50 Most Awkward Movie Moments

Desperate Living (1977)

The Movie: John Waters' typically taboo-busting crime thriller revolves around the inhabitants of transgressive shantytown Mortville.

The Awkward Moment: Self-loathing lesbian Mole McHenry (Susan Lowe) gets a sex change, but lover Muffy St Jacques (Liz Renay) doesn't like it, so Mole cuts off her new penis.

Look Away When: The severed penis is thrown out of the window, and a passing dog grabs it as a snack.

World's Greatest Dad (2009)

The Movie: Lance Clayton (Robin Williams) takes drastic measures to maintain family pride when his obnoxious son dies in an autoerotic asphyxiation accident.

The Awkward Moment: Lance finally admits to the school he faked his son's suicide: "you guys didn't like Kyle. That's okay. I didn't either. I loved him. He was my son. But he was also a douchebag."

Look Away When: A student walks over to Lance, and slaps him across the face.

The Hangover Part 2 (2011)

The Movie: They've swapped Las Vegas for Bangkok - otherwise, it's business as usual as the Wolf Pack awakes without remembering a single thing they did the night before.

The Awkward Moment: Kimmy (Yasmin Lee) reveals that Stu (Ed Helms) had sex with her... Her? Him . Kimmy's a transgender prostitute.

Look Away When: Kimmy turns around and gives them all an eyeful of her manhood.

Withnail And I (1987)

The Movie: Unemployed actors Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and Marwood, aka I (Paul McGann) go on holiday by mistake to stave off boredom in Bruce Robinson's semi-autobiographical comedy about life at the fag-end of the 1960s.

The Awkward Moment: Marwood is confronted in his bedroom by Withnail's Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths), who mistaken thinks Marwood is as gay as he is.

Look Away When: A desperate Monty yells that, "I mean to have you even if it must be burglary."

Kingpin (1996)

The Movie: The ten pin bowling circuit looks like the seventh circle of Hell in the Farrelly brothers' gross-out comedy.

The Awkward Moment: Down-and-out ex-star Roy Munson (Woody Harrelson) is so poor he has to have sex with his gnarly landlady (Lin Shaye) in lieu of rent.

Look Away When: Roy throws up post-shag as the landlady admits she needs to take a crap: "pump and dump."

Superbad (2007)

The Movie: All Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) want to do is have one great night out. How hard can it be?

The Awkward Moment: Seth thinks he's finally in with a girl at a party, only to realise she's on her period in the most embarrassing way possible.

Look Away When: Fellow partygoers twig what's happened: "ha ha dude! This guy's got period blood on his leg!"

About Schmidt (2002)

The Movie: Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt in Alexander Payne's tragicomedy about a misanthropic widower trying to find his way forward in life.

The Awkward Moment: Invited for dinner by a kind couple, Warren mistakes the intention of the wife (Connie Ray) when they have a heart-to-heart.

Look Away When: Warren makes a pass at her and she recoils in horror. "Get off me - are you insane?"

My Father The Hero (1994)

The Movie: Gérard Depardieu reprises his role as André, the divorced dad determined to do whatever it takes to keep daughter Nicole (a young Katherine Heigl) happy.

The Awkward Moment: After a tall tale by Nicole leads the community to wrongly believe her dad is a paedophile, André inadvertently chooses the most inappropriate song when he's asked to play "something French" at a posh restaurant.

Look Away When: André launches into a jovial rendition of Maurice Chevalier's Thank Heaven For Little Girls , as the room empties behind him.

Old School (2003)

The Movie: How old is too old? For eternal fratboys like Frank "the Tank" Ricard (Will Ferrell), never.

The Awkward Moment: Frank heads off on a spontaneous streak, not realising nobody else is joining in, and is caught by his wife and her friends as they drive past.

Look Away When: Someone remarks, "looks like it's a little cold out there;" Frank's face is the definition of 'crestfallen.'

Mean Girls (2004)

The Movie: Tina Fey scripted the acerbic high school satire that gave a pre-meltdown Lindsay Lohan her finest hour as non-mean girl Cady Heron.

The Awkward Moment: Cady comes face-to-face with the guy she fancies at a party. Trouble is, she's paralytic.

Look Away When: Cady throws up in his lap. Not "word vomit" - actual vomit.