Line #11 YMMV/FunnyGames


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
2	** Haneke commented that the antagonists do not have real names to symbolize how flat and archetypal they are, hence why Paul and Peter sometimes go by {{Unusual Pop Culture Name}}s like "Beavis and Butt-Head" or "Tom and Jerry" since said duos can replace Paul and Peter in the antagonist role without affecting the plot. That said, the script describes Paul and Peter as having a Beavis-and-Butt-Head laugh, which opens up the possibility that perhaps Paul and Peter are literally the aforementioned pop-culture characters in another form.
3	** [[spoiler:Paul's stunned, angry reaction to Peter's death has multiple plausible interpretations. One reading is that Paul [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes actually cares about Peter]], but it is equally possible, if not more so, that Paul doesn't actually give a damn about Peter and is merely angry that Ann outmaneuvered him. In the American version, Paul laughs after Ann kills Peter, suggesting that Paul may have found Peter's death to be [[ActuallyPrettyFunny kind of funny]] or that he is [[VillainRespect genuinely impressed]] that Ann managed to turn the tables for a bit. It is also important to note that Paul is a crafty trickster who knows that he has an audience watching him, so [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness his uncharacteristically serious response]] to Peter's death can just be another performance for the audience rather than his actual feelings about the situation.]]
4	* {{Applicability}}:
5	** Haneke [[https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Interview-Funny-Games-Director-Michael-Haneke-8141.html has stated]] that ''Funny Games'' was meant to be a parody of a classical {{thriller}}, but the movie's critique of fictional violence is relevant to other violent genres like {{Slasher Movie}}s, TorturePorn, and HorrorFilms. In addition, Haneke has [[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/25/interview-michael-haneke-white-ribbon expressed]] a distaste for the [[IfItBleedsItLeads news media's exploitation of real-life tragedies]], which also fits the movie's critique of violent entertainment.
6	** Paul and Peter break into the house through SocialEngineering, leading some viewers to interpret the movie as a criticism of polite society.
7	* AudienceAlienatingEnding: An [[IntendedAudienceReaction intentional example]]. [[spoiler:The film's most controversial aspect is the remote-control rewind, reversing Ann's kill of Peter and emphasizing that the victims had no way of surviving. In the interview with Creator/TheCriterionCollection, Haneke states that he wanted to play with the audience's emotions and to provoke the audience into realizing that they were misled by the movie's manipulation.]] During the movie's first appearance at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, multiple viewers walked out after the PlotTwist came into play, and shouting matches broke out between viewers who liked the twist and viewers who hated said twist.
8	* BrokenBase: Despite the fact that the American version is a ShotForShotRemake of the Austrian original, it is often debated which version is better for a first-time viewer. It is generally agreed that English-speakers who don't like reading subtitles should go with the American remake.
9	* CatharsisFactor: {{Deconstructed}}. [[spoiler:Paul suggests that the primary reason the viewers tolerate he and Peter's sadistic torture of the Farbers is because they are anticipating the part of the story where the Farbers give Paul and Peter a taste of their own medicine. Later, when Ann successfully kills Peter, Paul denies the audience their catharsis by [[ResetButton rewinding the scene]].]]
10	* CommonKnowledge: Certain summaries of the film state that both killers can {{break the fourth wall}} when in reality, Paul is the only one that does so. Peter does make a few [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall meta comments]] but his discussion with Paul about reality and fiction verifies that he lacks Paul's meta-awareness.
11	* CultClassic: Both the original and remake have developed followings since their theatrical releases.
12	* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments:
13	** Paul and Peter's [[BlackComedy morbid banter]] is horrifying to the Farbers but can be humorous for the audience, especially when they both make fun of certain tropes like the FreudianExcuse.
14	** If you weren't shocked, frustrated, or confused [[spoiler:by the [[DiabolusExMachina remote-control rewind]], chances are that you thought it was a funny plot twist]].
15	* HilariousInHindsight:
16	** When the protagonists are unsatisfied with Paul and Peter's motives for torturing them, Paul sarcastically asks if they want another version of he and Peter's backstory. Originally, this was supposed to be a TakeThat at villains who justify their motives with their [[DarkAndTroubledPast tragic pasts]], but Paul's sarcastic response gets even more meta after Haneke remade the movie in America, thereby giving Paul and Peter another version of their backstories.
17	** Peter and Paul, who also dub themselves WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead on occassion, discuss a movie about a man trapped in an alternate universe, seemingly predicting the multiverse plot of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHeadDoTheUniverse''.
18	* HoYay: Paul and Peter especially in the remake where Paul playfully pinches Peter's hips while making fun of his weight.
19	* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: American directors like the movie despite or even because of its satire of American thrillers. To name a few, Creator/JordanPeele [[https://web.archive.org/web/20170118184345/https://www.bam.org/film/2017/jordan-peele cited]] ''Funny Games'' as an influence for his social thriller ''Film/GetOut2017'' and recreated a few shots of ''Funny Games'' for his next movie ''Film/{{Us}}''; Creator/JamesGunn [[https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3466422/james-gunn-lists-off-50-favorite-horror-films-halloween/ listed]] it as one of his favorite horror movies; and Drew Goddard [[https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/justin-monroe/interview-the-cabin-in-the-woods-drew-goddard praised]] it when discussing his movie ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'', which has a similar YouBastard message and even replicates ''Funny Games'''s JumpScare opening.
20	* {{Padding}}: Invoked by the killers of all people. [[spoiler:After Peter guns down Georgie]], Paul and Peter leave the house to pause the games because Peter had [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall no sense of timing]]. For twenty-five minutes in cinema time, the film slows down in pacing as the Farbers recuperate from the trauma and figure out a way of escape, but eventually the killers return. Later, Paul admits this was done to give the audience a HopeSpot and to give the film some "plausible plot development".
21	* ParanoiaFuel: Those nice, seemingly harmless young men who have just come over asking to borrow some eggs? They're a pair of sadistic serial killers who intend to MindRape you and your whole family before killing you. TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse indeed.
22	* RootingForTheEmpire: Discussed by Paul, when he asks the audience whose side they're on. The film then deconstructs this by implying that even if the viewers are rooting for the family, they are on some level still rooting for the villains because Paul and Peter are the ones instigating the plot and without them, [[ExcusePlot there is no story]].
23	* SignatureScene:
24	** The ten-minute LongTake of the Farbers [[spoiler:after Georgie dies]] stands out as an unconventional scene that best demonstrates the YouBastard message.
25	** The scene in which [[spoiler:Paul undoes Ann's murder of Peter]] is a rather notorious DiabolusExMachina.
26	* SpecialEffectFailure: In both version it's visibly clear that the dead dog is a stuffed animal puppet.
27	* TooBleakStoppedCaring: It is very easy for a first-time viewer to root for the hapless Farbers/Schobers, but the audience will most likely lose hope at the [[spoiler:remote-control rewind]].

Context YMMV / FunnyGames