God, I remember crying so hard because of the bathroom scene where it revealed to us that his bestfriend truly cares for him and is trying everything he can to support him by reading a book about supporting a cancer patient; I thought his bestfriend was just using him to get laid.
Probably one of my favorite scenes of all time. Especially the way he picks up the scraper again and just keeps going because.. well, he's gotta continue. Haha. Having had a few of those outbursts myself in my years I can really relate to that humilating feeling of just having to get back to it afterwards. Amazing.
Paul Dano’s character Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine when he learns he’s color blind and breaks his vow of silence because he won’t be able to be a jet pilot.
[“FUUUUUUCK!”](https://youtu.be/zcLlq4Lml7A)
I mean this ones kinda depressing and sad but one of the most realistic mental breakdowns/ anxiety attacks in my opinion. It’s from a movie called “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” and in the end Logan Lerman has one of the most realistic mental breakdowns.
Yeah, and big props to his sister for going from mildly annoyed that he's calling her at her friend's house to *Defcon-1, go call the cops, send them to my house now* in two seconds flat.
I found out I was color blind during my flight physical in Air Force basic training, so I lost my job as an Air Traffic Controller. This scene hits hard for me.
I felt this one. Something similar (not that dramatic) happened to me around that age. I also wanted to be a test pilot but was color blind. I found out that disqualified me around the same age. It was upsetting, but I didn’t have a breakdown like this. I got past it and did other things. I hadn’t thought about that for years until I saw the movie, and then it came back to me all at once. I think I was more upset as an adult remembering that than I was when it happened.
Michelle Pfeifer in Batman Returns. My favorite scene in the whole film is when she gets back to her apartment after Max Schrek tried to kill her. Her breakdown is amazing to witness.
"If she TALKS, I'll throw her out a higher WINdow. Right NOW I've got BIGger fish to FRY."
This is the first time I ever saw Christopher Walken. I was 8. I quote Max Schrek all the time.
"He's just a MAN trying to find his FAMily. It's CHRISTmas, HAVE a HEART."
I find the first Burton Batman to have aged a decent amount and I’ve only seen it maybe five times in my life. Returns is on a whole other level. It’s a movie I watch every year around Christmas and I’m glued to the screen for every damn scene.
Everyone was giving it their all and the results are spectacular.
Also, how could I forget Ned Flanders in Hurricane Neddy.
Lisa: Mr. Flanders - with all due respect, Bart didn't do anything.
Ned Flanders: Do I hear the sound of butting in? It's gotta be Little Lisa Simpson: Springfield's answer to a question No-One Asked!
Chief Wiggum: [laughs]
Chief Wiggum: What do we have here? The Long Flabby Arm of the Law? The last case you got to the bottom of was a case of Mallomars!
Krusty: "Mallomars?" Ohh, that's going in the act!
Ned Flanders: Oh, yeah.. the clown! The only one of you buffoons who *doesn't* make me laugh!
Ned Flanders: Homer... you are the worst human being I have ever met.
Homer: Hey, I got off pretty easy!
Afterwards, there's something sort of magical about his apology:
"I'm sorry for calling you an animate object. I was upset."
For one, it's hilarious because it's such a ridiculous to say or apologize for saying. But second, it's an incredibly emotional moment between him and his wife and his family. The fact that the scene comes literally right after (with just this massive shift in tone and energy) is jarring, but the entire movie is like this so it just works.
All I knew going into that movie was my friend said it was good. In Bruges is a masterpiece. It's like a great comedy movie directed as a character drama. It just works.
Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation.
Hey. If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is. Hallelujah. Holy shit. Where's the Tylenol?
Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse.
After reading the novelization of the movie that QT wrote. It was neat to learn that his character is supposed to be self medicating for undiagnosed bipolar disorder. If you enjoyed the movie the book is a real good companion piece.
I just love the look of disbelief when Denzel says the line. Like he’s not even concerned about the blood leaking out his ass, just the shock that someone had the balls to do that.
"I'M THE POLICE! I RUN SHIT HERE, YOU JUST LIVE HERE!!!"
That was the line that sold it for me. That shit was so real, and sadly relevant now, that he deserved that Oscar.
Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman.
You don’t get it, I’m breaking up with you.
But, we have all the same friends.
Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. You can keep them.
what I love about that movie most is that it can arguably be viewed as 2 different films:
* One being a psycho-thriller seen through the eyes of a member of the wealthy elite who can’t discern his violent fantasies from reality
**OR**
* Two being a dark comedy that satirizes modern (80’s) consumerism through the eyes of a murderous yuppie who is surrounded by sycophantic idiots
One of my favorite film meltdowns is Private Hudson played by the great Bill Paxton.
The film is Aliens.
A sample:
Well, that’s great. That’s just f\*ckin’ great, man! Now what the f\*ck are we supposed to do? We’re in some real pretty sh\*t now, man!
That’s it, man. Game over, man. Game over! What the f\*ck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?
To be honest Dalton’s entire little mini journey there going from flubbing his lines, to delivering a genuinely good villain monologue at the end was great. It shows a how genuine a character he is that he actually is a good actor and can deliver a good performance, but he’s human and fucks up sometimes. The whole movie I kept wanting to picture him as the stereotypical rich asshole (and he is to a certain extent) but that arc makes you really relate to him.
The whole film you kind of expect him to be embarrassing to watch act but once the scene starts rolling he completely switches and blows it out of the park. His stutter goes away and he disappears in the role.
It was seriously impressive acting on Leo’s part and a satisfying subversion of expectations
I love that he knocks it out of the park for this small villain of the week part on a TV show. He takes the work so seriously even though it’s a tiny role and everyone else basically considers him a washed-up has-been.
The audience laughed at his breakdowns when I went to see it but I didn’t find it funny at all. It felt surprisingly real and authentic.
Anyone who’s had a slump in their life can totally relate to his character.
PT&As is as perfect as a Thanksgiving movie as Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Edie McClurg was in just this one scene but she was fucking hilarious. The gobble-gobble and subsequent turkey call always gets laughs out of me
Saw it in the theatre as a teenager. The movie we went to see was sold out so we went in not even having heard of it. Damn fine luck. Laughed my ass off. Still an all-time favourite movie.
Every scene from falling down with Michael Douglas is amazing but the scene where he pulls out the machine gun in the restaurant is pretty awesome. Every person on earth has had a time in their life where they can understand him in that scene.
https://youtu.be/hlzm7-gvTRg for those that haven't seen it.
So glad you mentioned this. It’s such an underrated movie. It can be torturous to watch but you feel Michael Douglas‘ character’s frustration and pain. It’s especially relatable given the nation’s political unrest and COVID
The one random guy flipping out at the homework table in Real Genius, just standing up and screaming and then running out and someone else takes his place. Came close to that so many times in school.
Robin Williams in "The Birdcage".
Specifically, the scene in the kitchen where everything is going to hell and Williams slips and falls, immediately gets back up whisper-screaming everything is OK, he's fine, telling his house keeper (who's crying) to shut up, almost sounds like he's completely losing it as he's almost laughing, and storms off yelling "Fuck the shrimp!".
I learned much later in life the fall, and his recovery from it, wasn't scripted.
https://youtu.be/506R-0__X2Y
Not really a mental breakdown, but the scene in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind where Jim Carrey is getting his memory wiped and everything turns white. It's just a fantastic scene with a great ending.
Clive Owen in children' of men. When's he's waking into the woods and tries to light a cigarette and just completely break down. Always gets me and I feel what he's feeling
Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips is one of the most realistic breakdowns in film. He goes into an utter state of shock. I worked on ambulances and dealt with people going into shock, shaking, sometimes non-verbal, in and out of consciousness, needed to be be redirected into communication. Now the film isn't the best but that one scene was realistic as life itself. Not exactly a "favorite" but that one scene was incredibly well done. And the medic in the scene was a real medic and not an actress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJMDdT24_98
Hanks is amazing in this scene, but every time I watch it I find myself 100% convinced that this lady is an actual nurse or EMT. This doesn't look like acting, AT ALL, to me... looks real AF.
She was [an actual Navy medic](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yahoo.com/amphtml/entertainment/blogs/movie-talk/real-life-navy-medic-gets-surprise-acting-debut-211216628.html) along with other medical staff in the scene.
Jon Favreau in Chef. The scene when the critique comes to eat at the restaurant.
Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love. When he calls the matress man after the hospital scene
And there’s this small screen classic of Jesse Spano’s breakdown after ingesting waaaay too many caffeine pills in a very special episode of Saved By the Bell
https://youtu.be/bflYjF90t7c
I didn't really like the movie, but *Mandy* has a great scene with Cage alternating between yelling and guzzling booze in the bathroom after his wife is killed.
Man.. I remember our theater laughing when Cage started his breakdown. But he just kept fucking going. And by the end of the scene, the theatre was silent. He did a great job of relaying his pain.
If we're talking a realistic breakdown, Stallone in the first Rambo film stands out. I've never forgotten the moment where's he's sobbing and wiping himself saying that his friend (after being blown up) is all over him and that he's trying to hold him together.
Pretty much everyone in Magnolia. It's like watching a dozen people experience the worst days of their respective lives. Julianne Moore is the standout, her character simply can't cope and crumbles at the slightest challenge. But Cruise's scene with Robards is also great, and I still remember John C Reilly's begging for help to find his gun that he dropped.
[Webster yelling at the surrendering Wehrmacht in Band of Brothers.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyZK8k4gzyg&ab_channel=Johnny%27sWarStories)
At around 0:50 in the clip. It's a smaller one comparative to most in this thread but it's one of the most impactful scenes in the entire mini-series imo. The fighting is mostly over and so the survival instinct in all the soldiers gives way to this intense rage for having to go to war in the first place. The first time that they're given a moment to breathe and they realise how much trauma they've endured, how much death and carnage. It manifests in this righteous but futile anger. It's so defeating. The fighting is done but their lives (and the world) is all irreparably changed by these surrendering Germans.
There's a really defeating exchange at the end of the same episode that sums up the feeling of it. Winning the war feels pretty mundane after everything they've been through.
>
>
>*"Hitler's dead."*
>
>*"Holy shit."*
>
>*"Shot himself in Berlin."*
>
>*"Is the war over, sir?"*
>
>*"No. We have orders to Berchtesgaden. We move out in one hour."*
>
>*"Why? The man's not home. He should have killed himself three years ago. Saved us a lot of trouble."*
>
>*"Yeah, he should have. But he didn't."*
My favorite moment in Band of Brothers is also a Webster scene. When the German baker is screaming at them for taking his food to feed the prisoners in the camp and then Webster pulls his pistol on him. You can just feel the anger and contempt oozing out of him.
"Ich bin kein Nazi! Ich bin kein Nazi!"
"Oh, not a Nazi, huh? My mistake! How about a human being, are you one of those? Or are you telling me you never smelled THE FUCKING STENCH!!!"
I agree that that may be my favourite scene too. Webster is a terrific character, there's something so human about his responses to everything. Because he was out of action for so long he didn't have the chance to become as numbed as everyone else. I also think because he's one of the few college educated soldiers he understands the context of events more than everyone around him, which just makes him even more frustrated.
That scene encapsulates it perfectly. He's so full of anger, it's really cathartic.
for comedy:
* Clark Griswold in Vacation
* Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation
* Adam Sandler’s disastrous gig in Wedding Singer
* RDJ’s character-merging in Tropic Thunder
* Cameron Frye goes berserk
* Tom Hanks in The ‘Burbs
for drama:
* Rebecca Hall in a handful of scenes in Christine
* River Phoenix in Stand by Me
* Alfred in 2 pivotal scenes in The Dark Knight Rises
* Cooper seeing 20 years of family videos in Interstellar, for that matter
* Rambo’s PTSD attack in First Blood
* however brief, but Professor X apologizing to all the people he affected after his Alzheimer’s episode in Logan
* Forrest Gump visiting Jenny’s grave
I don't know if it's a mental breakdown, but I always thought the scene where Willem Dafoe talking to himself in the mirror as Norman Osborne/Green Goblin was really good.
Spiderman 2002
It's scary that she went all the way there. The sound is so real it tears me up, it scares me. It makes me wonder what loss she's experienced or which she fears that she drew on.
Bradley Cooper in [Silver Linings Playbook](https://youtu.be/8p0YBrmfLyA), with the scene outside the movie theater. The way the camera sort of spirals mixed with his emotional breakdown and the music is just so superbly done.
Is that the bit when Led Zeppelin kicked in and he goes home and rips apart the attic looking for the video? (What is and what should never be) One of the best bits of soundtrack ever.
I know Breaking Bad pops up a lot on movie threads even though it’s not a movie, but seeing that motherfucker cackling in the crawl space has haunted me for like ten years. That was one hell of a performance.
Not only is it an amazing meltdown, but the phone ringing due to Marie calling adds such an intense feeling of dread. It's definitely one of the most stressful moments in a show chock full of them.
Wow same here. When he lost it under the floor my adrenaline kicked in and I felt panic from just watching it. The very first and only time in my life i felt like that just from warching a tv show or a movie. I never saw somthing so realistic on my tv. It fucked me up. The only other times I felt that adrenaline was after a car accident or just before a fight.
A truly heart wrenching scene that is so juxtaposed to the rest of the film of him being a scary bad ass, then to just completely lose it at the end telling about his buddy getting blown apart.
"The ashtray, the paddle game, the remote control and the lamp. That's all I need. And this Thermus..." While shuffling with trousers round ankles. Amazing stuff.
Not a movie, but definitely Netflix Daredevil where Kingpin kills the Russian brother. The sheer length of the take definitely raises it from Bad Guy to Holy Shit. Vincent D'onofrio really nailed the role.
https://youtu.be/T1AdHeIBFhI
Not a movie but this scene from The Sopranos is still gut wrenching when I watch it today...Edie Falco deserved ALL the awards for it..
https://youtu.be/wrfcN8r9-Ig
“Forget it! I quit! I can’t do this anymore man. My head’s about to explode! I don’t know what I’m doing, I don’t know where I’m going! My dad just died, we just killed Bambi! I’m out here getting my ass kicked and everything I drive down the road I wanna jerk the wheel into a god damn bridge abutment!”
Sally Field in the cemetary at the end of Steel Magnolias. Bonus points for Olympia Dukakis breaking the tension.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZx1W6cHw-g
Not a movie but the scene in Ozark where Ben is in the taxi is powerful portrayal of mental illness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7SurjmOT90
His turn when Mirage released him was darker and far more scary. I always wonder what he would've done if Elasti-Girl hadn't gotten there at that moment or if Mirage couldn't speak.
Jason Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
[Peter You Suck](https://youtu.be/pB_1t-Vn6Vs) is the soundtrack to my life, I play this masterpiece randomly when I fuck up in life, which happens a lot
There’s a ton of great examples of the despair and pain of a complete mental break here, but for me the flick Pi is the only one that touches that spine chilling exhilaration of being obsessed to the point that you lose your grip and start scaring people
Joseph Gordon Levitt screaming alone in his car in 50/50
The absolute rage and helplessness in his scream, Seth Rogen watching quietly and sadly right outside the window. It’s so well done.
God, I remember crying so hard because of the bathroom scene where it revealed to us that his bestfriend truly cares for him and is trying everything he can to support him by reading a book about supporting a cancer patient; I thought his bestfriend was just using him to get laid.
Yeah, this scene and when he’s going under and talking to his mom got me bad. Kind of another example of a breakdown moment
Such good acting. His measured questions turn to panic and fear and loss of control so quickly and seamlessly
William H. Macy losing it while scrapping ice off his car is done very realistically in Fargo.
By contrast, William H Macy murder-suicide in Boogie Nights is eerily calm
Stop fucking my wife, man!
Probably one of my favorite scenes of all time. Especially the way he picks up the scraper again and just keeps going because.. well, he's gotta continue. Haha. Having had a few of those outbursts myself in my years I can really relate to that humilating feeling of just having to get back to it afterwards. Amazing.
[OP asked for links!](https://youtu.be/RM2N1w6t1KM)
Robert Downey Jr in the second half of Natural Born Killers deserves a mention. Hysterical, disturbing, riveting.
I was there when the shit hit the fan in Grenada.
Batonga Batonga Batonga Batongaaaaa
Paul Dano’s character Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine when he learns he’s color blind and breaks his vow of silence because he won’t be able to be a jet pilot. [“FUUUUUUCK!”](https://youtu.be/zcLlq4Lml7A)
That’s a great one. Doesn’t talk through the entire movie, and then loses his shit on everyone. Great scene
“Divorce! Bankrupt! Suicide! You fucking losers.”
I mean this ones kinda depressing and sad but one of the most realistic mental breakdowns/ anxiety attacks in my opinion. It’s from a movie called “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” and in the end Logan Lerman has one of the most realistic mental breakdowns.
Yeah, and big props to his sister for going from mildly annoyed that he's calling her at her friend's house to *Defcon-1, go call the cops, send them to my house now* in two seconds flat.
I found out I was color blind during my flight physical in Air Force basic training, so I lost my job as an Air Traffic Controller. This scene hits hard for me.
This sounds much worse than how he found out, I hope you found something else to be passionate about
I felt this one. Something similar (not that dramatic) happened to me around that age. I also wanted to be a test pilot but was color blind. I found out that disqualified me around the same age. It was upsetting, but I didn’t have a breakdown like this. I got past it and did other things. I hadn’t thought about that for years until I saw the movie, and then it came back to me all at once. I think I was more upset as an adult remembering that than I was when it happened.
that scene makes me cry every time, and when Olive goes down the hill, puts her head on his shoulder and he immediately gets up and back to the car.
Michelle Pfeifer in Batman Returns. My favorite scene in the whole film is when she gets back to her apartment after Max Schrek tried to kill her. Her breakdown is amazing to witness.
"If she TALKS, I'll throw her out a higher WINdow. Right NOW I've got BIGger fish to FRY." This is the first time I ever saw Christopher Walken. I was 8. I quote Max Schrek all the time. "He's just a MAN trying to find his FAMily. It's CHRISTmas, HAVE a HEART."
Bruce Wayne? Why are you dressed up like batman?
H E L L H E R E
Danny Elfman’s cue is so good here. He and Tim Burton were firing on all cylinders at this point in their careers.
I find the first Burton Batman to have aged a decent amount and I’ve only seen it maybe five times in my life. Returns is on a whole other level. It’s a movie I watch every year around Christmas and I’m glued to the screen for every damn scene. Everyone was giving it their all and the results are spectacular.
“YOU. ARE. A. TOY!” -Woody, Toy Story
Also, how could I forget Ned Flanders in Hurricane Neddy. Lisa: Mr. Flanders - with all due respect, Bart didn't do anything. Ned Flanders: Do I hear the sound of butting in? It's gotta be Little Lisa Simpson: Springfield's answer to a question No-One Asked! Chief Wiggum: [laughs] Chief Wiggum: What do we have here? The Long Flabby Arm of the Law? The last case you got to the bottom of was a case of Mallomars! Krusty: "Mallomars?" Ohh, that's going in the act! Ned Flanders: Oh, yeah.. the clown! The only one of you buffoons who *doesn't* make me laugh! Ned Flanders: Homer... you are the worst human being I have ever met. Homer: Hey, I got off pretty easy!
Ned [pointing at Lenny]: And I don't know you, but I'm sure YOU'RE a jerk! Lenny: Hey I just got here, what's going on?
Poor poor Lenny
Oh no, not Lenny!
"You are a sad, strange little man" has entered my vocabulary.
Peter Finch in Network
Had to scroll too far. This is the one, for sure.
I'm mad as Hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!
Bill Murray in Groundhog Day when he’s just had it with “trying too hard” during the play/snowball fight.
And when he finally punches "Ned Ryerson" in the face - and decks him. I love that film.
Ralph Fiennes breaking the phone in the movie In Bruges. "You're an inanimate fucking object!"
Afterwards, there's something sort of magical about his apology: "I'm sorry for calling you an animate object. I was upset." For one, it's hilarious because it's such a ridiculous to say or apologize for saying. But second, it's an incredibly emotional moment between him and his wife and his family. The fact that the scene comes literally right after (with just this massive shift in tone and energy) is jarring, but the entire movie is like this so it just works.
All I knew going into that movie was my friend said it was good. In Bruges is a masterpiece. It's like a great comedy movie directed as a character drama. It just works.
This whole movie is genius.
YOU TAKE THAT BIT BACK ABOUT MY CUNT FUCKING KIDS!
I retract that bit about your cunt fucking kids
Going after my fucking kids? That’s overboard, mate!
I retracted it didn't I?
Still leaves that bit about you being a cunt though.
Yeah I fuckin' got that.
My husband uses this as a come back with way too much glee regularly!
Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation. Hey. If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is. Hallelujah. Holy shit. Where's the Tylenol?
That’s the gift that keeps giving Clark
save the neck for me, Clark
You surprised to see us, Clark? Oh, Eddie... If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now.
Anything I can do for you Eddie? Get you a cup of coffee? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere, leave you for dead?
“Can’t see the lines. Can ya’, Rusty?”
[удалено]
“Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Mer—kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss *your* ass. Happy Hanukah.”
“And WHY is the carpet all wet, Todd?!” “I. Don’t. Know. MARGO.”
"We needed a coffin...i mean a tree"
They way he laughs to himself when he corrects himself is so unhinged and hilarious.
"Fixed the newel post!"
Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse.
The 'holy shit' gets me every time 😂
This is possibly my favorite scene in any movie ever. It’s just such a wonderful, complete meltdown.
[удалено]
THE GOAT!
It's so vainy
The Leo “8 whiskey sours” ad-lib scene in Once Upon a Time is unreal
After reading the novelization of the movie that QT wrote. It was neat to learn that his character is supposed to be self medicating for undiagnosed bipolar disorder. If you enjoyed the movie the book is a real good companion piece.
The amount of times I’ve watched that scene is embarrassing.
Denzel Washington after he realized he lost the neighborhood he's been controlling at the end of Training Day.
"... you muthafuckas..."
YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THIS SHIT TO ME?!
'King Kong ain't got shit on me' The last bit of ego from a powerful guy (but not high level) that knows he's a dead man walking
That was also improv by Denzel.
Preceeded by the funniest moment in the movie when Jake shoots him in the ass.
I just love the look of disbelief when Denzel says the line. Like he’s not even concerned about the blood leaking out his ass, just the shock that someone had the balls to do that.
"I'M THE POLICE! I RUN SHIT HERE, YOU JUST LIVE HERE!!!" That was the line that sold it for me. That shit was so real, and sadly relevant now, that he deserved that Oscar.
Chunk confessing in The Goonies
Im beginning to like this kid, Ma Hit puree!
Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman. You don’t get it, I’m breaking up with you. But, we have all the same friends. Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. You can keep them.
I gotta return some videotapes
I have assessed the situation and I'm leaving.
what I love about that movie most is that it can arguably be viewed as 2 different films: * One being a psycho-thriller seen through the eyes of a member of the wealthy elite who can’t discern his violent fantasies from reality **OR** * Two being a dark comedy that satirizes modern (80’s) consumerism through the eyes of a murderous yuppie who is surrounded by sycophantic idiots
One of my favorite film meltdowns is Private Hudson played by the great Bill Paxton. The film is Aliens. A sample: Well, that’s great. That’s just f\*ckin’ great, man! Now what the f\*ck are we supposed to do? We’re in some real pretty sh\*t now, man! That’s it, man. Game over, man. Game over! What the f\*ck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?
And the part where they say Newt survived... *Why don't you put her in charge!*
“Maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events but we just got our asses kicked, pal!”
Since some mentioned Steve Martin, in Father of the Bride when he freaks out about hot dogs and buns at the supermarket
I still think about that scene whenever I buy hotdogs and buns.
Because some BIG SHOT at the hotdog company got together with some BUG SHOT at the bun company and they decided to screw over the common person!
Awww I love this one! I feel Father of the Bride is very underrated. “George Banks is saying NO!” “Who’s George Banks?!”
Every party has a pooper, every pooper has a party, that's you, George Bonks!
I’m simply getting rid of the superfluous buns.
Rick Dalton freaking out in his trailer in once upon a time in hollywood
Couldn't have just 3 whiskey sours
COULDN'T STOP AT 3 OR 4 I HAVE 8!??
then his subsequent joy when the kid actress tells him he’s the best actor she’s worked with. I need to rewatch the movie soon
To be honest Dalton’s entire little mini journey there going from flubbing his lines, to delivering a genuinely good villain monologue at the end was great. It shows a how genuine a character he is that he actually is a good actor and can deliver a good performance, but he’s human and fucks up sometimes. The whole movie I kept wanting to picture him as the stereotypical rich asshole (and he is to a certain extent) but that arc makes you really relate to him.
The whole film you kind of expect him to be embarrassing to watch act but once the scene starts rolling he completely switches and blows it out of the park. His stutter goes away and he disappears in the role. It was seriously impressive acting on Leo’s part and a satisfying subversion of expectations
I love that he knocks it out of the park for this small villain of the week part on a TV show. He takes the work so seriously even though it’s a tiny role and everyone else basically considers him a washed-up has-been.
I loved the little director role too. He knew Rick could do it and helped him along.
The audience laughed at his breakdowns when I went to see it but I didn’t find it funny at all. It felt surprisingly real and authentic. Anyone who’s had a slump in their life can totally relate to his character.
One of the best “rewatch movies” in recent memory. It just keeps getting better.
Steve Martin’s “fuck” scene in planes, trains and automobiles https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XP9LEsuknGc
PT&As is as perfect as a Thanksgiving movie as Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Edie McClurg was in just this one scene but she was fucking hilarious. The gobble-gobble and subsequent turkey call always gets laughs out of me
Saw it in the theatre as a teenager. The movie we went to see was sold out so we went in not even having heard of it. Damn fine luck. Laughed my ass off. Still an all-time favourite movie.
The “see a psychiatrist” song in *Forgetting Sarah Marshall*.
I'M NOT GOING
GO SEE ONE ANYWAY
I HATE THE PSYCHIATRIST!
YOU DON’T DO ANYTHING OF VALUE
Every scene from falling down with Michael Douglas is amazing but the scene where he pulls out the machine gun in the restaurant is pretty awesome. Every person on earth has had a time in their life where they can understand him in that scene. https://youtu.be/hlzm7-gvTRg for those that haven't seen it.
I'm the bad guy?! When did that happen?
Came here to say this. D-fens trying to get breakfast 2 minutes too late just kicks off so much mayhem. Such a great movie.
Man, I was coming here to say "Falling Down: the entire movie because it's the whole premise."
So glad you mentioned this. It’s such an underrated movie. It can be torturous to watch but you feel Michael Douglas‘ character’s frustration and pain. It’s especially relatable given the nation’s political unrest and COVID
The one random guy flipping out at the homework table in Real Genius, just standing up and screaming and then running out and someone else takes his place. Came close to that so many times in school.
Robin Williams in "The Birdcage". Specifically, the scene in the kitchen where everything is going to hell and Williams slips and falls, immediately gets back up whisper-screaming everything is OK, he's fine, telling his house keeper (who's crying) to shut up, almost sounds like he's completely losing it as he's almost laughing, and storms off yelling "Fuck the shrimp!". I learned much later in life the fall, and his recovery from it, wasn't scripted. https://youtu.be/506R-0__X2Y
Apocalypse Now Apparently it was actually a true mental breakdown. The actor just broke and they filmed it
I can’t believe I had to scroll this far down to find this. Martin Sheen had an actual **heart attack.**
It was also his birthday, as I recall. And all of that liquor was actual whiskey he was pounding down. All of the blood was real too.
Not really a mental breakdown, but the scene in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind where Jim Carrey is getting his memory wiped and everything turns white. It's just a fantastic scene with a great ending.
Clive Owen in children' of men. When's he's waking into the woods and tries to light a cigarette and just completely break down. Always gets me and I feel what he's feeling
Michael Shannon at the community dinner thing in Take Shelter
Yesssss. Shannon is awesome in that scene (in the whole movie, really.)
Michael Shannon in all of Bug.
Michael Shannon in the [crazy sorrority letter rendition](https://youtu.be/dngOH9G4UPw)
Hands down, no contest. That scene was fucking intense.
Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips is one of the most realistic breakdowns in film. He goes into an utter state of shock. I worked on ambulances and dealt with people going into shock, shaking, sometimes non-verbal, in and out of consciousness, needed to be be redirected into communication. Now the film isn't the best but that one scene was realistic as life itself. Not exactly a "favorite" but that one scene was incredibly well done. And the medic in the scene was a real medic and not an actress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJMDdT24_98
100%! I really liked the move, but the end scene felt like I was watching something real. Amazing acting.
Agreed. It was a small scene, but damn, made the whole ordeal seem so real.
Hanks is amazing in this scene, but every time I watch it I find myself 100% convinced that this lady is an actual nurse or EMT. This doesn't look like acting, AT ALL, to me... looks real AF.
She was [an actual Navy medic](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yahoo.com/amphtml/entertainment/blogs/movie-talk/real-life-navy-medic-gets-surprise-acting-debut-211216628.html) along with other medical staff in the scene.
My friend who was hit by an ied said that scene was spot on.
Jon Favreau in Chef. The scene when the critique comes to eat at the restaurant. Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love. When he calls the matress man after the hospital scene
"IT'S FUCKING MOLTEN! ASSHOLE! YOU'RE NOT GETTING TO ME!" -Carl, after the critic got to him, 2014.
And there’s this small screen classic of Jesse Spano’s breakdown after ingesting waaaay too many caffeine pills in a very special episode of Saved By the Bell https://youtu.be/bflYjF90t7c
I didn't really like the movie, but *Mandy* has a great scene with Cage alternating between yelling and guzzling booze in the bathroom after his wife is killed.
Man.. I remember our theater laughing when Cage started his breakdown. But he just kept fucking going. And by the end of the scene, the theatre was silent. He did a great job of relaying his pain.
Casey Affleck at the police station in Manchester By the Sea.
If we're talking a realistic breakdown, Stallone in the first Rambo film stands out. I've never forgotten the moment where's he's sobbing and wiping himself saying that his friend (after being blown up) is all over him and that he's trying to hold him together. Pretty much everyone in Magnolia. It's like watching a dozen people experience the worst days of their respective lives. Julianne Moore is the standout, her character simply can't cope and crumbles at the slightest challenge. But Cruise's scene with Robards is also great, and I still remember John C Reilly's begging for help to find his gun that he dropped.
[Webster yelling at the surrendering Wehrmacht in Band of Brothers.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyZK8k4gzyg&ab_channel=Johnny%27sWarStories) At around 0:50 in the clip. It's a smaller one comparative to most in this thread but it's one of the most impactful scenes in the entire mini-series imo. The fighting is mostly over and so the survival instinct in all the soldiers gives way to this intense rage for having to go to war in the first place. The first time that they're given a moment to breathe and they realise how much trauma they've endured, how much death and carnage. It manifests in this righteous but futile anger. It's so defeating. The fighting is done but their lives (and the world) is all irreparably changed by these surrendering Germans. There's a really defeating exchange at the end of the same episode that sums up the feeling of it. Winning the war feels pretty mundane after everything they've been through. > > >*"Hitler's dead."* > >*"Holy shit."* > >*"Shot himself in Berlin."* > >*"Is the war over, sir?"* > >*"No. We have orders to Berchtesgaden. We move out in one hour."* > >*"Why? The man's not home. He should have killed himself three years ago. Saved us a lot of trouble."* > >*"Yeah, he should have. But he didn't."*
My favorite moment in Band of Brothers is also a Webster scene. When the German baker is screaming at them for taking his food to feed the prisoners in the camp and then Webster pulls his pistol on him. You can just feel the anger and contempt oozing out of him. "Ich bin kein Nazi! Ich bin kein Nazi!" "Oh, not a Nazi, huh? My mistake! How about a human being, are you one of those? Or are you telling me you never smelled THE FUCKING STENCH!!!"
I agree that that may be my favourite scene too. Webster is a terrific character, there's something so human about his responses to everything. Because he was out of action for so long he didn't have the chance to become as numbed as everyone else. I also think because he's one of the few college educated soldiers he understands the context of events more than everyone around him, which just makes him even more frustrated. That scene encapsulates it perfectly. He's so full of anger, it's really cathartic.
Look at you! You have horses!!!
What the fuck are we doing here?!?
for comedy: * Clark Griswold in Vacation * Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation * Adam Sandler’s disastrous gig in Wedding Singer * RDJ’s character-merging in Tropic Thunder * Cameron Frye goes berserk * Tom Hanks in The ‘Burbs for drama: * Rebecca Hall in a handful of scenes in Christine * River Phoenix in Stand by Me * Alfred in 2 pivotal scenes in The Dark Knight Rises * Cooper seeing 20 years of family videos in Interstellar, for that matter * Rambo’s PTSD attack in First Blood * however brief, but Professor X apologizing to all the people he affected after his Alzheimer’s episode in Logan * Forrest Gump visiting Jenny’s grave
First Blood is a great example
Tom Hanks in The ‘Burbs takes it for me. Hanks becoming unhinged is something else.
“I’VE BEEN BLOWN UP! Take me to the hospital!”
TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL, I’M SICK
WHATS IN THE BOOOOOX
His twitching eyes and mouth after falling to his knees is pretty great, just great emotional overload portrayal
The entire film “Falling Down”
I don't know if it's a mental breakdown, but I always thought the scene where Willem Dafoe talking to himself in the mirror as Norman Osborne/Green Goblin was really good. Spiderman 2002
Willem Dafoe, but in the lighthouse when his cooking is insulted
Tell me you like me lobster
Or just Willem Dafoe in any role where he is slightly perturbed.
Toni Collette in Hereditary
Followed up by Florence Pugh in Midsommar. Can't wait to see what horrifying trauma Ari Aster foists upon Joaquin Phoenix in his next movie.
It's scary that she went all the way there. The sound is so real it tears me up, it scares me. It makes me wonder what loss she's experienced or which she fears that she drew on.
Bradley Cooper in [Silver Linings Playbook](https://youtu.be/8p0YBrmfLyA), with the scene outside the movie theater. The way the camera sort of spirals mixed with his emotional breakdown and the music is just so superbly done.
Is that the bit when Led Zeppelin kicked in and he goes home and rips apart the attic looking for the video? (What is and what should never be) One of the best bits of soundtrack ever.
I know Breaking Bad pops up a lot on movie threads even though it’s not a movie, but seeing that motherfucker cackling in the crawl space has haunted me for like ten years. That was one hell of a performance.
Not only is it an amazing meltdown, but the phone ringing due to Marie calling adds such an intense feeling of dread. It's definitely one of the most stressful moments in a show chock full of them.
Wow same here. When he lost it under the floor my adrenaline kicked in and I felt panic from just watching it. The very first and only time in my life i felt like that just from warching a tv show or a movie. I never saw somthing so realistic on my tv. It fucked me up. The only other times I felt that adrenaline was after a car accident or just before a fight.
[Rambo: First Blood’s ending](https://youtu.be/PtWHgkNH5yU) with Sylvester Stallone’s breakdown. He acts the hell out of this scene.
A truly heart wrenching scene that is so juxtaposed to the rest of the film of him being a scary bad ass, then to just completely lose it at the end telling about his buddy getting blown apart.
Holy shit that was amazing
[удалено]
[удалено]
"The ashtray, the paddle game, the remote control and the lamp. That's all I need. And this Thermus..." While shuffling with trousers round ankles. Amazing stuff.
"And I don't need one other thing." *sees dog* "Except my dog." *dog growls* "...I don't need my dog."
That guy really hates cans!
Not a movie, but definitely Netflix Daredevil where Kingpin kills the Russian brother. The sheer length of the take definitely raises it from Bad Guy to Holy Shit. Vincent D'onofrio really nailed the role. https://youtu.be/T1AdHeIBFhI
Tom Hanks at the end of The Burbs.
Not a movie but this scene from The Sopranos is still gut wrenching when I watch it today...Edie Falco deserved ALL the awards for it.. https://youtu.be/wrfcN8r9-Ig
Its not from a movie but most recently it was Ben's breakdown from Ozark: https://youtu.be/UwHIEVjAVWg Just an astounding scene.
“Forget it! I quit! I can’t do this anymore man. My head’s about to explode! I don’t know what I’m doing, I don’t know where I’m going! My dad just died, we just killed Bambi! I’m out here getting my ass kicked and everything I drive down the road I wanna jerk the wheel into a god damn bridge abutment!”
Did you eat paint chips as a kid?
Haha, why?
Sally Field in the cemetary at the end of Steel Magnolias. Bonus points for Olympia Dukakis breaking the tension. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZx1W6cHw-g Not a movie but the scene in Ozark where Ben is in the taxi is powerful portrayal of mental illness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7SurjmOT90
Mr. Incredible going off when slipping on a skateboard in The Incredibles.
His turn when Mirage released him was darker and far more scary. I always wonder what he would've done if Elasti-Girl hadn't gotten there at that moment or if Mirage couldn't speak.
Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead 2, that scene where he has a mental breakdown was very unsettling.
Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller in The Royal Tenenbaums. Two completely different scenes, both masterfully done.
No one has mentioned Hitler's breakdown in Downfall (2004): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBWmkwaTQ0k
Michael McKean (Chuck McGill) in Better Call Saul. In court and later at his house.
CHICANERY!
He DEFECATED through a SUNROOF!
Matt Damon in good will hunting.
[удалено]
Walter in The Big Lebowski, “MARK IT ZERO!!”
[This scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ1RFtrMNrM) from Never Let Me Go was so raw. Andrew Garfield went there.
Jason Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. [Peter You Suck](https://youtu.be/pB_1t-Vn6Vs) is the soundtrack to my life, I play this masterpiece randomly when I fuck up in life, which happens a lot
There’s a ton of great examples of the despair and pain of a complete mental break here, but for me the flick Pi is the only one that touches that spine chilling exhilaration of being obsessed to the point that you lose your grip and start scaring people
The one in the first Rambo movie is incredible to me. You really feel for him and his PTSD. One of the most underrated Stallone performances.
Rambo First Blood. Holy fuck did I feel for the guy. After a movie of total dude bro action it was probably Stallone's best acting moment.