Favorite ad-libbed film lines

Bill Murray's speech in Scrooge'd. The director said "Action" and just let him go.
 
Tommy DeVito: What do you mean I'm funny

Henry Hill: It's funny, you know. It's a good story, it's funny, you're a funny guy. (laughs).

Tommy DeVito: what do you mean, you mean the way I talk? What?

Henry Hill: It's just, you know. You're just funny, it's... funny, the way you tell the story and everything.

Tommy DeVito: Funny how? What's funny about it?

Anthony Stabile: Tommy no, You got it all wrong.

Tommy DeVito: Oh, oh, Anthony. He's a big boy, he knows what he said. What did ya say? Funny how?

Henry Hill: Jus...

Tommy DeVito: What?

Henry Hill: Just... ya know... you're funny.

Tommy DeVito: You mean, let me understand this cause, ya know maybe it's me, I'm a little fd up maybe, but I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to fin' amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?

Henry Hill: Just... you know, how you tell the story, what?

Tommy DeVito: No, no, I don't know, you said it. How do I know? You said I'm funny. How the f am I funny, what the f is so funny about me? Tell me, tell me what's funny

Henry Hill: (long pause) Get the f out of here, Tommy!

Tommy DeVito: (everyone laughs) Ya! I almost had him, I almost had him.. Frankie, was he shaking? I wonder about you sometimes, Henry. You may fold under questioning.

This best Goodfellas bit is based on an incident Pesci had with a mobster when he was a waiter. He mentioned it to Scorsese who let him and Liotta improvise the scene. The other actors weren’t told the dialog because Scorsese wanted them to look uncomfortable. Can you believe the two actors just made that up? Genius.
 
Pretty much anything Gunnery Sergeant Hartman said in Full Metal Jacket.

R. Lee Ermey was a genius.
 
I wonder how many (if any!) of these examples are true ad-libs. "I know", for example, while not in the script, was come up with by Ford all right, but not when the camera was rolling. It was in discussions with the director during the day.

Or does "ad lib" not mean "thought of that very second to everyone's surprise" like I think it does? :lol
 
"Maybe we can change the choreography...so they don't trod upon it."

"We're experimenting with the packaging."
"Do they have monkeys opening it?"
 
Bill Pullman's "Today we celebrate out Independence Day!" As that pretty much cemented the title for the movie, and it actually allowed them to title the much as that. Not sure if it's an actual ad-lib, but I know it wasn't in the original script.
 
The Godfather
"Leave the gun, take the cannoli." Richard Castellano playing Clemenza added "take the cannoli."

Great line. That's why it's been my signature lol
Good call !
 
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Treadwell said:
I wonder how many (if any!) of these examples are true ad-libs. "I know", for example, while not in the script, was come up with by Ford all right, but not when the camera was rolling. It was in discussions with the director during the day.

Or does "ad lib" not mean "thought of that very second to everyone's surprise" like I think it does? :lol
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Sort of wondering the same thing...

In my experience the best - if not only - way to determine if a line was an ad-lib or not is to watch the Director's Commentary.

if this is not the only way, then how do you guys know these are truly ad-libbed?
 
Do physical reactions count...?

Had a wonderfully enlightening chat with the operator of the airstrip in the Florida Keys used in License To Kill.

Apparently, in the scene when Dalton is sitting in the door of the Coast Guard chopper and his hat is "shot" out of his hand, Dalton was not expecting the dquib and his shocked response was quite real.
 
In "The Philadelphia Story", Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart are talking, Stewart "drunk", and hiccups for real during a take, Grant says "gesundheit" and almost cracks Stewart up.
 
Sorry if I missed this already but, De Kelley's line in ST II:

Spock: Jim, be careful

McCoy: WE will....
 
SSgt Burton said:
"Robocop": Clarence has just blown Murphy's right hand off with a shotgun blast...

"Well give the man a hand!"


Kevin
Click to expand...
The blood spit and phone call line in the police station were as well, and happened during Kurtwood Smith's first day on set. My personal pick is from Die Hard with a Vengeance, after John McClane walks into the Federal Reserve:

Terrorist: "Are you alright?"
McClane: "Yeah, it's um...laundry day."

So many good ad-libs from those films, but that one always makes me laugh.
 
For the sake of the discussion, let's define ad-libbed as dialog contributed by the actor instead of the screenwriter. Done.
 
Some of the ones listed are definitely not the actor's lines (on set or as a change to the script), and I'm not sure this is a legit one either but I've heard it was ad-libbed:

Bill Murray in the diner in Kingpin, turns around in his seat and waves to a couple girls (extras) sitting behind him. "Hi. Not you. (nodding to the other girl) Hi." :lol
 
It's a Wonderful Life when a drunk Uncle Billy walks off camera, someone behind the scenes knocked over some items making a huge crashing sound. Uncle Billy replies with, "I'm alright. I'm allllright." Jimmy Stewart cracks a smile.
 
I've wondered about the SWAT team in The Blues Brothers. One of the heavy armored guys pricks his thumb on a rosebush and yells 'owww!'.
 
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