The Fourth Wall

Breaking the fourth wall. Do you love it, or hate it?

I love it when it's done well.  My favourite example is in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, when Ferris is astonished that his best friend thinks that they hadn't done anything good that day.  He looks in blank, helpless astonishment right at the camera, and I still laugh even though I've seen it dozens of times.  Another great example is in the movie Kuffs.  The main character wins a huge fight with the villain, only to have his girlfriend's family come in and comment derisively on the mess.  He looks right at the camera and shrugs, shuts the kitchen door so no one sees the villain's body lying there, and then suggests they go out to eat.

Perhaps I should step back and explain that 'breaking the fourth wall' refers to any time a performer steps outside the action and acknowledges the audience or camera.  If it's done by mistake, such as when the child actors of the 1984 move Annie kept staring at the camera until they recited their lines, it can kind of ruin things.  But when it's done cleverly, it's fantastic.   

It can also be done unintentionally, I think, although this example doesn't really fit the definition.  I know someone who dislikes TV shows and movies that are filmed in a location he recognizes, because it ruins the illusion.  To me, though, it's like the setting is the performer who is breaking the fourth wall, so I find this delightful too.  It amused me when I saw the actors in Downton Abbey peeking out the door that seemsed to lead to the kitchens, because I knew that particular door led to the Egyptian exhibit at Highclere Castle.  It delights me when I see Patience in the ITV police drama Patience (which is filmed in York) going 'home', because I know the door she's walking in actually leads to a used bookstore.

So, what do you think?  Does breaking the fourth wall ruin the performance, or add a little frisson of secret delight to the experience?