Failure: that delightful feeling of hopelessness that we all wish we could experience at least once a week. In a fairy-tale universe, every time you step outside, success would greet you like a loyal puppy. But here, in our wonderfully chaotic reality, it’s more like a cat: indifferent and ready to swipe you when you least expect it. Sure, hindsight often transforms spectacular failure into a charming learning experience—like discovering that last slice of pizza was a week old—but in the moment? Pure agony.
But fret not, fellow dwellers of mediocrity! Our counterparts on the silver screen have made a career out of failing spectacularly! From their follies, we gather not just sympathy but uproarious laughter. Here’s a hearty look at five films that celebrate the slapstick sides of failure as an art form…
5 I, Tonya
In Craig Gillespie’s black comedy that chronicles the dizzying rise and tempestuous fall of the infamous Tonya Harding, we’re treated to a veritable buffet of failings. Who knew landing the triple axel would come second to being embroiled in a scandal involving an ice-skating rival? Between federal investigations, competitive bans, and personal calamities that could fill a soap opera, this film is the epitome of “you had one job!” And with Harding consultatively fluffing up her image, it’s like watching a car crash in slow motion, only with more sequins.
4 Force Majeure
Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure isn’t just about a family skiing trip gone awry—no, no, it’s about a husband who, in his finest moment of cowardice, saves himself instead of his wife and children during an avalanche. Nothing screams marital bliss like half-hearted self-preservation. It subsequently inspired an American remake with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell, aptly titled Downhill, which crashed and burned harder than the original avalanche.
3 Bridesmaids
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride”—the classic mantra of eternal failure. Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids captures this sentiment effortlessly. Enter Kristen Wiig’s Annie Walker, the definition of a comedic catastrophe, grappling with a cringe-worthy life that could qualify as a competition for worst case scenarios. Tasked with hosting her best friend’s wedding, she’s about as equipped as a fish trying to ride a bicycle. One mishap after another, you can’t help but root for her as she waddles from disaster to disaster, a true champions of pratfalls.
2 Singin’ in the Rain
Ah, the golden age of cinema, where the dawn of sound was less a symphony and more a cacophony of off-key belting. Gene Kelly’s 1952 musical provides comic relief in the face of an industry grappling with the fact that some actors had voices that could shatter glass… and dreams. A testament to deeply flawed artistry, this film hilariously chronicles the transition from silent films to talkies—sending many singing careers straight into the dumpster.
1 After Hours
Martin Scorsese is usually all about the gangsters, but After Hours gives us a glimpse into the life of Paul Hackett (played by Griffin Dunne), the king of inexplicable blunders. A data entry clerk on a fateful night that seems to be orchestrated by a malevolent deity, he fails at every turn—dating, job, even just getting home. His misadventures in Manhattan unspool like a nightmarish comedy, compelling both sympathy and manic laughter. It’s got enough failings to fill a season of reality TV, and it’s even inspired a memorable episode of Ted Lasso. Who knew failure could be this entertaining?
