Burning Questions: The New Classic Quotes
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 12:00PM 
Michael C. here to see if I can blow some of the dust of the all time lists to make room for some new blood.
If you read as much film writing as I do you know one of the most tiresome attitudes one encounters is the rose-colored “they don’t make them like the used to” mindset. This is the Pleasantville way of seeing things that insists cinema attained a sort of perfection in the forties and fifties and has been on a downhill slide towards Transformers sequels ever since.
One of the most common forms this viewpoint takes is the lament that movies aren’t as quotable as they used to be. "Why, when the American Film Institute released its list of the 100 greatest quotes in 2005" the argument goes, "Casablanca landed six spots on the list alone, while Gone With the Wind and Wizard of Oz landed three apiece." The problem with this argument is that, while I wouldn’t deny those films a single one of their spots, it is meaningless to compare films that have had the better part of a century to secure their place in the cultural pantheon to those that have just been released. More often than not cinematic greatness emerges over time rather than instantly emblazoning itself on the face of the culture.
So if I’m correct and in four or five decades the films of the early part of this century do manage to slide in some lines alongside “You talkin’ to me?” and “Frankly My Dear, I don't give a damn.” what will they be?
What are the new classic quotes in the making?
Since the most recent quote on the AFI’s top 100 is “My Precious” from 2002’s Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers I think that would be a good jumping off point. In the decade following where the AFI list left off here are, in my best estimation, the ten quotes that have most thoroughly permeated popular culture:
- “I wish I knew how to quit you.” – Brokeback Mountain
- “I drink your milkshake” – There Will Be Blood
- “Why so serious?” – Dark Knight
- “This is Sparta!” - 300
- “You stay classy, San Diego.” - Anchorman
- “That’s a Bingo!” – Inglourious Basterds
- “I have had it with these Motherf-cking snakes on this motherf-cking plane!” – Snakes on a Plane
- “Squirrel!” - Up
- “Call it, Friendo.” – No Country For Old Men
- “I’m finished.” – There Will Be Blood
One could also make a case for “I am NOT drinking any f-cking Merlot!” from Sideways, “Mo Cuishle” from Million Dollar Baby or any number of Borat-isms. I would also argue for “The Dude abides” seeing as The Big Lebowski has only received its due recognition in recent years.
And those are the ones that I objectively judge to be most ingrained in the public consciousness at present. You never know what will emerge over time. If I could nominate my a few more quotes that deserve to be put into heavy rotation by the public at large these would be my candidates:
Baby, you are gonna miss that plane.”
– Before Sunset
At least a dozen of the quotes on the AFI countdown are their film’s closing line, which goes to show what a golden opportunity a movie’s final moments are to leave an indelible impression on the audience. And closers don’t come any better than this heart-stopper from Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset.
I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy.”– Finding Nemo
A good judge of the quote’s durability is its everyday applications, and I rarely go a week without someone I know referencing this inspired bit of baby talk from Ellen Degeneres’s Dory.
No. It's for me.”
– The Lives of Others
Another brilliant closing line. Some lines make the list because their hilarious a la “Don’t call me Shirley” or because they perfectly evoke a certain movie star like Brando's “I coulda been a contender.” And then there are those like this one from von Donnersmarck’s film that deserve to be in the Hall of Fame for no other reason than they are so damn perfect they take your breath away.
Did I miss any major lines from the last ten years? Is there an under-the-radar quote you think deserves to stand alongside "Nobody's perfect." Let's hear it in the comments. You can follow Michael C. on Twitter at @SeriousFilm or read his blog Serious Film.
Reader Comments (104)
Nathaniel, from the royal tennembaums:
I'm not in love with you anymore.
I dont recall you ever were.
No. Its for me.
One of the most emotional, powerful, punching, moving, poetic and perfect movie endings in movie history!
Tropic Thunder:
Trailer narrator: Winner of the Beijing Film Festival's coveted Crying Monkey Award
RDJ: I'm a lead farmer motherf**ker!
RDJ: I know who I am. I'm the dude playing a dude, disguised as another dude.
RDJ: What do you mean, you people? Brandon T Jackson: What do YOU mean, you people?
Ben Stiller: Who left the fridge open?
My favorites are "You are what you love, not what loves you" and "The reason it matters to care passionately about something is that it whittles the world down to a more manageable size" from Adaptation.
Also:
"My world is bigger than that. There are the Chinese!" - Burn After Reading
"Sand is overrated" - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
"Clustercuss" - Fantastic Mr. Fox
"The only person standing in your way is you" - Black Swan
"And it's time MY luck changed, and it's time something went right for ME!" - Tilda in Julia
"I want to be a baby again. I want to be new" - Adaptation.
"You're tearing me APAAAAAAAAAAAART, LISA!"
More favorites I couldn't fit into the post:
"I immediately regret this decision" - Anchorman
"Ask him how come he's so good at killing people." - A HIstory of Violence
"I am Sheva the God of Death" - Michael Clayton
"Well, if this is it, old boy, I hope you don't mind if I go out speaking the King's." - Inglourious Basterds
"Sentimental value? Ah. I heard of that." - Eastern Promises
"You've got red on you" - Shaun of the Dead
I have two random ones that I find myself saying for no reason and at mostly awkward times:
"If anyone needs to make a call, I've got a phone!" -Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
(drunk) "I'd like to pick your brain, if you'd ever be willing." -American Beauty
I actually was just thinking about "You're an inanimate fuckin' object!" earlier today.
Anything from Mean Girls is common language in my peer group, I must say. I particularly cherish "You wanna go to Taco Bell?"
However, I legit use "Difficult-difficult-lemon-difficult" on a day-to-day basis.
"Volver" is probably the movie I use to quote more often. Love the "Jack Twist? Jack Nasty!" and "I have doubts" mentions.
"The Hours" is another great source of amazing quotes:
- I think I'll buy the flowers myself
- I can't think of anything more exhilarating than a trip to London
- You cannot find peace by avoiding life
- That is what people do. They stay alive for each other
- A woman's whole life in a single day. Just one day. And in that day her whole life
- Always giving parties to cover the silence
What about Viola's "You is kind. You is smart. You is important"?
Tropic Thunder:
"What do you mean 'you people'?"
What do *you* mean 'you people'?"
and:
"I don't drop character 'till I done the DVD commentary"
Forgetting Sarah Marshall:
"Are those sad tissues or happy tissues?"
"I just went from six to midnight"
Bad Boys 2: "This shit just got real"
Borat: "My wife"
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang:
VK "Look up "idiot" in the dictionary. You know what you'll find?"
RDJ "A picture of me?"
Vk "No. The definition of the word idiot, which you fucking are"
and:
"I was wetter than Drew Barrymore at a grunge club"
Starsky and Hutch: "I know some people, that know some people, that robbed some people"
Team America: "Matt Damon!"
"I have doubts" from Doubt gets two thumbs up from me. I also think Doubt had one of the best movie endings ever.
Rubi-Kun: The Room. Absolutely classic. "I did naht hit her. It's naht true. It's bull s***. I did naht hit her. I did naht. Oh hai Mark" and "So anyway, how's your sex life" are also bad movie quote keepers.
I'm partial to "I am NOT drinking any f-cking Merlot!". I'm pretty sure I've used that quote in real life. That's totally me.
What? No love for "Meet me in Montauk"?
I have used "baby you are gonna miss that plane" A LOT in real life. Hasn't anyone else?
and YES to the suggestions
"And it's time MY luck changed, and it's time something went right for ME!" - Tilda in Julia
and the "security of your shit" quote from Burn After Reading.
it's fun how with the truly classic quotes you can hear the actor say it in your head whenever someone mentions it. It's like the magic collision of movie, actor's gift, screenwriting, and transferrence to your head for daily use.
No capes!
"Fuuuuuuccck-abees" - I Heart Huckabees
My vote goes to "I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine." from Finding Nemo.
I've heard people use "I drink your milkshake" who couldn't name the actor or the movie. Same with " The dude abides".
As someone who works in a high school, I can tell you it always gets a big laugh every time someone uses "Stop trying to make fetch happen! It isn't going to happen!" from Mean Girls no matter the context.
I have a feeling once the movie is out, Hunger Games' "May the odds be ever in your favor" catches fire (pun intended).
Some of the lines in this thread are awesome for movie fans (love to see Before Sunset fans), but no way are they used by people who don't see a million movies. I think it's the sign of a good quote when people who haven't even seen the damn film start using it.
Jtagliere - Judging by this thread I have clearly underestimated the depth of the Mean Girls love out there. If I had it to do over again I think I'd bump "Fetch" into the 9 or 10 spot, even though "You go Glen Coco!" is a personal fav.
A few more quotes:
"Not my daughter, you bitch!" - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow pt 2
"Some men just want to watch the world burn." - The Dark Knight
"And... here... we... go! " - The Dark Knight
"I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you"- Batman Begins
I didn't even recognize the ninth and tenth quotes on your list and I love those two films. I also think you've overestimated the use of "Why So Serious?" and especially "That's a bingo." Does anyone really say these? Even "I drink your milkshake" is more of an Internet meme than a conversational phrase.
I think the biggest difference between the days of old and the present is that the most common lines won't be from Oscar films, mostly because most people don't see Oscar films anymore. So I tend to agree with people who are mentioning lines from Mean Girls, Anchorman,, or Superbad and less with those mentioning Atonement, Hugo, or Monster's Ball.
How did someone mention Team America without suggesting "America, F--k Yeah!"?
And from Mean Girls, "She doesn't go here!" or something about toaster streudel. From Romy and Michele, "I invented post-its."
This is fun.
"Who was gonna love me, hm?" from Precious
"It's MY turn!" from Black Swan
And almost everything from Mean Girls.
Also "Just keep swimming" from Finding Nemo.
God, people here want to be too esoteric in mentioning these highly critically-raved and Oscar-nominated movies when only a few got to seem 'em? I mean, how can these lines be injected in the pop culture when only a few can relate to them?
I guess, we can consider -- no, we should --
The Social Network: "You better lawyer up asshole, because I'm not coming back for 30%, I'm coming back for EVERYTHING."
The Dark Knight: "Why so serious?"
Brokeback Mountain: "I wish I knew how to quit you."
The Lord of the Rings trilogy: "My precious!"
Spider-Man: "With great power comes great responsibility."
The Incredibles: "I never look back darling. It distracts me from the now!"
Mean Girls: "Too gay to function."
Finding Nemo: "Fish are friends, not food."
The Devil Wears Prada: "That's all!"
Borat: "Great success!"
happiness is only real when shared - into the wild
Gotta have some Tarantino:
Lucy Liu in Kill Bill: Now if any of you sons of bitches got anything else to say, now's the fucking time!
Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds: That's a BINGO!
As for some others I think have made their way into the public consciousness, Heath Ledger's "Why so serious?" might honestly be number 1. And there could probably be a Top 100 that was just Mean Girls quotes that have made their way into common vernacular. Shoutout to The Incredibles too: "No capes!"
For me personally, I've got to say I do the Amy Adams line read of "You were not!" from Junebug at least 20 times a day. And I've got to second "Difficult difficult lemon difficult" as an everyday thing too. Maggie Smith's "Difficult color, green." in Gosford Park is a regular too.
I aboslutely agree, that the following before-mentioned quotes are classics:
„Why so serious?“
„My precious!“
„That’s all!“
„Your call, friendo.“
And maybe „That’s a bingo!“
I myself also often quote the before-mentioned quotes from “Team America”: “Matt Damon.” And “America…fuck yeah”, plus “People have to take us actors serious. More seriouslier.” And also “I treasure your friendship”, but not without mentioning how much I hate it and how cheesy it is.
A quote not mentioned before that I consider a definite classic is from Donnie Darko: “Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.”, and maybe from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: “Valentine’s Day. A day invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like shit.”, but maybe that’s only one of my favourites.
Other favourite quotes of mine, but I think I am relatively alone with those:
Borat: „Pamela, I’m not attracted to you anymore!”
Meet the Fockers: Jack asking Greg Focker to touch his rubber breasts [only know it dubbed in German]
Johnny English: “All this stupid little country has to do is stand in line and do what it is told for one miserable day, but can it do that? My fragrant French arse it can't!
Thirteen: “The Itsy Bitsy Spider…”
Kill Bill Vol. 1: “Oren Ishii, I have unfinished business with you.”
Napoleon Dynamite: “I’ll do whatever I feel like doing… Gosh!”
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “The answer is 42.”
Borat: [when he realizes, a couple he is staying with are jewish] “Somehow they must have been hiding their horns.”
Borat: “Gypsy, I need your hair.”
Atonement: “You saved my life. I will be forever greatful to you.”
Der Baader Meinhoff Komplex: “Der Typ in der Uniform ist kein Mensch sondern ein Schwein, und so sollten wir uns mit ihm auseinandersetzen.“ [„the guy in the uniform is not a human but a pig, and that is how we should deal with him“]
Die Geschichte vom Brandner Kaspar: „So ist es der aufgesetzet.“ [that’s very old-fashioned non contempary German, it means something like “that’s your fate”]
Brüno: „Madonna has one, Branjelina has one, and now isch have one, too.“
Orphan: “I have a special surprise for you, Mommy.”
Zombieland: “Bill fucking Murray… well, I know your middle name isn’t ‘f**king’… but: BILL FUCKING MURRAY”
Kick-Ass: “Okay you cunts, let’s see what you can do now.”
Kick-Ass: “Who are you? The green condom?”
Kick-Ass: “Hey, Ass-kick.”
The Runaways: “Dog shit! Urine-stained dog shit! Rock 'n' roll is a blood sport, a sport of men. It's for the people in the dark, the death cats, the masturbators, the outcasts who have no voice, no way of saying I hate this world, my father's a faggot, fuck you, fuck authority - I want an orgasm! Now, growl! Moan! This ain't women's lib, kiddies - the is women's libido! I wanna see the scratch marks down their fucking backs! Now, do it again. Again. Like your boyfriend just fucked your sister in your parent's bed. LIKE YOU WANT A FUCKING ORGASM!” or just, because I can’t remember the whole thing: “my father's a faggot, fuck you, fuck authority - I want an orgasm!”
The Runaways: “…and that’s Joan Jett, some sort of guitar goddess.” “Uh, well I actually never said… goddess.”
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: “Hello everyone, we’re Sex-Bo-bomb. One two three four!”
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: “DEEEAATH!”
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: “You think you’re wise, Mithrandir…”
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: “Go now and die in what way seems best to you.
And @jtagliere, I undoubtedly agree about “May the odds be ever in your favour!”
^ OMG yessss at the Donnie Dark line, and also at "That's all" from Devil Wears Prada up there.
I have found bridesmaids to be the most quotable film for me recently. Mostly Rebel Wilson's lines like ''at first I did not know it was your diary, I thought it was a very sad handwritten book' and 'I'm on a tourist visa so technically I'm only allowed to tour'. And of course 'youre a little cunt' and '' you look like an old mop'.Also I quite like to bust out a bit of Winona Ryder's 'Did you suck his cock??' drunken snearing now and then.
Further back I'm a bit partial to drunken renditions of Julianne Moore's pharmacy meltdown in Magnolia that whole thing is gold, I'm sick! I have sickness all around me! Etc. and a bit of j con from requiem for a dream 'did what? Some dumb ass junky did what you mean YOU fucked it up'. Maybe quotes that aren't of the seeping into the public conciousness type but fun to whip out at parties ( for me, quite possible tedious to everyone else)
confession: I have seen Mean Girls several times and TOTALLY love it. But honestly i don't remember this "glen coco" line people keep mentioning?
did i have a brain aneurysm or something?
but among my friends these lines come up the most often
"boo you whore"
"shut up i love that shirt on you"
"Trang Pak is a grotsky, little beeyotch"
"she doesn't even go here!"
Well I don't consider The Big Lebowski a recent movie, and as you said it has become sort of a late bloomer and despite the undeniable (and random) recognition it has been getting in the past years (probs because of Jeff Bridges 2009 award season), it's still a cult movie and its quotes won't be as engrained in pop culture as others of the past.
Heath Ledger's "Why so serious?" really takes the cake here. None of the other quotes really come close. And I'm not even a fan of Batman.
Mean Girls has some pretty good ones but it's die hard fans have always skewed to a specific audience. Fetch.
Btw, speaking of Mean Girls, I was tempted of going with "You go Glenn Coco!" but I've tried using it so many times with so many people with not much result. Most people don't even notice that line in the movie and it's so fucking hilarious and random.
"Vintage! So adorable..."
I have <3 for the person who mentioned the "sad, handwritten book" line from Bridesmaids, but I'm afraid society at large doesn't love it as much as I do (or maybe it's just too random for everyday use). Same for "You were not" from Junebug, which few people have seen.
Real loss is only possible when you love something more than you love yourself, from good will hunting.
WHAT @ the people not knowing "Glenn Coco" or thinking it's not that popular. In my experience, that is probably the most popular quote from the movie aside from "Boo, you whore"
Whenever somebody does something good for themselves, I always say "You go Glenn Coco"
@Nathaniel - it's when he's dropping off the holiday grams or whatever they're called and he says "blahblah 1 for Cady heron, three for glenn coco!, you go glenn coco--and none for gretchen weiners, bye~"
ALSO!
From Closer: "I don't love you anymore. Goodbye", "Hello, stranger!", and "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off. But it's better if you do." And maybe "What a floozy!"
Speaking of "Closer," Julia's line "It tastes like yours only sweeter!", hot damn gurl! Loved that one. And I'm fine with including quotes from the Oscar films. They're as part of the mainstream as anything. Maybe more of an internet subset, but there's a place for them in popular culture just like the mainstreams. I'd like to think that more people know quotes from "The Godfather" than from "Anchorman," but I know in reality that isn't the case. And the more love for "Mean Girls," the better. That's ridiculous that nothing from that film made this list. I'm partial to "Boo, you whore!", of course the "fetch" line, and possibly my favorite of all, "Oh my God, Karen, you can't just ask people why they're white." Gretchen Wieners 4-EVA! Trang Pak really is a grotsky little biotch.
I may be in the minority here, but as much as I liked the movie "There Will Be Blood," I just didn't find it as quotable as others do.
Mean Girls is one of those movies that I wish I didn't quote as often as I do, but I definitely see where everyone is coming from with those quotes. And I could name a ton from Anchor Man.
I feel, though, that in recent years there are so many more quotes from the comedies we watch. Especially based off of all these responses. We don't get those one-liners from the dramas like we did with Casablanca and Gone With the Wind.
I love you! that Before Sunset line is my absolute favorite line ever!
- Calming down-
The big one among my friends, including ones who don't know each other oddly enough, is also from Finding Nemo. It's when Dory is just waking up again from being knocked out and mumbles, "The sea-monkeys stole my money."
Fabulous list, great blog.
Linda
Glad to have been the first one to bring up MEAN GIRLS then! Wow, there's a lot of Mean Girls love here. In any case, I think the "Glen Coco" thing is popular because it's turned into an internet meme of sorts especially since it was re-appropriated by internet fandom right around the whole Conan O'Brien vs. NBC debacle. It just grew from there. I myself had forgotten about that line until I kept seeing it everywhere.
Surprised that no one (that I could see) hasn't mentioned "Get off my lawn!" from "Gran Torino".
"Go fuck yourself" - everyone in The Departed
"Spoken like a true protege" - Harvey Keitel, Pulpfiction. I don't know if Pulpfiction is on the original list but it is quoted quite a lot by people. Although almost everything Samuel Jackson says in the film is quotable ("Royal with cheese", "I'm a mushroom cloud laying motherfucker, motherfucker"), this little quote from the Wolf I hear by random people pretty frequently.
Maybe these are in the list, which I have not seen. :)
John Gielgud in Arthur: "I'll alert the media!"
Fran Descher: "Talk to the hand!"
Marlon Brando: "Make him an offer he can't refuse".
One I absolutely loved, particularly after seeing Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey...
This is from "Becoming Jane". Smith comes to see Anne Hathaway, but she does not respond to her mother calling her. Julie Waters tells Smith that Jane is writing.
Smith retorts: "Can anything be done about?"
Peggy Lee's post reminded me of a line from the hours "I am leading a life I have no wish to live" - I haven't heard anyone else use it, but I have used it myself quite a bit over the past ten years.
You could do a whole list that was just Anchorman
1. "You stay class, San Diego"
2. "I'm kind of a big deal"
3. "I love lamp"
4. "I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly."
5. "Panda Watch!"
6. "They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time."
7. "I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany."
8. "Milk was a bad choice"
9. "I immediately regret this decision"
10. "I don't know what we're yelling about!"
What are some of these quotes?! Ya'll are crazy! I love this thread :-)
"It tastes so good when it hits your lips" from Old School is one that everyone uses.
The Baltimore Orioles used to show the clip on the scoreboard of Will Ferrell doing the Frank the Tank dance every time an Oriole would hit a homer.
Definitely on board with "Here. We. Go" and "Why so serious?" from The Dark Knight.
Some great ones. The only one I haven't seen mentioned by anyone that I use on a regular basis is "Release the Kraken". I also run into a Mean Girls quote about once a week, and still occasionally a Napoleon Dynamite saying.