Where's the Fun in That?

Rex: [after being thrown off a wall] Next time, just tell me to jump.
Anakin: Now where's the fun in that?

— Star Wars: The Clone Wars S2E5 "Landing at Point Rain"

A Stock Phrase, that can be related to Rule of Funny, Rule of Fun. A common response to the question "Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?"

When it is used, there would typically be a much easier and more straightforward way for something that the characters are trying to achieve. The person uttering the phrase, though, isn't doing it for the result, but the joy of it. The one asking usually would rather just get it over with.

A minor variant is, "Where's the sport in that?"

Often uttered by the Challenge Gamer in the face of an easy task.

See also It Amused Me.

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Examples:

Anime And Manga

• Dragon Ball:
  • Dragon Ball Z: Cell openly admits after becoming Perfect that he could easily one-shot the Earth and be done with it, but he would rather hunt down and kill every last human on Earth one at a time and savor their terror and despair because he finds it more entertaining.
  • Dragon Ball Super: Goku Black tells Future Zamasu that this is why he didn't use the Super Dragon Balls to make himself immortal; he'd eventually get rusty and fights wouldn't be as fun.
• In the first chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yami Yugi refuses to just pay Ushio the ¥200,000 (he brought double that much by "mistake"), saying it wouldn't be any fun, and instead challenges him to the story's very first on-screen Shadow Game.

Comic Books

• Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics): At one point, Dr. Eggman decides to capture Mobians and use their Life Energy to power his machinery via the Egg Grape Chambers. When his robotic "daughter" Mecha asks him if he could find a more efficient and easier way to do so, Eggman nonchalantly admits, "Oh, I'm sure I can. But where would the fun be in that?"

Comic Strips

• In Pearls Before Swine, on the April 19th, 2009 strip, Rat wrote a fairy tale which he titled "Rat's Fairy Tale O' Fairness and Justice". In that fairy tale, there was a rich bank C.E.O. named Mr. Bank C.E.O. who made $50,000,000 in bonuses and stock options by lending out loans to people who couldn't pay them back. Afterwards, the loans went bad, the bank's employees lost their jobs, the bank's shareholders lost their money, the homeowners lost their homes, taxpayers with no connection to the bank had to pay money to finance this crisis while Mr. Bank C.E.O. got to keep all his $50,000,000 and live happily ever after in his Colorado mansion.
  Goat: (after reading the fairy tale) Where's the fairness and justice in that?
  Rat: Whoa. Perhaps I should re-title this.

Fanfiction

• The Legacy of the Forgotten:
  Sirius: You know how the Dark Lord's communicating with him, don't you?
  Lily: I have some idea.
  Sirius: But you won't tell me?
  Lily: Now where's the fun in that?
• Follow the Light:
  Ginny: Hello, Harry.
  Harry: You may address me as Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley.
  Ginny: Now where would be the fun in that, Harry?
• In A Time for Realizations and Change Harry reacts poorly to apparation.
  Harry: Remind me why wizards don't just take the bus or flag a taxi?
  Sirius: Where would the fun be in that, Harry? Plus, think of all the excitement we add to our lives when we suddenly go whoosh! and appear out of nowhere!
• Harry's Chamber of Secrets:
  Mandy: You know I've never been to [Dumbledore's] office.
  Harry: I've been so many times it's old hat now.
  Mandy: You should learn to stay out of trouble, young man.
  Harry: What would be the fun in that?
• The Thorny Rose:
  Ginny: Don't worry, Hermione. We have a contingency plan for dealing with Dolores Umbridge if she takes things too far.
  Hermione: Are you going to tell me what it is?
  Harry: Where would be the fun in that?
• In Return of the King Harry and Bellatrix grope each other while kissing.
  Harry: We should probably stop what we're doing.
  Bellatrix: What would be the fun in that.
• In To Be a (Miraculous) Master. Marinette & Adrien's Gardevoir & Gallade (who've known each other since they were Ralts) agree to keep their owners' superhero identities hidden from each other because it would ruin everyone's fun & the story.
• In Harry Five-0 Harry has a bullet removed from his shoulder.
  Alani: I told you to take the pain potion!
  Harry: Where's the fun in that?
• As It Should Be:
  Harry: I don't know what I'd do without you, 'Mione.
  Hermione: Probably live a life where your best friend hasn't given you food poisoning on five separate occasions.
  Harry: Now, where's the fun in that?
• In No Longer Alone Harry comments on the sleepovers Hufflepuff Leanne has with Katie.
  Harry: And McGonagall only allows her because she is earning points for Gryffindor.
  Katie: Actually, that only happens if she's wearing one of my ties. Somehow they are linked to your house affinity and colour your robes. And since they are keyed to me, she earns us a lot of points. Of course, she could simply remember to bring her own tie.
  Leanne: But where's the fun in that?
• In Heroes Assemble Thor uses Mjolnir to break down the door of a Hydra-controlled S.H.I.E.L.D. base.
  Captain America: You could have just knocked.
  Thor: Now, where would the fun be in that?
• Mutant Storm:
  Jean: Since we're waiting, how did he do [as a pilot]?
  Scott: Quite well, actually. I don't think it will be long before he starts thinking about buying a Blackbird for himself.
  Jean: Harry, can't you be like a normal teenager and just want a car?
  Harry: Where is the fun in that?
• In Abandon Voldemort decides to use the Cruciatus Curse on a group of arguing Death Eaters.
  Harry: Ever thought about just shouting for them to stop?
  Voldemort: What would be the fun in that?
• Movie Night:
  Harry: See? We're already making strides in bettering our relationship! Maybe someday we'll get to the point where we're not ribbing each other every ten seconds.
  Snape: Where would the fun be in that?
• In The Strongest Affinity Teddy is wearing ripped jeans and scuffed boots when he walks into Harry's shop.
  Harry: Hey, Ted. I thought we'd agreed no holes during business hours.
  Teddy: Where's the fun with that?
• Harry Potter and The Fate We Make:
  Remus: Sirius never was a morning person. I guess that hasn't changed.
  Harry: So noted. I'll try not to prank him before he's fully awake.
  Remus: Now where's the fun in that?
• In Not Your Usual Veela Mate Draco ends up in the hospital wing after overstressing his magic and Harry accompanies him.
  Draco: I'm fine, but starving. Should we tell Pomfrey or just sneak out?
  Harry: Sneak out.
  Lucius: Considering you are free to go, how about we just stroll out of here and return to your rooms?
  Draco: Where's the fun in that?
• In Drinking Buddy Harry and Lucius take Lily and Teddy ice skating.
  Lucius: We may need hot water spells after.
  Harry: Or cushioning spells now.
  Lucius: Where is the fun in that?
• In Leap of Faith Hyacinth wonders whether there are spells to catch people who fall off the moving staircases.
  Hermione: Please say you think we should test this with a very non-human, non-Hyacinth shaped object that is not alive.
  Hyacinth: But where is the fun in that?
• In An Aunt's Love Remus and Harry's aunt and martial arts teacher make a secret plan to keep Harry safe.
  Harry: You could have told me, you know.
  Sensei: Yes, but where would the fun be?
• In Harry Potter and the Spirit of Christmas Ron complains about the scent of Hermione's soap, claiming people are always asking why he smells like a meadow.
  Hermione: Oh, he's just exaggerating. No one ever asks. As I always tell him when he gripes about it, he can use his own soap in his own shower and sleep in his own bed.
  Ron: Now where would the fun be in that?
• In Who Dares Wins Pansy feels nauseated after Portkey travel.
  Pansy: You could have warned me, Rookwood.
  Ambrose: Where's the fun in that, My Lady?

Film

• 30 Days of Night
  Denise: Neither of you are getting me alone. Neither!
  Aaron: Ah! We share, right? None of us have to be greedy.
  Gabe: Yeah, come on. We'll be good.
  Aaron: Oh, you will? Where's the fun in that?
• Godzilla (1998)
  Audrey Timmonds: If he's the first of his kind, how can he be pregnant? Doesn't he need a mate?
  Dr. Niko Tatopoulus: Not if he reproduces asexually.
  Audrey Timmonds: Where's the fun in that?
• In Jurassic Park, paleontologist Alan Grant is introduced by way of a scene in which his crew is using seismic waves from a small explosion to scan a still-buried Velociraptor skeleton. This exchange ensues:
  Scanner operator: This new program is incredible. A few more years development and we won't even have to dig any more.
  Grant: Where's the fun in that?
• Mr. Nanny
  [Corinne hits Sean Armstrong with a frying pan]
  Sean Armstrong: What'd you do that for?
  Corinne: For making a mess, Porky!
  Sean Armstrong: You could've asked me to clean it up.
  Corinne: Sure, but where's the fun in that?
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
  Baron Munchausen: What's this?
  Vulcan: Oh, this is our prototype. RX, uh, Intercontinental, radar-sneaky, multi-warheaded nuclear missile.
  Baron Munchausen: Ah! What does it do?
  Vulcan: Do? Kills the enemy. [snip] Well, you see, the advantage is you don't have to see one single one of them die. You just sit comfortably thousands of miles away from the battlefield and simply press the button.
  Berthold: Well, where's the fun in that?
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014):
  Peter Quill: What is that?
  Rocket: That's for if things get really hardcore. Or if you wanna blow up moons.
  Gamora: No one's blowing up moons.
  Rocket: You just wanna suck the joy out of everything.
• In Deadpool (2016), Ajax (or as Deadpool prefers to call him, "Francis") mutates Wade into a super immune freak with plans to enslave him to a rich bidder in order to make bank, but ever since Wade escaped, instead of wanting to put Wade/Deadpool back in the slave program for the money, Ajax complains he misses Deadpool for the fun of fighting.
  Ajax: You know it's funny, I almost miss the fucker, I like a challenge.
  • And even earlier, Ajax mentioned other people he kidnapped for his slave program who sadly all passed away inside Ajax's oxygen-depriving prison tube:
  Ajax: I could cure them, but then, where's the fun in that?
• Star Trek Beyond: Kirk is offered a promotion to Vice Admiral after saving Yorktown
  Kirk: Vice Admirals don't fly, do they?
  Paris: No. They don't.
  Kirk: Well, no offense, ma'am, but... where's the fun in that?

Live Action TV

• Chuck episode "Chuck vs. First Class":
  Chuck Bartowski: The review's about me? Shouldn't Shaw be asking me about me?
  John Casey: Where's the fun in that?
• Doctor Who:
  • The Doctor himself is a serious abuser of this trope both in the revived series and the classic series. See this quote by the Third Doctor from "The Time Warrior":
    The Doctor: A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting.
    • And from the same story:
      Sarah Jane Smith: Are you serious?
      The Doctor: About what I do, yes. Not necessarily about the way I do it.
  • "Flesh and Stone":
    The Doctor: Can I trust you, River Song?
    River Song: If you like. But where's the fun in that?
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "The Unblinking Eye":
  Detective Alexandra Eames: [while observing a suspect in the interrogation room] She could confess, but where's the fun in that?
• In the Law & Order: UK episode "Care", as DS Matt Devlin tries to question a witness who only speaks French:
  Matt: (stumbling) Avez vous... (turns to partner DS Ronnie Brooks) What's "seen"?
  Ronnie: (Proceeds to speak to the man in perfect French)
  Matt: You speak French?
  Ronnie: What do you think I am, some sort of Neanderthal?
  Matt: You might have said something before I made a tit of myself.
  Ronnie: Where's the fun in that?

This scene is made all the funnier by the fact that Jamie Bamber, who plays Matt, is fluent in French.

• Monty Python's Flying Circus "Mosquito Hunters" sketch.
  Hank: Well, I follow the moth in the helicopter to lure it away from the flowers, and then Roy comes along in the Lockheed Starfighter and attacks it with air-to-air missiles.
  Roy: A lot of people have asked us why we don't use fly spray. Well, where's the sport in that?
  • In the "Crunchy Frog" sketch, Mr. Elton describes the Spring Surprise candy package:
    Elton: Covered in dark velvety chocolate. When you pop it into your mouth, stainless steel bolts spring out and plunge straight through both cheeks.
    Constable: Well, where's the pleasure in that? If people pop a nice chocky in their mouth, they don't want their cheeks pierced!
• A variant of this became a Running Gag in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide whenever Gordy does his Zany Scheme and someone (usually Ned) asked him the reason for it while Stating the Simple Solution:
  Gordy: Because, this is more fun.
• In Smallville season 2 episode "Rush":
  (Clark and Chloe make out in the backseat)
  Pete: Guys, get a room!
  Clark: Where's the fun in that?
• In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Squire of Gothos". Kirk asked his captor, "Where's the sport?" in simply hanging him, as he had planned. Instead, Kirk talked his captor into staging a "royal hunt". This bought Kirk enough time for a Deus ex Machina rescue.

Stand Up Comedy

• Robin Williams: Live on Broadway (2002):
  Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court banned the execution of retarded people. People in Texas are going, "Shit, where's the fun in that?"

Video Games

• Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009):
  Winston Zeddemore: Just once, I wouldn't mind running with these other fools away from the trouble.
  Dr. Peter Venkman: Where's the fun in that?
• Halo 2: At the beginning of the level "Uprising", you encounter two Brutes slaughtering Elites, and overhear one of them suggesting throwing them over a nearby cliff. The other one quotes the trope title verbatim.
• Kingdom Hearts II:
  Xaldin (when his boss fight begins): Where's the fun in this?
• Overwatch:
  Sombra: Where’s the fun in playing fair?

Webcomics

• The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob!:
  Fructose Riboflavin: Bloodless victory? Where's the fun in that?!
• El Goonish Shive has Nanase using her Fairy avatar spell to chat with her friends.
  Ellen: ...you're aware that they have a lovely invention known as the "telephone" now, right?
  Nanase: Where's the fun in that?
  • And "This isn't any fun if you don't sass-back".

Western Animation

• Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Joker has a song and dance number revolving around this phrase, after Harley asks him if he's going to unmask Batman.
  • He also uses this phrase in the episode where he teams up with Batman in reference to being a good guy.
• In the What If? episode of Ben 10 where Gwen was the one the Omnitrix attached itself to, Vilgax has her restrained and selects from a range of sharp-looking tools to forcibly remove it from her.
  Gwen [nervously]: Couldn't you just slip the watch off?
  Vilgax: And what fun would that be?
• Family Guy:
  Quagmire: Oh, it was great! And guess what? I smuggled a whole bunch of fireworks back in my anus.
  Peter: Uh, Quagmire, fireworks aren't illegal here. You could've just put 'em in your car and driven 'em up here.
  Quagmire: (smugly) Huh, yeah, that's just as fun.
• Discord of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has this to say about making sense:
  Discord: 'Make sense'? Aww; what fun is there in making sense?
• Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated:
  Shaggy: Can you give us a straight answer?
  Mr. E: Where's the fun in that?
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: In "Landing at Point Rain", Anakin and Ahsoka use the Force to levitate Rex before dropping him off a high wall that they're about to blow up. After the two Jedi have jumped down and caught Rex again before he could hit the ground...
  Rex: Next time, just tell me to jump.
  Anakin: Now where's the fun in that?
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012): In "The Kraang Conspiracy", the Kraang have captured April and plan to get a DNA sample from her by using a giant needle to the head, which will kill her. When April points out that she could just give them a lock of hair for DNA, the Kraang admit that she could... but they find the needle far more entertaining.
• Transformers:
  • Beast Wars episode "Beast Wars: Part 1":
    Dinobot: Their defence shields are down! Destroy them!
    Megatron: Now where's the fun in that?
  • Transformers: Animated:
    Ratchet: Why didn't you just use the EMP?
    Prowl: Where's the fun in that?

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