Memorable Movie Rants

I've always loved this movie. It portrays a town in the deep South with both gritty realism and a sense of mystery. This clip shows Keanu Reeves as Donnie Barksdale. He does an amazing job portraying the penultimate redneck. In my opinion, it is -- by far -- his best role ever.

Watching Steve Martin's character go off the rails in this scene was pure pleasure. And seriously, haven't we all wondered about the hot dog/bun conundrum?

Rob, played by John Cusack, is a such an immature, selfish character there were times when I couldn't believe he wasn't 13 rather than 26. But this is a fun movie, particularly the way it highlights music of the 80's and 90's. In this scene Rob is confronted by his ex-girlfriend's current lover, of whom he's obsessively jealous, and he imagines several funny scenarios.

This is a chilling movie about racism and anti-Semitism in contemporary America. In this scene Derek Vinyard, played by Edward Norton, shows his true colors.Later he seeks a bit of redemption and a better future for his younger brother Danny.

In this scene, drug-dealing New Yorker Monty Brogan, recently caught by the cops, rages in the bathroom mirror (interestingly, only his reflection speaks) about people who, intentionally or not, annoy him in modern society (most of the rant seems to be racial.) Considering the state he is in and his ethnic girlfriend, it's hard to say how much of it he actually means.

Nobody can rant -- and act out -- like Jim Carrey. I love the "I'm just going to bend over and take it up the ass" moment at the end of this video. It's one of my favorite scenes in the movie. The tow-truck owner's final line, delivered with deadpan perfection, is priceless.

Begbie, played by Robert Carlyle, must be one of the craziest and most vicious characters in cinema. In this scene he reacts to another bar patron accidentally spilling a bit of beer on him.

Osborne Cox, a narcissistic alcoholic played by John Malkovich, reacts to his demotion with self righteous fury in this scene. It's one of my favorite parts of the movie.

This is one of my favorite movies. Jack Nicholson plays Melvin Udall, a vicious bigot who also happens to suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder. By the end of the story he manages to achieve -- not redemption, exactly -- but a bit more humanity. This scene, in which a neighbor confronts Melvin about throwing his beloved dog down the trash chute, gives you a strong sense of his character. Can anybody do crazy -- and just downright mean -- as well as Jack Nicholson?

My family and I never get tired of this movie. It's gloriously gross, campy and silly. Check out the Hostess truck scene.

This scene gives us a less-than-warm & fuzzy marital moment between Jack and Wendy (Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall). On the positive side, this exchange between them doesn't involve an axe. This is Jack Nicholson's second appearance on this list. The moral of the story seems to be that you do NOT interrupt his characters while they're writing.

This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Remember when Billy Bob Thornton was doing brilliant work? Dwight Yoakam plays Doyle, who --as we sometimes say here in the South -- really shows his ass in this scene.

This movie is so fabulously sick and demented. In this scene Butch, played by Bruce Willis, loses his cool when he discovers that his treasured watch, left to him by his father, was left behind in his flight from mob boss Marsellus Wallace.

This one requires no introduction. I actually rewatched this movie recently. I've gotta say, it makes me feel a bit better about my mothering skills. ;-)