None of the movies on Wes Anderson’s filmography are full-on comedies, but they all have plenty of hilarious moments. His unique storytelling style is defined by a combination of dry humor and heartfelt melancholy. From the dysfunctional family of The Royal Tenenbaums to the young love of Moonrise Kingdom, Anderson has used his quirky stories to capture relatable situations.
All of Anderson’s scripts have great gags, and these scenes really pop when he casts an actor whose comic timing is attuned to his directorial style — like Owen Wilson or Bill Murray or Edward Norton — to bring his characters to life.
The Prison Break In The Grand Budapest Hotel
The second act of The Grand Budapest Hotel takes a surprising turn when M. Gustave is captured and imprisoned. He ends up befriending the hardened criminals he shares a cell with and they plot to escape.
In a movie with dramatic sequences (Zero recounting Agatha’s death) and outright terrifying sequences (Jeff Goldblum getting his fingers chopped off by a sliding door), the prison break is one of The Grand Budapest Hotel’s funniest scenes.
Suzy’s Dad Rips Up The Tent In Moonrise Kingdom
While Sam and Suzy are enjoying the honeymoon phase of their relationship on an isolated beach, dancing to French records and falling in love, Suzy’s parents and the rest of the Khaki Scouts are frantically searching for them.
The next morning, a half-dressed Sam and Suzy wake up and open their tent to see Suzy’s parents, furious, and the whole Khaki Scout troop staring back at them. As Suzy’s dad runs at the tent in a rage, Sam quickly zips up the door, but Suzy’s dad just uproots the entire tent.
Chas Chases Eli Around The House In The Royal Tenenbaums
On the morning of Henry and Etheline’s wedding, Eli crashes his car into the house, high on mescaline, narrowly avoiding the safety-conscious Chas’ two young sons. While Royal manages to save Ari and Uzi from being killed in the crash, their dog Buckley doesn’t make it.
A furious Chas chases Eli through the house, knocking an elderly priest down a staircase along the way. Chas follows Eli into the next backyard over and lies next to him, where they both decide that they need to get help.
“Esteban Was Eaten!” In The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
One of Anderson’s most underrated movies, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou stars Bill Murray as an eccentric oceanographer who’s a thinly veiled homage to French diving pioneer Jacques Cousteau, to whom Anderson dedicated the movie.
When Zissou initially encounters the tiger shark, he frantically describes it to Klaus and tells him, “Esteban was eaten!” Klaus is confused and asks, “He was swallowed whole?” Zissou says, “No! Chewed!”
Catching The Train (The Second Time) In The Darjeeling Limited
In the opening scene of The Darjeeling Limited, Adrien Brody races past Bill Murray in slow motion to catch the train at the last second as it departs from the station, set perfectly to the sounds of the Kinks’ “This Time Tomorrow.”
Later in the movie, after the three brothers have gone on an incredible emotional journey, this shot is mirrored as they all race to catch the train in slow motion — this time set to the Kinks’ “Powerman” — and decide to ditch all their recently deceased dad’s suitcases along the way. It was the funniest way to show the trio letting go of their grief, gladly flinging their father’s cherished belongings into the air.
M. Gustave Runs Away From The Police In The Grand Budapest Hotel
If some police officers showed up at a European hotel to arrest Jason Bourne, a visceral, fast-cutting chase scene would follow. Wes Anderson hilariously subverts those expectations when the police arrive to arrest M. Gustave for murder in The Grand Budapest Hotel.
He casually turns and runs away and, after taking way too long to catch on, the police start chasing after him. It’s a beautifully well-timed comedic moment, harking back to the visual gags of the earliest big-screen comedies.
“Oh, Are They?” In Rushmore
Midway through Rushmore, Max Fischer goes to dinner with the teacher he has a crush on and the doctor she’s dating (a much more age-appropriate and well-adjusted romantic partner) and tries to outwit him.
When Max condescendingly says, “I like your nurse’s uniform, guy,” the doctor replies, “These are O.R. scrubs,” and Max quips, “Oh, are they?”
Sam Gets Struck By Lightning In Moonrise Kingdom
When Sam and Suzy are on their way to secretly get married, on the run from the Khaki Scouts on their tail, Sam is struck by lightning.
This scene is a great example of Anderson incorporating techniques from animation after helming the animated Fantastic Mr. Fox, essentially creating a live-action cartoon.
Royal’s Epitaph In The Royal Tenenbaums
In the final scene of The Royal Tenenbaums, after Royal has died of a heart attack at the age of 68 and Chas is the only witness to his passing, the family attends his funeral. No one speaks at the service, which the narrator claims Royal would’ve found “most satisfactory.”
The priest takes a look at the headstone and is stunned by the hysterically inaccurate epitaph Royal requested Etheline put on there: “Died tragically rescuing his family from the wreckage of a destroyed sinking battleship.”
The Final Heist In Bottle Rocket
Wes Anderson’s debut feature Bottle Rocket offers his take on a Bande à part-esque story of regular people trying to pull off a heist. It’s obvious to the audience (but not the characters) that Dignan’s plan will fail, but it’s unclear just how badly it’ll fail until the movie’s climactic sequence.
Kumar can’t crack the safe, Bob accidentally fires his gun, Applejack has a minor heart attack, and Dignan locks the team out of the getaway van.