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.