SPOILER ALERT: Warning, this article contains spoilers from Solo: A Star Wars Story. Proceed at your own risk.
There’s always been humour in the Star Wars franchise. From slapstick-style droid double-act C-3PO and R2-D2 and Han and Leia’s bickering in A New Hope to Poe Dameron’s teasing of General Hux in The Last Jedi, it’s a franchise that’s tended to build a bit of comedy into the mix. Solo is no different, although like The Last Jedi, it embraces a broader style of humour than we’re used to in the trilogy – meaning we now get comedy set pieces in amongst the action and drama. And a bunch of crowd-pleasing punchlines. Here are the ten funniest lines from Solo.
1. Rio’s Wookiee Reverie
The film’s funniest character is Rio Durant. Rio is the four-armed alien pilot from Tobias Beckett’s team of smugglers. Voiced by Jon Favreau, he comes armed with a killer batch of one-liners, delivered with precision by Favreau.
When he says: “You will never have a deeper sleep than curled up in a Wookiee’s lap”, you believe totally that he’s experienced it, is reliving it in that moment, and recommends others try it. Kinda cute, kinda funny, this is one of our favourite of all the lines in Solo.
2. Rio’s Warning
We know how sensitive Chewbacca is when it comes to saying the wrong thing to him or, say, losing at holochess. Han Solo warned C-3PO in A New Hope that Chewie is liable to rip arms out of sockets when things don’t go his way. It’s something we see him do in Solo, which aggrieves Han since he ruins the uniform of the unfortunate victim whose limbs he removes – a uniform that would have fit Han perfectly for a convincing disguise. So when Rio says: “Have you ever tried to disinvite a Wookiee to anything? Not a good idea”, we laugh because of what we know about Chewbacca’s personality.
3. Qi’ra’s Unfinished Speech
Lando Calrissian is many things. So many, that Qi’ra can’t help listing them. And everything anyone may have heard about him, says Lando to Han, is true. So when, in a list of attributes from Qi’ra that describe him as attractive, a man with charisma and impeccable taste, she also begins to say: “He’s got a prodigious…”, we fill in the gaps. And come to a snigger-worthy conclusion about the size of his manhood.
4. L3-37’s Retort
Lando’s co-pilot companion L3-37 is a droid with a mission. She’s a strong advocate for equality. Angry at the “barbaric” use of restraining bolts on droids she encounters and incensed at the droid fights taking place, she’s very vocal when it comes to the mistreatment of her kind. So it’s funny when Lando asks: “Do you need anything?” and she responds without missing a beat: “Equal rights.”
5. Qi’ra’s Cape Comment
One of the fun things director Ron Howard does with Lando’s character is to focus on his vanity. He’s a fashion-conscious dude with an extensive cape collection. It’s important to make sure you’re looking sharp in space. And a cape for every occasion is vital, in Lando’s eyes. Getting a glimpse at Lando’s cape armoire in the Millennium Falcon is a treat.
Han catches Qi’ra trying one of them on and remarks: “That’s a lot of capes.”
“Maybe too many,” comes her smart reply. It isn’t, of course; Lando’s cape collection is super-fly. But we laugh at the fact she said it.
6. Han’s Reluctance to Share
Thank you @RealRonHoward for the Han/Chewie shower scene I never knew I needed. Solo=Awesome #starwars #SoloStarWars #SoloMovie #Lando
— ExitCalm31 (@apklimon) May 25, 2018
Soon after Han and Chewbacca make their escape from the muddy pit they previously wrestled in together, they’re focused on getting clean. So they jump in the shower. Together.
“We couldn’t have done this maybe one at a time?” Han says to Chewie. Pass the soap.
7. Rio’s Dating Priorities
Another one from the criminally underused Rio Durant. When Thandie Newton’s Val hits the nail on the head and works out that Han is pining for a girl – Qi’ra – from whom he became separated back on Corellia, Rio’s response is classic. “Does she have sharp teeth?” he asks, excitedly. It reveals plenty about the kind of attractive qualities Rio looks for in a partner.
8. Lando’s Burn
Han and Lando are two massive egos clashing. Friends, they’re also rivals – we’ve known this ever since we saw The Empire Strikes Back when it was first revealed that Han ‘won’ the Millennium Falcon from Lando. Solo develops this friendship-cum-rivalry further. The film also explores the character of a wet-behind-the-ears, slightly naïve young man with a sometimes puppy-like enthusiasm for just about everything – far removed from the Han we know from the Original Trilogy. So when Lando dismisses Han with this burn: “Shh. Grown-ups are talking,” you won’t be able to help but smile.
9. L3-37’s Sassy Response
Before/After shots of Phoebe Waller Bridge as L3-37 #StarWars #SoloAStarWarsStory #vfx pic.twitter.com/Z4Iut7sIyC
— sᴛᴜ (@Stu_FX) May 18, 2018
When fierce activist L3 gets all up in Clint Howard’s character’s grill about the droid fighting he’s presiding over, Lando instructs his droid companion to “let go of the mean man’s face.” Funny in itself. But she also takes issue with Lando and his barking of orders, and pulls him down a peg or two with this withering line: “Oh, why? Because you’re my organic overlord?”
10. Lando’s Handshake
Donald Glover’s Lando is the coolest swindler in the galaxy. The final spot in this list is reserved for a moment rather than a one-liner, per se, since it comes combined with an action. And it’s a moment that perfectly illustrates Lando’s swagger. Striking a deal with Woody Harrelson’s Tobias Beckett, Lando cements the agreement with this line: “I don’t like it, I don’t agree with it, but I accept it”. It’s accompanied by the coolest one finger-two finger handshake that we’ll be copying at the first opportunity.