I really enjoy the some of the “cleaned-up†dialogue from R-rated movies that have had some of their saltier language removed for tv. It's frequently funnier than the original dialogue. I think that this modified version of the famous Samuel L. Jackson line from Snakes on a Plane (which is really the only part of it that anyone needs to watch) is a classic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4t6zNZ-b0A
I also love the surrealism of this bowderlized scene from the tv version of The Big Lebowski:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQUdJ6FdUQ0
“This is what happens when you feed a stork scrambled eggs!†I wonder how the actors are able to keep a straight face while looping lines like that.
What are your favorites?
OK, EF, I've been meaning to watch the Big L for weeks now. Maybe I'll try tonight and let you know what I thnk.
I remember watching "The Motorcyle Diaries" recently and being amused by how Argentinian profanity was rendered. Can't recall exactly, but whatever it was, it wasn't nearly as colorful or creative in the English version. (Which brings up a whole other subthread of one's favorite subtitling goofs, whether in translation or closed captioning.)
My favorite cult classic of all time, Repo Man, is a great example. The director, Alex Cox, was given the opportunity to choose the substitutions, and they were so wonderful that the bowdlerized version has become something of a cult film in its own right. He used phrases such as “Flip you, you stupid Melon Farmer.†I'm pretty sure you can figure out the obscenities from the context. I'm also pretty sure the phrases “Let's go do some crimes!†and “plate of shrimp†originated from this unique movie. And then there is the whole John Wayne wearing a dress thing.
The DVD is well worth renting. The commentary from the cast is hilarious, and had me laughing out loud a number of times.
I saw a Samuel L Jackson movie on a plane once...I don't remember the name of the movie but I remember the only part of it that was even remotely entertaining was the creative ways that the swear words were dubbed out. I laughed through much of the movie, even though it wasn't supposed to be a comedy.
It was long enough ago that I don't remember any of them specifically but the people I was traveling with (but wasn't seated with) and I compared notes after we landed and relived the laughs throughout the rest of the trip.
Arte
Speaking of which, is it, "freakin'" or "friggin'"