generic movie review quotes

The 20 Most Overused Lines In Cinema

Is that all you've got?

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.

"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).

"(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).

"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).

"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)

"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).

"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).

"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).

"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).

"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).

"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).

"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)

"____ 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).

"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).

"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).

"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).

"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).

"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).

"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).

"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).

"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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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.”

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.”

Inspiration