generic movie review quotes

25 Delightful Roger Ebert Quotes About Movies

The documentary Life Itself , a poignant tribute that celebrates Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert, was released in theaters this weekend. Generations grew up reading the Chicago Sun-Times journalist and watching him on television with sparring partner Gene Siskel, where the duo coined their “two thumbs up” phrase for positive reviews in the series At the Movies . Ebert’s barbed wit, grace, and passion touched the most discerning cineastes, but he was also known as a critic for the common man. He battled cancer for more than a decade, which necessitated the removal of his lower jaw, but it never stole his ability to write — which he did until his death last year. Two days before his passing, Ebert announced he was taking a “ leave of presence ” on RogerEbert.com . “What in the world is a leave of presence? It means I am not going away,” he wrote. And he hasn’t, leaving us with his beautiful words and wisdom about cinema and beyond. In celebration of the release of Life Itself , we’re revisiting some of Ebert’s most delightful quotes about one of his greatest loves — film.

“No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough.”

“Every great film should seem new every time you see it.”

“Art is the closest we can come to understanding how a stranger really feels .”

“We live in a box of space and time. Movies are windows in its walls. They allow us to enter other minds, not simply in the sense of identifying with the characters, although that is an important part of it, but by seeing the world as another person sees it.”

“There will always be those who love old movies . I meet teenagers who are astonishingly well-informed about the classics. But you are right that many moviegoers and video viewers say they do not “like” black and white films. In my opinion, they are cutting themselves off from much of the mystery and beauty of the movies. Black and white is an artistic choice, a medium that has strengths and traditions, especially in its use of light and shadow. Moviegoers of course have the right to dislike b&w, but it is not something they should be proud of. It reveals them, frankly, as cinematically illiterate. I have been described as a snob on this issue. But snobs exclude; they do not include. To exclude b&w from your choices is an admission that you have a closed mind, a limited imagination, or are lacking in taste.”

“Every once in a while I have what I think of as an out-of-the-body experience at a movie . When the ESP people use a phrase like that, they’re referring to the sensation of the mind actually leaving the body and spiriting itself off to China or Peoria or a galaxy far, far away. When I use the phrase, I simply mean that my imagination has forgotten it is actually present in a movie theater and thinks it’s up there on the screen. In a curious sense, the events in the movie seem real, and I seem to be a part of them.”

“Most good movies are about the style, tone and vision of their makers. A director will strike a chord in your imagination, and you will be compelled to seek out the other works. Directors become like friends.”

“Most of us do not consciously look at movies .”

“ Old theatres are irreplaceable. They could never be duplicated at today’s costs – but more importantly, their spirit could not be duplicated because they remind us of a day when going to the show was a more glorious and escapist experience. I think a town’s old theatres are the sanctuary of its dreams.”

“When a movie character is really working, we become that character. That’s what the movies offer: Escapism into lives other than our own.”

“We Americans like to see evil in terms of guns and crime and terrorists and drug smuggling — big, broad immoral activities. We rarely make movies about how one person can be personally cruel to another, through their deep understanding of what might hurt the other person the most.”

“There was a time when the feature was invariably preceded by a cartoon, and audiences smiled when they heard the theme music for ‘Looney Tunes’ and ‘Merrie Melodies’ from Warner Bros. Cartoons have long since been replaced by 20 minutes of paid commercials in many theaters, an emblem of the greed of exhibitors and their contempt for their audiences. In those golden days, the cartoon (and even a newsreel and a short subject) was a gift from the management.”

“A film director , like an orchestra conductor, is the lord of his domain, and no director has more power than a director of animated films. He is set free from the rules of the physical universe and the limitations of human actors, and can tell any story his mind can conceive.”

“The point is not to avoid all Stupid Movies , but to avoid being a Stupid Moviegoer. It’s a difficult task, separating the good Stupid Movies from the bad ones. . . . ”

“A slow movie that closely observes human beings and their relationships can be endlessly fascinating, while a thriller with nonstop wall-to-wall action can be boring, because it is all relentlessly pitched at the same tone.”

“The film should be seen as it was originally made. This includes many b&w films of the silent era where some of the scenes were tinted.”

“The only responsibility of the script is to produce the best possible film. Those who think it must be ‘faithful’ seem to treat adaptation like marriage. Fans of some sources, like a comic book or a TV series, will be outraged by any changes, but adaptation can also mean improvement.”

“I’ve gone out to the lobby many times to complain about bad focus, bad sound, a dim bulb or improper framing. The most common reply: “That’s how they made it.” . . . Perfection is possible, if the projectionist loves his job.”

“It seems to me that there are two basic approaches to any kind of comedy , and in a burst of oversimplification I’ll call them the Funny Hat and the Funny Logic approaches. The difference is elementary: In the first, we’re supposed to laugh because the comic is wearing the funny hat, and in the second it’s funny because of his reasons for wearing the funny hat. You may have guessed by now that I prefer the Funny Logic approach. . . . ”

“The distribution system seems to be set up to turn every multiplex in this country into an idiot’s convention.”

“I am against censorship and believe that no films or books should be burned or banned, but film school study is one thing and a general release is another. Any new Disney film immediately becomes part of the consciousness of almost every child in America, and I would not want to be a black child going to school in the weeks after Song of the South (1946) was first seen by my classmates.”

“American films are usually about one or two stars and a handful of well-known character actors, while Europeans are still capable of pitching in together for an ensemble piece. There is nothing new in the message of this film, but a great deal of artistry in its telling.”

“I’m not opposed to 3-D as an option. I’m opposed to it as a way of life for Hollywood , where it seems to be skewing major studio output away from the kinds of films we think of as Oscar-worthy. Scorsese and Herzog make films for grown-ups. Hollywood is racing headlong toward the kiddie market. Disney recently announced it will make no more traditional films at all, focusing entirely on animation, franchises, and superheroes. I have the sense that younger Hollywood is losing the instinctive feeling for story and quality that generations of executives possessed. It’s all about the marketing. Hollywood needs a projection system that is suitable for all kinds of films—every film—and is hands-down better than anything audiences have ever seen. The marketing executives are right that audiences will come to see a premium viewing experience they can’t get at home. But they’re betting on the wrong experience.”

“Cinema, for me, has always been something like music composed with photographic images . Others see it more like ‘action painting,’ and we’ve seen a lot of discussion in recent years about what J. Hoberman and others have called ‘post-photographic cinema’, in which computers have replaced cameras, and animation has replaced photography, as the primary means of creating images on the screen.”

“In the previous century the movie theater was often, in smaller towns and cities, the only grand architectural statement, save perhaps for a church or courthouse. They unashamedly provided a proscenium for our dreams.”

generic movie review quotes

Cinema Lovers Club

The 100 most iconic movie quotes ever.

Nothing cements a film in the pantheon of cinema history like a timeless quote. Testaments to brilliant screenwriting and careful consideration of wordplay that defines genres, starts franchises, analyzes the human condition, makes us laugh/love/cry, or becomes iconic in pop culture, CLC has curated the ultimate essentials: the Top 100 Movie Quotes Of All-Time.

Click On Titles For Full Reviews

‘Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold’ – The Godfather (1972)

‘Toto, I’ve [Got] A Feeling We Aren’t In Kansas Anymore’ – The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

‘I Think This Is The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship’ – Casablanca (1942)

‘Look: Up In The Sky! It’s A Bird! It’s A Plane!’ – Superman (1978)

‘Snakes?! Why’d It Have To Be Snakes?’ – Indiana Jones: Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

‘It Wasn’t The Airplanes; It Was Beauty That Killed The Beast’ – King Kong (1933)

‘Luke, I Am Your Father’ – Star Wars Ep. V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

‘The First Rule Of Fight Club Is: Don’t Talk About Fight Club’ – Fight Club (1999)

‘I Might’ve Been A Great Man, Had I Not Been Rich / Rosebud’ – Citizen Kane (1941)

‘You’re A Wizard, Harry’ – Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets (2001)

‘You Either Die A Hero, Or You Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain’ – The Dark Knight (2008)

‘Heeeeere’s Johnny!’ / ‘All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy’ – The Shining (1980)

‘The Name’s Bond. James Bond’ – Dr. No (1962)

‘Ah, I Love The Smell Of Napalm In The Morning’ – Apocalypse Now (1979)

‘They Call It A Royale With Cheese’ – Pulp Fiction (1994)

‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend!’ – Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961)

‘I’ll Be Back’ – Terminator (1984)

‘We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat’ – Jaws (1975)

‘A Man Cannot Live By Two Names’ – Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1931)

‘The Korova Milk Bar Sold MIlk, Plus Vellocet, Sythemesc, Or Dencom … Which Made You Ready For A Bit Of The Old Ultra-Violence’ – A Clockwork Orange (1971)

‘Death Has Come To Your Little Town, Sheriff’ – Halloween (1978)

‘Our Greatest Glory Is Not In Falling, But Rising Every Time We Fall’ – Rocky (1976)

‘Say Hello To My Little Friend!’ – Scarface (1983)

‘This Is Madness.. No, THIS IS SPARTA!’ – 300 (2006)

‘What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?’ – Scream (1996)

‘It’s Alivvvve! It’s ALIVE!’ – Frankenstein (1931)

‘Your Scientists Were So Preocupied With Whether They Could, That They Never Stopped To Ask Whether They Should ‘ – Jurassic Park (1993)

‘I Don’t Know How To Put This.. But I’m Kind Of A Big Deal. I Have Many Leather-Bound Books And My Apartment Smells Of Rich Mahogany!’ – Anchorman (2004)

‘Listen To Them: The Children Of The Night. What [Sweet] Music They Make’ – Dracula (1931)

‘I Am Iron Man’ – Iron Man (2008) / Avengers: Endgame (2019)

‘Life Is So Beautiful That Death Has Fallen In Love With It: A Jealous, Possessive Love That Grabs What It Can’ – Life Of Pi (2012)

‘You Talkin’ To Me ?’ – Taxi Driver (1976)

‘Every Time A Bell Rings, An Angel Gets His Wings’ – It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

‘They’re heeeeere’ – Poltergeist (1982)

‘Open The Pod Bay Doors, HAL; You Know I Can’t Do That, Dave’ – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

‘Look At Her, She Wouldn’t Even Harm A Fly’ – Psycho (1960)

‘What If I Told You.. That Everything You Know Is A Lie’ – The Matrix (1999)

‘People Should Not Be Afraid Of Their Governments; Governments Should Be Afraid Of Their People’ – V For Vendetta (2005)

‘Yippie-Ki-Yay, Motherf*****!’ – Die Hard (1988)

‘We Are The Music Makers, And We Are The Dreamers Of Dreams’ – Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)

‘Roads? Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads!’ – Back To The Future (1985)

‘When He Looks At Me, He Does Not Know What I Lack – Or That I Am Incomplete; He Sees For What I Am.. As I Am’ – The Shape Of Water (2017)

‘Some Day, And That Day May Never Come, I Will Call Upon You To Do A Service For Me … But Until That Day, Accept This Justice As A Gift’ – The Godfather (1972)

‘I Used To Think My Life Was A Tragedy; Now I Realize: It’s A Comedy’ – Joker (2019)

‘See There’s Two Kinds Of People In This Worlds: Those With Loaded Guns & Those Who Dig. You Dig.’ – The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (1967)

‘May The Force Be With You’ – Star Wars (1977)

‘Women Have Minds And Souls As Well As Hearts – I’m Sick Of Hearing People Say Love Is All A Woman Is Fit For’ – Little Women (2019)

‘Why Are You Doing This? ..Because You Were Home’ – The Strangers (2008)

‘If You Can Dodge A Wrench, You Can Dodge A Ball’ – Dodgeball (2004)

‘Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animals!’ – Home Alone (1990)

‘There’s No Law West Of Dodge, And No God West Of The Pecos’ – Chisum (1970)

‘When You Realize You Want To Spend The Rest Of Your Life With Somebody, You Want The Rest Of Your Life To Start As Soon As Possible’ – When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

‘I’m Having An Old Friend For Dinner’ – The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

‘The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Pulled Was Convincing The World He Didn’t Exist’ – The Usual Suspects (1995)

‘If You Build It, They Will Come’ – Field Of Dreams (1989)

‘Everything The Light Touches Is Our Kingdom’ – The Lion King (1994)

‘Sometimes We Love People So Much That We Have To Numb Ourselves To It. Because If We Actually Felt How Much We Love Them, It Might Kill Us’ – Riding In Cars With Boys (2001)

‘I’ve Killed Everything That Walks Or Crawls At One Point Or Another, And I’ve Come To Kill You’ – The Unforgiven (1992)

‘Big Man In A Suit Of Armor; Take That Away And What Are You? Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist’ – The Avengers (2012)

‘This Is Not ‘Nam. This Is Bowling. There Are Rules!’ – The Big Lebowski (1998)

‘Take Your Stinking Paws Off Me, You Damned Dirty Ape’ – Planet Of The Apes (1968)

‘Surely You Can’t Be Serious.’ ‘I Am Serious, And Don’t Call Me Shirley’ – Airplane! (1980)

‘Precioussss’ – Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

‘A Martini, Shaken Not Stirred’ – Goldfinger (1962)

‘We’re All A Bit Mad Here’ – Alice In Wonderland (1951)

‘What Are You?! I’m Batman.’ – Batman (1989)

‘Murder, My Sweet’ – Murder, My Sweet (1944)

‘My Whole Life, I Always Wanted To Be A Gangster’ – Goodfellas (1990)

‘I’m The King Of The World!’ – Titanic (1997)

‘To Infinity And Beyond!’ – Toy Story (2001)

‘ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!’ – Gladiator (2000)

‘After All, Tomorrow Is Another Day’ – Gone With The Wind (1939)

‘You Have To Ask Yourself One Question: Do Ya Feel Lucky Punk? Well, Do Ya?’ – Dirty Harry (1971)

‘A Laugh Can Be A Very Powerful Thing – Why, Sometimes In Life, It’s The Only Weapon We Have’ – Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

‘If Everything Is Imperfect In This World, Love Is Perfect In Its Imperfection’ – The Seventh Seal (1957)

‘I’ve Crossed Oceans Of Time To Find You’ – Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

‘Mr. Demille, I’m Ready For My Close-Up’ – Sunset Boulevard (1950)

‘Hasta La Vista, Baby’ – Terminator II: Judgment Day (1991)

‘You Think You’re Wicked Smaht Because You Read Your [Textbook] And Regurgitate It On Paper, Huh?’ – Good Will Hunting (1997)

‘I Don’t Know Who You Are, But If You Don’t Let My Daughter Go: I Will Find You, And I Will Kill You’ – Taken (2008)

‘Life Moves Fast. If You Don’t Stop And Look Around Every Once In A While, You Might Miss It’ – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

‘May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor’ – The Hunger Games (2012)

‘E.T. Phone Home’ – E.T. (1982)

‘Carpe Diem: Seize The Day, Boys’ – Dead Poets Society (1989)

‘Gentlemen, You Can’t Fight In Here! This Is The War Room!’ – Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)

‘You Complete Me’ – Jerry Maguire (1996)

‘I Don’t Know Which Species Is Worse … At Least [The Xenomorphs] Don’t F*** Eachother Over For A Percentage’ – Aliens (1986)

‘Elementary, My Dear Watson’ – The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

‘I See Dead People’ – The Sixth Sense (1999)

‘Goooooood Morning, Vietnam!’ – Good Morning Vietnam (1987)

‘With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility’ – Spider-Man (2002)

‘Why So Serious?’ – The Dark Knight (2008)

‘We’ll Always Have Paris!’ – Casablanca (1942)

‘Fasten Your Seatbelts, It’s Going To Be A Bumpy Ride!’ – All About Eve (1950)

‘The Truth? You Can’t Handle The Truth! – A Few Good Men (1992)

‘It’s Niiiiice’ – Borat (2006)

‘Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates, You Never Know What You’re Gonna Get’ – Forrest Gump (1994)

‘You Want To Dance With The Devil In The Cold Moonlight?’ – Batman (1989)

‘Houston, We Have A Problem’ – Apollo 13 (1995)

‘Take The Gun, Leave The Cannoli’ – The Godfather, Pt. II (1974)

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The Cinemaholic

50 Greatest Movie Quotes Ever

 of 50 Greatest Movie Quotes Ever

Cinema has been the most influential form of art. Movies not only sold stories, but also dreams that made the masses imagine themselves in the situations they saw their favorite heroes/heroines in. With their massive impact on popular culture, films went on to influence fashion, our outlook towards life, and mostly importantly, language. Film dialogues have often found their ways into our daily conversations. So without further ado, here we present to you our list of the 50 greatest quotes in film history:

50. Dirty Harry (1971)

After the Dollars trilogy , the ‘ Dirty Harry ‘ franchise pushed forward Clint Eastwood ‘s status as Hollywood’s Mr. Macho. In this series, he portrays police detective Harry Callahan, a man who doesn’t mind bending the law to meet his goals. In a bank robbery scene in the first film, Harry points his revolver at a robber at the final stages of a shootout and rather nonchalantly says, “ I know what you’re thinking. ‘Did he fire six shots or only five’? Well to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I kind of lost track myself. But being that this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well do ya, punk?”

49. Some Like It Hot (1959)

In this hilarious roller-coaster of a film by the legendary Billy Wilder , the lead actors spend most of the time disguised as two women. It so happens that an old man called Osgood falls for one of these disguised men who now goes by the name Daphne. When Daphne, whose actual name is Jerry, tries convincing Osgood that he’s not a woman, the old man simply says, “Well, nobody’s perfect.” The film ends with this very line and sums up all the characters in it perfectly.

48. Apollo 13 (1995)

Based on the true story of the Apollo 13 mission, this critically acclaimed film sees Tom Hanks play the role of Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell. It is when the ship starts malfunctioning, Lowell makes his command center in Houston aware of the situation by uttering the line which is now considered one of the most iconic in cinema history:  “Houston, we have a problem.”

47. Chinatown (1974)

We cannot give you details of the exact situation when this quote was said since it happens at the climax of the film. But just know that the central character Jake Gittes ( Jack Nicholson ) gives in all his might to pin down the criminal throughout the film. However, the last scene gives him such a blow that he’s completely devastated by it. Then one of his acquaintances puts things in perspective for Jack by saying,  “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.”

46. The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick ‘s 1980 psychological horror film has always polarized critics and audiences. Be that as it may, no one can deny the brilliance of Jack Nicholson after watching his performance in the film. Nicholson’s character Jack, after he loses his sanity, attacks his wife and son with an ax. When he manages to ax down a door behind which his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) has taken shelter, Jack sticks his head in, and with an evil smile on his face, utters,  “Here’s Johnny!” Interestingly, this line was completely improvised by Nicholson.

45. Planet of the Apes (1968)

In this iconic 1968 film, Charlton Heston plays the character of George Taylor, an astronaut. When he lands on a foreign planet along with his colleagues Landon (Robert Gunner) and Dodge (Jeff Burton), Taylor witnesses the planet being run by a population of apes. It is during his capture that Taylor utters the now-famous line  “Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape.”

44. Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Stanley Kubrick’s masterful creation ‘Dr. Strangelove’ imagines a world where the Cold War has reached such a point that America is about to attack Russia using nuclear weapons. When the President wants to stop this attack from happening, he invites all the major players in the country’s defense sector to the Pentagon. When a high-ranking army general and the Russian ambassador get into a scuffle during the meeting, the President utters the ironic line,  “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!”

43. Goldfinger (1964)

Though this line was first used in the very first James Bond novel ‘Casino Royale’ itself, it would not find a translation to television until 1964’s ‘Goldfinger’ when Bond instructs a bartender for a drink using the phrase  “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.”

42. The Sixth Sense (1999)

The film that put M. Night Shyamalan on the map, ‘ The Sixth Sense ‘ became a major hit soon after its release. The central character of the film is Cole Sear. When Cole’s mother seeks the help of child psychologist Malcolm Crowe for her son’s bizarre behavior, Crowe ( Bruce Willis ) at first has a hard time figuring out the reason for the same, until one day Cole confides in him by saying,  “I see dead people.”

41. Casablanca (1942)

This is a film which will pop up frequently on this list. ‘ Casablanca ‘ has some of the most iconic phrases in film history. Among them, the line  “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine” , is uttered by Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), after his former lover Ilsa Lund walks into his bar in Casablanca with her husband.

40. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

One of the best films in Al Pacino ‘s illustrious career, ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ is about the real-life attempted bank robbery carried out by Sonny Wortzik, along with his friends Salvatore “Sal” Naturale, and Stevie. However, things do not go according to plan and soon, the police surround the bank and passers-by gather around to witness the entire fiasco. During one of his negotiations with the police, Sonny comes out and shouts  “Attica! Attica!” , only for the crowd to cheer him on. Sonny here was referring to the 1971 Attica Prison uprising.

39. Forrest Gump (1995)

One of the most popular films of the 1990s , ‘ Forrest Gump ‘ stars Tom Hanks  in the leading role. Forrest’s mother is an exceptionally strong woman and always asked her son to keep his chin up even after realizing he is much slower than kids his age. Even when Forrest grows up, he remembers how his mother encouraged him:  “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” The line becomes the theme of the film as Forrest somehow becomes a part of some of the most important moments in 20th century American history.

38. The Terminator (1984)

James Cameron has always been a trendsetter. He has really pushed the boundaries of cinema and changed the way blockbuster movies were made, like Steven Spielberg . In his iconic 1984 sci-fi action film , ‘ The Terminator ‘ starring Arnold Schwarzenegger , the eponymous cyborg utters the line, “I’ll be back” to a desk officer when he is refused entry into a police station where his targets Sarah Connor and her son are being held.

37. Jaws (1975)

The first-ever summer blockbuster, ‘ Jaws ‘ is the film that turned Spielberg overnight into a Blockbuster messiah. The most famous line from the film,  “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” , is spoken by Roy Scheider’s Sheriff Brody when he first sees the size of the shark he’s trying to catch along with Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw.

36. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

This John Huston directorial is one of the best films in Humphrey Bogart’s glorious career. When Bogart’s character Fred C. Dobbs asks one Mexican bandit leader called Gold Hat to show him his badge if his claim to be a police officer is true, Gold Hat refuses to do so, and instead delivers the iconic line:  “Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!”

35. Scarface (1983)

Brian DePalma’s 1983 gangster film ‘Scarface’ sees Al Pacino play the role of a Cuban refugee called Tony Montana who becomes one of the biggest cocaine smugglers in America. In the final act of the film, when Pacino’s character is about to be overpowered by a bunch of killers sent to assassinate him, he comes out with a huge assault rifle and says the line  “Say ‘hello’ to my little friend!” before blowing off two of the hitmen.

34. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

One of the most famous romantic comedies of all time, ‘When Harry Met Sally’ stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in the leading roles. In one of the scenes when Harry and Sally are in a restaurant, Sally fakes an orgasm to show how it is done. She’s so loud about it that many other patrons take notice. Among them is an old lady, who is so intrigued by the orgasm that she tells the waiter  “I’ll have what she’s having” , pointing towards Sally.

33. A Few Good Men (1992)

Tom Cruise  in this film had to display his acting skills in front of one of the most iconic actors in film history, Jack Nicholson. In one of the scenes where Cruise’s character Daniel Kaffee asks Nicholson’s character Base Commander Colonel Nathan Jessup the truth regarding the murder of Private First Class William Santiago, Jessup taunts him by saying, “You can’t handle the truth!”

32. Casablanca (1942)

‘Casablanca’ makes another entry in this list. This time, when Rick shoots Major Strasser, as the latter would’ve prevented Ilsa’s escape, only Renault, the commander of the local police, witnesses the incident. However, he does not arrest Rick, and instead orders his people to  “Round up the usual suspects” . The line has since then entered film folklore, and also inspired the title of the next film on this list.

31. The Usual Suspects (1995)

The film which turned  Kevin Spacey into a superstar, ‘ The Usual Suspects ‘ directed by Brian Singer is one of the coolest neo-noir thrillers you’ll ever come across. Spacey here plays the role of Verbal Kint. It is his interrogation with the police which forms a major part of the narrative. Without going into details, we’ll just say that at the end of the film, after Verbal emerges from the interrogation unscathed, we get a flash of a scene where Verbal tells detective Dave Kujan, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. ”

30. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight star in this 1969 film as Joe Buck and Ratso respectively. When Joe arrives at new York from a rural area, he finds a friend in Ratso, a hustler. During one of the scenes where the two are walking together on the pavement, Ratso stops an incoming cab by yelling at the driver, “I’m walking here! I’m walking here!” Hoffman completely improvised the scene and it was so much in character that the director decided to keep the scene in the movie.

29. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Quentin Tarantino ‘s sophomore venture ‘ Pulp Fiction ‘ went on to become one of the most influential films in history. In the film, just before shooting Bret and his friends, Marsellus Wallace’s hitman Jules utters a distorted quote from the Bible, the Ezekiel 25:17: “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”

28. Casablanca (1942)

Well, I did warn you this film is going to pop up frequently on this list. This time, we focus on the scene where Ilsa and her husband have arrived at Rick’s bar for the first time. Ilsa remembers Sam, who is now working as the bar’s in-house pianist. She requests him to play a song by saying,  “Play it, Sam. Play As Time Goes By.”  The line is often mistakenly attributed to Bogart, but it is actually Ingrid Bergman who utters this famous line in the film.

27. Gone With the Wind (1939)

Margaret Mitchells’ Civil War-era novel ‘Gone With The Wind’ was adapted for the silver screen in the year 1939. The film became as famous as the book, and the line “Tomorrow is another day” , which is first used in the book, became an iconic film quote after Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) uttered it in the film. The line is said at the end of the film when Rhett Butler leaves O’Hara.

26. The Graduate (1967)

‘ The Graduate ‘ is the film which turned Dustin Hoffman into a major Hollywood star. At one point in the film, Hoffman’s character Benjamin is asked by Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father’s law partner, to take her home. At the house, her seductive behavior prompts Benjamin to ask her, “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?”

25. The Godfather Part II (1974)

Al Pacino’s  Michael Corleone is the central character of the ‘ Godfather ‘ trilogy. According to many, his performance in the second film, ‘ The Godfather Part II’ is better than the one in its predecessor. After a failed assassination attempt on Michael, he advises one of his hitmen to play it cool, so that the enemy does not know his identity has been revealed. Michael explains his strategy by saying that his father has taught him a lot of things, but the most important one among them was, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

24. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Directed by Billy Wilder, ‘Sunset Boulevard’ is a film about an aging star of the silent era, whose stardom has faded after the talkie era of Hollywood began. Norma Desmond, the character in question, utters the now-iconic line  “I am big! It’s the pictures that got small” when struggling writer Joe Gillis recognizes her and remarks that she used to be big during the silent era.

23. Dr. No (1962)

The coolest detective in the history of fiction, James Bond, appeared for the first time on the silver screen in this film with Sean Connery playing the character. We first meet Bond in a casino, wearing a crisp tuxedo and playing poker when a woman asks him his name. Bond lights a cigarette with his trademark suave and simply utters, “Bond. James Bond.”

22. Jerry Maguire (1996)

Tom Cruise plays the eponymous central character in this film. Maguire is a sports agent who looks after the financial interests of footballer Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). Dissatisfied with Maguire’s performance at one point, Rod clearly asks him,  “Show me the money” , if Maguire wants to keep working for him.

21. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

One of the finest films of the 1990s , ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ is the story of a serial killer  called Dr. Hannibal Lecter ( Anthony Hopkins ) and a young FBI rookie, Clarice Starling. When Clarice pays Dr. Lecter a visit in prison to take his help regarding a serial killing case, Dr. Lecter very casually explains to her how he deals with humans he doesn’t like:  “A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”

20. White Heat (1949)

James Cagney stars in this 1949 classic, which is one of the greatest film noirs of all time. Cagney’s character Cody Jarrett is a gangster whom we see running for his life at the very end of the film. When Cody realizes he has nowhere else to hide, he blows up the gas tank on which he has been sitting, and shouts out  “Made it, Ma! Top of the world!” as he is literally blasted high into the sky.

19. Network (1976)

Sidney Lumet ‘s 1976 film ‘Network’ is one of the finest commentaries on television media culture and how news has become nothing but a commodity one has to sell to the population. In one of his appearances on the television,  Howard Beale, who earlier claims he will be committing suicide on air, shouts out, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” . He clearly means that he is frustrated with the commodification of news and will not subscribe to this buffoonery in the name of newscasting any longer.

18. Casablanca (1942)

‘Casablanca’ makes its appearance once again! And let me assure you, this is not the last time. After saving Louis by not ratting on him, Rick and Renault walk towards the city in a dense fog. And while walking, Rick, touched by Renault’s kindness, says, “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

17.  Citizen Kane (1941)

Orson Welles established himself as a force to be reckoned with after the release of his seminal debut feature ‘Citizen Kane’ . The most famous quote from the film is a single word, “Rosebud” , which Kane utters on his deathbed. It is this word which forms a leitmotif throughout the film and keeps coming back at very important moments. A reporter tries to find the meaning of the word, but the meaning remains in the shadows forever. There are now many interpretations of the word, but Welles never spoke about its meaning.

16. Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Paul Newman’s prison drama from 1967, ‘Cool Hand Luke’, is considered one of the greatest in its genre. Newman’s character, Luke, is not a very obedient prisoner and always talks back to the police whenever he finds an opportunity to do so. The captain, who is in charge of maintaining order and discipline in the prison, does not appreciate this behavior of Luke’s and tortures him heavily to make him understand that talking back won’t get him anywhere. Pretending that Luke has failed to understand his message, the captain says,  “What we’ve got here…is failure to communicate.”

15.  E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

This famous Steven Spielberg directorial is among the few heartwarming films which do not see aliens as some massive threat. The alien in the film, who’s known simply as E.T., wants to go back home. But he needs to communicate with his home planet for doing so. He tries and explains his desire to his friend Elliot that he wants to send a message home by saying  “E.T. phone home.”

14. Love Story (1970)

‘Love Story’ by Arthur Hiller is one of the most melodramatic Hollywood films you will ever see. The film centers around the romantic relationship between the characters Oliver and Jenny. Just before Jenny dies of cancer, the couple have a huge argument. When Oliver goes to Jenny to apologize for his behavior, she utters the corniest line in this entire list,  “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

13. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

One of the most tense films you will ever watch, ‘The Maltese Falcon’ stars Humphrey Bogart as the detective Sam Spade who comes in contact with a lady who hires him for a case. After an intense cat-and-mouse chase, we understand that one statuette is the center of all the events of the film. When the police take away the villain for the last time, Spade tells them to take away the statuette as well. When one of the officers asks him what it is, he simply replies, “The stuff that dreams are made of.”

12. King Kong (1933)

In the 1933 ‘King Kong’ film, the now-famous ape made its first onscreen appearance. As the story goes, it was the ape’s affection for the central female character of the film which makes the giant creature take her and climb up to the top of the Empire State Building. After the army planes shoot down the beast, the director Carl Denham, whose crew first spotted the creature, comments:  “Oh, no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.”

11. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

The iconic film noir again makes an appearance on this list. Norma Desmond is a character who lives with her past glory. She is so disillusioned that she continues to imagine herself as a huge star who still has her best years ahead. At the very end of the film, when the police come to arrest her for murder (let’s keep the victim’s name under the wraps, shall we?), Norma Desmond walks up to a news camera in dramatic fashion, saying, “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” She is so deranged that she believes she’s in the middle of a film shoot.

10. Apocalypse Now (1979)

One of the greatest war films ever made, ‘ Apocalypse Now ‘ serves as a testament to the depravity that went on during the Vietnam War where American soldiers had to spends months, sometimes years, away from their families. The central character of the film, Captain Willard, meets a character called Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore. His enthusiasm about surfing remains unhindered even as people die by the hundreds right in front of his eyes everyday. One day, as he gets down from a helicopter while his men fight the Vietnamese, Kilgore admires the situation and claims,  “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”

Read More: Best Movie Endings of All Time

9. All About Eve (1950)

A has-been actress, Margo Channing (Bette Davis), is the central character of this 1950 film. Margo is someone who loves the spotlight on herself and will do almost anything to be the center of attention. During one party which she has thrown for someone else, Margo downs a drink and proclaims to the guests around,  “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Read More: Most Confusing Movies of All Time

8. Taxi Driver (1976)

Martin Scorsese ‘s masterpiece, ‘ Taxi Driver ‘ is one of the greatest American films of all time. Robert de Niro plays the central character, Travis Bickle, in the film. After watching the depravity in people in and around New York, Bickle slowly starts losing his mind and prepares for something dangerous. During one of his practice sessions with the gun in front of his mirror, Bickle mutters to the mirror,  “You talkin’ to me?” and repeats it over and over again as if someone is right there in front of him. De Niro completely improvised the entire thing without having any clue that it would go on to become one of the most quoted lines in film history.

Read More: Best Teen Movies of All Time

7. Star Wars (1977)

‘ Star Wars ‘ is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most popular film franchises in history. The franchise started by George Lucas has influenced generations of science fiction lovers. Two of the most famous characters in the series are undoubtedly Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker. In the first film itself, when Luke climbs into his space ship X-Wing to blast off the Death Star, Hans says this very iconic line which has now become a part of pop culture: “May the Force be with you.”

Read More: Best Sport Movies of All Time

6. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Regarded as one of the greatest films of all time , the influence ‘The Wizard of Oz’ has had on pop culture can be felt even today. When the central character Dorothy and her Dog Toto are blown away by a storm to the magical Land of Oz, Dorothy exclaims,  “Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Read More: Best World War II Movies of All Time

5. Casablanca (1942)

This is the last time ‘Casablanca’ will find itself on this list. During the course of the film, we see several instances of the romance between Rick and Ilsa when they were in Paris. In one of those scenes, we can see Rick raising a toast to Ilsa by saying, “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

Read More: Best Visually Stunning Movies of All Time

4. On the Waterfront (1954)

One of the movies which played a major part in cementing Marlon Brando ‘s status as a Hollywood icon, ‘On The Waterfront’ saw the legend playing Terry Malloy, a dockworker whose brother Charley works for a gangster responsible for various murders in and around the dock area. Terry also gets caught up in the gang, and later, when he laments to his brother, he says,  “You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.”

Read More: Biggest Box Office Flops of All Time

3. Sudden Impact (1983)

The fourth film of the ‘Dirty Harry’ film franchise finds its way to this list. The scene I’m referring to here happens very early in the film. When Harry Callahan enters a coffee shop, the waitress warns him that there are robbers inside the place. However, Callahan doesn’t get the sign. After he does get it, Callahan enters the shop and kills all the robbers except one who has taken a lady hostage. Callahan calmly tells him,  “Go ahead, make my day.” If he’d have killed the lady, the robber would’ve given Callahan the license to shoot him.

Read More: Biggest Box-Office Hits of All Time

2. The Godfather (1972)

Marlon Brando really outdid himself playing the character Vito Corleone in ‘ The Godfather ‘. Quite naturally, it is one of his lines which finds itself as the second-most iconic quote in film history. When Vito’s godson Johnny Fontane tells him that he needs a part in a Hollywood movie to boost his career but a studio head Jack Woltz refuses to cast him, Vito simply says Johnny’s going to get the part. When asked how this will be possible, Vito simply says,  “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

Read More: Best Movie Couples of Last 30 Years

1. Gone With the Wind (1939)

If you adjust inflation, ‘Gone With The Wind’ is still the highest-grossing film of all time . No wonder it has such deep roots in pop culture history. When the character of Rhett Butler, played by Clarke Gable, speaks for the last time to Scarlett O’Hara, the latter asks him where she should go or what she should do, to which he simply answers, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

Read More: Best Movie Quotes of All Time

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The 37 Best Movie Quotes of All Time

"No wire hangers, EVER!"

marlon brando and al lettieri in 'the godfather'

One of the ultimate pleasures of rewatching movies is quoting them back at them. (But please, don’t do that around people who haven’t seen the movie.) The “hangout” movie—whether it’s Dazed and Confused , The Big Lebowski, or Pulp Fiction —provides an opportunity to soak in your favorite characters and the lines that define them. Those lines also take us back in time to when we first got to know these people who are as real to us as friends, even if we might not want to be their friends. (Who can forget their first encounter with Jules Winnfield’s windy, God-fearing monologues?) But they also provide calling cards for some of the most memorable thrillers, horror movies and—naturally—gangster pictures to hit the big screen.

Any list of the best movie quotes is, of course, subjective. So think of this as a compilation of great movie quotes just about everyone knows as well as many you might not (or have forgotten). Any true Jaws fan knows there are many more treasures than “You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” just as any camp head knows you can’t pass up the delicious delivery of Gina Gershon in Showgirls . And Matthew McConaughey is almost too quotable for his own good, but we pared his work down to one line (no, not that one). From the funny to the profound, from the foul-mouthed to the moving, here are movie quotes for the ages.

“That's the way it crumbles... cookie-wise.” (The Apartment)

Jack Lemmon’s charm was irrepressible.

“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” (The Godfather)

The mafia’s credo distilled into one line.

Stream it here

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” (Goodfellas)

If Francis Ford Coppola perfected the gangster movie, Martin Scorsese gave it one hell of a remix.

“I don't know how good you are, darlin', and I don't know what it is you're good at, but if it's at the Cheetah, it's not dancing, I know that much.” (Showgirls)

Gina Gershon understood the unique camp appeal of Showgirls long before the rest of us.

“Gobble gobble, gobble gobble. We accept her. One of us, one of us.” (Freaks)

Still the strangest scene ever committed to the movies.

“It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” (The Silence of the Lambs)

It still makes us shudder, and yet somehow laugh, too.

“My husband’s coming today, and I need some lube… for my pussy.” (Wet Hot American Summer)

The most quotably raunchy-sweet line in the most quotable comedy of the 2000s.

“No wire hangers, ever!” (Mommie Dearest)

The definitive camp statement.

“‘Cause she’s got a great ass!” (Heat)

When Al Pacino commits, he really commits.

“I think she's the fuck of the century.” (Basic Instinct)

What’s true of Al Pacino is also true of Michael Douglas.

“Say hello to my little friend!” (Scarface)

Shoutout to the best supporting actor of 1983: that giant gun.

“I want you to draw me like one of your French girls.” (Titanic)

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio will never escape Titanic , and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

“I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.” (In a Lonely Place)

Humphrey Bogart, immensely funny, sad, scary, and quotable in his best movie.

“If you want me, just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." (To Have and Have Not)

Because no one used their lips quite like Lauren Bacall.

“You know, even though we've watched Pretty Woman like 36 times, I never get tired of making fun of it.” (Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion)

Still way funnier than anything in Pretty Woman .

“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.” (Pulp Fiction)

The best nonexistent Bible quote ever.

“Every time I try to talk to someone it's ‘sorry this’ and ‘forgive me that’ and ‘I'm not worthy.’” (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

Importantly, the quote comes from God.

“Shitter’s full.” (Christmas Vacation)

Cousin Eddie has a way with words.

“This aggression will not stand, man.” (The Big Lebowski)

Beyond the permanent bathrobe and White Russians, the Dude really has a point.

“Never seen so many backwards-ass country fucks in my life.” (48 Hrs.)

From the beginning, Eddie Murphy didn’t take crap from anyone.

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The Greatest Movie Quotes Of All Time

Ranker Community

These are the most memorable lines uttered on film, lines and quotes that have lived on long past the point where people even know where they originated from. This list asks "What are the greatest movie quotes of all time?" by incorporating the views and opinions of all members of the Ranker Community. Nominate your picks for best famous movie line ever by making a list of your own. This list includes the movies quotes so you can relive your favorite iconic scenes from movies and remember where these popular movie quotes are from. Use your votes to determine the most quoted movie lines ever.

What are the greatest movie lines of all time? Do they have to come from the most quotable movies or can they be from obscure films? What are the best movie quotes? Vote for top movie quotes and share this with your friends.

I'll be back.

I'll be back.

I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.

I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.

You're gonna need a bigger boat.

You're gonna need a bigger boat.

May the force be with you.

May the force be with you.

You can't handle the truth!

You can't handle the truth!

Yippee-ki-yay, Motherf*cker.

Yippee-ki-yay, Motherf*cker.

generic movie review quotes

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unheralded screenwriters who have provided generations of movie-goers with such memorable movie quotes and lines of dialogue, from film speeches, one-liners, quips, punchlines, statements, insults, and even mis-quotes. Their words are remembered through popular use, critical acclaim, shock value and quotability, and for many other reasons.

from the greatest films, but they have remained as part of the film's legacy (and etched a place in movie history) anyway!

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to draw up a list of the "ten most famous movie quotes ever."

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revealed the 100 greatest movie quotes in American films, as chosen by leaders of the entertainment community in 2005, including a listing of the top 10. See also the link to AFI's .

from the previous section. Here's a selection of some of the worst ever heard, many of which were seriously delivered by the actors/actresses.

has provided a very comprehensive selection of the (in multiple parts, and illustrated) throughout cinematic history, with background for each speech/monologue, and the actual text.

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Actors Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in the 'whistle' scene of the 1944 movie 'To Have and Have Not.'

100 greatest movie quotes from 100 years of film

Notable movie lines become part of our real lives, working their way into pop culture, parodies, and becoming so ingrained in our lexicon, we may even forget where they came from in the first place. Take, for example, the phrase "a case of the Mondays." Today, we all know exactly what that means, a reference to the dreaded return to work after a blissful two days away from the office. But did you remember that that phrase actually originated from the 1999 movie "Office Space" ? In the digital age, the most iconic movie quotes get transformed into gifs and memes. "Look at me, I'm the captain now," from "Captain Phillips" has received full meme treatment, as has "Why so serious?" from "The Dark Knight."

In 2005, the American Film Institute (AFI) compiled a  list of the greatest movie quotes  based on feedback from more than 1,500 leaders in the creative community including film artists, critics, and historians. There have, of course, been many worthy additions over the last decade and a half that warrant future consideration: Lines like "I drink your milkshake," from "There Will Be Blood," or "I wish I knew how to quit you," from "Brokeback Mountain," were delivered shortly after the cut-off date.

But for now, the list spans the 75 years between 1927 and 2002. The quotes in AFI's list were selected from a ballot that included 400 choices from American films that have deeply circulated throughout popular culture over the years to expand their historical legacies. The earliest film quote comes from 1927's "The Jazz Singer," with "Wait a minute, wait a minute—you ain't heard nothin' yet," a slick self-reference to its status as the first "talkie." The final year represented is 2002's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" with the line "My precious" delivered by Andy Serkis' unforgettable Gollum.

1939 saw the most movie quotes on the ballot, the year that powerhouse films "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone with the Wind" premiered. "Casablanca" is the film with the most quotes in the top 100—a whopping six—whittled down from 10 quotes. Three of the lines are delivered on the foggy tarmac where Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman say goodbye with iconic panache.

Read on to see how many of the quotes from the top 100 you already know by heart.

#100. Titanic (1997)

- Quote: "I'm the King of the World!" - Character: Jack Dawson - Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio

James Cameron famously shouted this movie line (delivered as Jack Dawson spreads his arms and shouts it from the ship's prow) after winning the Oscar for Best Director for "Titanic" in 1998. Twenty years later, he told "Vanity Fair" that he regretted the "hubris." "I now realize what was wrong with my choice to do that." "Titanic" is still tied with "Ben-Hur" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" for the most Oscar wins of all time.

#99. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

- Quote: "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!" - Character: Wicked Witch of the West - Actor: Margaret Hamilton

"The Wizard of Oz" remains one of the most influential films in history, in part because it features witches (both good and bad). These on-screen witches gave way to the popular Broadway show "Wicked," and this famous line pops up anywhere witches are referenced.

#98. Dirty Dancing (1987)

- Quote: "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." - Character: Johnny Castle - Actor: Patrick Swayze

"Dirty Dancing" writer Eleanor Bergstein, explained that Patrick Swazye didn't want to say the iconic line , but he gave it one take. Swayze's earnest performance as Johnny Castle made this line an enduring classic, both silly and sweet. The line was also a 2005 song title for the rock band Fall Out Boy.

#97. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

- Quote: "My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you." - Character: George M. Cohan - Actor: James Cagney

Released in 1942, this story about the composer of America's most patriotic songs, became easy propaganda to get the U.S. in a rousing mood for World War II. James Cagney as Cohan speaks the line to President Roosevelt after receiving a medal for serving his country. The line solidifies the notion of the family as a cornerstone of patriotism, and as an extension of the strength of powerful, good men.

#96. Moonstruck (1987)

- Quote: "Snap out of it!" - Character: Loretta Castorini - Actor: Cher

As Loretta, Cher slaps Nicolas Cage twice before speaking this famous admonition. Loretta's inspired anger in the face of a declaration of love comes across as a spirited rebellion against traditional romantic norms.

#95. Dead Poets Society (1989)

- Quote: "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." - Character: John Keating - Actor: Robin Williams

Robin Williams was already a star when "Dead Poets Society" premiered, but he would grow into a beloved cultural icon after this film. "Dead Poets Society" endures due to its theme, tied to this powerfully optimistic line , in a film that's beautiful, but sorrowful.

#94. Top Gun (1986)

- Quote: "I feel the need—the need for speed!" - Character: Pete Mitchell & Nick Bradshaw - Actor: Tom Cruise & Anthony Edwards

Tom Cruise's hotshot pilot Maverick was a famously adorable rapscallion—a trait embodied in this short, simple line. Despite its overall campiness, reflected best in the unforgettable volleyball scene, the film's sequel is set to release in 2020 . Cruise will reprise his role.

#93. Auntie Mame (1958)

- Quote: "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" - Character: Mame Dennis - Actor: Rosalind Russell

This film became famous for bucking Hays Code restrictions in the 1950s with open references to homosexuality and gender-bending. This film became a camp classic for its " gay sensibility " and for Rosalind Russell's exuberant costumes and one-liners like this one, delivered to her repressed nephew.

#92. Caddyshack (1980)

- Quote: "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" - Character: Carl Spackler - Actor: Bill Murray

Bill Murray's famous "Cinderella" monologue didn't appear in the "Caddyshack" script—the actor was only given directions to lop the heads off tulips while practicing his golf swing. Murray requested mums instead, and improvised the famous riff doing imaginary sports commentary.

#91. The Naughty Nineties (1945)

- Quote: "Who's on first?" - Character: Dexter - Actor: Bud Abbott

It's hard to imagine this long bit about about a baseball player named "Who's" would appeal to a contemporary audience. The classic comedy duo Abbott and Costello use the line "Who's on first?" as fodder for wordplay antics. In this routine filled with dialogue about baseball players, some also have the names "Tomorrow" and "Naturally," allowing for extended comic hijinks.

#90. Goldfinger (1964)

- Quote: "A martini. Shaken, not stirred." - Character: James Bond - Actor: Sean Connery

This line captures the essence of the special agent hero: handsome and cultured, with impeccable taste. Not surprisingly, the line (which originated in Ian Fleming's "007" novels) endures not only in the films, but in contemporary cocktail culture .

#89. Knute Rockne, All American (1940)

- Quote: "Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper." - Character: Knute Rockne - Actor: Pat O'Brien

George Gipp was a real-life football player who became forever entwined with the political mythology of Ronald Reagan. The former president starred as the dying "Gipper," and asks his coach to inspire his team with the line. It became a catchphrase during Reagan's campaign, a crossover between politics and popular culture.

#88. On Golden Pond (1981)

- Quote: "Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor. Don't you forget it. You're going to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go!" - Character: Ethel Thayer - Actor: Katharine Hepburn

In this tear-jerking scene, stars confront old age and mortality in a love story rarely shown in Hollywood. Katharine Hepburn performed the role while suffering from Parkinson's, and delivers this line while comforting her ailing husband.

#87. 42nd Street (1933)

- Quote: "Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!" - Character: Julian Marsh - Actor: Warner Baxter

Ruby Keeler (as Peggy) stars in this Busby Berkeley musical set in the "backstage" of Broadway, filled with cinematic dance numbers. When the star breaks her ankle, the show must go on, so the director sends ingenue understudy Peggy to the stage with this famous line.

#86. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

- Quote: "Attica! Attica!" - Character: Sonny Wortzik - Actor: Al Pacino

"Dog Day Afternoon," about a bank heist gone wrong, got the audience on the side of the criminals. When Al Pacino (as robber Sonny) emerges from the bank and confronts the cops, he gets the crowd to chant "Attica! Attica!" This is a reference to the 1971 prison riot and the prisoner's rights movement, demonstrating the film's strong anti-establishment bent. Pacino ad-libbed the lines after consulting with the assistant director.

#85. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

- Quote: "My precious." - Character: Gollum - Actor: Andy Serkis

Gollum became an emblem for CGI performances after "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," setting the bar for characters created by animators and portrayed by actors. Gollum is especially intriguing for his grotesque obsession that's somehow still relatable. The line was quickly "memed" as a stand-in for obsessive behavior.

#84. King Kong (1933)

- Quote: "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast." - Character: Carl Denham - Actor: Robert Armstrong

This line is delivered when King Kong has fallen off the Empire State and lies dead in the street below. It's a romantic rigaromole: it really was the airplanes, but here the men who tortured the poor creature deflect responsibility onto a woman.

#83. Dracula (1931)

- Quote: "Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make." - Character: Count Dracula - Actor: Bela Lugosi

If the castle wasn't freaky enough, Count Dracula utters these creepy lines to an out-of-town guest who hears howls in the distance. The line is eerie, but also filled with humanity and beauty that breathes within Bela Lugosi's intense performance as the iconic vampire.

#82. National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

- Quote: "Toga! Toga!" - Character: John "Bluto" Blutarsky - Actor: John Belushi

John Belushi shines as the emblematic co-ed in this paean to college party life set in a fraternity house on probation. Belushi plays the feral Bluto with an animal-like unshackling, as if he's the unfettered id of the frat boy soul.

#81. Funny Girl (1968)

- Quote: "Hello, gorgeous." - Character: Fanny Brice - Actor: Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand repeated this famous line during her Best Actress Academy Award acceptance speech. In the film, the camera pans to her character, decked out in a leopard print coat and hat, gazing at herself in the mirror and greeting her lovely visage.

#80. Rocky (1976)

- Quote: "Yo, Adrian!" - Character: Rocky Balboa - Actor: Sylvester Stallone

After the brutal fight, and the even crueler loss to Apollo Creed, Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) tries to make his way through the throng to Adrian. "Rocky" was a small film, and an early major role for Stallone, but the underdog story took the country by storm and became a titan franchise.

#79. Airplane! (1980)

- Quote: "I am serious…and don't call me Shirley." - Character: Dr. Rumack - Actor: Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen's deadpan delivery comes after the perfect set-up, "Surely you can't be serious." "Airplane's" slapstick silliness reveled in wordplay and sight gags, but popular culture fell in love with this line as the ideal rejoinder to use upon hearing "surely."

#78. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

- Quote: "Open the pod bay doors, HAL." - Character: Dave Bowman - Actor: Keir Dullea

The sentient HAL computer in Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi epic speaks with a calm and chilling voice. When Keir Dullea (as astronaut Dave) implores the computer to open the doors, the simple red eye and disembodied voice of HAL offers an eerie counterpart to the outwitted human.

#77. Soylent Green (1973)

- Quote: "Soylent Green is people!" - Character: Det. Robert Thorn - Actor: Charlton Heston

In this sci-fi thriller about environmental disaster, set in 2022, the apocalypse has caused a shortage of food and humans subsist on a mysterious substance called, you guessed it, soylent. This famous line, which admittedly gives away the movie's ending, is performed by Charlton Heston with characteristic hysteria.

#76. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

- Quote: "Hasta la vista, baby." - Character: The Terminator - Actor: Arnold Schwarzenegger

There's something about Arnold Schwarzenegger's line deliveries—he performs in a way that's both stiff and also infused with sincerity. Since he plays a robot in the "Terminator" franchise, his dialogue is rife with humor. The script co-writer revealed that he and director James Cameron used to say this catchphrase to one another, but Schwarzenegger made it one of his trademarks.

#75. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

- Quote: "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." - Character: Blanche DuBois - Actor: Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh captures the vulnerability of Blanch DuBois that's epitomized in this line—it also contains an irony that strangers aren't kind. The world is harsh and women like her won't survive, despite her optimistic facade that hides a traumatized woman just beneath.

#74. Chinatown (1974)

- Quote: "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown." - Character: Lawrence Walsh - Actor: Joe Mantell

In 1974, "Chinatown" shocked audiences with its distressing, tragic ending. The chilling effect of one of its final lines relays the dark notion that no one can be saved, and even the most twisted corruptors get away with their crimes.

#73. Little Caesar (1931)

- Quote: "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?" - Character: Rico Bandello - Actor: Edward G. Robinson

"Little Caesar" was one of the first gangster films, brimming with corruption, violence, and indecency before the film industry's organized censorship. The famous last line, gangster Rico's dying words were toned down from "Mother of God," in order to avoid offending the religious.

#72. Mommie Dearest (1981)

- Quote: "No wire hangers, ever!" - Character: Joan Crawford - Actor: Faye Dunaway

Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford doubled the appeal of glamourous rage-filled melodrama in "Mommie Dearest." She delivers the line wearing a layer of face cream and smeared red lipstick in the middle of the night, as her hysteria is revealed.

#71. The Jazz Singer (1927)

- Quote: "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!" - Character: Jakie Rabinowitz/Jack Robin - Actor: Al Jolson

This famous line inaugurates the moment in film history when "talkies" took over. It was the first film with a synchronized soundtrack that included both dialogue and singing. "The Jazz Singer" is just as famous for sequences with Al Jolson donning blackface , which complicates the film's history and legacy.

#70. Marathon Man (1976)

- Quote: "Is it safe?" - Character: Dr. Christian Szell - Actor: Laurence Olivier

The chilling irony of asking about safety during a torture scene makes "Marathon Man" an unforgettable horror film that's still relevant today . Laurence Olivier plays a Nazi war criminal whose brutality is especially apparent when Dustin Hoffman's character, an unwitting runner caught up in his plot, ends up in his dentist chair.

#69. Poltergeist (1982)

- Quote: "They're here!" - Character: Carol Anne Freeling - Actor: Heather O'Rourke

Young Carol Anne seems happy enough when she announces the presence of the entities who are about to wreak terrifying havoc on her family. The television static, usually innocuous, becomes a sign of unrest. As in many horror films, the ideal American life is ripe for shock and horror in "Poltergeist."

#68. The Shining (1980)

- Quote: "Here's Johnny!" - Character: Jack Torrance - Actor: Jack Nicholson

1980's "The Shining" was deemed one of the scariest movies of all time based on a study of viewers' heart rates while viewing the film. This quintessential cinematic jump scare has origins in "The Tonight's Show's" iconic introduction of Johnny Carson by Ed McMahon. During the "Here's Johnny!" scene, when the deranged Jack bursts through a door with an axe, viewers' pulses rose by 28.2% .

#67. Casablanca (1942)

- Quote: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." - Character: Rick Blaine - Actor: Humphrey Bogart

Rock band Fall Out Boy's 2005 album, "From Under the Cork Tree," has two song titles that are famous movie lines: "Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner," and "Of All the Gin Joints in All the World." Humphrey Bogart's leading man Rick delivers this line that captures the universal notion of fated love. More than 75 years after its release, " Casablanca" still has a strong hold on popular culture.

#66. Planet of the Apes (1968)

- Quote: "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape." - Character: George Taylor - Actor: Charlton Heston

The first "Planet of the Apes" film premiered in 1968, with five additional films through 1973. Director Tim Burton rebooted the series in 2001, and audiences have flocked to new films beginning with "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" in 2011. Charlton Heston delivers the famous line as the marooned and imprisoned astronaut Taylor, with his characteristic emotional grit. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" repeats the line, but gets a response this time: "No!" from leader Caesar.

#65. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

- Quote: "Elementary, my dear Watson." - Character: Sherlock Holmes - Actor: Basil Rathbone

This quip became the ultimate response from smarties to those less-adept. Sherlock Holmes is the quintessential deductive genius, magnified by the simpler wits of this sidekick Watson. The quote is not actually in any of Arthur Conan Doyle's books ; it's an invention from the cinematic adaptations.

#64. Dr. Strangelove (1964)

- Quote: "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" - Character: President Merkin Muffley - Actor: Peter Sellers

Stanley Kubrick's surreal dark comedy captures the absurdity of war and senselessness of atomic weapons in this line. During a live reading of the movie script, comedic actress Catherine O'Hara channeled President Merkin Muffley , delivering the line to laughter.

#63. The Graduate (1967)

- Quote: "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" - Character: Benjamin Braddock - Actor: Dustin Hoffman

This line's iconicity comes from the visual that accompanies it. The young college grad, Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) delivers the line while shot through the silhouette of Mrs. Robinson's leg, giant in the foreground. The shot offers the striking composition of the older woman overpowering the diminutive Benjamin.

#62. Beyond the Forest (1949)

- Quote: "What a dump." - Character: Rosa Moline - Actor: Bette Davis

Bette Davis' campy delivery of this snarky line still inspires imitations of those in need of the perfect insult to toss at reasonably non-dumpy locales. The line was given gorgeously caustic homage by Elizabeth Taylor in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ," who says it when surveying a nice enough, well-furnished room.

#61. Scarface (1983)

- Quote: "Say hello to my little friend!" - Character: Tony Montana - Actor: Al Pacino

Al Pacino's unhinged portrayal of Tony Montana makes this violent spectacle an oft-parodied line due to its over-the-top carnage. In 2017, a play version starring kids went viral .

#60. Sons of the Desert (1933)

- Quote: "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" - Character: Oliver - Actor: Oliver Hardy

The iconic comedy duo known for films packed with slapstick hijinks popularized this recurring catchphrase . Hardy would say it with a deadpan delivery to the hapless Laurel.

#59. Gone with the Wind (1939)

- Quote: "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." - Character: Scarlett O'Hara - Actor: Vivien Leigh

Showing the theatrical nature of the cinema, Vivein Leigh as Scarlett delivers a powerful soliloquy set to the rousing, emotional score. She speaks this line right before the film's intermission, her silhouette against the sunset and the plantation land. Though Scarlett has barely suffered, in terms of what's possible in the 19th century south, the line represents the power to rebuild and carry on after losing the civil war, and the slavery system that maintained the Southern economy.

#58. The Godfather: Part II (1974)

- Quote: "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." - Character: Michael Corleone - Actor: Al Pacino

Michael Corleone is merciless and brutal in this award-winning film. Though the sentiment in this line is often attributed to the ancient text "The Art of War," or Machiavelli's "The Prince," both guides for ruthless leadership, the line was in fact written by filmmakers Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola.

#57. Wall Street (1987)

- Quote: "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good." - Character: Gordon Gekko - Actor: Michael Douglas

Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko transcended his titan character and captured the capitalist zeitgeist of the "decade of excess." His slicked hair and reptilian namesake helped present a broad critique of wealth in America.

#56. Psycho (1960)

- Quote: "A boy's best friend is his mother." - Character: Norman Bates - Actor: Anthony Perkins

Hitchcock's psychological thriller was Freudian to the core: that is, obsessed with a mother who wasn't even there. Bates blames his behavior on his mother, when in actuality, he embodies her and wreaks havoc in her place.

#55. Annie Hall (1977)

- Quote: "La-dee-da, la-dee-da." - Character: Annie Hall - Actor: Diane Keaton

In 1977, Diane Keaton introduced a fresh type of romantic heroine: the prototypical manic pixie dream girl . Keaton won the Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of the quirky, unabashed woman.

#54. A League of Their Own (1992)

- Quote: "There's no crying in baseball!" - Character: Jimmy Dugan - Actor: Tom Hanks

While Tom Hanks may be America's sweetheart, in "A League of Their Own," he plays a grumpy curmudgeon with a heart of gold. Despite delivering this line, the tough coach still has a soft spot.

#53. Animal Crackers (1930)

- Quote: "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know." - Character: Capt. Geoffrey T. Spaulding - Actor: Groucho Marx

The wordplay wit in this line characterizes the Marx Brothers humor style as seen in their many film comedies. In "Animal Crackers," Groucho Marx plays a cowardly outdoorsman who tells tall tales at an upper-crust party, like the joke here, about an African safari he took.

#52. Jerry Maguire (1996)

- Quote: "You had me at 'hello.'" - Character: Dorothy Boyd - Actor: Renée Zellweger

Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire brought the notion of self-awareness to romance films. The line quickly became a cultural catchphrase, representing an elaborate way to say "yes" that's easy to tailor to any situation.

#51. Dirty Harry (1971)

- Quote: "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" - Character: Harry Callahan - Actor: Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood often plays lone cowboys and tough cops. As Harry, he delivers his iconic line after rising from a lunch counter to stop a crime. He's even still chewing his food as he struts across the street, gun in hand. Harry laughs, a towering figure over the wounded man, then he strolls away.

#50. Apollo 13 (1995)

- Quote: "Houston, we have a problem." - Character: Jim Lovell - Actor: Tom Hanks

"Apollo 13" is based on the 1970 moon landing mission. Astronauts Jack Swigert and James Lovell each said close versions of the famous line, but they expressed it in past tense . The revised line was used earlier in pop culture, but Tom Hanks' delivery in "Apollo 13" as the imperiled astronaut gave the phrase new life.

#49. Frankenstein (1931)

- Quote: "It's alive! It's alive!" - Character: Henry Frankenstein - Actor: Colin Clive

Dr. Frankenstein's excitement in achieving his goal comes through clearly in this iconic line. This eventually disastrous narcissism became ripe fodder for parody. Gene Wilder does an excellent spoof of this line in "Young Frankenstein" from 1974.

#48. Some Like It Hot (1959)

- Quote: "Well, nobody's perfect." - Character: Osgood Fielding III - Actor: Joe E. Brown

The gender-bending subtext of "Some Like It Hot" is powerful, and not even that subtle. Joe E. Brown as Osgood has been wooing Jack Lemmon's character who's dressed in drag. When Lemmon says "I'm a man," and pulls off his wig, Osgood's quip (it almost didn't make it in the movie ) displays open and romantic, homosexual love.

#47. Shane (1953)

- Quote: "Shane. Shane. Come back!" - Character: Joey Starrett - Actor: Brandon De Wilde

This movie includes the classic Western trope of a lone cowboy riding into town, heroically saving it, then disappearing into the sunset. The tear-jerker ending has gotten the meme treatment, now a joke of sentimental hokum, when the child cries for the hero to return.

#46. Now, Voyager (1942)

- Quote: "Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars." - Character: Charlotte Vale - Actor: Bette Davis

Bette Davis stars as a woman who's diagnosed with cancer, undergoes a flashy makeover, and falls in love with a married man. The line captures her can-do spirit with regards to going without love.

#45. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

- Quote: "Stella! Hey, Stella!" - Character: Stanley Kowalski - Actor: Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando delivers this famous line using his signature "method" acting style, revealing seemingly unstaged anguish. The line appears over in over in other iterations as a representation of melodramatic acting. In "The Disaster Artist," James Franco (as hack actor Tommy Wiseau) performs an over-the-top interpretation of this line in acting class.

#44. The Sixth Sense (1999)

- Quote: "I see dead people." - Character: Cole Sear - Actor: Haley Joel Osment

Haley Joel Osment was the ultimate turn-of-the-millennium child actor, speaking this line in a profoundly creepy manner. He in fact delivers this line earlier than the notorious twist ending , offering a clue that audiences famously missed the first time around.

#43. Casablanca (1942)

- Quote: "We'll always have Paris." - Character: Rick Blaine - Actor: Humphrey Bogart

"Casablanca" has multiple lines in the top 100 greatest, and two of them come from Humphrey Bogart as Rick, during his final monologue to Ilsa on the tarmac. "We'll always have Paris" caught on as a catchphrase to use to make light of great loss. "Casablanca's" Paris montage also provides a quick shorthand for the couple's romance and breakup.

#42. The Graduate (1967)

- Quote: "Plastics." - Character: Mr. Maguire - Actor: Walter Brooke

When it premiered in 1967, "The Graduate" stood out as a cinematic anthem for counterculture men who longed to break free of social expectations. Young Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) runs away with another man's bride, for example. Earlier, the line "Plastics" summarizes the out-of-touch, shallow nature of an older generation that only cares about money and tradition.

#41. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

- Quote: "We rob banks." - Character: Clyde Barrow - Actor: Warren Beatty

"Bonnie and Clyde" used a new style of editing that changed American cinema and offered a subversive take on glamorous criminality. Set during the Great Depression, the line "We rob banks," comes across as an exciting, seductive brag without a touch of shame.

#40. Forrest Gump (1994)

- Quote: "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." - Character: Forrest Gump - Actor: Tom Hanks

"Forrest Gump" was beloved by '90s audiences for its perceived wholesome take on American history. In the film, the box of chocolates adage acts a profound segue between Hanks as the simpleton Forrest and his partners on the bus bench. In 2019, the scene was used on " Saturday Night Live " to mock the first attorney general in Trump's administration, the Southerner Jeff Sessions.

#39. Field of Dreams (1989)

- Quote: "If you build it, he will come." - Character: Shoeless Joe Jackson - Actor: Ray Liotta (voice)

The entire premise of "Field of Dreams," building a cornfield baseball diamond as a time portal for famous players, should never have worked. However, despite the premise and the disembodied voice that first speaks the lines, the movie became a beloved, sentimental hit with this catchphrase often quoted.

#38. The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

- Quote: "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth." - Character: Lou Gehrig - Actor: Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper played famous ballplayer Lou Gehrig in this true story that's still considered a cultural touchstone. Gehrig's speech moved the nation as he reflected on his career in the wake of a devastating diagnosis of ALS that he referred to as " a bad break ." Gehrig's wife helped write the speech that appeared in the film.

#37. The Terminator (1984)

- Quote: "I'll be back." - Character: The Terminator - Actor: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger became a star thanks to his hilariously stiff deliveries, not in spite of them. This line got laughs in "The Terminator," when Schwarzenegger's killer robot says it to a cop. He makes good on his promise by crashing a car into the precinct.

#36. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

- Quote: "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!" - Character: Gold Hat - Actor: Alfonso Bedoya

The "stinking badges" line from "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" endures throughout popular culture, as an idiom and in movies, comics, video games, and music. It appeared in Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles," as well as in the Broadway production of rock band Green Day's "American Idiot."

#35. Jaws (1975)

- Quote: "You're gonna need a bigger boat." - Character: Martin Brody - Actor: Roy Scheider

Much of the suspense in "Jaws" was created through the film's soundtrack and the point of view shots, rather than seeing the shark itself. This famous line, still commonly referenced today, created a sense of scale through Chief Brody's reaction shot to one of the film's first big reveals.

#34. To Have and Have Not (1944)

- Quote: "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." - Character: Marie "Slim" Browning - Actor: Lauren Bacall

The production code prevented movies from featuring lewd content, so films used innuendo. These seemingly innocent lines sizzled with an undercurrent of sex. Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart's characters have a love-hate relationship (as well as a real-life romance) in "To Have and Have Not."

#33. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

- Quote: "I'll have what she's having." - Character: Customer - Actor: Estelle Reiner

Director Rob Reiner's mother spoke this one-liner, the comic relief to Meg Ryan's epic fake climax as the prim Sally. In an early screening for movie distributors, men failed to laugh, but women in the audience erupted at seeing their dissatisfaction validated.

#32. Casablanca (1942)

- Quote: "Round up the usual suspects." - Character: Capt. Louis Renault - Actor: Claude Rains

The 1995 film "The Usual Suspects" took its title directly from this line in "Casablanca." The line refers to "fall guys" or "patsies" who are framed for crimes. The line is delivered by corrupt police chief Renault, but this time he's helping out hero Rick.

#31. Gone with the Wind (1939)

- Quote: "After all, tomorrow is another day!" - Character: Scarlett O'Hara - Actor: Vivien Leigh

Scarlett thinks through her husband's decision to leave her, and after a series of aural flashbacks finds her bearings and vows to win him back. While she does get the final line in the film, it doesn't quite overpower Rhett's betrayal.

#30. Grand Hotel (1932)

- Quote: "I want to be alone." - Character: Grusinskaya - Actor: Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo became known for her reclusive nature, which was linked to her repeated line as the dancer in "Grand Hotel." She gained fame for her notoriously beautiful and emotive close-ups, especially in black and white. Recently, a cache of her letters was discovered that reinforced Garbo's reputation for loneliness and solitude.

#29. A Few Good Men (1992)

- Quote: "You can't handle the truth!" - Character: Col. Nathan R. Jessup - Actor: Jack Nicholson

The courtroom histrionics in this military trial drama, written by Aaron Sorkin, bristle with rage and tension. Tom Cruise plays a defense attorney bent on outwitting the colonel (played by Jack Nicholson) by tricking him into confessing on the witness stand. Nicholson delivers an unforgettable performance in a speech that begins with with "You can't handle the truth" and continues to confront the responsibility of those who guard the nation.

#28. Casablanca (1942)

- Quote: "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'" - Character: Ilsa Lund - Actor: Ingrid Bergman

This famous line is usually misquoted as "Play it again, Sam," a line that's not actually in the movie . Woody Allen's film and stage play also misquote the line. Both Rick and Ilsa ask Sam to simply play the nostalgic song.

#27. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

- Quote: "I'm walkin' here! I'm walkin' here!" - Character: Ratso Rizzo - Actor: Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman's character Ratso pounds the hood of a cab about to hit him as he crosses the street. The line captures the frustration of being a pedestrian ignored by cars. The line was ad-libbed when a car drove through the shot. Hoffman almost shouted, " We're shooting a movie here ," instead of "I'm walking here."

#26. She Done Him Wrong (1933)

- Quote: "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" - Character: Lady Lou - Actor: Mae West

Mae West spoke these lines to Cary Grant in a film filled with the usual censorship-defying double entendres. West was ahead of her time as an openly desirous woman, defying cultural norms at the time about women's behavior. She once spent ten days in jail over the content in her play, "Sex."

#25. Jerry Maguire (1996)

- Quote: "Show me the money!" - Character: Rod Tidwell - Actor: Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba Gooding Jr. won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his vibrant performance as a football player who doesn't get the money or recognition he wants. The famous line endures, and regularly gets gif and meme treatment as shorthand for the bottom line.

#24. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

- Quote: "I am big! It's the pictures that got small." - Character: Norma Desmond - Actor: Gloria Swanson

This melodrama about an aging actress is a larger reflection on Hollywood's constant shifts, especially during the change from silent cinema to talkies. Norma Desmond's line shows her refusal to let go of her celebrity persona.

#23. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

- Quote: "There's no place like home." - Character: Dorothy Gale - Actor: Judy Garland

"The Wizard of Oz" is one of the most influential films of all time, still generating constant allusions in films and popular culture today. "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," a recent indie movie about longing for home, referenced this famous line. The film's universal themes about home and exile have influenced thousands of other works .

#22. Dr. No (1962)

- Quote: "Bond. James Bond." - Character: James Bond - Actor: Sean Connery

All the Bond actors eventually deliver this line, but Sean Connery was the first. Dashing, slick, and a paragon of handsome masculinity, he's just as dapper in a tuxedo lighting a cigarette as he is killing an adversary in cold blood.

#21. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

- Quote: "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." - Character: Dr. Hannibal Lecter - Actor: Anthony Hopkins

Anthony Hopkins, the Welsh Shakespearean actor, was cast against type as the sicko murderer in "The Silence of the Lambs." There's an odd allure in the clash between Dr. Hannibal Lector's taste for refined gourmet food and also, for cannibalism. In the scene when Lector tries to intimidate the FBI agent (Jodie Foster) he's supposed to help, he utters this line then performs a strange sucking flutter that ups the creep factor.

#20. Casablanca (1942)

- Quote: "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." - Character: Rick Blaine - Actor: Humphrey Bogart

"Casablanca's" producer reportedly wanted an " upbeat closing line " that also included cynicism. They almost went with "Louis, I might have known you'd mix patriotism with a little larceny," but the famous line about friendship does a better job of delivering a more optimistic Hollywood ending.

#19. Network (1976)

- Quote: "I'm as mad as h*ll, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" - Character: Howard Beale - Actor: Peter Finch

Not only does enraged news anchor Howard Beale declare this on-air when he veers off-script, he encourages viewers to go to their windows and shout it to the streets. The screenplay about the merger between news and entertainment proved a harbinger for contemporary media.

#18. White Heat (1949)

- Quote: "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" - Character: Arthur "Cody" Jarrett - Actor: James Cagney

James Cagney plays a desperate gangster particularly devoted to his criminal mother in a final shootout scene to rival them all. The betrayed tough guy goes out in a blaze of glory after delivering this final line with unhinged fervor.

#17. Citizen Kane (1941)

- Quote: "Rosebud." - Character: Charles Foster Kane - Actor: Orson Welles

The payoff for the mystery of Kane's final word comes in the closing shots of the film. The realization of what "Rosebud" was and what it meant to the wealthy tycoon gives the film a tragic overlay for first-time viewers. The line is oft-parodied, including several times in the "Peanuts" comic strip, in particular one from 1973 when Lucy spoils the "Rosebud" revelation for Linus.

#16. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

- Quote: "They call me Mister Tibbs!" - Character: Virgil Tibbs - Actor: Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poiter, one of the first black movie stars, plays Virgil Tibbs, a city cop wrongly accused of a crime. The film's sequel uses this line as its title. Poitier's intense delivery demonstrates the groundbreaking actor's strength and dignity in the face of racist injustice.

#15. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

- Quote: "E.T. phone home." - Character: E.T. - Actor: Pat Welsh

Steven Spielberg's blockbuster became an instant cultural touchstone that delighted audiences and guaranteed tears . E.T. remains a well-known film with its main character both wise and childlike, generating widespread appeal. The simple line captures the longing for home and desire for connection that are the film's central themes.

#14. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

- Quote: "The stuff that dreams are made of." - Character: Sam Spade - Actor: Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart's hard-boiled detective Sam Spade takes the line from Shakespeare's "The Tempest," and alters it from "the stuff that dreams are made on." Here, it refers to the emptiness of the titular statue (and the cynicism of romance) at the center of the film.

#13. Love Story (1970)

- Quote: "Love means never having to say you're sorry." - Character: Oliver Barrett IV - Actor: Ryan O'Neal

This weepy romance was a huge hit in 1970, and though its famous line endures, the film eventually fell out of favor. To contemporary audiences, the line now tends to come across as dysfunctional or trite. Psychotherapists certainly don't recommend this approach . It's become a meme as well — for instance, cats who have been up to no good.

#12. Apocalypse Now (1979)

- Quote: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." - Character: Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore - Actor: Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall plays the colonel in "Apocalypse Now" with a war-weary bravado that's both optimistic and brazen in the face of horror. The line goes on to use a slur to reference the enemy and ends with "smells like victory." This quip is oft-used in movies and TV to crack a joke about any pungent smell.

#11. Cool Hand Luke (1967)

- Quote: "What we've got here is failure to communicate." - Character: Captain - Actor: Strother Martin

A sadistic prison guard says this line to irrepressible prisoner Luke (played by Paul Newman) in this film about rebellion in the face of brutal authority. The audience roots for Luke to escape, but by the end, as he's surrounded by police, he repeats the line with woeful irony.

#10. Taxi Driver (1976)

- Quote: "You talkin' to me?" - Character: Travis Bickle - Actor: Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro was nominated for the Best Actor for his role as crazed vigilante veteran Travis Bickle. The line captures the universal behavior of rehearsing in front of the mirror while trying to be and look cool. Bickle pulls a gun and practices what he might say when it came time to use it.

#9. All About Eve (1950)

- Quote: "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." - Character: Margo Channing - Actor: Bette Davis

Bette Davis perfectly delivers this witticism as aging actress Margo. She downs a martini and struts to the staircase to deliver this zinger at a party. As an older actress, Margo is up against Eve (Ann Baxter) in this film about the adversarial relationships between women in the entertainment industry.

#8. Star Wars (1977)

- Quote: "May the Force be with you." - Character: Han Solo - Actor: Harrison Ford

The force from the "Star Wars" universe is a touchstone in popular culture. When Han Solo offers these words to Luke Skywalker, it shows that even the cynical space outlaw has faith in the young Jedi. Now the line commemorates " Star Wars Day, " a celebration for fans on May 4th. Get it?

#7. Sunset Boulevard (1950)

- Quote: "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." - Character: Norma Desmond - Actor: Gloria Swanson

Norma Desmond's line captures the delusional narcissism of the lead character. The line is often parodied, notably on "The Carol Burnett Show," making light of her being unaware her time has passed.

#6. Sudden Impact (1983)

- Quote: "Go ahead, make my day." - Character: Harry Callahan - Actor: Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood's tough guy cop line became a touchstone of the Reagan era, when the actor-turned- president used it in political speeches to signal the same kind of masculine prowess used in "Dirty Harry" movies. Notably, the scene in "Sudden Impact" shows the Eastwood character using the line on a black man, a stereotypical representation of a witless criminal whose partners are easily overtaken by the single white man.

#5. Casablanca (1942)

- Quote: "Here's looking at you, kid." - Character: Rick Blaine - Actor: Humphrey Bogart

This line, a popular quip in the 1930s, was reportedly ad-libbed by star Humphrey Bogart . The line captures the raffish bravado of heartbreak. Rick delivers the line to the love of his life, right before she leaves forever to be with another man.

#4. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

- Quote: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." - Character: Dorothy Gale - Actor: Judy Garland

Dorothy's classic line about finding yourself in a new world resurfaces again and again in pop culture. A YouTube supercut has 58 examples of the line used in movies and TV shows. One notable reference occurs in "Avatar" when Colonel Quaritch says, "You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen."

#3. On the Waterfront (1954)

- Quote: "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." - Character: Terry Malloy - Actor: Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando as washed-up boxer Terry delivers this famous line that captures the "coulda woulda shoulda" lament of anyone who feels their time has passed. Robert DeNiro as Jake LaMotta repeats the line in "Raging Bull," but Brando's delivery is what endures.

#2. The Godfather (1972)

- Quote: "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." - Character: Vito Corleone - Actor: Marlon Brando

For first-time viewers, this line's payoff comes in the form of a grotesque surprise: the head of a beloved racehorse in the bed of a movie producer. That's the "offer" Vito Corleone makes to get a movie role for his godson. The line euphemizes strongarm tactics, using feigned civility as a cover for the extreme violence of these cinematic gangsters.

#1. Gone with the Wind (1939)

- Quote: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." - Character: Rhett Butler - Actor: Clark Gable

Even though Scarlett plans to win back husband Rhett, (in another famous line,) his quip is delivered with such confidence that the audience loses faith Rhett will ever return. The line could have been " I don't give a straw ," as revealed in a sheet of alternate options.

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25 Memorable Movie Lines of the Last 25 Years

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TAGGED AS: movies , quotes , RT25

In 2023, Rotten Tomatoes turns 25, and to mark the occasion, we’re celebrating the best movies and television from the last 25 years.  

They’re the lines you’ve worn on T-shirts and Photoshopped into memes. They’re the lines you’re maybe a little sick of, but can’t stop loving. Before they were famous, though – before they were parodied on  SNL  and printed onto ironic mugs – they were words on a page and then words in a movie you were hearing for the first time, and they stuck. Maybe they were hilarious (poor Gretchen, “fetch” never happened), or maybe they were chilling (“I see dead people”). Maybe they were delivered just  right (“Why… so… serious?”).

Here, we’re looking back at the 25 most memorable lines from the movies since August 1998, the year that Rotten Tomatoes came into this world. If we missed a favorite of yours, let us know in the comments.

  • Recommended: The Biggest and Best Movies of the Last 25 Years
  • Recommended: The Biggest and Best TV & Streaming Series of the Last 25 Years
  • Recommended: The Best Horror Movies of Each Year Since 1998

Office Space (1999)

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We could run through an entire stack of Post-Its writing down our favorite lines from Mike Judge’s cult favorite, but this chipper, grating, morning greeting wins out – an encapsulation of the deep, smiley rage suppression that gives Office Space its kick.

The Matrix (1999)

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Before the Wachowskis’ signature franchise erupted into several sequels’ worth of sprawling mythology, it presented viewers with a sci-fi story that was brilliant in its simplicity, built on the idea of a world in which every component of our everyday reality is really part of a ruse designed to lull us into subservience to a hidden yet all-seeing order. Decades later, it’s this line — and this idea — that reflects the Matrix movies’ legacy, for better and for worse.

Notting Hill (1999)

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When you pair America’s sweetheart with Britain’s reigning rom-com king, you have to bring your A-game, and writer Richard Curtis did just that for Notting Hill . With this heartbreaking line, he manages to somehow get us rooting for one of the world’s richest and most glamorous movie stars, and screaming with frustration at the regular “fairly level-headed bloke” whose love she’s asking for.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

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Neither M. Night Shyamalan nor Haley Joel Osment knew that the intensely whispered “I see dead people” would become the center of Disney’s marketing push for The Sixth Sense – and the subject of parodies for decades. When we talked with Osment, he said he was just thankful Twitter hadn’t been invented at the time the film came out, when he was 11.

Fight Club (1999)

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From Chuck Pahalniuk’s pen to Brad Pitt’s mouth and into the minds of college students all over the country…

Gladiator (2000)

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The debate over whether Ridley Scott’s (somewhat) historical drama deserved to clean up at the Oscars has been raging for more than 20 years, and we aren’t here to finish it. It’s far easier to confront the question posed by Russell Crowe’s Maximus as his quest for vengeance brings him face to face with the jeering crowd egged on by the man responsible for the deaths of his family. Are you not entertained? The answer, all these years later, remains a rousing yes.

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

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The  Furious   franchise has evolved greatly over the years, shifting gears (sorry!) from smallish-scale  Point Break- alike to globe-trotting stunt spectacular, each entry one-upping the other in terms of scale and ludicrousness. What keeps the whole thing grounded, and provides the through-line from 2001 right through to this year’s  Fast X ? Family, of course, but also the dedication to awesome cheese perfectly encapsulated by this line/mantra/religion. Us too, Dom, us too.

Legally Blonde (2001)

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For years, fans clamored for Reese Witherspoon to bend and snap her way back to Elle Woods and the Legally Blonde franchise, and it isn’t hard to see why. While she’s starred in productions with more dramatic heft, it’s impossible to resist Elle’s cheerful can-do spirit — not to mention her unerring sense of style.

Training Day (2001)

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Denzel Washington won an Oscar for playing corrupt narcotics cop Alonzo in Atonine Fuqua’s Training Day , and it might have been his delivery this line – puffed-up and chest-pounding as he realizes power is slipping away – that got any hesitant Academy voters across the line.

Finding Nemo (2003)

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One of the most beloved characters in the Pixar pantheon, Finding Nemo ‘s Dory resonates because she’s a lot like all of us. Sure, we may not be able to breathe under water, and okay, most people don’t experience persistent memory loss — but who among us hasn’t put on a brave face and forged ahead in spite of not having any idea what they’re doing?

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

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As repellent as he is pitiable, Andy Serkis’ Gollum is the living embodiment of greed’s ability to warp and debase, and it’s a testament to the actor’s mocap-assisted work in the role that you feel for the duplicitous little guy as often as you want to see him throttled. It’s a performance that’d be tough to surpass, let alone imitate — but that hasn’t stopped generations of viewers from giving it their best shot by hunching over, sneering, and hissing Gollum’s unforgettable two-word catchphrase.

Mean Girls (2004)

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Mean Girls ’ Regina George (Rachel McAdams) is the queen bee of her group, and this was perhaps her sharpest stinger. Irony is, while “fetch” didn’t happen, this line caught on in a big way.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

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It’d be very easy to fill an entire feature with the best of the many laugh-out-loud non sequiturs from this film, so we won’t blame you if you feel compelled to argue that a different line deserved to be included. We had to go with this one, though — 60 percent of the time, it’s our favorite, every time.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

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When Jake Gyllenhaal said these words to Heath Ledger while shooting Brokeback Mountain , he probably had no idea what a life they would go on to have: first as a wrenching moment between their characters, Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar; then as a source of parody and a meme (mostly among those too immature to cope with the film); finally, and most recently, as a shorthand for the film itself, and what it meant to the LGBTIQA+ community to see a gay couple portrayed authentically and without judgment in a major release.

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On paper, there’s nothing particularly special about this line – it’s kinda just a statement of fact (it is Sparta, after all – not Athens or Thermopylae, and definitely not madness, nor blasphemy). But coming out of Peak Gerard Butler’s mouth as a kind of gravelly scream for the ages, and accompanied by that iconic slow-mo kick, it’s gone down in film history. Watching this moment, we are all Sparta (even those of us without six packs).

Snakes on a Plane (2006)

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You may not recall the insane hype around Snakes on a Plane in the lead up to its release – an irony-fueled internet buzz-wave that stemmed, essentially, from the absurdity of its premise-capturing title. You may not even remember much of the film itself. But there is no way you forgot this line, spoken by profanity wizard Samuel L. Jackson in one of those legendary B-movie inspiration speeches he’s so masterful at delivering. (Fun fact: The line has aired on FX as the more-safe-for-work “monkey-flying snakes on this Monday-to-Friday plane.”)

There Will Be Blood (2007)

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Speaking of Oscar winners… This rather surprising analogy for oil drainage, spoken by Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, was inspired by real-life words to congress from then Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, spoken during a 1920s Congressional investigation. Or so Paul Thomas Anderson has said – the original quote has not been found.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

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The absurdity of life and the futility of our best-laid plans are recurring themes throughout the Coen brothers’ pitch-black filmography, and perhaps no moment distills these themes more effectively than the chillingly impassive way Anton Chigurh rests a stranger’s fate on the flip of a coin. You’d think he’d be more inclined to aim that cattle gun at his barber, but this way works better for the movie.

The Dark Knight (2008)

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Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning turn as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s second Batman film might well have given us the best comic-book movie villain ever. The character’s most famous line – “Why so serious?” – became iconic even before the film’s release, centering one of the most effective marketing campaigns of recent decades.

Taken (2008)

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It was in 2008, while in his mid 50s, that Liam Neeson discovered a very particular set of skills – gravelly line-readings, a death-stare for the ages, and a capacity for rapid-fire action – that would launch a whole new chapter of his career: Liam Neeson, Action Star! And while the past decade has been littered with Neeson action programmers (right up to 2019’s Cold Pursuit ), none have matched  Taken   for its intensity, impact, and the power of that oft-quoted bedroom scene.

The Hunger Games (2012)

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There are plenty of action-packed, effects-enhanced, and completely thrilling moments throughout the Hunger Games franchise, but few are as simultaneously inspiring and terrifying as the quiet scene in which Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) steps forward to take her young sister’s place in the Games. The line is lifted directly from the same scene in first book of Susanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy.

Get Out (2017)

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Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is loaded with memorable moments, and it was difficult to pick just one — but there’s just something so horribly effective about this line, and the way it reflects the fundamentally frightening loss of autonomy that looms at the core of this audaciously ambitious blend of horror, comedy, and social commentary.

Black Panther (2018)

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This greeting of the Wakandan people, and the accompanying gesture, infiltrated popular culture following the release of mega-hit Black Panther in February 2018. Interestingly, the most memorable use of the phrase might come in Infinity War , and not Black Panther , when T’Challa shouts the phrase as he leads his Wakandans into battle against Thanos’s forces.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

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An endless font of quips and comebacks, Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark — a.k.a. Iron Man — is responsible for many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most quotable moments, to the extent that it’s hard to pick just one. All that being said, it’s just as difficult to quibble with this quote, especially knowing it was added to the script after Downey shared that it was something one of his own real-life children said to him.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

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For a movie that sends the viewer hurling through one wildly outlandish universe after another, Everything Everywhere All at Once comes equipped with an awful lot of situations and sentiments that are powerfully relatable to most of us here on regular boring old Earth. This line is a case in point — what better way of expressing one’s undying love than to offer yourself up for heartbreak and taxes?

Photos courtesy of Buena Vista, Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, DreamWorks, Warner Bros., Walt Disney, Paramount, Marvel Studios, Focus Films, Lionsgate, Paramount Vantage, A24.

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The 20 Most Overused Lines In Cinema

Is that all you've got?

The 20 Most Overused Lines In Cinema

Making films can't be easy. Lucky for script writers, there's always a cliché on hand if they ever get stuck...

"Bond. James Bond." "I'll be back." "Show me the money!" "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." "You talkin' to me?"

Done right, a well-crafted one-liner can outgrow its film and enter the annals of cinema, not to mention the vocabulary any well-versed film buff. But, if you're here hoping to find the next "Life is like a box of chocolates", we strongly advise you look elsewhere. This list's not about quality, it's all quantity.

As let's face it, originality is overrated. And rather than spend hours poring over and adjective or pronoun, sometimes scriptwriters need something quick, familiar and hugely clichéd. And there are no finer examples/worse offenders than the following 20 lines, which are quite possibly the most overused in the history of cinema.

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"Is that all you've got?"

As heard in: Ali (2001), Alien 3 (1992), American Pie: The Wedding (2003), Date Movie (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Rocky II (1979), Scary Movie 2 (2001), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), The Mummy Returns (2001),Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Up in the Air (2009), Righteous Kill (2008), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Hanna (2011), Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), Rango (2011), Speed Racer(2008), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), Employee of the Month (2006), Fool's Gold (2008), Hackers (1995), Little Man (2006), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Scooby-Doo (2002), Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009), The Hot Chick (2002), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), The Scorpion King (2002), The Scorpion King: Rise of a Warrior (2008), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006),Two for the Money (2005), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), She's All That (1999), The Bounty Hunter (2010), Bulletproof (1996), Highlander: Endgame (2000), Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003), Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007), The Collector(2009), G-Force (2009), Jonah Hex (2010), Harlem Nights (1989), Muppets From Space(1999), Death Race 2 (2010), The Glimmer Man (1996), Bring It on Again (2004), Green Street 2 (2009), Imagine That (2009), Van Wilder: Freshman Year (2009), Mean Girls 2 (2011), St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (2009), House Party 2 (1991),StreetDance 3D (2010).

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"(S)he's behind me, isn't (s)he?"

As heard in: Around the World in 80 Days (2004), Boat Trip (2002), City Slickers (1991), City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994), Doom (2005), Miss Congeniality (2000), Scooby-Doo (2002), Shark Tale (2004), My Life in Ruins (2009), When in Rome (2010), Return to Halloweentown (2006), GoldenEye (1995), UHF (1989), American Pie: The Wedding (2003), The Scorpion King (2002), The American President (1995).

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"It's/she's gonna blow!"

As heard in: Armageddon (1998), Apocalypse Now (1979), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Bandits (2001), Batman Begins (2005), Definitely, Maybe (2008), Dreamcatcher (2003), Frequency (2000), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), Die Another Day (2002), Enemy of the State (1998), Nightbreed (1990), The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Dance of the Dead (2008), Dante's Peak (1997), Ticker (2001), Career Opportunities (1991), Retroactive (1997), Skeleton Man (2004), Thr3e (2006), Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997), Operation Endgame (2010), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), Driven (2001), I Spy (2002), Ladder 49 (2004), Pushing Tin (1999), The 'burbs (1989), Vertical Limit (2000), Volcano (1997), The Final Destination (2009), Hard Rain (1998), Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008), Spy Hard (1996) Head Over Heels (2001), Nightbreed (1990), On Deadly Ground (1994), Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), Knock Off (1998), The Big Easy (1986), Hunt to Kill (2010), Python (2000), Cars (2006), Land Raiders (1969), American Graffiti (1973), Chicken Run (2000), Meet the Robinsons (2007), National Treasure (2004), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983).

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"We've got company!"

As heard in: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Batman & Robin (1997), Bridge to Terabithia (2007), Con Air (1997), Grease 2 (1982), Halloween (1978), Hot Shots! (1991), Legends of the Fall (1994), Secondhand Lions (2003), Shrek 2 (2004), Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004), Tron (1982), Treasure Planet (2002), Where Eagles Dare (1968), G-Force (2009), Your Highness (2011), Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010), Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004), Herbie Rides Again (1974), Laurel Canyon (2002), Saboteur (1942), Jerry Maguire (1996), The Comancheros (1961), Desperate Hours (1990), Switchback (1997), White Fang (1991), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Boa vs. Python (2004), Lassie (2005), Air Buddies (2006), Deep Core (2000), Weekend (2011)

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"Don't die on me!"

As heard in: Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Backdraft (1991), Cold Mountain (2003), Con Air (1997), Evolution (2001), Four Brothers (2005), Hidalgo (2004), Hollow Man (2000), Jacob's Ladder (1990), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Planet Terror (2007), Practical Magic (1998), Proof of Life (2000), Pulp Fiction (1994), Starship Troopers (1997), The Edge (1997), The Number 23 (2007), True Romance (1993), Punisher: War Zone (2008), A Perfect Getaway (2009), The Outsiders (1983), Above the Law (1988), Scorched (2003), The Day After (1983), The Gauntlet (1977), Wing Commander (1999), Eden Lake (2008), Mo' Money (1992), Nine (2009), Iron Will (1994), Ticker (2001), You Don't Know Jack (2010), Brothers in Arms (2005), On the Line (2001), The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007), Children of the Corn: The Gathering (1996), Damage (2009), Shrek (2001), The Butterfly Effect (2004).

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"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

As heard in: Back to the Future Part II (1989), Belly of the Beast (2003), Boot Camp (2008), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Goldfinger (1964), Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000), Little Man (2006), Mercenary for Justice (2006), Racing Stripes (2005), Night at the Museum (2006), Seed of Chucky (2004), Who's Your Caddy? (2007), The A-Team (2010), The Blind Side (2009), Shoot 'Em Up (2007), Tactical Force (2011), The Patriot (1998), Self-Medicated (2005), Jack Falls (2011), Out of the Blue (1980), Inside Man (2006).

generic movie review quotes

"Get outta there!"

As heard in: Apocalypse Now (1979), Armageddon (1998), Finding Nemo (2003), Independence Day (1996), Iron Man (2008), Platoon (1986), Reservoir Dogs (1992), The Rock (1996), X-Men (2000), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Twelve Monkeys (1995), Cinderella Man (2005), Frequency (2000), Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000), National Treasure (2004), Ransom (1996), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), Starship Troopers (1997), Dick Tracy (1990), Daylight (1996), Doctor Dolittle (1998), Jaws 2 (1978), Six Days Seven Nights (1998), Volcano (1997), Dante's Peak (1997), Windtalkers (2002), Bachelor Party (1984), Blown Away (1994), Confidence (2003), Dangerous Minds (1995), Herbie Fully Loaded (2005), Popeye (1980), Reindeer Games (2000), The Kid (2000), The Rocketeer (1991), Fear (1996), An American Werewolf in Paris (1997), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995), Oliver! (1968), Rollerball (1975), Piranha (1978), White Noise 2: The Light (2007), Housesitter (1992), Easy Money (1983), Old Yeller (1957), Mean Girls 2 (2011), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Gladiator (2000), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), Avatar (2009), King Kong (2005), Jaws (1975), Million Dollar Baby (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995), Mission: Impossible II, Pearl Harbour (2001), The Aviator (2004), Sunshine (2007), Top Gun (1986), Speed Racer (2008), Public Enemies (2009), Lethal Weapon (1987), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Hollow Man (2000), Bad Boys II (2003), The Fifth Element (1997), Enemy of the State (1998), Fast Five (2011), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Airplane! (1980), Deep Impact (1998), Ghostbusters II (1989), Antz (1998), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), The A-Team (2010), The Firm (1993), The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009), Labyrinth (1986), Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Cliffhanger (1993), Revolver (2005), Rambo III (1988).

generic movie review quotes

"You just don't get it, do you?"

As heard in: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Breaking and Entering (2006), Cliffhanger (1993), Daylight (1996), Hitch (2005), Norbit (2007), Payback (1999), The Frighteners (1996), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), The Prestige (2006), Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007), Daylight (1996), Platoon (1986), Tooth Fairy (2010), The General's Daughter (1999), Cruel Intentions 3 (2004), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Laws of Attraction (2004), Stigmata (1999), Space Truckers (1996), Speed (1994), Unthinkable (2010), The Rookie (1990), Kangaroo Jack (2003), Four Lions (2010), Insomnia (2002), Jumper (2008), Scary Movie 4 (2006), Shaft (2000), Toy Story (1995), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), The Terminator (1984), Mission: Impossible II (2000), Monsters vs Aliens (2009), Side Effects (2005), The Karate Kid, Part III (1989).

generic movie review quotes

"I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you"

As heard in: A Walk To Remember (2002), American Psycho (2000), Basic Instinct 2 (2006), Coyote Ugly (2000), Eraser (1996), John Tucker Must Die (2006), Johnny English (2003), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Top Gun (1986), Wolf Creek (2005), Dorian Gray (2009), Replicant (2001), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra (2009).

generic movie review quotes

"You look like shit."

As heard in: 28 Days Later... (2002), Basic Instinct (1992), Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Grindhouse (2007), Lost Highway (1997), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Bucket List (2007), The Fifth Element (1997), The Rock (1996), The Truman Show (1998), True Romance (1993), Unforgiven (1992), We Were Soldiers (2002), Waterworld (1995), Wild Wild West (1999), Twelve Monkeys (1995), The Hangover Part II (2011), Arlington Road (1999), Bring It On (2000), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Green Street (2005), Point Break (1991), Poltergeist (1982), Showgirls (1995), Stigmata (1999), Swingers (1996), The Break-Up (2006), The French Connection (1971), The People vs. Larry Flint (1996), The Score (2001), Push (2009), He's Just Not That Into You (2009), Love and Other Drugs (2010), Blood Work (2002), Cashback (2006), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Stepmom (1998), Tango & Cash (1989), The Flintstones (1994), Wicker Park (2004), Crazy Heart (2009), She's Out of My League (2010), Flashdance (1983), Romper Stomper (1992), The Dilemma (2011), Vampires Suck (2010), Repo Man (1984), American Gigolo (1980), The Business (2005), House Party 2 (1991).

generic movie review quotes

"It's not what it looks like."

As heard in: American Pie (1999), American Pie: The Wedding (2003), Bad Boys (1995), Breach (2007), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), Chinatown (1974), Go (1999), John Tucker Must Die (2006), One Night at McCool's (2001), Spartan (2004), The Whole Ten Yards (2004), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Wild Hogs (2007), Working Girl (1988), You, Me and Dupree (2006), Sex Drive (2008), The Bounty Hunter (2010), Love and Other Drugs (2010), Very Bad Things (1998), Alien Autopsy (2006), Another Gay Movie (2006), Capricorn 1 (1978), For Love or Money (1993), Johnson's Family Vacation (2004), Kangaroo Jack (2003), National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze (2003), National Lampoon's Dirty Movie (2011), The Man (2005), The Out-of-Towners (1999), What Just Happened (2008), Doghouse (2009), Love & Sex (2000), Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation (2008), Getting Played (2006), Magicians (2007), Fraternity House (2008), Stealing Candy (2003), The Break-Up Artist (2009)

generic movie review quotes

"____ is my middle name."

As heard in: Antz (1998), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Cars (2006), Fantastic Four (2005), Flushed Away (2006), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Grandma's Boy (2006), Lethal Weapon (1987), Manhattan (1979), Predator 2 (1990), The Goonies (1985), The Last Boy Scout (1991), The 'burbs (1989), At Close Range (1986), Bottoms Up (2006), Cheaper by the Dozen (2005), Man of the Year (2006), Smiley Face (2007), Teen Wolf (1985), The Fog of War (2003), The King of Comedy (1982), Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007), Krull (1983), Gnomeo & Juliet (2011), I'm Still Here (2010), Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000), The Newton Boys (1998), Doctor Detroit (1983), Dracula III: Legacy (2005), Hardbodies (1984), Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five (2008).

generic movie review quotes

"We're not so different, you and I."

As heard in: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Beerfest (2006), Capote (2005), Meatballs (1979), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), October Sky (1999), Postal (2007), Spider-Man (2002), Spider (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Net (1995), Fast and Furious 4 (2009), The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), Mulholland Falls (1996), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), Atlantis: Milo's Return (2003), Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil (2006), Duma (2005), The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005), Descent (2007), The Perfect Host (2010), Dark Shadows (1966), Scary Movie 3 (2003), The Outrage (1964), Behind Enemy Lines 2: Axis of Evil (2006), Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Gladiator (2000), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Falling Down (1993), Ivanhoe (1982).

generic movie review quotes

"If you touch one hair on his/her head..."

As heard in: Big (1988), Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), The Cooler (2003), The Great Race (1965), The Shining (1980), The Marine 2 (2009), Brighton Rock (2010), Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008), Wake (2010), The Man from Nowhere (2010), The Green Mile (1999), Bringing Down the House (2003), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Last Action Hero (1993), The Rocker (2008), Natural Born Killers (1994), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Man on Fire (2004), Species II (1998), Mission: Impossible II (2000), The Whole Ten Yards (2004).

generic movie review quotes

"Sit down and shut up."

As heard in: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), American Gangster (2007), Adaption (2002), American History X (1998), Any Given Sunday (1999), Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996), Chicago (2002), Day of the Dead (1985), Dogma (1999), Donnie Brasco (1997), Grease (1978), Heat (1995), Idiocracy (2006), Meet Joe Black (1998), Mystery Men (1999), Pi (1998), Planet Terror (2007), S.W.A.T. (2003), Snatch (2000), The School of Rock (2003), The Sting (1973), The Warriors (1979), True Romance (1993), U.S. Marshals (1998), Kick-Ass (2010), Generation Kill (2008), Hollywood Homicide (2003), Passenger 57 (1992), Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985), Taxi (1998), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Brooklyn's Finest (2009), Jeepers Creepers II (2003), Nixon (1995), Fire Down Below (1997), Harlem Nights (1989), Paint Your Wagon (1969), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Toy Soldiers (1991), Looking for Eric (2009), Death Race 2 (2010), Bunny and the Bull (2009), Carry on at Your Convenience (1971).

generic movie review quotes

"There's a storm coming."

As heard in: Alien vs. Predator (2004), Batman Begins (2005), Die Hard 2 (1990), Lars and the Real Girl (2007), Night at the Museum (2006), Point Break (1991), Poltergeist (1982), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), The Terminator (1984), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), The Gift (2000), The Hurricane (1999), The Island (2005), Unforgiven (1984), Vertical Limit (2000), Sherlock Holmes (2009), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), Shutter Island (2010), Bridge of Frankenstein (1935), House of the Dead (2003), I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), Christmas with the Kranks (2004), FeardotCom (2002), I'm Still Here (2010). Skyfall (2012), The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Donnie Darko (2001), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).

generic movie review quotes

"Don't do anything stupid."

As heard in: From Dusk Til Dawn (1996), Blood Diamond (2006), A Simple Plan (1998), Empire Records (1995), Happy Gilmore (1996), Hitman (2007), Layer Cake (2004), Midnight Express (1978), Panic Room (2002), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Risky Business (1983), Scream 2 (1997), The Hitcher (1986), The Rock (1996), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), The 6th Day (2000), Avatar (2009), Gamer (2009), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Hobo with a Shotgun (2011), Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1999), You Don't Know Jack (2010), The Net 2.0 (2006), Essex Boys (2000).

generic movie review quotes

"Tell ____ I love him/her/them."

As heard in: Crocodile Dundee (1986), Scary Movie (2000), The Notebook (2004), The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), True Romance (1993), The Invention of Lying (2009), Black Hawk Down (2001), Independence Day (1996), No Country for Old Men (2007), Scarface (1983), Any Given Sunday (1999), Ghost (1990), High Fidelity (2000), United 93 (2006), Sucker Punch (2011), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Willow (1988), World Trade Center (2006), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Ladder 49 (2004), That Thing You Do! (1996), Fool's Gold (2008), Frantic (1988), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Birth (2004), Ladyhawke (1985), Oscar (1991), Deep Impact (1998).

generic movie review quotes

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

As heard in: Be Cool (2005), Bringing Down the House (2003), Click (2006), Dead Man (1995), Flyboys (2006), Oscar (1991), Revolver (2005), Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Two Brothers (2004), Unknown (2006), What Women Want (2000), Blazing Saddles (1974), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Meet John Doe (1941), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Barb Wire (1996), Inception (2010), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), G-Force (2009), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Labyrinth (1986), Paul (2011), Boomerang! (1947), Destiny Rides Again (1939), Space Chimps (2008).

generic movie review quotes

"Yeah, you better run!"

As heard in: Back to the Future Part III (1990), Batman Begins (2005), Click (2006), Deliverance (1972), Gone Baby Gone (2007), Madagascar (2005), Night at the Museum (2006), Rocky III (1982), The Notebook (2004), The Shining (1980), Twister (1996), Bolt (2008), Death Proof (2007), Rango (2011), Drillbit Taylor (2008), Freddy Got Fingered (2001), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), Open Range (2003), The Benchwarmers (2006), The Flintstones (1994), The Whole Ten Yards (2004), Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), Are We There Yet? (2005), Open Season (2006), Undercover Brother (2002), Wonderland (2003), Super (2010), The Dilemma (2011), The Last Seduction (1994), Paint Your Wagon (1969), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), Wonderfalls (2004), Shrink (2009), D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996).

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The best one-liners and quips of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Devan Coggan (rhymes with seven slogan) is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly. Most of her personality is just John Mulaney quotes and Lord of the Rings references.

generic movie review quotes

It ain't a Marvel movie without a snarky one-liner or a well-deployed pop culture reference. Quips and quotes have been a cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since Tony Stark dropped a MySpace reference in the opening scenes of 2008's Iron Man , and they're as integral to this world as Cap's shield or Thor's hammer.

With Avengers: Endgame bringing MCU's Infinity Saga to a close and MCU's fourth phase taking its place, EW is looking back on some of the series' best one-liners. (We're sticking to single lines, so no dialogue between multiple characters. Apologies to "Where is Gamora?" / "Who is Gamora?" / "Why is Gamora?")

Warning: This post contains spoilers, but we're going in chronological order by film release date, so read at your own discretion.

Iron Man (2008)

"I am Iron Man." —Tony Stark ( Robert Downey Jr. )

"I do anything and everything that Mr. Stark requires — including, occasionally, taking out the trash." —Pepper Potts ( Gwyneth Paltrow )

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

"Hulk smash!" —Bruce Banner ( Edward Norton )

Iron Man 2 (2010)

"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to exit the donut." —Nick Fury ( Samuel L. Jackson ) to Tony Stark

"Look, it's me. I'm here. Deal with it. Let's move on." —James Rhodes ( Don Cheadle ) to Tony Stark

Thor (2011)

"This drink, I like it. Another!" —Thor ( Chris Hemsworth )

"Mew mew? What's mew mew?" —Darcy Lewis ( Kat Dennings ) mispronouncing Mjolnir

"Does he need CPR? Because I totally know CPR." —Darcy Lewis, regarding a passed-out Thor

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from." —Steve Rogers ( Chris Evans )

"I can do this all day." —Steve Rogers

"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance." —Steve Rogers to Peggy Carter ( Hayley Atwell )

"I'm just a kid from Brooklyn." —Steve Rogers

The Avengers (2012)

"That's my secret, Captain...I'm always angry." —Bruce Banner ( Mark Ruffalo )

"We have a Hulk." —Tony Stark to Loki ( Tom Hiddleston )

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." —Steve Rogers on Loki

"He's adopted." —Thor on Loki

"Puny god." —Hulk

"Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" —Tony Stark to Thor

"I recognize that the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it." —Nick Fury

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." —Tony Stark to Bruce Banner

Iron Man 3 (2013)

"Oh my God. That was really violent." —Pepper Potts after destroying Killian ( Guy Pearce )

"You're in a relationship with me. Everything will never be okay." —Tony Stark to Pepper Potts

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

"This is so unlike you, brother. So clandestine. Are you sure you wouldn't rather just punch your way out?" —Loki to Thor

"I can feel the righteousness surging. Hey, wanna have a rousing discussion about truth? Honor? Patriotism? God bless America!" — Loki, as Captain America

"I should not be left in charge of stuff like this. I don't get paid enough. I don't get paid, period." —Darcy Lewis

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

"Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?" —Steve Rogers

"Hey fellas, either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil." —Natasha Romanoff ( Scarlett Johansson )

"On your left." —Steve Rogers

"I do what he does, just slower." —Sam Wilson ( Anthony Mackie ) on Steve Rogers

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

"You said it yourself, bitch: We're the Guardians of the Galaxy." —Peter Quill ( Chris Pratt )

"We are Groot." —Groot ( Vin Diesel )

"Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it." —Drax ( Dave Bautista )

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

"You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed…walk it off." —Steve Rogers

"Language." —Steve Rogers

"The city is flying. We're fighting an army of robots. And I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense." —Clint Barton ( Jeremy Renner )

Ant-Man (2015)

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" —Scott Lang ( Paul Rudd )

"Ah, she left me. Yeah, my ma died, too. And my dad got deported. But I got the van!" —Luis ( Michael Peña )

"Baskin Robbins always finds out." —Dale (Gregg Turkington), after firing Scott Lang

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

"I don't care." —T'Challa ( Chadwick Boseman ) to Clint Barton

"So, you like cats?" —Sam Wilson to T'Challa

"Anybody on our side hiding any shocking and fantastic abilities they'd like to disclose? I'm open to suggestions." —Tony Stark

Doctor Strange (2016)

"Dormammu, I've come to bargain." —Doctor Strange ( Benedict Cumberbatch )

"Just Wong? Like Adele? Or Aristotle? Drake, Bono, Eminem…" —Doctor Strange to Wong ( Benedict Wong )

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017)

"I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" —Yondu ( Michael Rooker )

"You shouldn't have killed my mom and squished my Walkman." —Peter Quill

"He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn't your daddy." —Yondu

"We're really gonna be able to jack up our prices if we're two-time galaxy savers." —Rocket ( Bradley Cooper )

"I just keep imagining you waking up in the morning, sir, looking in the mirror and then all seriousness, saying to yourself, 'You know what would be a really kickass name? Taserface!'" —Rocket

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

"Don't do anything I would do, and definitely don't do anything I wouldn't do. There's a little gray area in there, and that's where you operate." —Tony Stark to Peter Parker ( Tom Holland )

"So…you got detention." —Steve Rogers

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

"We know each other! He's a friend from work!" —Thor

"I'm made of rocks, as you can see, but don't let that intimidate you. You don't need to be afraid unless you're made of scissors! Just a little rock-paper-scissors joke for you!" —Korg ( Taika Waititi )

"There was one time when we were children. He transformed himself into a snake, and he knows that I love snakes. So I went to pick up the snake to admire it, and he transformed back into himself and he was like, 'Blech, it's me!' And he stabbed me. We were 8 at the time." —Thor on Loki

Black Panther (2018)

"Hey, Auntie." — Erik Killmonger ( Michael B. Jordan )

"The real question is… WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOSE?" —Shuri ( Letitia Wright )

"Guns. So primitive." —Okoye ( Danai Gurira )

"You cannot talk one more word, and I will feed you to my children! I'm kidding. We're vegetarians." —M'Baku ( Winston Duke )

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

"Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of the wizards." —Tony Stark

"I don't want to go." —Peter Parker

"Get lost, Squidward." —Tony Stark

"They taught it on Asgard. It was an elective." —Thor on Groot

"What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say? Jesus?" —Peter Quill

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

"You can do it. You can do anything. You're the world's greatest grandma." —Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson) to her dad, Scott Lang

"You want a juice box and some string cheese?" —Hank Pym ( Michael Douglas ) to Scott Lang

Captain Marvel (2019)

"Higher, further, faster, baby." —Carol Danvers ( Brie Larson )

"If toast is cut diagonally, I can't eat it." —Nick Fury

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

"Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-a-Bear." —Tony Stark to Rocket

"I get emails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore." —Natasha Romanoff

"That is America's ass." —Steve Rogers

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  • Jan 27, 2023

50 master quotes that show why screenwriters shouldn’t worry about film criticism

Updated: Dec 7, 2023

Epic lines by Guy Ritchie, Quentin Tarantino, Neil Gaiman, and more

Audience ratings over critic ratings anytime!

Image: Freepik

No soul can be braver than a screenwriter or filmmaker putting their labours of love out there into the world for everyone to see. It’s a risk like no other. Audiences either lap up your work or reject it outright. It’s rare to find any in-betweens these days.

As if that worry isn’t enough, we also have to bite our nails over film critics’ and other reviewers’ views about our movies.

While more reviews equal more coverage (and, thus, more publicity), it’s still a clammying experience when we see a scathing takedown of our best efforts. Some of these powerhouse experts hold the final word in film recommendations and can sway public opinion.

Yet, there’s also the increasing disconnect between what critics prefer and what audiences do. And so, we wonder whether it’s worth pleasing a select bunch of highbrows at the cost of a larger viewership.

I’m all for having the necessary conviction while writing and making a film, without worrying about what critics say. No point in making a movie that critics fill up with praises while box-office counters go empty, right? I unabashedly admit my inclination towards creating commercial entertainers over arthouse cinema.

For more inspiration and strength, seek them out in these 50 quotes by some of the finest screenwriters and filmmakers of our time. You’ll automatically develop the much-needed grit and gumption, without the need for validation. Not saying that film criticism shouldn’t exist—though it can be way better than the hotchpotch it has become. Simply spelling out that it depends on us what we do about it.

“If film critics could destroy a movie, Michael Bay and Adam Sandler would be working at Starbucks. If film critics could make a movie a hit, the Dardenne brothers would be courted by every studio in town.”
― Alonso Duralde

“There was a cultural war going on, the ’60s was going on. All the film critics were square.”

― John Waters

“Someday, I’ll make a film that critics will like. When I have money to waste.”
—Francois Truffaut

“You highbrows writing on movies are nuts! In order to write about movies, you must first make them.”

― Orson Welles

“To see a film once and write a review is an absurdity.”

― Stanley Kubrick

“There’s not much in a critic showing off how clever he is at writing silly, supercilious gags about something he hates.”

“No film critic’s going to say it, but Madagascar 3 is better than The Artist .”
― Chris Rock

“I despise the phony, fancy-pants rhetoric of professors aping jargon-filled European locutions— which have blighted academic film criticism for over 30 years.”

― Camille Paglia

“What critics call dirty in our pictures, they call lusty in foreign films.”
—Billy Wilder

“Of course, the French are making very credible movies and it is still one of the greatest nations in terms of world cinema, but the real problem is the decay in film criticism.”

― Wim Wenders

“I would never have guessed that the profession of film criticism would be going the way of the dodo bird.”
—Quentin Tarantino

“One thing I don’t do anymore is read or pay attention to the critical response…”

― Casey Affleck

“In some cases, the critics just didn’t like the film—fair cop. Others, I think, didn’t understand it.”
—Guy Ritchie

“In this age of consumerism, film criticism all over the world—in America first but also in Europe—has become something that caters for the movie industry instead of being a counterbalance.”

“Reviews, although they feel devastating in the immediate moment, are not remotely as significant as the significance you endow them with on the day that they appear.”
—Tony Kushner

“The culture of independent film criticism has totally gone down the drain…”

“Plays can outlast even the opinions of the chief film critic of The New York Times …”

“Many, many critics say to me that my films are not good because they are too unbelievable, but this is my style.”

―Dario Argento

“It’s hard to see a film one time and really ‘get it’ and write fully and intelligently about it.”
—Richard Linklater

“I never think anyone will like what I do.”

—Terence Davies

“A lot of the films I do go down brilliantly critically and win awards, but not a lot of people see them.”
—Martin Compston

“I'm always terrified the critics won’t like my film and of course you always count the people who leave at the screening. They are on your death list. The people who stayed, stayed because they wanted to. You see it in a different way with an audience.”

“They used to criticize happy endings, but really, what’s the point of going to a film if you have to come out hating your fellow man?”
—Ray Harryhausen

“Critics are not aware of it, but (directing) is hard, physical work.”

—Roger Corman

“I’m sad that so many critics so uncritically use words like franchise, which should be reserved for your local Burger King.”
—David Edelstein

“For the film to ‘earn’ the right to be criticized on a scientific level is a high compliment indeed.”

—Neil deGrasse Tyson

“I don’t have any bone to pick with critics … Most of my bone is I would be a better film critic than most of the film critics I read.”

“In America, even the critics—which is a pity—tend to genre-ize things.”

—Francis Ford Coppola

“You can get critically acclaimed and go to various film festivals around the world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the majority of people are going to hear about it.”
—Hugo Weaving

“The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I’ve made, you get the impression that they’re all about themes, or problems, or ideas. But those are actually things that develop out of characters, out of images, and out of other things. These more abstract things develop while working on the material, and out of it. It’s not a theoretical exercise from the outset.”

—Michael Haneke

“A theatrical on a tight budget really only becomes about generating critical reviews for you and your film, not revenue.”
—Aurora Guerrero

“I don’t have a very high opinion, actually, of the world of criticism—or the practice of criticism. I think I admire art criticism, criticism of painting and sculpture, far more than I do that of, say, films and books, literary, or film criticism. But I don’t much like the practice. I think there are an awful lot of bad people in it.”

—Tom Robbins

“Would it be nice to win a film award one day? Yes. But the critics are going to have to wait till I’m ready. Right now, my gift is making big movies that audiences want to see.”
—Brett Ratner

“Making judgments on films is in many ways so peculiarly vaporous an occupation that the only question is why, beyond the obvious opportunities for a few lectures’ fees and a little careerism at a dispiritingly self-limiting level, anyone does it in the first place.”

—Joan Didion

“I think films are about having a good time, so I don’t know that there’s a message. The message of a film is always what a critic writes, and the fun of a film or the emotion of a film is what the audience feels.”
—Steve Martin

“The artist doesn’t have time to listen to the critics. The ones who want to be writers read the reviews, the ones who want to write don’t have the time to read reviews.”

—William Faulkner

“Film criticism became the means whereby a stream of young intellectuals could go straight from the campus film society into the professionals’ screening room without managing to get a glimpse of the real world in between.”
—Judith Crist

“Does the critic wish to influence the kind of film that costs more than £250,000? It is as if he were to send a postcard to General Motors explaining that he would like them to make a raft next year, or a helicopter, instead of a car.”

—Kenneth Tynan

“Sometimes, it occurs to me that the job of a serious cultural critic mostly consists in telling the generality of people that their opinions—on films, on books, on all manner of widgets, gadgets, and even the latest electronic fidgets—simply aren’t up to scratch.”

“People think I’m against critics because they are negative to my work. That’s not what bothers me. What bothers me is they didn’t see the work. I have seen critics print stuff about stuff I cut out of the film before we ran it. So, don’t tell me about critics.”

—Jerry Lewis

“Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.”
—Neil Gaiman

“In city after city, newspaper after newspaper has diminished its staff of critics, sometimes to zero. Film and TV critics have been dropped and not replaced. Maybe they’re deemed unnecessary because nobody cares if anything’s good or not.”

—Tom Shales

“Critics sometimes appear to be addressing themselves to works other than those I remember writing.”
—Joyce Carol Oates

“I’m telling you, every film I’ve ever made has been hated by the UK critics.”

—James Gray

“What distinguishes modern art from the art of other ages is criticism.”
—Octavio Paz

“Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic.”

—Jean Sibelius

“Having the critics praise you is like having the hangman say you’ve got a pretty neck.”
—Eli Wallach

“There are many critics who invite me on their show, and I (tell) them that (whenever) my film releases, you … give it (a) one-and-a-half-star rating. That’s fine. There’s no issue because stars will matter when I’m planning to open a five-star hotel. When I’m making films, I don’t need stars.”

—Rohit Shetty

“Critics in particular treat CGI as a virus that’s infecting film.”
—Peter Jackson

“Ignore critics.”

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75 famous movie quotes every film buff should know

Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, in Dirty Dancing 1987.

Think you know all the best movie lines from beloved films? Let's find out!

To test your movie trivia skills, we've gathered the very best movie quotes from all your favorite films, including classics like "Jaws," "Casablanca," "Star Wars," " Jerry Maguire ," "The Godfather" and a host of other box office hits.

In the list below you'll find funny movie quotes, serious sayings and the most memorable utterances by some of film's most iconic actors. Think Jack Nicholson , Matthew Broderick , Bette Davis, Renée Zellweger and oh-so-many more.

Let's start with an easy one. Can you name the film this quote is from?

“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and nice chianti.”

It's from "Silence of the Lambs," when serial killer , Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), recounts to Clarice Starling ( Jodie Foster ), about what happened to another unsuspecting government official who tried to "test" him.

OK, how about this one? "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Naturally, that's Johnny Castle ( Patrick Swayze ) telling Baby's parents excuse us, Francis' (Jennifer Grey) parents, that nobody, and he means nobody , prevents his girl from taking center stage at Kellerman's.

You may have guessed those film quotes right off the bat. But we've got a host of others guaranteed to increase your trivia IQ . If you guess them all correctly, then congratulations — you're officially crowned, well , king of the world!

Movie Quotes

  • "May the Force be with you." – Han Solo, "Star Wars: A New Hope" (1977)
  • "You can't handle the truth!" – Col. Nathan Jessep, "A Few Good Men" (1992)
  • "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine." – Rick Blaine, "Casablanca" (1942)
  • "Shut up – you had me at 'hello.'" – Dorothy Boyd, "Jerry Maguire" (1996)

Movie Quotes

  • "I'll have what she's having." – Restaurant patron, "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989)
  • "You're gonna need a bigger boat." – Chief Martin Brody, "Jaws" (1975)
  • "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." – Rhett Butler, "Gone With the Wind" (1939)
  • "E.T. home phone." – E.T., "E.T." (1982)

Movie Quotes

  • "I'll be back." – Terminator, "The Terminator" (1984)
  • "Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!" – Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)
  • "I see dead people." – Cole Sear, "The Sixth Sense" (1999)
  • "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." – Johnny Castle, "Dirty Dancing" (1987)

Movie Quotes

  • "I'm the king of the world!" – Jack Dawson, "Titanic" (1997)
  • "Houston, we have a problem." – Jim Lovell, "Apollo 13" (1995)
  • "Warriors, come out to plaaaay!" – Luther, "The Warriors" (1979)
  • “Show me the money!” – Rod Tidwell, “Jerry Maguire” (1996)

Movie Quotes

  • “Here’s looking at you, kid.” – Rick Blaine, “Casablanca” (1942)
  • "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." – Ferris Bueller, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986)
  • "I love you ... most ardently." – Mr. Darcy, "Pride and Prejudice" (2005)
  • "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." – Dorothy, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)

Movie Quotes

  • "No, I am your father." – Darth Vader, "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back"
  • "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli." – Peter Clemenza, "The Godfather" (1972)
  • “O Captain, my Captain.” – John Keating, “Dead Poets Society” (1989)
  • "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." – Rick Blaine, "Casablanca" (1942)

Movie Quotes

  • "You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how." – Rhett Butler, "Gone With the Wind" (1939)
  • "Life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna to get." – Forrest Gump, "Forrest Gump" (1994)
  • "You complete me." – Jerry Maguire, "Jerry Maguire" (1996)
  • "Keep the change, ya filthy animal." – Johnny, "Home Alone" (1990)

Movie Quotes

  • "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and nice chianti." – Hannibal Lecter, "Silence of the Lambs" (1991)
  • "No man is a failure who has friends." – "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)
  • “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – Don Vito Corleone, “The Godfather” (1972)
  • “I’ll be back.” – Terminator, “The Terminator” (1984)

Movie Quotes

  • "The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club." – Tyler Durden, "Fight Club" (1999)
  • "Say hello to my little friend!" – Tony Montana, "Scarface" (1983)
  • "You talkin' to me?" – Travis Bickle, "Taxi Driver" (1976)
  • "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night!" – Margo, "All About Eve"

Movie Quotes

  • "I'm walkin' here! I'm walkin' here!" – Ratso, "Midnight Cowboy" (1969)
  • "Great Scott!" – Doc, "Back to the Future" (1985)
  • "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning." – Bill Kilgore, "Apocalypse Now" (1979)
  • "Heeeeere's Johnny!" – Jack Torrance, "The Shining" (1980)

Movie Quotes

  • "There's a snake in my boot!" – Woody, "Toy Story" (1995)
  • “Stupid is as stupid does.” – Forrest Gump, “Forrest Gump” (1994)
  • "If you build it, he will come." – Mysterious voice, "Field of Dreams" (1989)
  • “There’s no place like home.” – Dorothy, “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

Movie Quotes

  • "There's no crying in baseball!" – Jimmy Dugan, "A League of Their Own" (1992)
  • "Go ahead, make my day." – Harry Callahan, "Sudden Impact" (1983)
  • "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" – Ben Braddock, "The Graduate" (1997)
  • “Hey, batter, batter, batter, hey batter, batter, batter, Sa-wing, batter!” Cameron, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986)

Movie Quotes

  • "They're heeeere." – Carol Anne, "Poltergeist" (1982)
  • "I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." – Harry Burns, "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989)
  • "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." – John Keating, "Dead Poets Society" (1989)
  • "Hasta la vista, baby." – Terminator, "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" (1991)

Movie Quotes

  • "My precious." – Gollum, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002)
  • “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” – Zuzu Bailey, “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
  • "I feel the need, the need for speed!" – Maverick and Goose, "Top Gun" (1986)
  • "It's just a flesh wound." – The Black Knight, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975)

Movie Quotes

  • "Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?" – Economics teacher, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986)
  • "It's alive! It's ALIVE!" – Henry Frankenstein, "Frankenstein" (1931)
  • "I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." – Anna Scott, "Notting Hill" (1999)
  • "You sit on a throne of lies!" – Buddy the Elf, "Elf" (2003)

Movie Quotes

  • "Alrighty then!" – Ace Ventura, "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994)
  • "Why so serious?" – The Joker, "The Dark Knight" (2008)
  • "As if!" – Cher Horowitz, "Clueless" (1996)
  • "On Wednesdays we wear pink." – Karen Smith, "Mean Girls" (2004)

Movie Quotes

  • "Expecto Patronum!" – Harry Potter, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004)
  • "Life, uh, finds a way." – Malcolm, "Jurassic Park" (1993)
  • “After all ... tomorrow is another day.” – Scarlett O’Hara, “Gone With the Wind” (1939)
  • "Florals? For spring. Groundbreaking." – Miranda Priestly, "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006)

Movie Quotes

  • "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" – Indiana Jones, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981)
  • "As you wish." – Westley, "The Princess Bride" (1987)
  • "Could you describe the ruckus, sir?" – Brian Johnson, "The Breakfast Club" (1985)
  • "It's showtime!" – Beetlejuice, "Beetlejuice" (1988)

Movie Quotes

  • "I see you're drinking 1 percent. Is that 'cause you think you're fat? 'Cause you're not. You could be drinking whole if you wanted to." – Napoleon Dynamite, "Napoleon Dynamite" (2004)
  • "I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." – Terry Malloy, "On the Waterfront" (1954)
  • “We’ll always have Paris.” – Rick Blaine, “Casablanca” (1942)

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50 Movie Quotes Every Geek Should Know

We are all guilty of it. You see a movie, hear a perfect quote, and then spend the next several weeks trying to fit that quote in every conversation you have. Some movies just have a way of infiltrating every conversation. Then there are movies that, even if you’ve never actually seen them, you can recite quotes from them. These are of the 50 most quotable movie lines ever!

1. “We’re going to need a bigger boat.” – Chief Brody, Jaws

2. “Goonies never say die.” – Mike, The Goonies

3. “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” – John Keating, Dead Poets Society

4. “You go, Glen Coco!” – Damian Leigh, Mean Girls

5. “Feed me, Seymour!” – Audrey II, Little Shop of Horrors

6. “I’ll have what she’s having.” – Deli Patron, When Harry Met Sally

7. “Alrighty then!” – Ace Ventura, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

8. “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

9. “I’m glad he’s single because I’m gonna climb that like a tree.” – Megan, Bridesmaids

10.”I fart in your general direction.” – Frenchman, Monty Python and the Holy Grail

11. “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!” – Hamilton “Ham” Porter, The Sandlot

12. “Hakuna Matata!” – Timon and Pumbaa, The Lion King

13. “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” – Johnny Castle, Dirty Dancing

14. “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” – Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

15. “Heeeeere’s Johnny!” – Johnny Torrance, The Shining

16. “They’re taking the Hobbits to Isengard!” Legolas, Lord of the Rings

17. “Why so serious?” – The Joker, The Dark Knight

18. “It is not our abilities that show what we truly are… it is our choices.” – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

19. “I’m the king of the world!” – Jack Dawson, Titanic

20. “Just keep swimming.” -Dory, Finding Nemo

21. “It’s a trap!” – Admiral Ackbar, Return of the Jedi

22. “You talkin’ to me?” – Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver

23. “It’s all in the reflexes.” – Jack Burton, Big Trouble in Little China

24. “Great Scott!” – Doc Brown, Back to the Future

25. “ Say ‘what’ again , I dare you, I double dare you m****rf****r, say what one more goddamn time!” – Jules Winnfield, Pulp Fiction

26. “You’re obviously not a golfer.” – The Dude, The Big Lebowski

27. “Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”- George Taylor, Planet of the Apes

28. “Shut up. Just shut up. You had me at ‘hello.’” – Dorothy Boyd, Jerry Maguire

29. “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather

30. “You can’t sit with us!” – Gretchen Wieners, Mean Girls (yes, two Mean Girls quotes because of course)

31. “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” – Kilgore, Apocalypse Now

32. “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” – Norman Bates, Psycho

33. “We’re four misfits who don’t belong together, we’re playing for other misfits. They’re the outcasts right at the back of the room. We’re pretty sure they don’t belong either. We belong to them.” – Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody

34. “Just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do somethin’ like this – and totally redeem yourself!” – Harry Dunne, Dumb & Dumber

35. “At least you’ll never be a vegetable – even artichokes have hearts” – Amélie Poulain, Amélie

36. “My insurance doesn’t cover PMS.” – Walter Stratford, 10 Things I Hate About You

37. “I remember my first beer.” – Brennan Huff, Step Brothers

38. “I’m a mog – half man, half dog. I’m my own best friend.” – Barf, Spaceballs

39. “Wow, we’re identical!” – Fred and George Weasley, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

40. “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.” – Princess Leia, Star Wars:  A New Hope

41. “It’s almost a shame to smoke it. It’s like killing a unicorn… with, like, a bomb.” – Saul, Pineapple Express

42. “I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder.” – Donkey, Shrek

43. “They’re here!”- Carol Anne, Poltergeist

44. “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”- Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs

45. “To infinity and beyond!” – Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story

46. “I see dead people.”- Cole Sear, The Sixth Sense

47. “Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” – Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz

48. “Don’t let the beard fool you. He’s a child!” – Stu Price, The Hangover

49. “This … is … SPARTA!” – King Leonidas, 300

50. “In case I don’t see ya…good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.” – Truman Burbank, The Truman Show

Did some of your favorite quotes make it on our list? Let us know your favorite quote in the comments below.

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generic movie review quotes

Top 100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time (The Ultimate List)

Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet, Paul Henreid, and Conrad Veidt in Casablanca (1942)

1. Casablanca

Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)

2. Gone with the Wind

Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, and Frank Morgan in The Wizard of Oz (1939)

3. The Wizard of Oz

Marlon Brando in The Godfather (1972)

4. The Godfather

5. casablanca.

Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront (1954)

6. On the Waterfront

Orson Welles, Dorothy Comingore, and Ruth Warrick in Citizen Kane (1941)

7. Citizen Kane

8. gone with the wind.

William Holden, Nancy Olson, and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)

9. Sunset Boulevard

Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, and Kenny Baker in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

10. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Susan Backlinie and Bruce in Jaws (1975)

12. Apocalypse Now

The Shining (1980)

13. The Shining

14. the wizard of oz.

Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump (1994)

15. Forrest Gump

Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, and Frances Fisher in Titanic (1997)

16. Titanic

Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men (1992)

17. A Few Good Men

Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

18. The Silence of the Lambs

Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)

19. Chinatown

20. casablanca.

Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor in The Maltese Falcon (1941)

21. The Maltese Falcon

Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver (1976)

22. Taxi Driver

Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator (1984)

23. The Terminator

Henry Thomas and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense (1999)

25. The Sixth Sense

More to explore, recently viewed.

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17 Most Famous Movie Lines and Quotes in Action Films

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10 Most Quotable Lines From Deadpool & Wolverine

10 video game adaptations even worse than borderlands, 10 film noir remakes that did justice to the original.

From epic shootouts to exploding cars and intense fight scenes, the elements of a good action movie are well-known by now. There have been some films that stand out from the others, though, being able to compose multi-million dollar franchises. Part of the success of these films is owed to the chemistry of the great actors and the way they can combine amazing action sequences with great line readings, with actors like Sylvester Stalone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Tom Cruise immortalizing certain phrases and lines into the pantheon of great movie quotes.

New action movies are coming out every year, but few are so memorable as the ones that can be recognized by one simple line of dialogue. Here are the most famous lines and quotes in action movies.

Updated on August 28th, 2023, by Timothy Lindsey: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.

17 300 (2006)

"this is sparta".

300

The movie 300 is known for the action sequences, cast, and of course, the one-liner that is probably one of the most replicated lines in recent pop culture and film history. An evocative scene from a well-known story, the "This is Sparta!" moment comes early in the film after a message of war is delivered.

This moment leads the Spartans to war with the Persians, which is exhilarating to watch. The movie has other great lines such as '"Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty, for tonight we dine in hell!" However, the Spartan war cry is the most famous one out of all the great ones.

16 Top Gun (1986)

"i feel the need… the need for speed.".

top gun 1 maverick and goose geared up

Tom Cruise as Pete Maverick marked a few generations as the charming and daunting pilot in Top Gun . Maverick starts the phrase, but he finishes it with his best pal Goose (Anthony Edwards), making it even more unique.

"I feel the need...the need for speed" will never be forgotten by generations of fans. This is an iconic line for one of the biggest '80s movies we can't live without , and the is sequel already just as huge. This dialogue symbolizes everything for these characters: who they are and who they want to become.

15 Taken (2008)

"i will look for you, i will find you, and i will kill you.".

Taken Liam Neeson 2008

After years of being an acclaimed dramatic actor, Liam Nelson is now known for his action roles. He has been a part of important action movie franchises, such as The Dark Knight trilogy and Star Wars , to name a few.

However, it's his line after his daughter is kidnapped in the first Taken movie that has become synonymous with his career. "I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you." A promise just as much as a treat, after hearing his daughter being kidnapped in another country, he can't do anything to stop it at the moment — but he can go after the men that caused her harm, and don't worry, he will.

14 Fight Club (1999)

"the first rule of fight club is: you do not talk about fight club.".

Fight Club

The adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's book by director David Fincher quickly became a cult classic. The psychological thriller combined with unique and bizarre fight sequences is adored worldwide. The first time the main character, and the audience, meet the official Fight Club , the iconic quote is delivered.

Fans learned there are a couple of rules to becoming a part of the exclusive and dangerous club. The most famous of them all? "The first rule is: you do not talk about Fight Club." A legendary line in a beloved cult classic.

13 The Matrix (1999)

"dodge this.".

The Matrix

The Matrix movies have a bunch of iconic lines, such as "Follow the white rabbit" and the politically appropriated "red pill" speech. In the first movie, Neo dodges the bullets being fired at him in slow motion, and then he is almost killed.

That's when Trinity appears and saves him, uttering the sarcastic and daunting line to the Agents in a great example of the comedic element present in a serious action movie that revolutionized cinema. "Dodge this" had to be on this list.

Related: 10 Action Movies That Should Get a Prequel

12 Dirty Harry (1971)

"you've got to ask yourself one question: do i feel lucky well, do ya, punk".

Dirty Harry points a gun offscreen

Clint Eastwood is a pillar of the movie industry. He has acted, directed, and produced numerous successful movies, from Eastwood's great Westerns to his later recent dramas. Though directed by the great Don Siegel, Dirty Harry is undoubtedly one of Eastwood's best projects.

A high-stakes story, where he has to run against time to save the victim. It quickly became a classic line in an action movie, though it's often misquoted as "Do you feel lucky?" The full quote provides some context and is excellent as a whole, I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?

11 Die Hard (1988)

"yippee ki yay, motherf*****.".

John McClane crawls through vents in Die Hard

The police officer John McClane, played by the excellent Bruce Willis , is an action classic and deserves a place on any list of '80s action movies . The line "Yippee Ki Yay, Motherf*****" happens in the first Die Hard movie, when McClane is talking to terrorist leader Hans Gruber (the bad guy) who is trying to figure out who he is.

Gruber then proceeds to provoke the action hero by mentioning many American action movies and asking if he is one of those kids who spent too much time watching these types of movies. A funny line that the character says a couple more times throughout the franchise, and resonates deeply with action fans because of the context it's given in.

10 Dr. No (1962)

"the name is bond, james bond.".

Daniel Craig as Bond in Skyfall

The most famous MI6 agent, and the entire James Bond franchise, has an endless amount of great movie lines to choose from. It's the way he takes his Martinis "Shaken, not stirred," his sexual double entenders like "Keeping the British end up, sir," and snarky lines like "Shocking. Positively shocking."

Nevertheless, his introduction is one of the most famous lines in movie history. It is also a line that's highly anticipated by fans, especially when a new actor takes on the role. "The names Bond, James Bond" should live on forever.

9 Cobra (1986)

"you’re a disease, and i’m the cure.".

Sylvester Stallone's 80s action classic Cobra 

Sylvester Stallone is an emblematic actor (and director) in action movies. He was two of the most well-known action characters: Rocky Balboa and John Rambo. In most of his movies, he has great one-liners, but the one in Cobra has got to be on this list for one reason: it resonates with the core of most characters the actor played.

The scene when he enters the supermarket to try to stop the kidnapper and save the hostages is funny and nostalgic for all of those who grew up watching the actor fight evil in all its forms in his movies. "You're a disease, and I'm the cure" is perfectly funny and heart-pounding considering it's Sylvester Stallone, and it's an action film.

8 Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

"i'm captain jack sparrow.".

Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow and Orlando Bloom as Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

It is hard to argue against Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) being one of the greatest film protagonists of all time. Correction, it's Captain Jack Sparrow. In the first installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, The Curse of the Black Pearl , Sparrow reminds Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and his crew, who mutinied against Sparrow when he was Captain of the Black Pearl, who he is. The crew left Jack for dead on a deserted island some years ago, but he escaped.

Now crossing paths again, Jack tells them that they forgot something important when they left him for dead. He says the iconic phrase, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." In other words, that is just who he is. He gets out of the toughest situations by simply being himself. He is a goofy, swashbuckling, and adventurous pirate who always calls himself a captain, with or without a ship.

Related: Top 10 Action Movies of 2021

7 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

"for frodo.".

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Much like Avengers: Endgame, which is later cited on this list, Return of the King (the third installment of the Lord of the Rings franchise) shows fans another great quote before an epic final battle. Before the battle at the Black Gate of Mordor, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) rallies his troops once more by saying two words: "For Frodo." He then proceeds to charge against the entire army of Mordor before his army soon follows behind.

The importance of Frodo cannot be overstated in this series. He is the one who decided to carry the weight of The One Ring. The reason Aragorn and Co. are at the Black Gate of Mordor is because they are there to draw out the evil armies so that Frodo and Sam can slip by unnoticed to destroy the ring. Aragorn and Co. are fighting for Frodo. It is one of the great quotes before a battle in film history.

6 Scarface (1983)

"say hello to my little friend".

Scarface

Al Pacino has given some of the most iconic and imitated line readings in history, perhaps most especially in the epic shootout scene from Scarface . After doing a literal mountain of cocaine, he sees on his security camera that people are coming to get him, so he prepares himself the best way Montana knows how: with violence.

"Say Hello to My Little Friend" is one of the most legendary movie lines in cinema history and also represents a good portion of Pacino's body of work, becoming synonymous with the actor (and especially his mafia movies).

5 Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

"i hate snakes, jock".

Indiana Jones Snakes

There is no greater fear for a character in all of cinema than Indiana Jones's fear of snakes. Fans recognize that at the very beginning of the legendary film series. In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), the adventurous archaeologist (Harrison Ford) is on the run from South American natives trying to kill him, per the order of clever archaeologist René Belloq (Paul Freeman). Dr. Jones has a plane waiting nearby with his pilot pal Jock standing by to take off.

As arrows are being shot at him, Jones jumps into the river that the plane is sitting on, and Jock starts the engine. As he gets into the cockpit of the plane, Jock's pet snake is also in the cockpit. That prompts Jones to say the legendary line, "I hate snakes, Jock!" This certainly isn't the last time that fans hear of Jones's fear of snakes, as he has at least one moment with the slithering species in every one of the five films.

4 Jaws (1975)

“you're gonna need a bigger boat.”.

A scene from Jaws

Steven Spielberg has one of the most fantastic bodies of work in modern film history. His 1975 action thriller Jaws is probably one of his most famous and beloved movies. The daunting scene when the characters realize the actual danger they were facing came from things going wrong on set.

It was a catchphrase on set that the crew said every time something went wrong, so Roy Scheider decided to ad-lib the catchphrase a few times during the movie. "You're gonna need a bigger boat" is one of the most underrated lines of any action film over the last five decades.

3 Rocky (1976)

"eye of the tiger.".

Scene from 1976's Rocky

Yes, this is also the title of one of the greatest songs of all time, which could be considered arguably the best song of the Rocky franchise. However, in Rocky 3, the legendary boxer known as Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) loses his itch to the box. After the death of his trainer and after being defeated by the brutal Clubber Lang (Mr. T), Rocky doesn't have the fire to box anymore.

However, when old rival and famous boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) volunteers to help train him for a re-match against Lang, he tells him that he has lost his "eye of the tiger." In other words, he lost his love and joy for the sport. Later on, Creed helps Rocky discover this passion again and before the final round of the re-match, he tells Rocky to win the fight saying, "Eye of the tiger." Rocky eventually knocks out Lang to reclaim the World Heavyweight Title.

Related: The 12 Most Underrated Action Movie Performances of All Time

2 The Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

"hasta la vista, baby.".

The Terminator and Sara Connor escaping on a motorcycle while shooting at something behind them

The Terminator movies, granted most of Schwarzenegger's movies, have great lines that became iconic. In the first installment in the series, "I'll be back" and so many others are instantly recognizable.

However, "Hasta la Vista , Baby " has to be one of the best on this list. Maybe it became so famous because of the way it was presented in the movie (first as a joke and later in a life-or-death situation), or just the way Schwarzenegger said it with his distinct Austrian accent. Either way, it is one of the most famous lines in modern cinema history, let alone in the action genre.

1 Avengers: Endgame (2019)

"avengers, assemble".

Avengers Endgame

This was the quote that MCU fans were waiting for. In arguably the greatest superhero film of all time comes the most beloved quote of the entire series. Once all the heroes return from the snap in Avengers: Endgame to help Captain America, who was staring at Thanos and his intergalactic army all alone, Cap utters the iconic line, "Avengers, assemble!"

It is a line that MCU fans were teased with at the end of Age of Ultron and finally got to hear just before the heroes charge against Thanos. Not only did it fire up the army of heroes, but it put a charge into fans in every movie theater all over the world.

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Reviewer Stock Phrases

"There is no such thing as 'fun for the whole family.'" — Jerry Seinfeld

Also known as " reviewer-speak ", these are cliche phrases that media critics use to describe works. Coming up with original ways to describe multiple things within one same month/week/issue can be hard. On top of that, reviews need to be interesting in addition to informative. That's why critics of all types tend to have an arsenal full of stock terms they can pull out to summarize how they feel about the subject. These could range from pretty basic descriptors to flat out sensationalism. Either way, you can expect to see these phrases uttered more than a few times if you read enough reviews or entertainment-related news reports.

Some examples of this are " X on crack " ," X Meets Y ", "best X of the year", "fun for the whole family!" These cliches are often parodied.

Reviewer Standard Comparisons is a Sub-Trope . See also Review Ironic Echo , when reviewers can't resist making an obvious Pun on the title or a line from the work to make fun of it.

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  • The phrase has a nastier inverse; Lighter and Softer works of any kind ( Reconstructions , parodies, more positive in general) are said to be lone idealistic beacons "in a post-[Relevant Dark Work in their Genre] world".
  • Much like its Western counterpart, 3D anime will usually either get complaints about trying to impose on "the last bastion of 2D", or compliments that "3D can coexist with 2D" if it mimics 2D style well.
  • Directors of anime films with lavish backgrounds, high-quality animation, and all-ages appeal will be labeled "the next Miyazaki " by reviews.
  • A Fanservice or Harem Genre series for girls that becomes a social phenomenon is always "not just for lonely otaku anymore".
  • "Anime of the Season" (due to contemporary anime's cour model) and the standard "Anime of the Year" get thrown around when discussing favorite anime.
  • "Cute Girls Doing [x]" is used for Iyashikei series or just about anything featuring a mostly-female or improbably female cast. The Spear Counterpart , "Cute Guys Doing [x]", tends to get used more for series with a Cast Full of Pretty Boys regardless of genre.
  • If a translation has a bad dub or Bowdlerizes content to be shown on kids' television, "like 4Kids " is the go-to insult for the studio that translated it.
  • Mecha Shows that make it Out of the Sci-Fi Ghetto are often lauded with "unlike most mecha series, this one focuses on the characters". This tends to frustrate mecha fans, who feel it paints the genre at large as mindless spectacle .
  • Foamy The Squirrel railed against this during one of his famous rants.
  • Dave Barry once claimed to have been "literally riveted to [his] seat, by literal rivets."
  • Action movies and books will usually be "Thrilling," "Suspenseful," "Gripping," and "High-Octane," among many others.
  • Expect any action-comedy review to feature the word "romp" at least once.
  • Every action movie has at some point been referred to as a "roller-coaster ride" or "thrill ride".
  • Directors are typically called "visionary" for reasons which are often unclear.
  • Family comedies will usually be "Fun for the whole family" or something to that effect.
  • Comedies in general will always be "hilarious" and "laugh-out-loud funny!"
  • Documentaries will often be "thought-provoking" or "controversial"
  • Film reviews of blockbusters often feature "This Year's X": " Star Trek (2009) is this year's Iron Man ", for example. "The Next X" is similar, also for people who can't comprehend that something can stand on its own without being compared to something else.
  • "Smart, sexy and..." fill-in-the-blank. "Cool," "fun," and "action-packed" work.
  • The "It's Die Hard On An X " line that's popped up in reviews for the past 22 years.
  • Peter Travers, the film critic for Rolling Stone , often peppers his reviews with cliche phrases like "crackerjack thrill ride," "enjoy the air conditioning," or "check your brain in at the door" to describe action movies that require little attention.
  • Few action film set-ups are as overworked and meaningless as the old one-two punch of the "unstoppable chain of events" that will have you "on the edge of your seat."
  • The posters for Dumb and Dumber parodied this with fictitious review quotes such as, "It's a movie experience for anyone who goes to see it" and "I laughed til I stopped."
  • Many reviewers have taken after Roger Ebert's 'two thumbs up' signature. Sometimes something else will be substituted depending on the movie, ie two paws for Cats & Dogs , or some such. Thankfully, the "two thumbs up" concept is copyrighted, so the current generation won't have to see terrible local critics use it themselves.
  • "When it comes to oddball titles, The Men Who Stare at Goats is certainly hard to bleat ."
  • "It's a spectacle to see, and you need spectacles to see it...and there's pandemonium on Pandora" for " Avatar ''.
  • "'' The Lovely Bones is lovely, and no bones about it!"
  • "Here is Zeus! And by Jupiter, it looks like Liam Neeson !" for Clash of the Titans .
  • " Taylor Lautner falls for Taylor Swift (as Lautner's character trips over a hurdle)...haha, it's a taylor-made romance!" for Valentine's Day .
  • Dutch example: if a James Bond movie is coming out, expect to read "James maakt het bond." note  "Het bon t maken" is a Dutch expression loosely meaning "To raise a ruckus".
  • Just about anytime an animated movie becomes critically and/or commercially successful, you'll find critics reminding us that "animation is a medium that can be enjoyed by both adults and children." A statement so tired and overused that Roger Ebert, in his review of Ratatouille , dismissed it as an annoying cliche.
  • Any film attempting a relatively realistic portrayal of space travel will be compared to Apollo 13 or The Right Stuff (this also often applies to nonfiction books about the early space program.)
  • Literary critics in particular tend to use the phrase "tour de force", usually apropos of extremely pretentious or confusing works.
  • "Page-turner" comes up often.
  • Any book with sociopolitical themes is "incisive" and/or "provocative". If it takes a more philosophical route, it's "a meditation". If there's interpersonal drama, it's "volatile", and if the protag has a shitty life, it's "taut" or "haunting". Oh, and you can't just say it "has" those themes, it has to "explore" the themes.
  • The book is "both [adjective] and [antonym]", e.g. both warm and merciless. This seems used most frequently as a fragment at the start of a sentence ("Both sly and earnest, both frantic and serene, Book Name is a portrait of a town in crisis that illustrates the strength of humanity blah blah blah...")
  • The Truth , about the Disc's first newspaper, played with this trope. Albeit about news reporting, not reviews per se. For example, the words rumpus and fracas only appear in certain newspapers, the same way beverages only appear on certain menus.
  • Equal Rites had a foreword reading "This book is not wacky. Only dumb redheads in Fifties sitcoms are wacky. It isn't zany, either."
  • If the novel accurately captures a teen's voice, expect the phrase "like Holden Caulfield " to pop up somewhere.
  • Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart's books mock this consistently. Some highlights (paraphrased). "Best book ever. Or maybe I'm dead and Colbert's taking advantage of this fact by signing my name to this review. Either way, you got to admit, he's got guts." -J D Salinger. "A must-read! I laughed, I cried, I lost ten pounds!" - Stephen Colbert
  • Even if it isn't, it's still open to comparison these days. See certain editions of Dragonriders of Pern books, and how for a while every The Dresden Files book had "...as another wizard named Harry" on the front or back (or both). Not as painful since later books came out, but it still leads to misunderstandings .
  • In the same vein, if it has anthropomorphic woodland creatures, especially if they're mice, it'll be "perfect for fans of Redwall ." This appears to be why later installments in the Warrior Cats series don't even have reviews on the back covers.
  • The Dresden Files has also had the same Entertainment Weekly quote on every book in the series, dating back to the very first: "Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Philip Marlowe ."
  • If it resembles a better-known work in the same genre, you might see "invites comparison to..." This can backfire . ("Invites comparison to The Lord of the Rings . Lord Of The Rings was great. This is crap.")
  • Almost as common is the tongue-in-cheek review of a Doorstopper that says "I couldn't pick it up..."
  • The Cynic's Dictionary by Russell Ash had a whole chapter devoted to these. One was " Enthralling : Literally, enslaving. If you want to be a book's slave..."
  • If any non-fiction book discusses psychopaths or "evil people" in general, expect the adjective "chilling" to be abused ceaselessly, though it is questionable whether any of these books have ever lowered someone's body temperature. (This doesn't apply only to non-fiction, of course. Apparently every single mystery novel ever is "chilling" as well.)
  • When Monty Python was asked to review The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , John Cleese decided to go with stock phrases; naturally, the others pointed it out : Really entertaining and fun. — John Cleese I know for a fact that John Cleese hasn't read it. — Graham Chapman Really entertaining and fun. — Michael Palin
  • As a book aggregate site, plays this trope straight in its user reviews, except it adopts an entirely different and unique set of cliches due to its web-based format and Millennial-dominated userbase. These show up most often in the negative reviews, and/or reviews for Young Adult (YA) books. The most egre gious ? "I wanted to like this book. I really did! But..."
  • Filling reviews with Tumblr gifs.
  • "I don't normally read (Genre X) but I'm glad I did!"
  • If it's fantasy, horror, or science fiction, but the reviewer liked it , then it "transcends the boundaries of its genre."
  • Name-dropping authors or philosophers to establish literary cred. Derrida is a popular one, as is Nabokov. For extra points, turn the name into an adjective (i.e., "a rollicking Nabokovian delight").
  • Books about wilderness expeditions and/or survival will often be compared to Into Thin Air .
  • If a Light Novel has any hint of a Trapped in Another World plot, the reviews will talk about how the story is "a typical Wish-Fulfillment isekai power fantasy" if they hated it or how it "starts like your typical isekai until..." if they liked it.
  • Popular science books will often feature quotes comparing the book to the work of famous science writers in that field, whether or not the structure of the book’s text and/or the author’s style really resembles their famous colleague’s— books about space are “in the tradition of Carl Sagan ”, for oceanography, Jacques Cousteau , Jane Goodall for wildlife biology, and so forth.
  • One episode of Spin City had Paul assigned to write a review of the Mayor's book. Paul's review ends up consisting entirely of stock phrases he stole from movie reviews, calling the book "a fast-paced thrill ride" and "a spectacle the whole family can enjoy", as well as the line "Stallone is pure adrenaline".
  • One episode has Pete use the stock acting description to say that Tracy Morgan is phoning it in. Then clarifies that this is Not Hyperbole , he's doing the scene over the phone from his dressing room.
  • In other episodes, Jack provides a quote for the back of Lemon's book: "Lemon numbers among my employees." Liz is also pleased when a magazine describes TGS as "still on."
  • The Wire was so often praised for its " dickensian " storytelling that by the fifth season, they were lampshading it in dialogue among clueless journalists .
  • "For fans of (list three bands, one or two of those whose names are thrown around too much in their genre, and one that seems a bit out of left field)."
  • Any band that has singable melodies and happens to be English will be hailed as the new The Beatles .
  • Any critic will at one point paraphrase Jon Landau's epic sentence I've seen the future of rock 'n' roll and his name is Bruce Springsteen , but replace it with a different artist.
  • "Sophomoric" has become a cliché phrase within music reviews. As has the infamous " Sophomore Slump " that critics use to describe disappointing follow-up records .
  • Have you ever heard "whiskey-soaked" to describe anything but blues, classic rock, or Tom Waits 's voice?
  • Bill Anschell's humor piece "How to Be a Jazz Critic" is structured as a list of stock phrases and snowclones, with the variable words multiple-choiced or omitted.
  • It seems that every rock single that gets released these days is an "anthem" of some kind. "An indie-rock anthem," "an anthem for today's generation," etc.
  • Any variant on "Their old stuff was better" will do.
  • "Pretentious", "self-indulgent" or "dinosaur", especially where 1970s rock not amounting to Three Chords and the Truth or Totally Radical is concerned.
  • Anything recorded between 1976 and 1982 will have to answer to punk or new wave, Similarly, anything recorded between 1988 and 1997 will have to answer to Alternative Rock or grunge. In short, if there's a subversive musical movement caustic critics champion as cutting edge or the future of music, especially if the album or artist is seen as "irrelevant" to that new movement, then expect that subject to be brought up in each review, regardless of the reviewed album's style, demographic or artistic intent. Certainly don't expect that review to take (or to understand) a non-"relevant" artist or style on its own merits. Here's a game for you to play: Every time you see a music mag use the word "relevant" as a replacement for "good" - take a shot. ( On second thought, don't. )
  • Any given artist capable of making catchy songs has "pop sensibilities", even when their style has nothing to do with pop music.
  • A member of Sonic Youth once said during an interview that every album they release is invariably called either "A return to focus," "more song-oriented," or both.
  • "Virtuosic" is almost always used for jazz, tech metal, and progressive rock artists. Also, "chops" seems to be the standard euphemism for any kind of musical talent.
  • Guitar solos are always "blisteringly fast," or played with "lightning speed", or "searing," or "blazing."
  • When reading any review for a guitar, amp, or effects pedal, expect any of these terms: Crunchy, gritty, bluesy, blistering, searing, fat, chunky, wide, smooth, biting, nasty, squeals, scooped, tinny, rich, warm, hollow, tubey and sings. And in a video review, no matter what they're reviewing, if they're playing a guitar they will make their O-face the whole time.
  • Historians/biographers, and even the man himself, have noticed that starting with 1993's Black Tie White Noise , his first solo album of The '90s , critics love to use some variant on the phrase "his best album since Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) " when reviewing his newest release. The follow-up to Scary Monsters , Let's Dance , was a massive commercial success but a huge Contested Sequel , the two albums after it were also successful but are widely considered Bowie's worst albums (even by Bowie himself) , and the two albums he made with Tin Machine are very divisive. Consequently, Scary Monsters was held up as Bowie's last great album for many years.
  • Every article or review about David Bowie will use the word "chameleon" in one of the very first sentences.
  • Similarly, every The Rolling Stones album will be called "their best album since Tattoo You " or "their best album since Some Girls ". The next step on the ladder is "their best album since Exile on Main St. . " but although the phrase has been uttered occasionally, consensus is that only Some Girls itself deserves it. The problem is that, your logical and mathematical mind might deduce that Rolling Stones' albums since the one after Tattoo You are better and better each time, but the review usually manages to imply that the album before the one under review was their worst ever. Which, when given careful thought, makes absolutely no sense .
  • For Bob Dylan , it's "best since Blood on the Tracks . "
  • The word "noodling" tends to follow so-called " jam bands " known for lengthy soloing, like Phish and The Grateful Dead .
  • "Sensitive singer-songwriter". The word "bedsit" somehow will be found not in many reviews of "sensitive singer-songwriters".
  • According to many music critics, every band and singer has some sort of "audience" in mind. Usually, it has something to do with age: a louder and more upbeat band is for a teenage and "young adult" (meaning immature college kid ) audience, a light country band is for an "adult" (ie. middle-aged stick in the mud ) audience, etc. If it isn't age, it's gender: The latest pop sensation specifically designs her music to appeal to genki girls , the latest heavy metal sensation is designed to appeal to manly men , etc. The possibility that a musician simply writes whatever music he/she likes (without a specific audience in mind) and that most people like a wide variety of musical genres/moods apparently eludes them.
  • It was apparently a national law that any review of Warren Zevon must include the word 'mordant' and a reference to Werewolves of London .
  • They Might Be Giants has long been cursed by music writers who can't resist calling them "quirky".
  • "Inoffensive", for music the reviewer doesn't consider edgy enough. In other words (as critic Chuck Eddy once pointed out), they were offended by it.
  • "Tasty slab". As in (taken from a random music blog found in a quick Google search) "It's a tasty slab of bass-heavy, window-shaking pop euphoria."
  • "Psychedelic" , "trippy", "druggy" or, if you really want to show off your word power, "lysergic". note  The full name of LSD is lysergic acid diethylamide, but "lysergic" by itself just means "derived from dissolved ergot fungus."
  • The book The Rock Snob's Dictionary includes entries for "coruscating" (as in "a coruscating guitar solo"; it means "sparkling"), "plangent" (which means "loud, but melancholy," and mandatory for any piece ever written about R.E.M. ) and "seminal" (rock critic speak for "early and highly influential," and mandatory for any piece ever written about The Velvet Underground ).
  • Any band or musician that is somewhat edgy or rebellious is "guaranteed to shock your parents." Even though today's parents grew up with everything from Gangsta Rap to Britney Spears .
  • "Aging rockers" for anyone in rock music older than 35. Oddly enough, the last surviving pioneers of rock and roll, many of whom continued to perform into their eighties , seemed to escape this term.
  • Anything written about The Grateful Dead requires a mention of their "Long, Strange Trip."
  • The word "shambolic" is used to describe The Rolling Stones , bands that sound like the Stones, and nothing else in the universe.
  • Starting with Recovery , every Eminem album that is well-received is often hailed by critics and fans alike as "his best since The Eminem Show ," his last album before an Audience-Alienating Era that spanned several years.
  • Dilbert mocks this when Dogbert starts a film reviewing business, providing the review the filmmaker wants for a price. One man asks what the price is for "Best movie so far this year" for a film coming out in January.
  • If the game has traditional cutscenes and a strong multiplayer element, then expect comparisons to Call of Duty . This is often an insult.
  • If the game is lower octane with a focus on campaign, then expect comparisons to Half-Life 2 . This is often a compliment.
  • Of course, thanks to GIFT, and the remarkable tendency of stupid people on the internet to express their opinions, on sites like Metacritic, EVERY single FPS will at some point get a ludicrously negative review for no other reason than being "like Call of Duty" simply by the virtue of it having one or more of the following elements: A: first-person perspective. B: Shooting. C: Linearity.
  • ENN had a segment about a robotic game reviewer that judged everything "compelling", which later became a tagline for the show.
  • "The X Killer" . Remember Killzone , which everyone said would be a " Halo killer"? No, of course not.
  • Killer App : a game so good it's a system seller: Super Mario Bros. , Halo , Tetris , Metal Gear Solid , et al.
  • League of Legends developers Riot Games invented the term Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) to describe their game because they were sick and tired of everyone referring to the genre as a DotA Clone.
  • You can tell how much a reviewer likes a game with elements from an earlier, more famous game by vocabulary alone: they'll use "loving sendup/homage" if they liked it, "clone" if neutral or belligerent, or "ripoff" if they really hated it.
  • "If this is the sort of game you'll like, then this is the sort of game you'll like."
  • Before the whole push towards being obsessed with Retro Gaming , it was common to see any post-1999 2D game being described as having "SNES graphics" in a bad way. Now people are starting to learn what SNES graphics really were. This stock phrase was replaced by the equally generic sounding "This game has graphics that look as if they were on the N64".
  • Now that Retro Gaming is more popular, games that pull it off well are "a love letter to [old console \ old PC model \ old gaming genre] fans".
  • "Innovative," which gets dragged out whenever a game or peripheral uses an unconventional gimmick. They beat this horse particularly hard when the Wii and DS came out, but they learned their lesson when competing Waggle-devices were released.
  • "Almost as fun to watch as it is to play."
  • "Game Of The Year" is used so frequently that it practically loses meaning.
  • During the Video Game 3D Leap , a popular graphics descriptor was "photo-realistic." In theory, this meant that the graphics looked realistic enough for somebody to possibly mistake them for real life. In practice, it simply meant that the graphics... "somewhat" resembled real life (mostly just with the art style). By the time The Sixth Generation of Console Video Games was in full swing and people realized that video game graphics still had a long way to go before they could accurately mimic real life, the term "photo-realistic" was quickly phased out of video game vernacular.
  • Extremely common contemporarily, any game which features either high difficulty or permadeath is now bandied about as a " Roguelike " or "Rogueli t e", even if it has absolutely nothing (else) in common with roleplaying games, the roguelike genre, or the original Rogue game.
  • "The X of Y" or "Like X, but Y", or any variation thereof. Used to describe a game that is sort of like a clone of another game or has taken elements from a game to use as inspiration. "Like Dark Souls of X" is a popular phrase to describe a game that's outright Nintendo Hard .
  • The game Dark Souls itself has been used so often that bringing it up as a comparison at all is considered a cliche. If a game has a facet of difficulty through learning, backtracking, a dark and disgusting atmosphere, being just plain hard, or any other element from Dark Souls , it will elicit this comparison, followed quickly by groans in the audience. Especially if it's just because of the difficulty: the phrase truly started hitting Discredited Meme status after IGN compared the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy , of all things, to Dark Souls solely for being challenging.
  • If the reviewers find out a bad/average game was backed by Kickstarter or any other similar crowdfunding sites, the game is now "a Kickstarter disaster" regardless of what was going on behind the scenes.
  • "Quirky RPG" is a phrase often found in the company of Mother inspired games, usually either referring to an outlandish way of handling RPG Elements or equally as outlandish characters.
  • The Batman: Arkham Series was rather infamous for having almost every single review of the games talk about how they "make you feel like Batman". And then, when Spider-Man (PS4) (essentially the Marvel response to the Arkham games) came out, reviewers immediately broke out the exact same wording again to talk about it, to everyone's hilarity.
  • Adding onto this, any adult cartoon without gratuitous swearing, sex, or violence will be lauded as a breath of fresh air.
  • Gross-out and outrageous comedy cartoons featuring two protagonists after 1991 were usually compared (sometimes unfavorably) to The Ren & Stimpy Show .
  • It is very common to call Sadist Show and Kafka Comedy cartoons, or cartoons with Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonists "mean-spirited."
  • Shows/episodes with Butt-Monkey characters (such as Squidward ) are called " torture porns ."
  • If a cartoon made after 2005 features a Heel–Face Turn , be prepared for comparisons to Zuko 's redemption arc.
  • Pick a cartoon made after 2012 with supernatural and/or mystery elements. Now see how many reviews of that cartoon compare it to Gravity Falls .
  • Cartoons that utilize Thin-Line Animation are derisively called " CalArts style." This can even extend to cartoons whose creators didn't even go to that university.
  • Many cartoon reviews complain about characters that don't get punished for their actions .
  • Animated Shock Comedy sitcoms centered around a family can and will receive comparisons to Family Guy .
  • Many cartoon reviewers call animators and writers "lazy."
  • Whenever an internet-based critic reviews something bad, expect a lot of fecal and/or sexual metaphors and swears.
  • "Pedestrian" sees a lot of use among the more pretentious media critics. On the flip side, the word "pretentious" itself sees a lot of use in criticisms for media that get too high-concept (Double for "edgy", triple if the phrase ends with "trash").
  • There's also the Food Network favorite, "nutty"
  • "Succulent", beloved by hacky restaurant critics and hacky restaurant ad copywriters alike, which is especially grating if the food in question isn't even particularly moist or juicy.
  • This is a major component of Sommelier Speak . "Fruity," "dry," or "aged to perfection" are guaranteed from any wine review.
  • No one ever drinks in wine reviews or "bar scene" columns in newspapers - they "tipple," "imbibe," or "libate." Similarly, bars are never just called bars - they're "watering holes," "dives," or "haunts". Very similar to Said Bookism .
  • The Encyclopedia Metallum lampshaded this one: when listing a band's genre, it is expressly forbidden to describe them as "dark metal", their reasoning being that this description could literally mean absolutely anything.
  • Those Lacking Spines lampoons the word in literature, in which for about two paragraphs, every incidence of where the word "dark" would be was replaced with outrageous colors, such as "crimson", "sunshine yellow", and "chartreuse".
  • Many upcoming artists (in all mediums) are often called "[Place]'s answer to [Similar, but much more famous person or band.]" For example, "Paris, Texas's answer to Metallica ."
  • Freakonomics suggests that real estate agents do this; for example, describing a house as "fantastic" is strongly correlated with it being overpriced and/or a bit of a lemon, because they only have to resort to the generic adjectives when there's nothing particularly good about it.
  • "I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats !" Fun fact: This is a Memetic Mutation paraphrased from a 1980s Saturday Night Live skit, in which a hypnotist entranced his audience to recommend his show to others.
  • The phrase "fuel-sipping" must always appear somewhere in a write-up of a hybrid or efficient model.
  • Ritz, glitz, chic, freak(y), geek, trashy, and in. All entirely meaningless nowadays.
  • Similarly, "X! Just X!' or "X, full stop." It's gotten so bad that these are considered Zero-Context Examples , and one is encouraged to replace them with something informative.
  • Deconstruction at one point was wicked for any series that so much as slightly shifted short of center of the Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism . The site itself eventually had to point out what was considered Not a Deconstruction to cut down on misidentifications.
  • "Hack", "fraud", and the like, originally used to denote someone of low quality, are just as overused for creators the reviewer just plain doesn't like as any other insult.
  • If a Japanese Quirky Work isn't being called "aggressively Japanese", it's "too anime" (as if either an entire country or its animation is quirky by nature).
  • Similarly, in the US some presidential candidates are criticized for not being "presidential" enough. Sometimes this is used to describe sitting presidents looking for reelection (e.g., Barack Obama running for his second term) which makes one wonder how a person could be "unpresidential" despite being the president .
  • A work that is "life-affirming" is a massive Tear Jerker .
  • "Emotional weight" for whatever seems to aim for strong reactions .

Alternative Title(s): Stock Review Phrases

  • Review Ironic Echo
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50 of the funniest, most searing movie reviews ever written

  • Movie reviewers have had some pretty scathing takes on films throughout the years. 
  • One reviewer referred to a film as like "Grease: The Next Generation" acted out by the food-court staff at SeaWorld.
  • Another riffed "Some movies leave a bad taste in the mouth. This one causes full-on halitosis."

Insider Today

For many viewers, a movie can simply exist as something to fill a void of upwards of 90 minutes. Film critics, who spend their lives scribbling notes in dark theaters, ask for a little more.

" I have a colleague who describes his job as 'covering the national dream beat,' because if you pay attention to the movies they will tell you what people desire and fear in their deepest secrets," the late Roger Ebert wrote in 1992 . "At least, the good ones will. That's why we go, hoping to be touched in those secret places. Movies are hardly ever about what they seem to be about. Look at a movie that a lot of people love, and you will find something profound, no matter how silly the film may seem."

Sometimes the best thing to come out of a movie is a blistering review. INSIDER rounded up 50 of the funniest, most searing movie reviews ever written.

Critics said that heartbreak was preferable to watching "Valentine's Day."

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"'Valentine's Day' is being marketed as a Date Movie. I think it's more of a First-Date Movie. If your date likes it, do not date that person again. And if you like it, there may not be a second date." —   Roger Ebert , Chicago Sun-Times.

Critics eviscerated "Twilight," but the movie still made more than $390 million at the box office.

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"I've had mosquito bites that were more passionate than this undead, unrequited, and altogether unfun pseudo-romantic riff on 'Romeo and Juliet.'" — Marc Salov , The Austin Chronicle.  

"The Other Woman" wasn't a hit with critics.

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"I know what you're thinking ... 'Enough beating around the bush. Just tell us whether you liked it.' Consider this, which I will say in terms this movie would understand, if you were on an airplane, 'The Other Woman'   might not be preferable to simply staring into your empty airsick bag, but it has enough nicely executed physical comedy that in the event you become ill, it is definitely preferable to staring into your occupied airsick bag." — Linda Holmes , NPR.

"The Emoji Movie" has an 8% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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"This is a movie about how words aren't cool, but you can still expect a girl to fall at your feet in response to mild wordplay. Please keep up. Or throw whatever device you’re reading this on into the ocean. Send me a postcard ... tell me what it’s like to be free." — Kaitlyn Tiffany and Lizzie Plaugic , The Verge.

Netflix is making a sequel to "Bright" despite the fact it was totally panned by critics.

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"While I had the misfortune to see 'Bright' in a theater, most people will simply press 'play' out of curiosity on their Roku remote. I am willing to concede that this might elevate the experience a little ... the ability to take a quick trip to the kitchen or restroom after shouting 'no, don't pause it' to your partner on the couch will be liberating." — Jordan Hoffman , Vanity Fair.

"Battlefield Earth" was a box-office bust and a critical failure.

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"'Battlefield Earth' saves its scariest moment for the end: a virtual guarantee that there will be a sequel." — Desson Howe , The Washington Post.

The basic plot of "Milk Money" perplexed critics.

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Roger Ebert imagined what the conversation between studio executives would have looked like when they greenlit the movie:

"Studio Executive A: Kind of like 'Working Girl Turns a Trick?'

"Studio Executive B: Cuter than that. We start with three 12-year-old boys. They're going crazy because they've never seen a naked woman.

"Studio Executive A: Whatsamatter? They poor? Don't they have cable?"

Even fans of the HBO series prefer to pretend "Sex and the City 2" doesn't exist, according to critics.

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"When viewed as a rom-com, 'Sex and the City 2' is terrible and crappy and a horrific inversion of everything the show once was. But when viewed as a science fiction film, 'SATC2' is subversive, stylish and chilling. Like The Island from 'Lost,' we may never know The City's true identity — Is it a VR computer program? A malevolent interdimensional god? Satan?" — Cyriaque Lamar , i09.

Making fun of "Gigli" became a national past-time.

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"Even making a little game of it, and trying to pinpoint the exact moment when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez fell in love, stops being fun after a while. Perhaps it's when he says, in an attempt to seduce her, 'I'm the bull, you're the cow.' Or when she beckons him into foreplay by lying back in bed and purring, 'Gobble, gobble' — which could forever change the way you view your Thanksgiving turkey." — Christy Lemire , The Associated Press.

"The Adventures of Pluto Nash" wasn't a hit with critics.

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"It's good to know that, if we have to leave Earth someday, we won't have to go without our kitsch. Forensics experts will be digging through the rubble of this fiasco for a long time, trying to reconstruct the accident. How did so many lines fall flat? Why were the action scenes so corny and unconvincing? Who put the stink on this?" — Jack Mathews , New York Daily News.

"Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2" has a 2% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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" At its best/worst, 'Superbabies' hallucinatory idiocy inspires open-mouthed horror at what happens when an ill-conceived premise leads to even more jaw-droppingly misguided execution." — Nathan Rabin , AV Club.

Critics thought "Gotti" was so bad it was almost criminal.

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"I'd rather wake up next to a severed horse head than ever watch 'Gotti' again. The worst movie of the year so far, the long-awaited biopic about the Gambino crime boss' rise from made man to top dog took four directors, 44 producers and eight years to make. It shows. The finished product belongs in a cement bucket at the bottom of the river." — Johnny Oleksinski , New York Post.

Critics got personal with their contempt for "Jaws: The Revenge."

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"In the just-released 'Jaws: The Revenge' the shark's main course is intended to be Roy Scheider's widow, Ellen Brody, a frumpy middle-aged woman played by boring actress Lorraine Gary, who happens to be married to the president of MCA Universal, which finances the 'Jaws' films and which explains her lead role. Let's put it this way: When you see and hear the nasal Lorraine Gary on screen you want the shark to eat her." — Gene Siskel , Chicago Tribune.

"One Missed Call" didn't warrant anyone's attention, according to critics.

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"The kid in front of me spent most of the movie playing Tetris on his phone. I didn't care enough about the movie to ask him to stop, or to find a cooler game." — Wesley Morris , The Boston Globe.

The critical response to "Jack Frost" was icy.

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"With emotions as sincere as the soap flake snow on its sets, 'Jack Frost' goes on to show how much fun it is to have a snowman as a loving, though dead, father … As one more Hollywood effort to look on the sunny side of fatality, 'Jack Frost' is so sugarcoated that it makes other recent efforts in this genre look blisteringly honest." — Janet Maslin , The New York Times.

"The Snowman" left critics cold.

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"'The Snowman' is like if aliens studied humanity and tried to make their own movie in an attempt to communicate with us. This simulacrum contains all the requisite pieces of a movie, but humanity got lost in translation." — Barbara VanDenburgh , The Arizona Republic.

Critics saw "Batman & Robin" as more of a cash-grab than a movie.

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" The people who made this movie — which, as always, is set up for a sequel — will be laughing all the way to the bank. But isn't there someone in that bank who can lock them all inside a safety-deposit vault and throw away the key?" — Peter Rainer , The Phoenix New Times.

"Cool World" was almost universally hated by critics.

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"The plot of Michael Grais' and Mark Victor's screenplay is even more nonsensical than it needs to be, revolving around frequent unmotivated trips between parallel cartoon and live-action universes, and around the question of whether cartoon women will have sex with human men." — Janet Maslin , The New York Times.

"Titanic" won 11 Academy Awards, but critics thought it took its sweet time getting to the point.

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"'Titanic' is a good, often stunning movie caught in a three-and-a-half hour drift. As we marvel at the physical spectacle of the Titanic's last few hours, we're left staggeringly untouched by the people facing their last moments. This movie should have blown us out of the water. Instead, we catch ourselves occasionally thinking the unpardonable thought: 'OK, sink already.'" — Desson Howe , The Washington Post.

"Howard The Duck" was a one-note movie that prompted critics to question for whom exactly the movie was made.

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"The story has no center; the duck is not likable, and the costly, overwrought, laser-filled special effects that conclude the movie are less impressive than a sparkler on a birthday cake. George 'Star Wars' Lucas supervised the production of this film, and maybe it's time he went back to making low-budget films like his best picture, 'American Graffiti.'" — Gene Siskel , The Chicago Tribune.

"Catwoman" is considered by critics to be one of the worst superhero movies ever made.

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"The film could have turned out worse, but only via the addition of a Tom Green cameo, or an accident in which the actors caught on fire." — Keith Phipps , The AV Club

Critics thought "Mac and Me" was a discount version of "ET: The Extraterrestrial."

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"'Mac and Me,' which opened yesterday at the Guild and other theaters, has a final police shootout and a fiery explosion in which Eric is the victim. When a doctor announced that Eric was gone, a small boy behind me said, 'He ain't dead,' with all the calm assurance of an experienced moviegoer who knows perfectly well that if E.T. came back, so would Eric. Cloning is a dangerous thing." — Caryn James , The New York Times.

Only a sucker would bother watching "Sucker Punch" after reading reviews.

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"In the end, though the metaphor of mental institution as battleground is an interesting one to explore, that is not the analysis at the heart of this movie. Nope, 'Sucker Punch' is a two-hour $82 million fetish film examining how hot sad schoolgirls look when holding weapons. Snyder should have just made a porn movie — it might have been better, and it definitely would have been cheaper and more honest." — Dodai Stewart , Jezebel.

"Movie 43" prompted devastating reviews.

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"It's as if 'Movie 43' was itself a feature-length f--- you to Hollywood, a movie made simply to show how bad a movie a studio could be induced to make and actors could be persuaded to act in." — Richard Brody , The New Yorker.

The best thing critics could say about "Fifty Shades Freed" was that the trilogy was finally over.

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"Universal has had some fun with its marketing campaign, using the tag-line, 'Don't miss the climax.' It's a shame, though, that the posters exhibit considerably more ingenuity than the film itself." — Brian Lowery , CNN.

"A Christmas Prince" falls squarely in the category of "so bad it's good."

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"It's a Netflix original movie, but it feels like a violation of nature that it somehow isn't from Lifetime or the Hallmark Channel. Nathan Atkins is credited with the screenplay, but this film is such a perfect amalgam of established tropes that I am not entirely convinced that isn't a pseudonym to keep us from discovering that Netflix has created the artificial-intelligence technology to generate a script using auto-complete." — Dana Schwartz , Entertainment Weekly.

"A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding" seemed to revel in shoddiness.

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"It plays like a piece of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan fan fiction, written by a child who actually doesn't know who they are but has watched the 'Princess Diaries' films." — Carly Mallenbaum , USA Today.

Critics thought "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was far too depressing for a superhero movie.

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"An even less charitable way to put it is that a clearly excited 7- or 8-year-old kid sitting in front of me busted out crying and had to be whisked out of the theater by his father within the first five minutes. Perhaps he was unnerved by the harsh, operatic violence of Bruce Wayne's parents getting murdered — the mom's pearls get tangled around the gun, somehow, which allows for some very tight and poignant slow motion — or maybe he was offended by the notion that a 2016 Batman movie felt it necessary to depict Bruce Wayne's parents getting murdered. Either way, this kid bounced." — Rob Harvilla , Deadspin.

Critics thought "Transformers: The Last Knight" was simply too incoherent to describe.

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"I'll admit, I've been dreading the thought of trying to at all explain the plot of this movie — even in broad, simple terms. I honestly had anxiety dreams last night about this moment. It's like staring at a projected kaleidoscope for two and a half hours and then trying to tell someone about the plot." — Mike Ryan , Uproxx.

Many thought "The Brown Bunny" was tedious and only remembered for its inclusion of one explicit scene.

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"It's not really a movie. I suppose it's what could be called a recorded behavior. It simply reproduces, with some crude fidelity, the hapless anguish of a grieving man as he copes with his loss. It has no characters, it has no conflict, it has nothing that could be called a plot. It offers no reason to watch it — that is, no reason within the picture." — Stephen Hunter , The Washington Post.

Critics were thoroughly disgusted by "The Human Centipede," but they were also bored by it.

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"This is one of those movies where victims repeatedly have opportunities to escape but choose not to, guaranteeing still more grotesque degradation, full of gore, torture, and sexual humiliation — and contains not an iota of wit or intelligence to justify any of it." — Michael Ordoña , The Los Angeles Times.

"Avatar" is still the highest grossing movie of all time, but not everyone was a fan.

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"' Avatar' isn't about actors or characters or even about story; it's about special effects, which is fine as far as it goes. But for a movie that stresses how important it is for us to stay connected with nature, to keep our ponytails plugged into the life force, 'Avatar' is peculiarly bloodless. It's a remote-control movie experience, a high-tech 'wish you were here' scribbled on a very expensive postcard. You don't have to be fully present to experience 'Avatar'; all you have to do is show up." — Stephanie Zacharek , Salon.

Critics thought "I Know Who Killed Me" was embarrassing for everyone involved.

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"Pretentious and inane, 'I Know Who Killed Me' arouses unexpected sympathy for its embattled star. 'Should we populate the movie with competent, strong performances, or were we looking for stars?' asks the producer, Frank Mancuso Jr., in the film's production notes. Out of the mouths of producers." — Jeannette Catsoulis , The New York Times.

Critics thought there was nothing redeeming about "Sorority Boys."

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"I'm curious about who would go to see this movie. Obviously moviegoers with a low opinion of their own taste. It's so obviously what it is that you would require a positive desire to throw away money in order to lose two hours of your life. 'Sorority Boys' will be the worst movie playing in any multiplex in America this weekend, and, yes, I realize 'Crossroads' is still out there." — Roger Ebert , The Chicago Sun-Times.

"Forrest Gump" won multiple Academy Awards, but it still prompted some biting reviews.

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"With two decades of perspective on 'Forrest Gump's triumph, you get the sense that '90s audiences were relieved to see a film that said it was OK — even honorable — to ignore all the bad stuff about war. So, too, was the Motion Picture Academy, which 12 months after lauding 'Schindler's List'   decided, 'Screw it, let's give the awards to the movie that sells cookbooks.' — Amy Nicholson , LA Weekly.

Critics absolutely hated "Life Itself."

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"'Life Itself' thinks you're stupid. Or, if not stupid, unable to understand how a movie should work. It's a movie made for people who can't be trusted to understand any storytelling unless it's not just spoon-fed but ladled on, piled high, and explained via montage and voiceover" — Kate Erbland , IndieWire.

"Ridiculous 6" felt intentionally offensive.

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"There's the broad racism and misogyny of the piece. After the controversial walk-offs, Netflix claimed that this was 'satire.' It's not. There's nothing satirical about Sandler's bad Native American accent, which totally comes and goes, by the way, or Schneider's Hispanic caricature. Saying that this is satire is like the drunk guy at the bar telling you how many black friends he has after telling a racist joke. Don't fall for it." — Brian Tallerico , RogerEbert.com.

"The Village" felt like a waste of time to some.

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" [M. Night Shyamalan] directs the material as if he'd written it (which he did), and not a single friend dared tell him the truth." — Mick LaSalle , SFGate.

The extreme level of product placement in "Crossroads" was an issue for critics.

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"It turns out that 'Crossroads' is not a music video, not yet a movie, but more like an extended-play advertisement for the Product that is Britney." — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post.

Critics thought "Grown Ups" was a lazy attempt at comedy.

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"The movie is symptomatic of a social attitude that might be called the security of incompetence. There's something reassuring about a bad movie that doesn't ask you to think or feel or even pay attention ... we can all be happy D-minus students huddled together in communal self-disgust in a D-minus world." — Stephen Holden , The New York Times.

Critics thought "Grown Ups 2" was so bad that it made them appreciate the first movie.

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"In 'Grown Ups 2,' which is set on the last day of school, our heroes are now all living in the same small town together, and everybody's pretty happy, so there's little to motivate the action. It makes the first movie look like 'The Maltese Falcon.'" — Bilge Ebiri , Vulture.

Some thought "Suburbicon" was too smug for its own good.

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"You absolutely can fault [George Clooney] for wrongheadedness in making a movie that condemns racism, and specifically segregation in the postwar housing boom, albeit in the most broad, perfunctory, awareness-ribbon-wearing way while barely allowing its black characters to speak. 'Suburbicon' might be the biggest embarrassment to pious Hollywood liberalism since 'Crash' won best picture in 2006." — Chris Klimek , NPR.

"Mother!" may not have been enjoyable, but it certainly was memorable.

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"I admired the camerawork, the wide-angle close-ups of flaring nostrils, and the pandemonium of the crowd scenes in the second half of the film when it goes haywire and insanity reign. It's an odd sensation to still remember moments of technical brilliance in a movie I never want to see again." — Rex Reed , The Observer.

Some thought "Freddy Got Fingered" was an embarrassment for everyone involved.

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" This movie doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't below the bottom of the barrel. This movie doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels." — Roger Ebert , Chicago Sun-Times.

Critics thought there just wasn't anything funny about "Joe Dirt."

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"Why do American audiences accept the stance that silly movies have to be terrible by definition? There's nothing enjoyable about 'Joe Dirt.' Absolutely nothing. Spade's generic nonperformance is the centerpiece of a very wobbly story, and he simply isn't enough of an actor to keep you interested." — Paul Tatara , CNN.

Critics thought "Fantastic Four" was the opposite of fantastic.

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"My notebook usually remains near my lap, but at this movie, it made involuntary trips over my mouth to cover all of my gasping. The entire experience is shameful — for us, for the filmmakers, for whoever at the studio had the job of creating the ads, in which the cast appear to be starring in hostage posters." — Wesley Morris , Grantland.

"From Justin to Kelly" was embarrassingly amateur, according to critics.

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"How bad is 'From Justin to Kelly?' Set in Miami during spring break, it's like 'Grease: The Next Generation' acted out by the food-court staff at SeaWorld." — Owen Gleiberman , Entertainment Weekly.

"National Lampoon's Gold Diggers" has a 0% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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"Just how repellent is 'National Lampoon's Gold Diggers?' So stupefyingly hideous that after watching it, you'll need to bathe in 10 gallons of disinfectant, get a full-body scrub and shampoo with vinegar to remove the scummy residue that remains. Some movies leave a bad taste in the mouth. This one causes full-on halitosis." — Jen Chaney , The Washington Post.

"Venom" was a tonally-uneven, muddled mess, according to most critics.

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"For all of its cult potential, and my God, is this film rife with it, it is 'Venom's' insidious political intonations, which were entirely avoidable, that become the least palatable aspect of the film. And this is a movie where you see Tom Hardy eat out of a garbage can." — Sarah Tai-Black , The Globe and Mail.

"North" almost universally disliked by critics and prompted one of Roger Ebert's movie memorable reviews.

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"' North' is one of the most unpleasant, contrived, artificial, cloying experiences I've had at the movies. To call it manipulative would be inaccurate; it has an ambition to manipulate, but fails … I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it." — Roger Ebert , Chicago Sun-Times.

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Screen Rant

10 great movies famous for one unforgettable quote.

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Why The Seven Dwarfs In The Live-Action Snow White Are CGI

Star wars' new movie is returning to the entire point of a new hope after 47 years, all 7 horcruxes in harry potter & how they were destroyed.

Great movies often have famous lines, but some classics are best or even only known today for one particular quote. While many screenwriters strive for naturalistic dialogue that doesn't stand out, some of the most iconic moments in cinema come from lines of flowery speech that stick in the audience's mind. Films like The Godfather , The Big Lebowski , and Clueless have tons of quotable lines that have stood the test of time and lasted with their film's legacy.

Some great films, however, are primarily known for one line of dialogue, either because that quote perfectly encapsulates the themes of the movie, or because it's so good that its legacy outlasts its origins. These movie quotes can be funny, heartbreaking, scary, revealing, or even a mix of all of them. What matters is that they have gone down in history, perhaps even single-handedly keeping these great movies in popular culture.

Related: 10 Quotes That Still Give Us Chills Years Later

10 Soylent Green - "Soylent Green Is People!"

Charlton Heston in Soylent Green

The biggest issue with this 1973 sci-fi thriller is that the most famous element of the film is its final twist. If audiences today know anything about Soylent Green it's that " Soylent Green is people ." The film follows Charlton Heston as a detective in an apocalyptic future, where people eat a substance made from sea plankton known as Soylent Green. In the film's shocking conclusion, it is revealed that Soylent Green is not made from sea plankton but rather from human remains.

It is a shocking and upsetting twist, especially for the time, so it makes sense that this line has lasted. Heston’s delivery at the end of the film as he repeatedly shouts " Soylent Green is people " also imprints the quote into the audience’s mind. Outside the reveal, Soylent Green is a tense little thriller, but its legacy will always be its ending reveal.

Related: 15 Twist Endings More Famous Than The Movies Themselves

9 Sunset Boulevard - "All Right, Mr. DeMille, I'm Ready For My Close-up."

Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd

Billy Wilder knew how to end a movie. His films often conclude on their most iconic lines, like his 1959 comedy Some Like it Hot , which ends with its funniest joke. However, when it comes to famous Wilder lines, nothing will ever top this one from the ending of Sunset Boulevard . Part film-noir, part meta-commentary of the film industry Sunset Boulevard is the greatest movie about movies and has an incredible script filled with great lines. The closing moment of an aging movie star turning to the camera and saying " All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up " is one of the most iconic moments in all of cinema.

This moment and line have taken on a life of their own, as people will quote it not even knowing what movie it's from. It just works as a line to say when someone is taking a photo, but within the context of the film, it is a powerhouse moment, and the only way the movie really could end. Sunset Boulevard is a film that will always be remembered and referenced by film lovers, but its final line will have an even bigger legacy.

8 In The Heat Of The Night - "They Call Me Mister Tibbs!"

Virgil Tibbs gets on a train in In the Heat of the Night

Sometimes a movie quote doesn't just stick to one movie, but to an entire star persona as well. Sidney Poitier is an icon of mid-20th-century cinema and a true movie star in every sense. In the Heat of the Night is one of Poitier's most memorable films, as he plays a Black detective who gets involved with a racially hostile murder case in the Deep South. Poitier's character goes through extreme humiliation throughout the film, so when he stands up for himself and shouts, " They call me Mister Tibbs! " it is a powerful moment.

Poitier's delivery of the line is a big reason for its legacy, as his gigantic screen presence gives the dialogue extra weight and emotion. However, the line also perfectly represents the film's feelings on racial inequality and the scene proves to be the movie's most emotionally powerful moment. This quote was instantly popular, and they even named the film's sequel They Call Me Mister Tibbs! because of how iconic the line had already become.

7 On The Waterfront - "I Coulda Been A Contender."

Terry talking to his brother in On the Waterfront.

On the Waterfront is a seminal American film, and one of the movies that cemented Marlon Brando as a Hollywood legend. While the film and its director, Elia Kazan, have their complicated history in real-world politics, there is no denying how powerful Brando's speech about the life he could have had is. Once again, the delivery of this quote has made it all the more iconic, as " I coulda been a contender " is a go-to for anyone trying to impress with a Brando impression, but it is also the emotional core of the film and one that has resonated with audiences for generations.

6 Mommie Dearest - "No Wire Hangers!"

Faye Dunaway in Mommy Dearest

Panned upon its initial release, this biopic about film star Joan Crawford and her abusive relationship with her daughter quickly became a cult classic. While the film has been reevaluated, and even praised by some critics, a lot of its appeal has come from Faye Dunaway's campy performance as Crawford. Her performance has inspired countless drag shows and fan events, but her delivery of " no wire hangers! " has become the film's biggest lasting legacy. Mommie Dearest holds up today as having one of the most complicated legacies of any Hollywood film, and its artistic merits will be argued forever, but " no wire hangers! " will be quoted for longer.

5 All About Eve - "Fasten Your Seatbelts. It's Going To Be A Bumpy Night."

Birdie and Margo Channing talking in All About Eve.

All About Eve has one of the most acclaimed screenplays in motion picture history. The script by Joseph L. Mankiewicz is tightly structured with sharp dialogue. The film perfectly showcases Bette Davis's screen persona, and the famous line " Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night " is brought to life by her dry wit and snark. Much like Sunset Boulevard 's " I'm ready for my close up ," this quote has gotten a lot of mileage out of versatility in real-world situations, but within the movie, it is one of its bigger laughs.

4 The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre - "Badges? We Ain't Got No Badges!"

Three men sitting inside a tent and looking serious in The Treasure of Sierra Madre

What makes this quote from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre stand out is that despite its relative unimportance in the film, it has become the film's lasting legacy. John Huston's Western is a dark tale of masculinity and greed. It is a deeply affecting movie while still offering plenty of thrills and one of Humphrey Bogart's best performances. However, the most iconic part of the film is a line one of the Mexican antagonists says in response to being asked for identification.

There are plenty of other great lines in this movie, but the mix of a hilarious, yet still threatening, delivery and just how fun it is to say, has made the line stand the test of time. The line has found a lot of life outside the film, being referenced and spoofed in movies like Blazing Saddles , UHF , and even an episode of My Name is Earl . It is a line many people hear and don't even know what movie it is originally from. That has made the quote even more fun when it happens in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , as watching the film unlocks seven decades of references.

3 There Will Be Blood - "I Drink Your Milkshake!"

Danie's argument in There Will be Blood

On first impressions, There Will Be Blood appears to be one of Paul Thomas Anderson's more serious and intense films. However, it does have a darkly wicked sense of humor, which it uses to craft the sinister tail of oil mogul Daniel Plainview. The famous " I drink your milkshake " monologue is a perfect example of this, as Daniel Day-Lewis's Plainview taunts Paul Dano's Eli Sunday. The scene is equal parts scary, funny, and bizarre. Plainview uses such an oddly specific metaphor to tell his competitor he has him beaten that it can't help but be the highlight of the film.

Related: 10 Best Movies Like There Will Be Blood

2 A League Of Their Own - "There's No Crying In Baseball!"

A League Of Their Own

A League of Their Own has only improved since its release. Unlike a lot of comedies of its era, the jokes aren't dated or offensive but actually ahead of their time. Tom Hanks's performance as a washed-up coach has also gone down as a highlight of his career, and his delivery of " There's no crying in baseball! " is a stand out of the film. This quote has also found a life outside the film, as many a coach or mentor has used " There's no crying in [blank] ” for whatever they're talking about. The film has heart and hilarious performances, but nothing can top Hanks's genuine bewilderment as his player cries.

1 A Streetcar Named Desire - "Stella! Hey Stella!"

Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh in Streetcar Named Desire

The quote of Stanley yelling " Stella! " up to the balcony has not only defined the film adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire , but also the very popular Tennessee Williams play it's based on. Marlon Brando has about four or five iconic movie quotes that will be referenced for the rest of time, but this one from Streetcar will always remain the most iconic. The line has become so ubiquitous with not just the text it's from, but also just the name Stella. It is so simple but performed so earnestly and effectively that it has burrowed its way into pop culture, refusing to leave.

32 Of The Best Robin Williams Movie Quotes

He really was the best!

Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire

Whether he was making us laugh so hard our sides started to hurt in comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire and The Birdcage , excelling in more dramatic roles like in Good Will Hunting , and Dead Poets Society, or stealing the show in Aladdin , the late great Robin Williams was never short of a good line. As we continue to mourn his tragic 2014 death a decade later, we can’t help but look back at some of the best movie quotes from the standup-comedian-turned-actor .

Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society.

"Carpe Diem. Seize The Day, Boys. Make Your Lives Extraordinary." - Dead Poets Society

Long considered one of Robin Williams’ best movies , Dead Poets Society features what could be best described as one of the actor’s most famous quotes, his classic “Carpe diem” speech to his new students at Welton Academy. It’s great on its own, but in the context of the story, it’s the stuff of magic.

Genie in Aladdin

"You Ain't Never Had A Friend Like Me!" - Aladdin

We ain’t never had a Disney character like this before Robin Williams introduced the world to his Genie in Aladdin , and we really haven’t had one as over-the-top and genuine since. This unforgettable line from one of the best Disney songs still has us jiving 30-plus years later.

Robin Williams sits solemnly in Good Will Hunting.

"I Just Slid My Ticket Across The Table, And I Said, 'Sorry, Guys; I Gotta See About A Girl.'" - Good Will Hunting

The various therapy sessions throughout Good Will Hunting not only featured some of the best scenes and biggest revelations of the movie, they also gave us this unforgettable line when Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) tells Matt Damon ’s Will Hunting about the night he skipped a Sox playoff game to meet his future wife. 

Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam

"Goooooood Morning, Vietnam! Hey, This Is Not A Test. This Is Rock And Roll. Time To Rock It From The Delta To The DMZ" - Good Morning, Vietnam 

What makes this quote, and so many others from Good Morning, Vietnam , is the fact that Robin Williams largely improvised his broadcasts by Adrian Cronauer on the  Armed Forces Radio Service each morning, per SlashFilm .

Robin Williams in The Birdcage

"It Took Me Twenty Years To Get Here, And I'm Not Gonna Let Some Idiot Senator Destroy That." - The Birdcage

A ‘90s movie that made way more at the box office than you’d guess, The Birdcage also features one of Robin Williams’ best characters, South Beach drag club owner Armand Goldman. A source of hilarious lines throughout the movie, this one about his son marrying the daughter of a conservative senator, is one of the best.

Robin Williams in Jack

"Please, Don't Worry So Much. Because In The End, None Of Us Have Very Long On This Earth." - Jack

Francis Ford Coppola ’s Jack isn’t the best movie, but it does have a lot of heart. This is especially true when Robin Williams’ rapidly aging character gives an emotional speech at his high school graduation, at which point he looks like an old man on the verge of death.

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Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman in Hook

"Bangarang!" - Hook

Robin Williams’ Peter Banning transforming from an uptight lawyer who’s lost touch with his inner child back to Peter Pan in Hook is great, even if people try to dunk on Steven Spielberg ’s fantasy film. Yelling the classic “bangarang!” line while fighting Captain Hook ( Dustin Hoffman ) and his pirates is still so much fun.

Robin Williams as Sy Parrish, One Hour Photo

"No One Ever Takes A Photograph Of Something They Want To Forget." - One Hour Photo

One of the best horror movies of the 2000s , One Hour Photo features Robin Williams’ most disturbing role with his portrayal of Seymour "Sy" Parrish. In addition to forming an unhealthy obsession with a family, the odd photo technician also gives us some unnerving and powerful quotes like this one.

The Genie stretches in an exaggerated fashion in Aladdin.

"Ten Thousand Years Will Give You Such A Crick In The Neck" - Aladdin

There’s so much great footage of Robin Williams recording his Aladdin lines ; crazy improv sessions that probably led to quick yet killer lines like this one after being freed from his lamp. Like many of his quotes in the movie, this one is both simple and effective.

Ben Stiller and Robin Williams in Night at the Museum.

"Some Men Are Born Great; Others Have Greatness Thrust Upon Them" - Night At The Museum

Though Ben Stiller ’s Larry Daley was the main character in Night at the Museum , Robin Williams’ Teddy Roosevelt, or at least the wax figure at the Museum of Natural History was the heart and soul of the 2006 fantasy comedy about a museum coming to life at night. Both hilarious and inspirational, this line never fails to impress.

The Hook cast

"To Live. To Live Would Be An Awfully Big Adventure" - Hook

This classic quote from the final moments of Hook is great not only because it applies so well to Robin Williams’ character’s journey throughout the movie, but also because it also speaks to the whole audience, both the young and old.

The Jumanji cast

"Twenty-Six Years Buried In The Deepest Darkest Jungle, And I Still Became My Father." - Jumanji

When Alan Parrish (Robin Williams) yells at Peter Shepheard (Bradley Pierce) in the heat of a life-or-death situation in Jumanji , he loses his cool and becomes the one thing he didn’t want to be: his own father. It’s a great moment that completely changes things for the recently returned Alan and sets the tone for the rest of the film.

Aladdin's Genie looking shocked

"Al, No Matter What Anyone Says, You’ll Always Be A Prince To Me." - Aladdin

Yeah, Robin Williams’ Genie provides most of the comedic relief in Aladdin . But let’s not forget how the character also gives us one of the most touching and heartwarming moments when he and Aladdin are saying their goodbyes. Grab a tissue!

Robin Williams in Death to Smoochy

"You Want Your Little Booger Eater On My Show?" - Death To Smoochy

Death to Smoochy is an odd and dark Robin Williams comedy that hopefully is never forgotten by the sands of time. This hilarious and incredibly mean-spirited line comes when Williams’ children’s show host gives it to some parents, and it never gets old.

Robin Williams in Insomnia

"You're A Good Man. I Know That. Even If You've Forgotten It." - Insomnia

Christopher Nolan ’s Insomnia is a tense, introspective thriller that’s just as much about failure and guilt as it is about a homicide investigation. The cat-and-mouse game played by detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and murder suspect Walter Finch (Robin Williams) leads to some tense moments, including the one that gave us this touching yet unnerving line. 

Robert Prosky and Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire

"But If There's Love, Dear... Those Are The Ties That Bind, And You'll Have A Family In Your Heart, Forever." - Mrs. Doubtfire

Regardless of your opinions on Mrs. Doubtfire , the 1993 comedy gave us some remarkable lines from Robin Williams, including the closing moments from his character’s children’s show. This poignant response to a child’s letter about their parents’ divorce is just too good.

Robin Williams in Patch Adams

"You Treat A Disease, You Win, You Lose. You Treat A Person, I Guarantee You, You'll Win, No Matter What The Outcome." - Patch Adams

Patch Adams isn’t the first movie you probably think of from Robin Williams’ filmography, but this 1998 medical drama has a lot of heart and great quotes. This includes this statement from Williams’ titular character when he’s laying out his philosophy in front of an antagonistic group of doctors.

Robin Williams in August Rush

'You Know What Music Is? It's God's Little Reminder That There's Something Else In This Universe Besides Us. ' - August Rush

Though Maxwell "Wizard" Wallace (Robin Williams) ends up being a scumbag (his facial hair should give it away), his words of wisdom to Freddie Highmore’s young guitar virtuoso in August Rush are just grand.

Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire

"My First Day As A Woman And I'm Getting Hot Flashes" - Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire is full of hilarious moments that still come up 30-plus years after the film’s release. One of those is the scene in which Robin Williams’ character sets his blouse on fire while trying to cook a gourmet dinner. The “hot flashes” comment is just the icing on the face, er cake.

Robin Williams in What Dreams May Come

"A Whole Human Life Is Just A Heartbeat Here In Heaven. Then We'll All Be Together Forever." - What Dreams May Come

Though largely forgotten a quarter-century after its release, What Dreams May Come , the Robin Williams movie exploring the afterlife, has some touching and profound moments throughout. That includes this powerful moment between Williams’ character and his deceased wife.

Robin Williams in Patch Adams

"Why Can't We Treat Death With A Certain Amount Of Humanity And Dignity, And Decency, And God Forbid, Maybe Even Humor." - Patch Adams

Patch Adams doesn’t shy away from conversations about death, and Robin Williams’ titular character is someone who speaks freely and honestly about the subject. When speaking in front of a board of his peers, the kind-hearted unlicensed doctor speaks about accepting death and treating those in their final days with dignity and respect.

Genie speaking with Aladdin in Aladdin

"Such A Thing Would Be Greater Than All The Magic And All The Treasure In The World." - Aladdin

Genie's desire to be free from his lamp and eternity of servitude throughout Aladdin creates some truly profound moments, which is a lot for an animated kids' movie. To not celebrate this unforgettable line from Robin Williams would be an injustice to the character and the late actor who spoke these words.

Robin Williams in Bicentennial Man

"As A Robot, I Could Have Lived Forever. But I Tell You All Today, I Would Rather Die A Man, Than Live For All Eternity A Machine." - Bicentennial Man

Chris Columbus’ adaptation of Bicentennial Man , despite being an OK film, features a tremendous performance by Robin Williams, which saw his character, Andrew Martin, go from a robot to a human by the time the credits rolled. In his final moments, Andrew gives us an emotional plea for his humanity.

Nathan Lane and Robin Williams in The Birdcage

"Shouldn't You Be Holding The Crucifx? It Is The Prop For Martyrs!" - The Birdcage

The back-and-forth between Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert Goldman (Nathan Lane) in The Birdcage makes a good movie into a great movie. This line from Armand to his life partner is just so catty and perfectly illustrates their differing philosophies and personalities.

Robin Williams in Night at the Museum

"I'm Made Of Wax, Larry. What Are You Made Of?" - Night At The Museum

Robin Williams’ Teddy Roosevelt is the MVP of the Night at the Museum franchise and a character that’s always going to provide a good laugh, even when at the expense of someone else. This is especially true whenever the wax figure comments on Larry Daley’s (Ben Stiller) confidence, or lack thereof.

Robin Williams as Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting screenshot

"People Call These Things 'Imperfections,' But They're Not. That's The Good Stuff." - Good Will Hunting

Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) talking about his late wife and how she continues to impact him after her passing in Good Will Hunting adds so much to the Oscar-winning film. This is even true when he’s talking about her little habits, like her foul farts.

Robin Williams in World's Greatest Dad

'I Used To Think The Worst Thing In Life Was To End Up All Alone. It's Not. The Worst Thing In Life Is To End Up With People That Make You Feel All Alone.' - World's Greatest Dad

The 2009 dark comedy, World’s Greatest Dad , sees Robin Williams play a high school teacher who hides the true details of his son’s death by writing a fake suicide note. The grieving father, who had a role in his deceased son becoming a posthumous icon, says these fitting words after it all comes crashing down.

Robin Williams and Glenn Close in The World According to Garp

"We'll Take The House. Honey, The Chances Of Another Plane Hitting This House Are Astronomical. It's Been Pre-Disastered. We're Going To Be Safe Here." - The World According To Garp

The World According to Garp is a Robin Williams movie everyone should check out at least once. And no, it’s not just because of great lines like this. However, this hilarious and somewhat morbid line doesn’t hurt the movie.

Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society

'We Don't Read And Write Poetry Because It's Cute. We Read And Write Poetry Because We Are Members Of The Human Race' - Dead Poets Society

This wonderfully written (and delivered) line from Dead Poets Society is one that idealistic English teachers around the country jotted down and hung up in their classrooms after the film’s 1989 release. And who could blame them?

Robin Williams in Moscow on the Hudson

"This Is A Free Country, Welcome To Almost Anyone. Yes, In America Almost Anything Is Possible." - Moscow On The Hudson

Moscow on the Hudson , the Robin Williams movie about a soviet circus musician who defects to America during a trip to NYC, is full of hilarious and sardonic lines like this one. Playing on the “Land of the Free” trope of American exceptionalism, this great quote speaks a great deal of truth.

Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges in The Fisher King.

"There's Three Things In This World That You Need: Respect For All Kinds Of Life, A Nice Bowel Movement On A Regular Basis, And A Navy Blazer." - The Fisher King

Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King includes one of the most outrageous yet sincere performances of Robin Williams’ career with his portrayal of Parry, an unhinged homeless man who helps out Jeff Bridges’ shock jock radio DJ. There are a lot of great lines, but this bonkers yet helpful quote takes the cake.

Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire

"Carpe Dentum. Seize The Teeth." - Mrs. Doubtfire

Everyone loves a good reference, and Mrs. Doubtfire does just that during the movie’s absurd fancy restaurant sequence. After Mrs. Doubtfire’s (Robin Williams) fake teeth fall out, we are treated to an homage to the Dead Poets Society ’s “Carpe diem speech,” and it’s wonderful.

There’s not a day that goes by when we don’t miss Robin Williams and his larger-than-life personality. However, we can take solace in knowing that he left us with a massive body of work and beloved characters who will always be there when we need them the most.

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.

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