GUEST COLUMN: 4 Movies With Hilarious Pool-Side Scenes

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4 Movies With Hilarious Pool-Side Scenes

by Kevin Gardner

The comedy film genre has some scenes that seem to keep showing up. One of these recurring sequences, oddly enough, is a pool-side scene. Tons of movies have this, and most use it wonderfully. So, if you're looking for additions to your watchlist, here are four movies with hilarious pool-side scenes.

1. Hot Rod

If you're looking for a classic comedy film with a lot of physical humor, not to mention a hilarious pool scene, look no further than Hot Rod. This movie centers around an amateur stunt artist named Rod. Unfortunately, Rod's inability to actually perform stunts becomes an issue pretty quickly. The pool scene is one of the funniest examples of this. In the scene, Rod tries to hold his breath underwater for forty seconds. His friends are supposed to hold him down. As a safety precaution, Rod plans to ring a bell if something goes wrong. Of course, Rod's lack of lung strength immediately becomes a problem, and he gives up about ten seconds in. At that point, his friends are yelling about grape juice, and therefore don't hear the bell ring. This results in the group accidentally drowning Rod. This scene is chock-full of physical comedy, not to mention a dark sense of humor. It's made all the better by the sad-looking backyard pool, which will probably make you want to look for swimming pool contractors Charleston.

2. The Sandlot

The Sandlot has, undeniably, one of the most iconic pool scenes ever made. Is it entirely appropriate in this day and age? Not exactly. But the relatability of the scene makes it a fun watch nevertheless. The sequence starts with the film's main characters, a group of young boys, hanging out at a local pool. The boys are quickly distracted by the lifeguard, Wendy, whose beautiful figure has tortured the prepubescents for years. Finally, the strain becomes too much for Squints. The boy fakes drowning, only to receive mouth-to-mouth and then force a kiss. Wendy is understandably angry and throws the boys out. The overly dramatic nature of the scene, joined with the well-timed music, makes it an unforgettable sequence.

3. Jennifer's Body

Most swimming pool scenes involve crystal clear water and beautiful, sunny weather. However, Jennifer's Body decided to go a different route. This teen horror-comedy, which is experiencing a big comeback lately, placed its climax inside a disgusting and abandoned pool building. Despite this, the scene is still both scary and hilarious. Jennifer, who is revealed to be an undead succubus, lures Needy's boyfriend to the pool. Before she can seduce and eat him, Needy intervenes and attempts to stop her. While there's a lot of tension in the scene, as well as a tragedy at the end, the teen comedy one-liners make it downright hilarious. For instance, as Jennifer hovers over the pool, Chip remarks on it in wonder. Needy, who's been upstaged by Jennifer her entire life, replies by saying that it's not that impressive. Seeing as how Needy is in a life-and-death situation, this is both inappropriate and classic teenage behavior.

4. Meet the Parents

Meet the Parents is an extremely relatable film to watch if you've ever had an awkward in-law gettogether. Greg Focker, played by Ben Stiller, goes through a seemingly unending series of embarrassing situations, which are only made worse by how stuck-up his fiance's family is. The pool scene is a great example of this. Greg, like most people, isn't an expert in pool volleyball. Unfortunately for him, his future in-laws most certainly are. Even more unfortunately, he's forced to play on his fiance's father's team. The family constantly berates him after each failed spike. The team even tries to leave him out of their uber-serious huddle. During this huddle, the audience sees everything from Greg's perspective. This makes Robert De Niro's judgemental face all the more terrifying. The scene culminates in a fleeting success for Greg, which is of course ruined after he breaks another player's nose. Like the rest of the movie, the pool scene is both tragic and deeply hilarious.

While these pool scenes are all unique, each one is endlessly funny. Pools, for whatever reason, never fail in a comedy movie.