10 of the Best Improvised Lines in Film History

"It's in the hole!" - Bill Murray in "Caddyshack"

If anyone were to be crowned the master of improv, we could only hope that man would be Bill Murray. After all, who hasn't uttered this phrase at least once in their lifetime, even if they were unaware of the source. The story goes that Murray made up the entirety of his now classic "Cinderalla Story" scene on the spot. All he asked for before they began shooting the scene was four rows of mums. The rest, as they say, is history.

"That's it, man! Game over, man! Game over!" - Bill Paxton in "Aliens"

It's funny what a difference two words can make. The original script for this scene called simply for the actors to be in dismay after their first encounter with the aliens. Bill Paxton's character was to simply say his lines, but they didn't include the words "game over" at all. That was completely made up by him on the spot, and ended up being quite possibly the most quoted line of the whole film, if not the franchise.

"Warriors, come out to play-yay!" - David Patrick Kelly in "The Warriors"

Scenes where the script calls for no dialogue whatsoever can often work in an actor's favor if he decides to try out a line. After all, how can anyone be upset or think it isn't as good as what's written if there's nothing there to begin with? For David Patrick Kelly, all he was instructed to do in this now iconic scene was clang bottles on his fingers together in order to get the Warriors' attention. In this case, however, the phrase "actions speak louder than words" doesn't really apply, because it is Kelly's improvised words that sell the whole thing.

"Hey Malkovich, think fast!" - random drunk extra in "Being John Malkovich"

While this line is easily the least recognizable of any on this list, it's the story behind it that bumps it up. It turns out that the dude in the car who throws the beer can at John Malkovich's head in this scene is not only an extra who was paid to be just that, but is also very drunk. Apparently, he snuck some beer onto set and decided to get loaded for his big moment in the spotlight, only he thought it would be funnier to chuck a full beer at the famous actor when the time came for his not so close-up instead. This resulted in not only a pay bump for the extra, but one of the best moments in the film, as Malkovich's angry reaction was completely legitimate, and the director loved it so much that he decided to keep it in. Imagine being that extra and getting to tell people you got loaded, acted like a total baffoon, and it actually paid off.

"Hey, wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?" - Jim Carrey in "Dumb & Dumber"

This line was completely made up off the cuff, as was the entirety of the scene. But what really makes it perfect is that the actor, Mike Starr, who is the guy getting his ears screamed into, can't tolerate loud noises in real life. So not only are Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels' lines and obnoxiousness all improv'ed, but Starr's reactions to them are completely genuine, as well. He's legitimately pissed off onscreen the entire time, and something about that makes it all the more entertaining.

"Hand me the keys, you fucking cocksucker" - main cast of "The Usual Suspects"

Okay, so this line itself wasn't actually improvised. It was in the script. In fact, it is the entire basis of the scene. However, originally, it was written to be a serious scene. Unfortunately (or fortunately in this case), the actors simply couldn't get their acts together and stop laughing as the scene was being shot. And, there are reports it was because Benicio Del Toro kept farting. Eventually, director Bryan Singer decided to just roll with it and see what happened, as he was getting frustrated that the actors couldn't compose themselves. Therefore, all the laughter and silliness in the scene is completely unscripted, but somehow resulted in the most famous and hilarious scene of the film (other than the reveal at the end).

"I'm walkin' here!" - Dustin Hoffman in "Midnight Cowboy"

Wow, who would have thought that a lack of a permit to shut down a busy New York street would result in the delivery of one the most well-known and quoted lines in film. Since the crew was unable to get the street blocked off for shooting, the entire scene was shot with hidden cameras on an actual busy street. Dustin Hoffman's reaction to the cabbie almost mowing him down is completely real here, as who wouldn't yell at a dude for almost running them over with their car? It's a good thing Hoffman is such an amazing actor and could jump right back into the scene, otherwise we may never have been given this slice of cinematic history.

"Here's Johnny!" - Jack Nicholson in "The Shining"

Speaking of cinematic history, a list of the best improv'ed lines wouldn't be complete without this icon. While the story behind the line is pretty straight forward (Nicholson was merely quoting Ed McMahon's famous catchphrase for introducing Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show"), the results couldn't have been more unexpected. After all, it's not like he was saying something brand new. He was merely using it out of context. But you never know what is gong to catch on, and no improvised line is more proof of that than this one.