Tom Holland and Zendaya in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is the highly anticipated sequel to the first Spider-Man MCU film, and it delivered on numerous counts, especially with its humor.
Spider-Man: Far From Home has already begun receiving rave reviews and we at Bam Smack Pow definitely agree with the praise. The film is action-packed and hilarious, and the stellar cast, featuring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jon Favreau, Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders, is outstanding. All the actors seem to be revelling in the audacious grandeur of the superhero genre, while also giving audiences some wonderful character moments throughout the film’s runtime.
As the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film since Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home had a lot riding on it – how would the film pay homage to Tony Stark, Peter Parker’s mentor and father figure, while also being a proper sequel to the runaway success that was Spider-Man: Homecoming? Would the film do justice to Spider-Man as a character, seeing how previous Spider-Man sequels have yielded diminishing returns?
Well, we needn’t have worried because Spider-Man: Far From Home found a perfect balance of what people love about MCU films – action, drama, romance, twists, and evil villains. Combined with superb effects and cinematography, the glue that held the entire film together was its humor. Spider-Man: Homecoming was a fun and funny film, but Spider-Man: Far From Home pulls out all the stops to undercut the pent-up emotion of Avengers: Endgame with tons of hilarity.
The gags – physical and verbal – aren’t overplayed, but there is plenty to enjoy. We have whittled down the list to six of our favorite funny moments (and yes, Peter Parker features in almost all of them) in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Warning, spoilers ahead for the film.
Angourie Rice, Jacob Batalon and Zendaya in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME.
1. Peter’s Plan Goes Awry
For once in his life, Peter Parker has a plan. He’s going to make a grand, romantic gesture on their school trip to Paris and tell MJ how he feels about her. To get the ball rolling, Peter enlists Ned’s help to change the seating plan on the plane so that Peter can sit next to MJ.
Ned is a great friend and agrees, but that’s when Peter’s plan goes completely off the rails. Mr. Harrington overhears Ned telling MJ and Betty that Peter has a perfume allergy and leaps into action.
We know from the first film that Mr. Harrington has had misfortunes on his school trips in the past – he lost a student once – and it’s no wonder that he goes into panic mode, believing Peter may have a severe reaction in an enclosed space.
Mr. Harrington switches all the seats around with MJ seated next to Peter’s romantic rival Brad, while Peter is ensconced between his teachers. The look on Tom Holland’s face as Peter watches his plans fall through and his chance with MJ slip through his fingers is Oscar-worthy. Worse still, while Peter suffers through the worst flight ever, Ned and Betty get together, so Peter doesn’t even have the support of his best friend for the majority of the film. We feel bad for laughing.
2. Peter Impresses… Brad?
Peter’s attempts to salvage his disastrous plane journey only compound his bad luck. He’s witnessed Brad hijack all his ideas to get close to MJ, so Peter needs to do something to get her attention.
At one point, Peter emerges from the washroom and sees MJ standing outside. Hoping to impress his love interest, Peter proceeds to bang the door shut in her face, clean up the entire place (sink and toilet included, because bathroom etiquette can be a deal breaker), and then tidy himself up, as well.
His routine takes so long that MJ just finds herself another stall to use. Not that Peter knows this. He emerges triumphant from the bathroom only to find…. Brad staring back at him, looking pleased as punch. MJ is nowhere in sight. You can almost see the air whoosh out of Peter’s sails at that moment. One can only imagine what MJ must have been thinking about what Peter was up to inside.
Peter’s misery is the audience’s gain though. This film is such a laugh riot because Holland authentically carries Peter’s youthful romantic ambitions so well. None more so than in this scene where everyone is having the best time except for Peter. That is one long flight!
Tom Holland is Peter Parker, in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN:™ FAR FROM HOME.
3. Peter and the Bell
If you’ve watched enough films in your life, you will be able to pick up on subtle cues regarding which objects in a scene are likely to play a significant role. Peter entering a tower and the camera focusing on the giant bell above him should have been a dead give away of what was to come.
When Peter, sans his Spider-Man suit, swings into action in Venice, he ends up trying to protect his friends from several collapsing towers. At one point, he is able to secure all of the falling debris and takes a moment to witness Mysterio in action.
That’s all good until the Elemental attack blasts the tower Peter is on and sends it toppling. But Peter’s got this, right? He’s an Avenger and he safely secured all the other falling monuments. This should be a piece of cake. Except it isn’t.
In the cheesiest, most classic gag ever, Peter is knocked down by the bell, not once, but twice. Any proof we needed that his Spidey Sense or “Peter Tingle,” as May lovingly christens it in this film, is not working becomes apparent in this scene where our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is undone by… a bell. This kid can’t catch a break.
Peter Parker(TOM HOLLAND) is stopped by an Italian Customs Officer (GIADA BENEDETTI) in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME.
4. Caught with his Pants Down
The central theme of Spider-Man: Far From Home is just how badly all of Peter’s plans go. He’s come to rely heavily on his spider-sense and, without it, he walks into one devastating situation after another.
When his school trip is hijacked by Nick Fury and sent to Prague, Peter knows he’s on call as a superhero. When a mysterious woman beckons him into a bar, Peter realizes she is one of Fury’s agents.
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The fact that she then proceeds to order him to take his clothes off (so that Peter can change into his stealth suit) is a little more uncomfortable. Most likely this character is probably Skrull, which is why she has no tact, but 16-year-old Peter knows no better and tries to follow her orders.
The moment he starts stripping, however, his nemesis Brad walks in. Finding Peter literally with his pants down with a generic looking blonde woman immediately sends Brad the wrong message – he thinks Peter is just an over eager hormonal teenager, and no amount of vague explanations from Peter can salvage the situation.
Of course, hilarity ensues when Brad threatens to show MJ the picture. Peter’s latest gift from Tony Stark is another killing machine that Peter accidentally activates, thereby almost destroying the school bus and his friends with it. Tony probably shouldn’t be handing weapons of mass destruction to teenaged children, but Tony wasn’t always known for having the best judgment.
Michelle (Zendaya) catches a ride from Spider-Man in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME.
5. MJ is Not a Happy Flyer
How many times have we seen this scene in films? The valiant hero swoops in to grab his girl, and they go swinging/flying across the city. He’s a show-off, and she’s having the time of her life. Isn’t it brilliant that Spider-Man: Far From Home flips the script on that trope?
Peter has spent the entire film trying to woo MJ and, thankfully, she not only responded in kind but revealed that she knew he was Spider-Man the whole time. What better way to celebrate their romantic union than by emulating the classic Spider-Man moment of the happy couple swinging above the city? Which is exactly what Peter does in the closing scenes of the film – he swings in to meet MJ for a date and carries her across the city to check out the sights.
Except, MJ hates every minute of it. She hangs on to Peter, desperate not to look down at the dizzying sights below. Her reaction is hilariously authentic and, once they land, MJ tells Peter she never wants to do that again.
In MJ’s defense, we can’t blame her. Spider-Man is in control of his swings and knows what he’s doing, she’s just a passenger and, for anyone who’s suffered motion sickness in the passenger seat, you will understand what poor MJ is feeling. It’s still hilarious, though. We especially love that MJ’s hair is wind-blown after the ordeal!
Samuel L. Jackson and Jon Favreau in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME.
6. May and Happy
In the absence of Tony Stark, Happy Hogan takes over as Peter’s mentor in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Except, he doesn’t only want to be a mentor. When Happy arrives at May’s charity event near the beginning of the film, it’s obvious the two of them have been spending plenty of time together and have become close. Peter’s confused expression as he watches their interaction is pure gold.
The two of them continue to keep Peter in the dark about their feelings for each other and the status of their relationship throughout the film, which only adds to the hilarity. Peter clearly knows what’s going on, but May and Happy believe he is too young to notice. He isn’t.
The final straw comes when Peter – clearly the smartest person in the room – sits the two adults in his life down and point blank asks them what they’re up to. And somehow that just becomes an even more awkward exchange. Happy is clearly in love with May (he blurted it out to Peter’s classmates in London), but looks like May is still testing the waters. As the two of them talk over each other to iron out their feelings, Peter gets ever more uncomfortable and finally makes a quick getaway.
These are only a few moments from a film that had audiences in splits every few minutes. Let us know in the comments what your favorite funny moments from Spider-Man: Far From Home were.