It's not Lady and the Tramp

December 31, 2014 3:45 PM

Do you remember a scene from a movie where a character eats a huge plate of spaghetti in an extremely uncouth manner?

So we were having spaghetti for dinner and my daughter was eating hers in typical kid fashion. She picked up a massive forkful of very long noodles, lifted it over her head and started lowering it into her wide open mouth. This made me think of a scene from a movie but I can't remember which one.

In the scene, a male character who has presumably already been shown to be eccentric takes a large plate of spaghetti, un-sauced, mind you, and proceeds to eat it in a similar fashion. At some point there's a moment where everybody else in the scene stops to watch this horror show and he looks at everybody innocently with a tremendous amount of noodles hanging out of his mouth and the scene continues... What am I thinking of?

posted by wabbittwax to Media & Arts (23 answers total)

Is it any of these? (There's clickbait for everything these days!)
posted by theraflu at 3:49 PM on December 31, 2014

Elf?
posted by michaelh at 3:51 PM on December 31, 2014 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I found that listicle in my own initial search and I'm pretty sure it's not in there.
posted by wabbittwax at 3:52 PM on December 31, 2014

Response by poster: Definitely not Elf either
posted by wabbittwax at 3:54 PM on December 31, 2014

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels? (Towards the end of that clip.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:55 PM on December 31, 2014

Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels has a scene like this, I think, with Steve Martin as the spaghetti eater.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 3:56 PM on December 31, 2014

Response by poster: I love me some Ruprecht, but no, not Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

It's possible that it's from a TV show as well. This is driving me nuts.
posted by wabbittwax at 3:58 PM on December 31, 2014

Happy Birthday Gemini?
posted by holborne at 4:03 PM on December 31, 2014 [1 favorite]

Do you think it's possible you are combining lady and the tramp with that scene in Beauty and the Beast where Beast raises a spoonful of porridge above his head and gobbles it with an open mouth and everyone looks on horrified?
posted by umwhat at 4:05 PM on December 31, 2014

Response by poster: No. The scene I'm thinking of is live-action. Pretty sure it's in color. I'm not saying it is any of these people but my fuzzy memory has a definite Bill Murray/Johnny Depp kind of vibe. Or Matt Leblanc in Friends. ...
posted by wabbittwax at 4:09 PM on December 31, 2014

"Un americano a Roma"
"My Friend Irma Goes West"
"Poverty and Nobility"
posted by Ideefixe at 4:20 PM on December 31, 2014

There's awkward eating scenes in what about bob - although I don't remember pasta.
posted by Crystalinne at 4:25 PM on December 31, 2014

Not the scene, because no one looks on in horror, but there's a restaurant scene in Hot Shots Part Deux where the two love interests eat a giant plate of spagghetti, move for move, just like in L&tT.

(Also, Lady was the first girl I ever wanted to marry.)

(If you're still out there, and single, ... call me?)
posted by IAmBroom at 4:32 PM on December 31, 2014 [5 favorites]

Probably isn't Gummo, but it's a memorable scene.
posted by homesickness at 4:34 PM on December 31, 2014 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I feel like the character in the scene has maybe reached a turning point in his life and the scene sort of demonstrates that he just doesn't give a shit anymore. That's probably why it makes me think of Bill Murray because that's the gist of the scene in Groundhog Day where he says he's a god in the diner. But I don't think that's the scene.
posted by wabbittwax at 4:46 PM on December 31, 2014

Response by poster: OK. I've figured it out. It wasn't in a movie. It was on QI. Good grief. It's this moment from an episode in which Johnny Vegas demonstrates his unique method of eating spaghetti.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPXCcZgDQgk
posted by wabbittwax at 5:19 PM on December 31, 2014 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: So all that stuff about the motivations in the scene and stuff was just my brain messing with me. Thanks all for your efforts.
posted by wabbittwax at 5:26 PM on December 31, 2014 [4 favorites]

Lupin the 3rd ?
posted by Infernarl at 6:20 PM on December 31, 2014

It's Meryl Streep with Albert Brooks in Defending Your Life. (On preview, no it's not, but it's another slurpy spaghetti scene.)
posted by mefireader at 8:52 PM on December 31, 2014

Not spaghetti, but the horrified reaction of the onlookers reminds me of the caviar scene in The Magic Christian.
posted by Bruce H. at 9:03 PM on December 31, 2014

The eating isn't uncouth but there's a memorable spaghetti scene in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour with huge amounts being served with a pitchfork.
posted by Rash at 7:30 AM on January 1, 2015

Could it not be spaghetti at all, but down and out Dan Aykroyd eating the stolen smoked salmon out of his beard on the bus in Trading Places? Oh man now I need to watch that movie again. Bonus: best holiday movie ever!

(I seriously doubt it's this, as you seem to specifically remember pasta, but it's worth revisiting in any case. MERRY NEW YEAR!!)
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:33 PM on January 1, 2015

sounds like you found your answer, but pippi longstocking does this as well, and she uses scissors to cut off the excess. we used to do this with babysitters when we were young - just something to inspire your kids!
posted by andreapandrea at 10:11 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]