and some flowers. Tears in my eyes as we end this list.