50 Best Movie Spoof Moments

The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)

The Moment: Cindy (Olivia Hack) heads next door to ask Larry Dittmeyer (Gary Cole) if there’s any mail there for them – except Dittmeyer can’t understand a word she’s saying thanks to her lisp…

What’s It Spoofing: The movie itself is both a spoof and an homage to the original TV series.

Why It’s Great: When her husband leaves, Dena (Jean Smart) takes the opportunity to ask Cindy about her father.

“Next Christmas, tell your daddy I’d be more than happy to wrap his package…” Oh my.

Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

The Moment: Almost impossible to choose just one moment of greatness, but this one’s a giggler – Shaun (Simon Pegg) wanders to the newsagent, completely oblivious to the fact that a zombie apocalypse has landed.

What’s It Spoofing: Anything by Romero.

Why It’s Great: Shaun’s obliviousness will strike a chord with any big city dweller, where most people walk around like zombies anyway.

Shanghai Noon (2000)

The Moment: Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) uses a horse shoe and a bit of rope to take down gun-toting cowboys.

What’s It Spoofing: Western stand-offs.

Why It’s Great: It shakes up the Western formula – and shows off Chan’s considerable fighting prowess.

Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)

The Moment: Sgt Jack Colt (Emilio Estevez) has an encounter with convenience store workers.

To say he’s intense would be something of an understatement.

What’s It Spoofing: Lethal Weapon – right down to Estevez’s tight, stone-wash jeans.

Why It’s Great : Estevez’s impression of Mel Gibson is surprisingly, hysterically prophetic…

The Naked Gun 2: The Smell Of Fear (1991)

The Moment: Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) and Dr. Albert Meinheimer (Richard Griffiths) have been kidnapped – but Frank has a plan to escape.

What’s It Spoofing: Various Bond movies plus Mission: Impossible (the show).

Why It’s Great: It’s why we love Frank – he’s a hero almost despite himself.

Piranha (1978)

The Moment: Piranhas strike at a newly-opened water park. Cue people screaming and being dragged under the water, which quickly turns red…

What’s It Spoofing: Jaws .

Why It’s Great: This exchange as the carnage takes place: Whitney: The piranhas... / Buck Gardner: What about the goddamn piranhas? / Whitney: They're eating the guests, sir.

The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad! (1988)

The Moment: Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) and Jane Spencer (Priscilla Presley) fall madly in love – first practicing safe sex (ahem), then frolicking on the beach, laughing at Platoon and getting hot dogs.

What’s It Spoofing: Soppy romcom montages that you’ve seen a million times over.

Why It’s Great: It makes us feel better about laughing at Platoon .

Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)

The Moment: War hero Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) gets in the ring for an epic fist fight that ends in his opponent spitting out nuts…

What’s It Spoofing: Rambo .

Why It’s Great: Sheen’s never played it straighter, and never been funnier.

Top Secret! (1984)

The Moment: A pair of resistance fighters dress up in a cow suit, armed with an infiltration plan. Except they didn’t count on a horny bull disrupting said plan…

What’s It Spoofing: Any spy film that involves dressing up to go undercover.

Why It’s Great: The film sees Kilmer at his finest and funniest, but even he’s upstaged here…

Hot Rod (2007)

The Moment: Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg) vents his anger at the prospect of his stepfather dying by heading out into the forest and dancing like a maniac.

What’s It Spoofing: Footloose .

Why It’s Great : It ends with Rod rolling endlessly down a hill after tripping over. Klutz.

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.