The Most Awkward Dinner Scenes In Movie History
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The Most Awkward Dinner Scenes In Movie History

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Yes, Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year. But for many people...well, it can be awkward—especially in 2020. COVID-19 has forced countless holiday celebrations to be cancelled. Plus, politics have undoubtedly divided many households across the country.

But trust me: no matter how bad Thanksgiving dinner seems in the moment, it’s not as bad as it could be.

Seriously. Some of the most uncomfortable, cringe-worthy, absolutely unbearably awkward moments in movie history happen during a meal. And compared to your Thanksgiving dinner, these scenes will make your Thursday will seems like a walk in the park.

So here they are: the most awkward dinner scenes in movie history.

2 Days in Paris (2007)

Meeting the parents can be rough...especially when your girlfriend has shared things with her parents that you wished she wouldn’t have. The conversation arc of Jack's dinner with Marion's family in 2 Days in Paris takes many turns, from a discussion of literature to being forced to eat a freshly killed bunny, all made slightly more difficult by the language barrier.

8½ (1963)

Guido was a bit of a player in 8 1/2, and he always had trouble keeping track of his ladies' whereabouts for the sake of his loving wife. But lo and behold, why not just escape into a fantasy? Transporting himself back in time, the 20 or so women flooding Guido's life gather at his childhood dinner table and fight for his affection through various silly acts. Awkward for demeaning themselves, yes, but perhaps more so because of Guido's warped state of mind.

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Not really a “dinner” scene...but it’s close enough, right? A classic scene from Alice in Wonderland, Alice becomes continually more and more frustrated with the March Hare and the Hatter' ridiculous riddles before eventually storming off. And when the Hatter reveals their tea party never ends because of a curse, you just...uhhhhh. Don't really know what to say to that.

Alien (1979)

Do I need to preface this one? You're eating dinner, you're all laughing, you're all safe...and then John Hurt has to hog all the attention in Alien. What a rude guy!

American Beauty (1999)

Will someone please pass the asparagus?

No? OK, I'll come over and get it. American Beauty knows how to make it AWKWARD.

American History X (1998)

It's hard to track where such hate and prejudice can stem from, but for Derek Vinyard in American History X, it may have very well started during a conversation with his father over dinner, in which they discussed affirmative action and whether it was a fair practice. Unsure of himself at the time, the monster Derek becomes is a reflection of this rather awkward moment—and just how dark the human soul can become.

Annie Hall (1977)

Ever feel like you just can't win with the in-laws? Can't say anything right? Well, Annie Hall understands that feeling.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

Talk about power plays. Brad Pitt commands this scene from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by subtly insulting and tearing apart the wide-eyed Robert throughout a dinner at the Ford's home. The more frustrated and embarrassed Robert becomes, the closer he comes to the point where he flies off the wagon and plots murder.

Away We Go (2009)

"The pain from childbirth is really enlightening." 

Yes, it is...good point. Anyway, there are few times I've been more satisfied with a film than when Burt places Roderick and LN's son into a stroller and races away from them around their home in Away We Go.

Back to the Future (1985)

The only thing more awkward than sitting down to have dinner with your grandparents from 30 years ago is having your mother from 30 years ago. Back to the Future made it uncomfortable for the entire movie world...

Beetlejuice (1988)

Shake, shake, shake, Señora, shake your body line 

Shake, shake, shake, Señora, shake it all the time 

Work, work, work, Señora, work your body line 

Work, work, work, Señora, work it all the time 

(Jump in the line, rock your body in time) OK, I believe you!

The Birdcage (1996)

This classic dinner from The Birdcage is one where nothing can seem to go right. Armand, Barbara, and Val must all pretend Albert is Mrs. Coleman, all the while discussing with homoerotic china and eating hard-boiled egg and shrimp soup. 

The Break-Up (2006)

Aren't harmonies fun? Well, maybe not in The Break-Up when your brother-in-law is in your face, wailing the first lines of "Owner of a Lonely Heart", and then forcing each member of the dinner table to join in one by one. I don't know, I'm a Yes fan, so I don't see what the big deal is...

A Christmas Story (1983)

"Randy, how do the little piggies go? That's right. Oink, oink! Now show me how the piggies eat." 

The look on the dad's face in A Christmas Story? Priceless.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Wanna watch a marriage crumble in just two minutes? Watch in horror as the egocentric and power-hungry Kane destroys his marriage through a commitment to his work and a stubborn mindset. 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

I hate mashed potatoes, so I applaud Richard Dreyfuss for his work in Close Encounter of the Third Kind. Just wish he didn't feel compelled to do so with his family sitting there...

Donnie Darko (2001)

"Oh, please, tell me, Elizabeth, how exactly does one—” OK, I’m going to go ahead and cut Donnie Darko off right there. 

I don't have the answer to that question, but I do know that it is, yeah, sort of awkward when your kids starting inventing new insults while your young, impressionable daughter watches on.

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

The worst time to meet your boyfriend's parents? How about when you're possessed by an evil spirit. A pretty hilarious scene that culminates in an eyeball popping out of Christine's homemade harvest cake, it's nonetheless awkward because of the mother-in-law's preemptive disapproval and inability to be satisfied. I wonder if evil ancient spirits turn her off her as well?

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Remember the first time you used utensils? Bet it wasn't as hard as it was for Edward in Edward Scissorhands.

Eraserhead (1977)

Oh David Lynch, you just love imagery and metaphors so much, don't you? Well I'm not complaining, because he gave us this hilarious and incredibly awkward dinner scene in Eraserhead.

Funny People (2009)

After cheating on her husband, Laura must sit down with her husband Clarke and her former lover George and have a rather strange dinner in Funny People, made all the more awkward by Clarke's belief that George still has cancer. And then Ira automatically makes any situation twice as awkward. So, yeah.

Gosford Park (2001)

Mixed in with the Clue-like murder-mystery of Gosford Park is a clear back-and-forth class warfare between elites and super-elites, shown through various seating arrangements at the dinner table that leave people like Renee to occupy empty chairs, all the while creating intense bitterness and senses of impending betrayal.

The Great Dictator (1940)

In order to decide who will sacrifice their own life to murder the oppressive dictator in The Great Dictator, the barber and his guests leave it to chance. Each presented with a bowl of pudding, the one who discovers a coin in his treat must become the "hero". Too bad nobody actually wants the burden, which produces a rather brilliant scene where the barber and his comrades pass the deadly pudding between one another when they're not looking, and we witness the barber swallow several coins in the process.

Hannibal (2001)

Want an awkward dinner scene? How about this one from Hannibal when Hannibal eats Ray Liotta's brains. Forget Goodfellas—this is Liotta's defining moment.

Hesher (2010)

There are several awkward dinner moments in Hesher, maybe all stemming from the fact that Hesher is eating there against the father's will.

Home for the Holidays (1995)

Had a bad Thanksgiving dinner before? Bet it wasn't like this. After an awkward moment where the father expresses his contempt for tradition and whatnot, Tommy cuts into the turkey...only to fling it into a guest's lap. For the record: yes, you still eat the turkey.

The Ice Storm (1997)

"Dear Lord, thank you for this Thanksgiving holiday. And for all the material possessions we have and enjoy. And for letting us white people kill all the Indians and steal their tribal lands. And stuff ourselves like pigs, even though children in Asia are being napalmed." 

The end.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Monkey brains and snakes? Sure. Why not. In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, it’s gloriously awkward to watch Willie's face configure into something comically absurd at the sight of it all. But, you know, it's rude not to finish everything on your plate, so...

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Well...yeah. It's awkward for EVERYONE when the children's surrogate father sits down to have dinner after being absent for 18-or-so years. Why is he there again?

Knocked Up (2007)

"Because he likes breakfast so much." 

Best way to explain to an eight-year-old girl why a hairy, out-of-shape man is eating eggs and toast with Katherine Heigl. 

"We're gonna have a baby!" 

Most abrupt and awkward way to explain to an eight-year-old girl why a hairy, out-of-shape man is eating eggs and toast with Katherine Heigl.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Ted and Martha get into a bit of a heated discussion over dinner regarding, you know, the point of life and stuff. It's all made slightly more awkward by Martha's inability to defend her point because, you know, she's been in a cult for a few years. Is it just me, or do they both, you know, seem wrong?

Meet the Parents (2000)

The only thing more awkward than being offered to milk Robert De Niro's nipples is accidentally smashing his mother's urn and spreading her ashes about the carpet. The situation MIGHT have been fixable if the cat hadn't stepped in...

Melancholia (2011)

Awkward wedding toasts! This time it involves some heated inner-family debates, showing that some people's egos are just too big to leave the fighting at home. Sometimes, you need an audience!

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Alright you gotta choose: would you rather have a turkey tossed into your lap by Robert Downey Jr. in Home for the Holidays or eat this dried-out treat from Chevy Chase's dinner table in Christmas Vacation? Either scenario comes with a sarcastic remark.

Nothing But Trouble (1991)

It's enough to make you never want to eat a brat again. Or eat period.

The Nutty Professor (1996)

"Mashed potatoes give me gas." 

"Big, small, medium, midgets." 

Farting, burping, wheezing...and more farting.

All of that happens...and then Sherman gets to introduce his girlfriend.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

I think we all know the lesson from this dinner: don't make fun of emotionally confused people with violent tendencies. That is unless you REALLY don't care about your sliding glass doors.

Raging Bull (1980)

Well, they aren't eating (although there's a slightly awkward eating scene with Jake eating too much food?), but they're at the dinner table, and Jake is asking his brother to punch him in the face. Talk about self-destructive...

Scent of a Woman (1992)

Hey, it's that movie Al Pacino won an Oscar for! But seriously: why would you EVER disrespect Al Pacino like this???

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

If the incessant screaming of that poor girl didn't make it awkward enough, perhaps it was the grunting, wheezing, and cringe-worthy guffawing of the deformed family forcing her to dine with them.

The Tree of Life (2011)

You probably shouldn't be insulting your hard-nosed father at the dinner table, especially when he has the tendency to slap you around. In a family that's already unstable and falling apart, it seemed like the last straw for the O'Brien family, as Mr. O'Brien soon after leaves the house for a few weeks and the children rejoice.

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