Humor is subjective. What one person finds funny, another person might find offensive, especially in today's politically charged climate. No other brand of humor walks the fine line between being funny and insulting as delicately as sarcasm. The art of cutting someone down to size in a humorous manner with words is one that the entertainment industry has long relied upon for laughs.
This skill was particularly useful for television, which has historically been geared more towards dialogs than action. From Al Bundy to Chandler Bing to Dr. Gregory House, there has never been a shortage of sarcastic characters on tv. Let us take a look at their cinematic counterparts, The kings and queens of sarcasm on the big screen who have entertained audiences with their wit for decades.
Groucho Marx
The poster child for sarcasm in Hollywood since the black and white era. Julius Marx aka Groucho Marx is familiar to modern audiences for his distinctive onscreen appearance which included prop glasses, and thick eyebrows and mustache created using greasepaint. Yet these outer adornments were mere window dressing. Julius' real talent lay in his quick, vaudeville-style cross talk routines.
In films, Julius became famous for his character of Groucho, an enterprising hustler who uses his sarcastic wit against any and all comers. Men and women of all ages were not spared once Groucho got going with his insults, and audiences loved his style of quick verbal comedy which stood in stark contrast to the silent acrobatics of the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton at the time.
Juno
The 2000s are often considered the last golden age of small-budget dramas and comedies, and one of the best offerings of that era was 2007's Juno. Marking the screenwriting debut of Diablo Cody, Juno manages the rare feat of being hilarious for large swathes of the audience while still managing to have its own distinct style and identity.
The titular character Juno MacGuff is a high school junior faced with an unexpected pregnancy. Juno narrates her entire life and her various challenges to the audience with the world-weary cynicism and verbiage of someone far older. While talking to other characters also Juno displays a talent for sarcasm far beyond her age, leading to dialogs that have been endlessly quoted in pop culture ever since, and an Oscar win for the movie for best original screenplay among many others.
Seth From Superbad
If the 2000s had one classic high school movie that came to define that era for an entire generation, that movie would have to be 2007's Superbad. The film's low-budget ambitions are shouldered almost entirely by its lead characters of high school students Seth, Evan, and Fogell aka McLovin. Out of the three, Seth is the most quick-witted, which is displayed by his perpetually sarcastic one-liners against all and sundry.
It helps that Seth is played by future comedy star Jonah Hill, whose talent with extended dialogs help elevate the movie to new heights. Seth's rants against his friends, his school, and his life in general are some of the funniest speeches ever seen in movies, with his meek and shy BFF Evan providing the perfect counterpart to Seth's in-your-face approach to addressing life's problems.
Deadpool
The idea that superheroes could actually have a personality outside of always being stoic and serious and upstanding was considered rather revolutionary when the first Iron Man movie came out, introducing the world to sarcastic billionaire and costumed do-gooder Tony Stark. But little did fans known that the true crown prince of superhero sarcasm was waiting in the wings, and would not debut until almost a decade later with 2016's Deadpool.
Wade Wilson aka Deadpool is a character fully aware that he is a fictional creation. Thus, all of Deadpool's dialogs are laced with self-aware, fourth-wall breaking sarcasm. It helps that the character is played by one of the best purveyors of sarcasm ever seen in Hollywood, Ryan Reynolds, in a perfect marriage between actor and character that has made Deadpool one of the most unexpectedly popular superhero franchises in the world.
Wednesday Addams
It is an unfortunate fact that female characters in Hollywood gain popularity far more often based on their looks than their personality. One of the best exceptions to the rule is the character of Wednesday Addams. First conceived as part of the ensemble gothic-comedy setting in The Addams Family, Wednesday became a breakout character after she was portrayed by Christina Ricci in the movies based on the IP.
Very smart, very determined, and with a disdain for regular life, Wednesday spends her days plotting and scheming dark deeds, and has no problem confronting her enemies with withering sarcasm, followed by guns, bombs, and any other weapons that might be lying around. Wednesday experienced a massive new surge in her popularity with the new Netflix series where the character is portrayed by Jenna Ortega.
Miranda Priestly
Meryl Streep made her reputation as one of the greatest actors to ever live on the back of powerful dramatic performances and heart-wrenching monologs. But the latter half of the actress' career also revealed an unexpected and hilarious talent for comedy. This is best embodied in Streep's take on Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada.
The editor of a prominent fashion magazine, Miranda treats everyone around her as her undeserving peons, and she addresses them with barely-veiled sarcastic contempt at all times. The character could have been absolutely insufferable if not for Streep's ability to turn Miranda's withering insults into comedy gold.
Severus Snape
If Matthew Perry in the role of Chandler Bing became the face of sarcasm on television for the modern age, Alan Rickman was having a similar journey on the big screen. From his earlier roles in Die Hard, Dogma, and Galaxy Quest, Rickman proved he could turn any dialog into the driest example of British sarcasm Hollywood had ever seen.
The actor found the perfect character to channel his talents when he was cast as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. As the minor bad guy whose main job was to harass a bunch of school kids, Snape channeled Rickman's gift for the sarcastic jab into almost all his lines, but also took advantage of the actor's dramatic range to become one of the most memorable characters of the franchise.
Alfred Pennyworth
One of the most prominent characters in Batman comics has always been Bruce Wayne's trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth. An ex-secret agent for the British Empire, Alfred combines an always-cool demeanor with a dry wit that makes him an unexpected source of comedy in a series about a man dressing up like a bat to beat the living daylights out of hardened criminals.
The Batman movies have generally managed to retain Alfred's sense of sarcasm with all the actors who have taken on the role, but it was perhaps best embodied by Michael Caine in his take on the character in The Dark Knight trilogy of films. Whether chiding Bruce for being unable to lift a heavy log off himself in Batman Begins or making fun of how "subtle" his choice of Lamborghini would be on the streets of Gotham during the day, Caine's Alfred always knew just what to say to inject some much-needed levity into Bruce's life.
Olive From Easy A
Despite making a name for herself as a dramatic actor, Emma Stone is best known for being one of the best comedic talents of her generation. The actress staked her claim to A-list comedy status early on, with a leading role in Easy A. A stereotypical high school rom-com, the movie is elevated by some sharp writing, and Stone's take on the lead character Olive Penderghast as a mix between Juno and Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman.
After a fast-circulating school rumor names Olive as the girl with a nasty reputation among boys, she decides to embrace the false charge to make some money. Stone brings a welcome dose of sarcastic comedy to all of Olive's dealings with guys who want to use her newfound reputation to appear cool in front of their peers, and creates one of the most memorable high school protagonists ever seen in the process.
Lord Hades From Disney's Hercules
Disney villains are quite well known for their love of sarcasm, from Scar to Jafar to Ursula. But no villain better embodies the tropes of the supremely sarcastic Disney villain than Lord Hades, God of the Underworld in the animated Hercules movie. Voiced with great glee by James Woods in a role that was specially written for him, Woods plays the formidable character as a fast-talking used car salesman rather than the traditional Satan archetype.
Despite his immense power, Woods' Haders prefers to use his words to manipulate everyone around him. He is also fond of going off on hilarious rants against his enemies, and affects an eye-rolling demeanor in front of lesser beings, which is basically all of humanity in front of the Greek Gods. Woods is so perfect as the reprehensible Hades that his performance is often compared to Robin Williams' unforgettable turn as the Genie in Aladdin.