With it being April Fools’ Day I decided to look back at my favorite movies with pranks.

“Ya know why I like ya, Harry? ‘Cause you’re a regular guy. Yep, that’s why I want you to stay regular. One-half teaspoon for fast, effective relief,” Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) said as he poured Turbo Lax into Harry Dunne’s (Jeff Daniels) drink.

Who can forget the famous laxative scene from “Dumb & Dumber” (1994) when Harry had the worst case of diarrhea at his date’s house? Or how about the crazy antics of the “Grumpy Old Men”?

In “Grumpy Old Men” (1993), John Gustafson (Jack Lemmon) and Max Goldman (Walter Matthau) are life-long friends and enemies who are fighting for the love and affection of Ariel (Ann-Margaret). Gustafson hides dead fish in Goldman’s truck, and Goldman pushes Gustafson’s shanty (ice fishing house) onto thin ice, causing it to sink. In the end, Gustafson gets the woman and the men become friends again.

Many movies have sparked prank ideas into the minds of their audiences. In addition to “Dumb and Dumber” and “Grumpy Old Men,” movies that inspire pranks include “Jackass: The Movie” (2002), “Home Alone” (1990) and “The Parent Trap” (1998).

Before “Jackass: The Movie” begins, just like any movie, a warning comes up on the screen. Rather than the typical reproduction penalty warning, “Jackass’s” warning says, “WARNING: the stunts in this movie were performed by professionals, so for your safety and the protection of those around you, do not attempt any of the stunts you’re about to see.”

Yet all across YouTube, viewers find videos of people trying to light fire crackers off their back sides.

What about using fireworks to wake people up?

“Jackass’s” Bam Margera used fireworks in a kitchen pot to wake his dad, Phil, up at 1 a.m. when he had to be at work by 5 a.m.

And who can forget when 8-year-old Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin, uses fireworks to scare off the “Wet Bandits,” played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern? As the burglars scope out the neighborhood and find that the McCallister residence is their “Silver Tuna,” they try to break in, but Kevin pranks the bandits to keep his home safe.

In the scene that ultimately got the bandits arrested, Kevin used paint cans, toy cars, tar, Christmas ornaments and ice to ward off the bandits. When Kevin’s family arrived home, he told them nothing happened and that he had a pretty quiet time.

On the subject of parents, in “The Parent Trap,” remake, twins Annie and Hallie, both played by Lindsay Lohan, met at camp and decided to trick their parents, Nick Parker (Dennis Quaid) and Elizabeth James (Natasha Richardson), into getting back together. But they hit a bump in the road when their soon-to-be step mother Meredith Blake (Elaine Hendrix), almost halted their plans.

Switching places was their ultimate first prank. As the scenes unfolded, the girls managed to fool their parents into meeting at the same place for the first time in 11 years. But when Blake steps in and says she’s the fiancée, the girls have to turn up the heat.

On their camping trip, Annie and Hallie put a lizard on Blake’s head, convinced her that there were mountain lions in the woods in California and then dragged her mattress, with her sleeping on it, into a lake. When Blake awoke, she fumbled off the mattress and swam to shore. After that Blake made Nick choose between her and the twins, so he called off the wedding.

When Annie and Elizabeth flew back to London, Hallie and Nick followed and the parents fell back in love and the girls got the family they both wanted.

With each sick, twisted prank and conniving little scheme, all of these movies brought their A-game to the table, making them my top five picks for movies with pranks.

Kacie Berry can be reached at 581-2812 or

klshreve@eiu.edu.