Some directors seem to use racquetball when they want to throw their main characters around and place them in really physically comedic situations. I guess it really is funny to watch people gasping for breath, chasing the ball, and just generally flailing around. In the late 80s and early 90s, it felt like the racquetball court popped up everywhere. Maybe in the mid-2000s we'll see the squash court making a cinematic rise. Here are some of the best and funniest racquetball scenes.
Cape Fear
Although the overall plot of this movie is far from a comedy, 1991’s Cape Fear, features a scene where Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) and Lori Davis (Illeana Douglas) battle intensely on the court. While both are running into walls, Lori yells “Mr. Perfect Form!” to which Sam replies, “You gotta’ snap your wrist on the backhand!”
Along Came Polly
Ben Stiller is screaming, running into walls, and dodging the ball in a scene from Along Came Polly. His character Reuben Feffer is playing an aggressive match with Leland Van Lew (played by Bryan Brown), a business associate. This hilarious scene features Reuben screaming at the top of his lungs while simultaneously trying not to get tagged by the ball or Leland. In the end, someone loses a tooth. Ouch.
The King of Queens (season 6, episode 18 “Trash Talker”)
In a 2004 episode titled “Trash Talkers,” King of Queens main characters Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) and Deacon Palmer (Victor Williams) hit the racquetball court at World Gym to settle a dispute they’re having over Deacon’s friendship with Doug’s enemy from elementary school. Doug introduces Deacon to his friends “Hu- and -miliation,” before also showing Deacon what he had for lunch earlier. You can find the episode in season 6, episode 18.
Splash
Comedy legend John Candy as Freddie Bauer attempts to give Tom Hanks as his brother Allen Bauer, a “lesson in humility.” They meet on the racquetball court to have a serious discussion about Allen’s love life when Freddie decides that the best way to get through to Allen is to take over the game himself. With a cigarette in his mouth for most of the game, Freddie steals the scene when he decides to serve the ball…to his forehead.