movie review sayings

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.”

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Hollywood’s 100 favorite movie quotes.

What topped the list? THR asked its entertainment industry readers to vote on the most memorable quote from every movie ever made. Ranked in descending order are the lines that made the cut.

By THR Staff

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Everybody has a favorite movie line, even movie moguls. Disney’s Alan Horn likes, “I’ll have what she’s having,” from When Harry Met Sally …. Fox’s Stacey Snider picks “You complete me,” from Jerry Maguire . Tellingly, several top executives — Viacom’s Philippe Dauman , Netflix’s Ted Sarandos — choose “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse,” from The Godfather .

"Love means never having to say you're sorry."

One of the most parodied movie lines in cinema — even Ryan O’Neal himself poked fun at it in Peter Bogdanovich's screwball comedy What's Up, Doc?. When Barbra Streisand quotes it, he retorts, "That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard."

"They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!"

The only way Paramount pictures would fund Mel Gibson's passion project about the 13th century Scottish noble was if he agreed to star in it as well as direct.

"They call me Mister Tibbs!"

Poitier did not want to shoot the film in Mississippi because he had been harassed by the Ku Klux Klan when he had visited there with Harry Belafonte at the height of the civil rights movement in 1964, so most of it was filmed in Sparta, Illinois. Filmmakers even changed the name of the fictional Mississippi town in the movie to Sparta so they wouldn’t have to pay to have the town’s water tower repainted.

"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."

Writer Nora Ephron’s first draft didn’t have Sally and Harry ending up together because she considered a breakup to be a more realistic ending. So when it came time to film the revised happy ending, Billy Crystal ad-libbed much of his dialogue with Meg Ryan, including this most remembered line of the picture.

"If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

True to his word, Liam Neeson kills 35 men in 93 minutes in the first film, scores more in the second and third, and who knows how many in the planned TV prequel.

"You complete me."

"It was one of those lines that came so easily, it felt almost too easy," remembers writer-director Cameron Crowe. "When I first gave the script to Tom Cruise, and we were reading through it, I said, 'I'm going to change that line.' He said, 'Uh, I love that line. Why don't you give me a crack at it.' I left it in, and on the night of filming — it was 4 a.m., on a Friday, and everybody was dropping from exhaustion — Tom says the line. By the end of his speech, everybody was in tears. Across the room, Renee was a wreck. Tom had delivered the line so powerfully, and so directly to her, she was still getting over it. Later he told me, 'I had always wanted to say 'I love you' like that in a movie.'"

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this li

Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott didn’t quite see eye to eye on the screenplay, and on this line in particular. He routinely strayed from the script — by John Logan and William Nicholson — trying to improvise a bunch of alternatives, until Scott forced him to read the line as written. It went over like gangbusters, even though Crowe still hated it: "It was shit. But I'm the greatest actor in the world and I can make even shit sound good." The "shit" script would get nominated for best original screenplay at the 2001 Oscars and Crowe would win best actor.

"I drink your milkshake!"

A variation of the line was uttered by Sen. Albert Fall of New Mexico during congressional hearings in 1924 on the Teapot Dome scandal, which also involved oil tycoon Edward Doheny , who was the basis for Daniel Day-Lewis’ character: "Sir, if you have a milkshake and I have a milkshake, and my straw reaches across the room, I’ll end up drinking your milkshake."

"Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"

The secret behind Charlton Heston’s hoarse, gravelly delivery? Great acting, sure, but also Heston had the flu through much of the production.

"You make me want to be a better man."

Though Jack Nicholson worried that his character was so unlikeable people would flee theaters, he ended up winning an Oscar for it, along with co-star Helen Hunt.

"I am always compiling slang words," says Clueless writer-director Amy Heckerling about the line’s origins. “In the early to mid-'90s 'as if' was floating around in the gay community, and I heard it and thought it was a multipurpose phrase. Some of the people I knew were already beyond 'as if' and they were just going, ' zif !'"

"Chewie, we're home."

Harrison Ford considers director J.J. Abrams a "communications genius" for his decision to use the line in the movie's trailer. "' Chewie , we're home' was kind of the key in the door. Familiarity was unlocked at that moment," said Ford.

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."

Even though Nicholson and director Roman Polanski fought endlessly during the making of the movie, when the actor saw the rough cut he told producer Robert Evans, "We got a hot one. Get those checks ready — we’re on our way!"

"These go to eleven."

Amp maker Marshall liked the publicity surrounding this line so much, they made Christopher Guest a special set of speakers whose highest setting is infinity.

"I'm walking here! I'm walking here!"

Dustin Hoffman’s line was ad-libbed , and the scene was shot guerilla style because they didn’t have enough money to shut down a New York street. The cab "almost hit us," Hoffman once recalled. "I guess the brain works so quickly, I said, in a split of a second, 'Don’t go out of character …' So I said, 'I'm walking here.' Director John Schlesinger started laughing. He clapped his hands and said, 'We must have that, we must have that,' and redid it two or three times, because he loved it."

"It was Beauty killed the Beast."

When producer Merian C. Cooper pitched the role to Fay Wray, he told her, "You’ll have the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood." Wray was sure she’d be acting with Cary Grant.

"Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!"

The misquote of the line — "We don’t need no stinking badges!" — started with Micky Dolenz in a 1967 episode of The Monkees TV series, but Mel Brooks got it wrong, too, in 1974's Blazing Saddles .

"I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight."

The National Science Teachers Association encourages biology and life sciences teachers to use this line to start a conversation about body image, nutrition and digestion among teenagers.

"They call it a Royale with cheese."

If John Travolta’s character had been hiding out in Italy rather than France, the line would have been "They call it a McRoyal DeLuxe ." If he’d been in Japan, he might have skipped the beef and tried the "Filet-O-Shrimp Burger."

"They're here!"

Actress Heather O’Rourke, who was just 6 when she made Poltergeist , tragically died at age 12, in 1988, from complications of a bowel obstruction.

"Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"

Snow White was the only major character then-18-year-old Adriana Caselotti ever voiced. "Walt Disney thought it would spoil the illusion if you knew who the people were who provided the voices in the film," she revealed in a 1987 interview, about the strict contract that kept her from other parts. (She died in 1997 at age 80.)

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."

Mario Puzo’s literary estate, which contained 20 different versions of the Godfather III script written between 1978 and 1989, recently sold at auction to a private collector for $625,000.

"Nobody's perfect."

The film’s closing line was never supposed to make it into the final cut. The writers — I.A.L Diamond and director Billy Wilder — put it into the script as a placeholder, until they came up with something better.

"Yo, Adrian!"

Sylvester Stallone utters this line too many times to count in the first five Rocky films (six in the original alone) but the only time anyone ever remembers is at the end of Rocky II , when he holds the championship belt he has just won from Apollo Creed.

"Wax on, wax off."

"I never imagined the 'wax on, wax off' would amount to anything," says screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen . "The crane at the end was the one. I wanted that to be the big moment. If I thought anyone remembered anything they'd remember that."

"You ain't heard nothin' yet!"

Al Jolson was so excited about his rendition of "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face" that he spontaneously uttered the line before segueing into "Toot, Toot, Tootsie." The line was going to be cut but Sam Warner insisted it stay.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!"

When Stanley Kubrick sat down with Peter George to adapt George’s novel Red Alert , the director struggled with treating the material as a straight drama, as he initially intended. "My idea of doing it as a nightmare comedy came in the early weeks of working on the screenplay,"  Kubrick said after the film’s release. "I found that in trying to put meat on the bones and to imagine the scenes fully, one had to keep leaving out of it things which were either absurd or paradoxical, in order to keep it from being funny; and these things seemed to be close to the heart of the scenes in question."

"I don't want to survive. I want to live."

This line comes right from Solomon Northup’s 1853 book. Writer John Ridley has said he tried to remain true to the original. "To modify the man, no matter how sincere the desire, would have ultimately been dishonest. Solomon's story begs for honesty. As the voice of his own history, what he wrote deserved fidelity."

"Elementary, my dear Watson."

Sherlock Holmes never utters this line in any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. It was invented entirely for the movies.

"That'll do, pig. That'll do."

Although James Cromwell would get more screen time in George Miller's talking pig tale than in any of his previous films, he had only 171 words of dialogue . These are his best five.

"I wish I knew how to quit you."

Screenwriter Diana Ossana got this gem directly from the New Yorker short story that inspired the film, co-written by Larry McMurtry . "The film has become a part of the popular culture," says Ossana . "We have a Google Alert for the film, and in the 10 years since it came out there hasn't been a day that there wasn't something, somewhere in the news about Brokeback Mountain ."

"Good morning, Vietnam!"

The real-life Adrian Cronauer says he came up with the drawn out " goooood moooorning " sign-on because he was often shuffling papers to start the show and needed to stall for time.

"My precious."

Want your own? You don't have to battle orcs and dragons — you just have to shop online. A platinum version, complete with Elvish script, retails for $3,100.

"Argo f— yourself."

Screenwriter Chris Terrio actually found this memorable piece of dialogue in the real, declassified CIA report that agent Tony Melendez (played by Ben Affleck) wrote about the Iran Hostage Crisis rescue mission.

"It's alive! It's alive!"

Censors cut Dr. Frankenstein’s original line — "It's alive! It's alive! In the name of God! Now I know what it's like to be God!"

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

This line was originally delivered onstage by Jessica Tandy , who played Blanche on Broadway, and was almost delivered in the movie by Olivia de Havilland (she was offered the role but wanted too much money). Vivian Leigh took it for $100,000, making her the highest-paid English actress of the time, but there may have been moments she regretted it; she and co-star Marlon Brando initially hated each other.

"Go ahead, make my day."

In Kenya the mispronunciation of "make my day" is " makmende ," which is slang for someone who tries to be a hero and was the name creators chose for the country’s first locally created superhero, described by CNN as "one part Shaft, one part Superman."

"I mean, funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you?"

The "funny how" bit was heavily based on an incident Joe Pesci experienced as a young waiter when he complimented a mobster on his sense of humor. Needless to say, the man didn’t take it too well. Martin Scorsese heard the story during rehearsal and liked it so much that he let Pesci and Ray Liotta incorporate it by improvising their dialogue . The other actors in the scene weren’t given advanced notice because Scorsese wanted their genuine, unrehearsed reactions, and he shot it with only medium takes and no close-ups in order to capture their surprise.

"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."

Soon after the film came out in 1977, Sir Alec Guinness told the BBC that fans sought him out for Obi-Wan-like wisdom. "I’ve been getting some pretty strange letters: 'My wife and I have got problems, could you come over and live with us.'"

"You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow."

The racy double entendre wasn’t penned by the credited screenwriters — that’d be Jules Furthman and William Faulkner — but by producer Howard Hawks, who came up with the line at Lauren Bacall’s test screening. She was so good at it, Hawks asked Faulkner to pencil it into the shooting script.

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

"One of the weirdest places I've seen the line pop up," says writer-director Tate Taylor, "was in a gift shop in Mississippi. It was crocheted toilet-seat cover that said, 'You is kind, you is smart, you is important.' I guess they thought it would be a beautiful place to those words every day."

"After all, tomorrow is another day!"

Though the screenplay, which went through numerous revisions, has four credited writers, this line is lifted directly from the book, where it is the closing line of the novel.  

"Stella! Hey, Stella!"

Since 1997, the annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival has held a Stanley and Stella shouting contest.

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"

L. Frank Baum, the author of the novel on which the film is based, reportedly thought up the name "Oz" when looking at his filing cabinets, which were organized from A to N and O to Z.

"I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."

No surprise that one of the ultimate rom-com lines of all time also had the biggest disparity between male and female voters. Women had it at No. 28. Men just No. 100.

"The Dude abides."

The inspiration for Jeff Bridges' character was Jeff Dowd, legendary publicist and former head of the Seattle Film Festival. At Sundance in 2009, the real Dude famously got into a fistfight with Variety film critic John Anderson over a disagreement over a documentary titled Dirt! The Movie . 

"Hasta la vista, baby."

"Sayonara, baby" was used in the Spanish-language version of the film since hasta la vista  wouldn’t have been funny to Spanish-speaking audiences.

"I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!"

Judy Garland became so attached to the little black Cairn Terrier who played Toto that she tried to adopt the pooch after filming ended. (His owner said no.) The dog, whose real name was Terry, was compensated well for his work: He got more than twice what the Munchkins received.

"Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'"

Blame Woody Allen and his 1972 comedy, Play it Again, Sam , for making this the all-time most misquoted movie line in film history.

"I'm having an old friend for dinner."

With lines as good as this one, Anthony Hopkins only needed about 16 minutes of screen time to win a best actor Oscar, among the shortest performances ever to earn someone an Academy Award in the category.

"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."

The line was voiced before any part of Roger Rabbit had been illustrated, so to get Bob Hoskins in the mood, director Robert Zemeckis told the late actor to simply imagine his ideal sexual fantasy.

"If you build it, he will come."

Another misquote! Nobody in Field of Dreams ever says, "If you build it, they will come."

"Just keep swimming."

This line — voiced by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres — was so popular, it’s earned her sidekick fish character, Dory, her own Nemo sequel, Finding Dory , coming this summer.

"Mama says, 'Stupid is as stupid does.'"

Forrest Gump may have popularized the phrase, but it’s actually a variant of the old adage, "Handsome is as handsome does,” which appears in, among other places, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Herman Melville's Billy Budd .

"I'm the king of the world!"

Director James Cameron admitted "making a fool of" himself by repeating the line as he accepted the movie's best picture Oscar.

"Shaken, not stirred."

The line is uttered onscreen for the first time by Dr. No, the villain in the first Bond movie. Bond himself doesn’t say it until Goldfinger , the third movie.

"What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

Screenwriter Frank Pierson thought the line seemed too refined to be uttered by Strother Martin’s prison warden, so he wrote an elaborate backstory for the character that involved criminology courses that improved his vocabulary.

"I am big! It's the pictures that got small."

Numerous retired silent film stars were considered for the role of Norma Desmond — Mary Pickford , Greta Garbo , Norma Shearer, Pola Negri — but, of course, the part ultimately went to Gloria Swanson, who stayed in character throughout the entire shoot.

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."

There are 42 rings heard during the movie, meaning, if Clarence (Henry Travers) is right, 42 new angels.

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

Although this line is variously attributed to Sun Tzu, Machiavelli and an Arabian proverb, this specific phrasing came straight from the pens of screenwriters Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola .

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist."

The line actually comes from 19th century French poet Charles Baudelaire’s poetry collection Paris Spleen . In French it is, “La plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas."

"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Network screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky originally envisioned Paul Newman in the the role that won Peter Finch an Oscar — the first to be given posthumously (the second went to Heath Ledger). Two months before the Academy Awards, Finch suffered a heart attack in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel while waiting for a meeting with director Sidney Lumet . 

"You don't understand! I could've had class. I could've been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am."

Rod Steiger's reaction to this line was filmed without Brando present. Brando’s deal with the studio allowed him to leave at 4:00 every day to attend therapy to deal with the recent death of his mother.

"Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."

One of two lines on this list that have been quoted in State of the Union addresses (see also: No. 32). "There is just no greater tribute you can get than have the president of the United States quote your movie, no matter what your politics are," says writer Bob Gale.

"Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night."

Despite holding the record for the most Academy Award nominations for a single film (14, tied with Titanic) and making nearly every list of the top 100 movies of all time, this is one of the most misquoted lines in movie history. Most say, “…It’s going to be a bumpy RIDE.

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

In the 37 years since the movie was released, this line has been parodied more than 50 times in other TV shows and movies, including Lizzie Maguire ("I love the smell of pop quizzes in the morning!") and Mighty Morphin ' Power Rangers: The Movie  ("I love the smell of destruction in the evening!").

"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"

Another misquote. Contrary to popular belief, Clint Eastwood never says, "Do you feel lucky, punk?"

"Say hello to my little friend!"

"Show me the money!"

"The most surreal part of hearing the line reappear in the culture," writer-director Cameron Crowe tells THR about Cuba Gooding Jr.'s signature phrase, "was when George W. Bush and then Barack Obama both quoted it in their State of the Union speeches. When Obama said it, my mom called immediately: 'OK, you did it,' she said, 'you got Bush and Obama to agree about something.'"

"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."

Richard Castellano , who played Clemenza , ad-libbed  "take the cannoli ," riffing on an earlier scene where his character's wife asks him to pick up the dessert on his way home.

"Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys."

"I have a pair of pants from a company called Carpe Denim," screenwriter Tom Schulman tells THR .  "I didn't realize when I bought them, but when they were folded in a certain way I saw it on the inside of the waistband. The 'Denim' is pretty much the funniest thing I've seen with that line."

"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?"

In Mike Nichols' movie, Mrs. Robinson is supposed to be 25 years older than recent college grad Ben Braddock. But in reality, 35-year-old Anne Bancroft was only six years older than 29-year-old Dustin Hoffman. 

"I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."

"I think people remember the line because of Leslie Nielsen’s delivery," Jeff Zucker (who co-wrote the script with his brother David and Jim Abrahamson ) tells THR . "The way he said it was exactly what we were going for. We told the actors to pretend they didn’t know they were in a comedy."

"Here's Johnny!"

All the script called for was for Jack Nicholson’s deranged writer, Jack Torrance, to break down the door to get to his cowering wife. But Nicholson added a little something to cut the tension — the production went through dozens of doors before director Stanley Kubrick was satisfied — and his improvised "Here’s Johnny!" made the cut.

"There's no crying in baseball!"

"If somebody put a gun to my head and said 'What would be sort of the defining line from A League of Their Own , I would pick a line much later in the movie," says screenwriter Babaloo Mandel . " Geena Davis is quitting and she's trying to tell him, 'It just got too hard,' and Tom Hanks says to her, 'It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard everyone would do it. The "hard" is what makes it great.' I would pick that."

"You had me at hello."

"It was a straight-up tip of the hat to Billy Wilder and the last line of The Apartment ," says writer-director Cameron Crowe. "I always loved it when Shirley MacLaine said to Jack Lemmon , 'Shut up and deal.' It was the favorite last line to any movie in my family growing up. We loved it. So for Jerry Maguire , I wanted Renee to just cut him off and say it. The actual full line is, 'Shut up — you had me at hello.' It's pretty much a rule of thumb for every screenwriter: Billy Wilder will never steer you wrong."

"Houston, we have a problem."

Hollywood doing a little historical revisionism: In real life, astronaut Jim Lovell said, "Houston, we've had a problem."

"To infinity and beyond!"

Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase is actually a variation of the line "Beyond the infinite," which appears as a title card in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey . The phrase later served as the title of Karen Paik's book recounting the history of Pixar — and as a lyric in Beyonce's 2008 hit, "Single Ladies."

"Yippie-ki-yay, motherf—er!"

"I wrote ' Yippe -ki-yay, asshole,'" says screenwriter Steven E. de Souza. "But Bruce, on his final take, ad-libbed the ' motherf — er ,' much to the amusement of the crew. The studio nervously left it in for the first test screening and the reaction made it permanent. But you don't always know.”

"E.T. phone home."

Director Steven Spielberg voiced E.T. during shooting — standing just to the side of the camera and interacting with the child actors. Then sound designer Ben Burtt recorded actress Pat Welsh, whose raspy smoker’s voice he overheard one day at a camera store, and mixed it with animal sounds to get the friendly alien’s voice just right. 

"You can't handle the truth!"

It took an entire day to shoot the climatic courtroom scene where Nicholson utters this line. When it came time to shoot coverage — filming reaction shots from others in the scene — director Rob Reiner told Nicholson he would get someone else to read his lines off-camera, but Nicholson insisted on reading them himself, doing the speech about 50 times. Why? "I just love to act," he told Reiner . 

"I'll be back."

Schwarzenegger wanted to change the line to "I will be back" because it sounded more machine-like and he had trouble pronouncing "I'll." He said director James Cameron "looked at me like I'd lost my mind."

"I see dead people."

As Haley Joel Osment says this line, the camera pans over Bruce Willis' face. That worried producer Frank Marshall, who thought it might give away the movie's twist. Test audience, though, didn't have a clue.

"Bond. James Bond."

Ian Fleming named his superspy by looking for the most boring moniker he could find on his bookshelves — it turned out to be the author of a bird-watching guide. "By God, [that] is the dullest name I've ever heard," Fleming recalled of his eureka moment.

"We'll always have Paris."

"This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

The original draft of the screenplay ended with Claude Rains, not Bogart, saying "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," and Bogart replying, "Yes, but don't forget you still owe me 10,000 francs."

"I'll have what she's having."

According to Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan was so self-conscious about faking an orgasm, director Rob Reiner faked "an orgasm that King Kong would be jealous of" to make her relax.

"Why so serious?"

Heath Ledger's brilliantly twisted delivery may account for why this line finished No. 1 among 20- to 29-year-old voters.

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Mandy Patinkin  has said that this line — by far the most famous he's ever uttered —  gets repeated back to him by fans at least two or three times a day. 

"I am your father."

One of the most misquoted lines in movie history, right up there with "Play it again, Sam." The real line has no "Luke" in it.

"The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club."

Edward Norton and Brad Pitt took their preparation for Fight Club seriously. Both took lessons in boxing, tae kwon do, grappling and studied hours of UFC programming. Pitt even visited a dentist to have his front tooth chipped. They also almost didn’t get the roles: Matt Damon and Sean Penn were considered for The Narrator, but David Fincher wanted Norton, as he was impressed with his performance in   The People vs. Larry Flynt . One producer has his eye on Russell Crowe for Tyler Durden, but another producer overruled him.

"There's no place like home."

The film adaption took a lot of liberties with L. Frank Baum's 1900 fantasy novel. The filmmakers did, however, take this jewel straight from the book.

"You talkin' to me?"

Robert De Niro improvised the line. The script simply said, "Travis speaks to himself in the mirror." Writer Paul Schrader told the actor his character was just "a little kid playing with guns and acting tough."

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

Casablanca has the most quotes in the top 100. In addition to this one there are Casablanca lines at Nos. 2, 15, 16 and 52.

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

Some variation of this line appears in all three Godfather movies. Screenwriter Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola were on opposite coasts when they were co-writing the script for the first film — Puzo in New York City, Coppola in San Francisco — and they literally mailed drafts back and forth to each other.

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

Since Dorothy first uttered it 77 years ago, this line has popped up in countless TV shows and movies, from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids to Avatar , from Grey’s Anatomy to  Gilmore Girls . Not to mention Jo Dee Messina’s 1996 hit “You’re Not in Kansas Anymore.”

"May the Force be with you."

Several characters say this line in the original movie, but surprisingly not Obi-Wan Kenobi , who doesn't utter it until 2002's Episode II: Attack of the Clones .

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

"[Richard] Zanuck and [David] Brown were very stingy producers and everyone kept telling them 'You're gonna need a bigger boat,'" recalls Jaws  screenwriter Carl Gottlieb (who moved in with director Steven Spielberg for four months to work on the shooting script). "It became a catchphrase for anytime anything went wrong — whether lunch was late or if the swells were rocking the camera."

"Here's looking at you, kid."

The Japanese version of the line — " Kimi no hitomi ni kanpai '' — literally translates as, "Cheers to your eyes."  Manako Ihaya of the American Translators Association calls it "a classic example of a good movie script translation" for its ability to capture the nuance of the English for the Japanese audience.

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Two months before the movie’s release, censors demanded that "damn" be dropped. The producers came up with 22 variations of the line, including "Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a whoop," before the censors relented and allowed the "damn" to stay. Read more here.

Click here to see the 10 lines that just missed making the list.

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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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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 50 Harshest Roger Ebert Movie Review Quotes

On his 70th birthday, it’s only right that we run down The 50 Harshest Roger Ebert Movie Review Quotes.

Image via Complex Original

Some professionals’ names are synonymous with their respective fields. If the common, non-hip-hop fan was asked to cite a rapper, for instance, he or she would most likely namedrop Jay-Z ; ask somebody who never watches ESPN to reference a basketball player, and you’ll probably hear LeBron James ’ name. Do the same for “film critic” and, chances are, the response will be Roger Ebert .

Having immortalized the “two thumbs up” rating system with the late Gene Siskel , made history when he became the first movie critic to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1975, and amassed the chutzpah to have his reviews syndicated throughout not only the United States, but all around the world, Ebert, who turns 70 today, is the long-reigning champion of cinematic analysis.

He’s not the granddaddy, however; in fact, the grandmommy, if you will, was the late Pauline Kael , the New York-based writer who Ebert described as having "had a more positive influence on the climate for film in America than any other single person over the last three decades." But Ebert has undoubtedly earned more widespread popularity throughout his illustrious career. And he’s continued to do so despite a near-fatal battle against thyroid cancer, the complications from which have left him unable to speak and dependent on a feeding tube. Yet Ebert’s writing hasn’t slowed down a bit.

The filmmakers behind his least favorite films probably aren’t happy about that. As excellently written as Ebert’s positive reviews are, it’s the Chicago-based critic’s negative reactions that have always been his most entertaining to read. Never one to pull punches, the Chicago Sun-Times M.V.P. is a master of the critical beatdown, whether he’s dropping hilarious insults, viciously bashing a movie without the faintest bit of humor, or offering random yet tangentially related musings that signify his disinterest.

We’re longtime readers of the man’s work, so, on his 70th birthday, it’s only right that we run down The 50 Harshest Roger Ebert Movie Review Quotes and celebrate his 45-year career the best way Complex knows how to: by reveling in the icon's most savage prose.

Written by Matt Barone ( @MBarone )

Follow @ComplexPopCult

50. Kazaam (1996)

"As for Shaquille O'Neal, given his own three wishes the next time, he should go for a script, a director, and an interesting character." — Roger Ebert

49. Valentine's Day (2010)

" 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

48. Mad Dog Time (1996)

" Mad Dog Time is the first movie I have seen that does not improve on the sight of a blank screen viewed for the same length of time. Oh, I've seen bad movies before. But they usually made me care about how bad they were. Watching Mad Dog Time is like waiting for the bus in a city where you're not sure they have a bus line." — Roger Ebert

47. Tomcats (2001)

" Tomcats was written and directed by Gregory Poirier, who also wrote See Spot Run and thus pulls off the neat trick, within one month, of placing two titles on my list of the worst movies of the year. There is a bright spot. He used up all his doggy-do-do ideas in the first picture." — Roger Ebert

46. The Exterminator (1980)

" The Exterminator exists primarily to show burnings, shootings, gougings, grindings, and beheadings. It is a small, unclean exercise in shame." — Roger Ebert

45. Old Dogs (2009)

" Old Dogs seems to have lingered in post-production while editors struggled desperately to inject laugh cues. It obviously knows no one will find it funny without being ordered to. How else to explain reaction shots of a dog responding to laugh lines?" — Roger Ebert

44. Stargate (1994)

"The movie Ed Wood , about the worst director of all time, was made to prepare us for Stargate ." — Roger Ebert

43. A Lot Like Love (2005)

"To call A Lot like Love dead in the water is an insult to water." — Roger Ebert

42. Sorority Boys (2002)

"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

41. The Secret of My Success (1987)

"Like most movies about mistaken identities, this one relies heavily on the Idiot Plot: Everyone in the movie is an idiot or the mystery would be solved in five minutes. Does the movie really believe anyone is as stupid as these characters? Does it care?" — Roger Ebert

40. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)

"Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson star. I neglected to mention that, maybe because I was trying to place them in this review's version of the Witness Protection Program. If I were taken off the movie beat and assigned to cover the interior design of bowling alleys, I would have some idea of how they must have felt as they made this film." — Roger Ebert

39. The Bucket List (2008)

"I urgently advise hospitals: Do not make the DVD available to your patients; there may be an outbreak of bedpans thrown at TV screens." — Roger Ebert

38. The Spirit (2008)

" The Spirit is mannered to the point of madness. There is not a trace of human emotion in it. To call the characters cardboard is to insult a useful packing material." — Roger Ebert

37. Seven Days in Utopia (2011)

"I would rather eat a golf ball than see this movie again." — Roger Ebert

36. 200 Cigarettes (1999)

"Seeing a film like this helps you to realize that actors are empty vessels waiting to be filled with characters and dialogue... Here they are contained by small ideas and arch dialogue, and lack the juice of life. Maybe another 200 cigarettes would have helped; coughing would be better than some of this dialogue." — Roger Ebert

35. The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)

"Here is a film with all of the wit of the road kill that supplies not one but two of the lesser jokes." — Roger Ebert

34. Johnny Be Good (1988)

"This movie is simply financial leakage, a squandering of resources equivalent to polluting a river or plowing under a rain forest. I'm serious. We're desperate for things to think about in this society, and these guys contribute to the situation by providing us with 86 minutes of zip. They oughta have their pictures on the post office wall." — Roger Ebert

33. Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)

"The movie is more generous in showing what the visitors found here. Columbus encounters friendly Indians, of which one—the chief's daughter—is positioned, bare-breasted, in the center of every composition. (I believe the chief's daughter is chosen by cup size.) Columbus sails back to Europe and the story is over. Another Columbus movie is promised us this fall. It cannot be worse than this. I especially look forward to the chief's daughter." — Roger Ebert

32. Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001)

"I've seen audits that were more thrilling." — Roger Ebert

31. Diary of Forbidden Dreams (1976)

"If [a talented director has] made several good films, chances are that sooner or later someone will give him the money to make a supremely bad one. I wonder how much Carlo Ponti gave Roman Polanski to make Diary of Forbidden Dreams . Ten cents would have been excessive.” — Roger Ebert

30. The Last Airbender (2010)

" The Last Airbender is an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented. The laws of chance suggest that something should have gone right. Not here. It puts a nail in the coffin of low-rent 3D, but it will need a lot more coffins than that.” — Roger Ebert

29. 13 Ghosts (2001)

"The production is first-rate; the executives included Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis. The physical look of the picture is splendid. The screenplay is dead on arrival. The noise level is torture. I hope 13 Ghosts plays mostly at multiplexes, because it's the kind of movie you want to watch from the next theater." — Roger Ebert

28. Monsters, Inc. (2001)

"The sexy Celia (voice by Jennifer Tilly) has a crush on Wazowski. What she sees in him is beyond me, although if there is anyone who can figure out how to have sex with a green eyeball, that would be Jennifer Tilly. I can imagine her brassy voice: 'Blink! Blink!'" — Roger Ebert

27. Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)

"Elvis looks about the same as he always has, with his chubby face, petulant scowl, and absolutely characterless features. Here is one guy the wax museums will have no trouble getting right. He sings a lot, but I won't go into that. What I will say, however, is that after two dozen movies he should have learned to talk by now." — Roger Ebert

26. Breaking the Rules (1993)

"The movie has to be seen to be believed. It is a long, painful lapse of taste, tone, and ordinary human feeling. Perhaps it was made by beings from another planet, who were able to watch our television in order to absorb key concepts such as cars, sex, leukemia, and casinos, but formed an imperfect view of how to fit them together." — Roger Ebert

25. The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (2011)

"The film is reprehensible, dismaying, ugly, artless, and an affront to any notion, however remote, of human decency." — Roger Ebert

24. Sex Drive (2008)

" Sex Drive is an exercise in versatile vulgarity. The actors seem to be performing a public reading of the film's mastery of the subject. Not only are all the usual human reproductive and excretory functions evoked, but new and I think probably impossible ones are included. This movie doesn't contain 'offensive language.' The offensive language contains the movie." — Roger Ebert

23. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

"If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination." — Roger Ebert

22. The Village (2004)

"To call it an anticlimax would be an insult not only to climaxes but to prefixes. It's a crummy secret, about one step up the ladder of narrative originality from It Was All a Dream. It's so witless, in fact, that when we do discover the secret, we want to rewind the film so we don't know the secret anymore. And then keep on rewinding, and rewinding, until we're back at the beginning, and can get up from our seats and walk backward out of the theater and go down the up escalator and watch the money spring from the cash register into our pockets." — Roger Ebert

21. Last Rites (1988)

"Many films are bad. Only a few declare themselves the work of people deficient in taste, judgment, reason, tact, morality, and common sense. Was there no one connected with this project who read the screenplay, considered the story, evaluated the proposed film and vomited?" — Roger Ebert

20. Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012)

“As faithful readers will know, I have a few cult followers who enjoy my reviews of bad movies. These have been collected in the books I Hated, Hated, Hated, HATED This Movie; Your Movie Sucks , and A Horrible Experience of Unendurable Length . This movie is so bad, it couldn't even inspire a review worthy of one of those books. I have my standards.” — Roger Ebert

19. Revolver (2007)

"Some of the acting is better than the film deserves. Make that all of the acting. Actually, the film stock itself is better than the film deserves. You know when sometimes a film catches fire inside a projector? If it happened with this one, I suspect the audience might cheer." — Roger Ebert

18. The Blue Lagoon (1980)

"This movie could have been made as a soft-core sex film, but it's too restrained: There are so many palms carefully arranged in front of genital areas, and Brooke Shields' long hair is so carefully draped to conceal her breasts, that there must have been a whole squad of costumers and set decorators on permanent Erogenous Zone Alert." — Roger Ebert

17. Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

"That makes Hellbound: Hellraiser II an ideal movie for audiences with little taste and atrophied attention spans who want to glance at the screen occasionally and ascertain that something is still happening up there. If you fit that description, you have probably not read this far, but what the heck, we believe in full-service reviews around here. You're welcome." — Roger Ebert

16. Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

"Young men: If you attend this crap with friends who admire it, tactfully inform them they are idiots. Young women: If your date likes this movie, tell him you've been thinking it over, and you think you should consider spending some time apart." — Roger Ebert

15. The Skulls (2000)

"The real Skull and Bones has existed for two centuries, and has counted presidents, tycoons, and CIA founders among its alumni. Membership was an honor—until now. After seeing this movie, members are likely to sneak out of the theater through the lavatory windows." — Roger Ebert

14. Battlefield Earth (2000)

" Battlefield Earth is like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time. It's not merely bad; it's unpleasant in a hostile way." — Roger Ebert

13. Mr. Magoo (1997)

" Mr. Magoo is transcendently bad. It soars above ordinary badness as the eagle outreaches the fly. There is not a laugh in it. Not one. I counted." — Roger Ebert

12. Dice Rules (1991)

" Dice Rules is one of the most appalling movies I have ever seen. It could not be more damaging to the career of Andrew Dice Clay if it had been made as a documentary by someone who hated him. The fact that Clay apparently thinks this movie is worth seeing is revealing and sad, indicating that he not only lacks a sense of humor, but also ordinary human decency.” — Roger Ebert

11. B.A.P.S. (1997)

"My guess is that African Americans will be offended by the movie, and whites will be embarrassed. The movie will bring us all together, I imagine, in paralyzing boredom." — Roger Ebert

10. Masterminds (1997)

"I stopped taking notes on my Palm Pilot and started playing the little chess game." — Roger Ebert

9. The Brown Bunny (2003)

"I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than The Brown Bunny ." — Roger Ebert

8. Armageddon (1998)

"No matter what they're charging to get in, it's worth more to get out." — Roger Ebert

7. Little Indian, Big City (1996)

"There is a movie called Fargo playing right now. It is a masterpiece. Go see it. If you, under any circumstances, see Little Indian, Big City , I will never let you read one of my reviews again." — Roger Ebert

6. Caligula (1979)

" Caligula is sickening, utterly worthless, shameful trash. If it is not the worst film I have ever seen, that makes it all the more shameful: People with talent allowed themselves to participate in this travesty. Disgusted and unspeakably depressed, I walked out of the film after two hours of its 170-minute length." — Roger Ebert

5. Joe's Apartment (1996)

"I am informed that 5,000 cockroaches were used in the filming of Joe’s Apartment . That depresses me, but not as much as the news that none of them were harmed during the production." — Roger Ebert

4. Godzilla (1998)

"Going to see Godzilla at the Palais of the Cannes Film Festival is like attending a satanic ritual in St. Peter's Basilica." — Roger Ebert

3. Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)

" Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo makes a living cleaning fish tanks and occasionally prostituting himself. How much he charges I'm not sure, but the price is worth it if it keeps him off the streets and out of another movie." — Roger Ebert

2. Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

"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

1. North (1994)

"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

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The 100 best movie quotes of all-time as chosen by Hollywood

The hollywood reporter asked 1,600 film industry professionals for their most loved lines, article bookmarked.

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Every film fan has a favourite movie quote, including all those industry bods across the pond in Hollywood.

Journalists often run their own ‘best quotes of all-time’ lists but The Hollywood Reporter has shaken things up a little by asking 1,600 experts from actors and producers to directors and agents for their most loved line.

The poll took place in January and since then, reporters have been sifting through responses to order a Top 100 list for our viewing pleasure.

Interestingly, the ten most popular quotes favour older movies, with 1939’s The Wizard of Oz making two appearances. Rhett Butler’s last words to Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind that same year take the number one spot, followed by the famous “Here’s looking at you, kid” from 1942’s Casablanca .

The most recent film to make the Top 10 came courtesy of 1999’s Fight Club , suggesting newer releases have some way to go before they can claim to be timeless.

Take a look at Hollywood’s ten favourite movie quotes:

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn ( Gone with the Wind , 1939)

“Here’s looking at you, kid” ( Casablanca , 1942)

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat” ( Jaws , 1975)

“May the Force be with you” ( Star Wars , 1977)

“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” ( The Wizard of Oz , 1939)

“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse” ( The Godfather , 1972)

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” ( Casablanca , 1942)

“You talkin’ to me?” ( Taxi Driver , 1976)

“There’s no place like home” ( The Wizard of Oz , 1939)

“The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club” ( Fight Club , 1999)

Head on over to The Hollywood Reporter for the back stories to these 90 other classics that also got a look in:

“I am your father” ( Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back , 1980)

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” ( The Princess Bride , 1987)

“Why so serious?” ( The Dark Knight , 2008)

“I’ll have what she’s having” ( When Harry Met Sally , 1989)

“This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” ( Casablanca , 1942)

“We’ll always have Paris” ( Casablanca , 1942)

“Bond. James Bond” ( Dr No , 1962)

“I see dead people” ( The Sixth Sense , 1999)

“I’ll be back” ( The Terminator , 1984)

“You can’t handle the truth!” ( A Few Good Men , 1992)

“E.T phone home” ( ET , 1982)

“Yippie-ki-yay, mother f**ker!” ( Die Hard , 1988)

“To infinity and beyond!” ( Toy Story , 1995)

“Houston, we have a problem” ( Apollo 13 , 1995)

“You had me at hello” ( Jerry Maguire , 1996)

“There’s no crying in baseball!” ( A League of Their Own , 1992)

“Here’s Johnny!” ( The Shining , 1980)

”I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.” ( Airplane , 1980)

“Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?” ( The Graduate , 1967)

“Carpe Diem. Seize the day, boys” ( Dead Poets Society , 1989)

“Leave the gun, take the cannoli” ( The Godfather , 1972)

“Show me the money!” ( Jerry Maguire , 1996)

“Say hello to my little friend” ( Scarface , 1983)

”You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?” ( Dirty Harry , 1971)

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” ( Apocalypse Now , 1979)

”Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night.” ( All About Eve , 1950)

“Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.” ( Back to the Future , 1985)

”You don't understand! I could've had class. I could've been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” ( On the Waterfront , 1954)

“I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!” ( Network , 1976)

”The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.” ( The Usual Suspects , 1995)

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” ( The Godfather Part II , 1974)

”Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” ( It’s a Wonderful Life , 1946)

“I am big! It's the pictures that got small.” ( Sunset Boulevard , 1950)

”What we've got here is a failure to communicate.” ( Cool Hand Luke , 1967)

“Shaken, not stirred” ( Goldfinger , 1964)

“I’m the king of the world!” ( Titanic , 1997)

“Mama says, 'Stupid is as stupid does.’” ( Forrest Gump , 1994)

“Just keep swimming ( Finding Nemo , 2003)

“If you built it, he will come” ( Field of Dreams , 1989)

“I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.” ( Who Framed Roger Rabbit , 1988)

“I’m having an old friend for dinner” ( The Silence of the Lambs , 1991)

”Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.’“ ( Casablanca , 1942)

”I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!” ( The Wizard of Oz , 1939)

“Hasta la vista, baby” ( Terminator 2: Judgement Day , 1991)

“The Dude abides” ( The Big Lebowski , 1998)

“I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” ( Notting Hill , 1999)

”Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” ( The Wizard of Oz , 1939)

“Stella! Hey, Stella!” ( A Streetcar Named Desire , 1951)

“After all, tomorrow is another day!” ( Gone with the Wind , 1939)

”You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” ( The Help , 2011)

“You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.” ( To Have and Have Not , 1944)

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”Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.” ( Star Wars , 1977)

“I mean, funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you?” ( Goodfellas , 1990)

“Go ahead, make my day” ( Sudden Impact , 1983)

”I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” ( A Streetcar Named Desire , 1951)

“It’s alive! It’s alive!” ( Frankenstein , 1931)

“Argo f**k yourself” ( Argo , 2012)

“My precious” ( The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , 2002)

“Good morning, Vietnam!” ( Good Morning, Vietnam , 1987)

“I wish I knew how to quit you” ( Brokeback Mountain , 2005)

“That’ll do, pig, that’ll do” ( Babe , 1995)

“Elementary, my dear Watson” ( The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , 1939)

“I don't want to survive. I want to live.” ( 12 Years a Slave , 2013)

”Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!” ( Dr Strangelove , 1964)

“You ain't heard nothin' yet!” ( The Jazz Singer , 1927)

“Wax on, wax off” ( The Karate Kid , 1984)

“Yo, Adrian!” ( Rocky , 1976)

“Nobody’s perfect” ( Some Like it Hot , 1959)

”Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” ( The Godfather Part III , 1990)

“Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” ( Snow White and the Seven Dwarves , 1937)

“They’re here!” ( Poltergeist , 1982)

”They call it a Royale with cheese.” ( Pulp Fiction , 1994)

“I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.” ( The Devil Wears Prada , 2006)

”Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!” ( The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , 1948)

“It was Beauty killed the Beast” ( King Kong , 1933)

“I'm walking here! I'm walking here!” ( Midnight Cowboy , 1969)

“These go to eleven” ( This is Spinal Tap , 1984)

“Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown” ( Chinatown , 1974)

“Chewie, we’re home” ( Star Wars: The Force Awakens , 2015)

“As if!” ( Clueless , 1995)

“You make me want to be a better man” ( As Good as It Gets , 1997)

”Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!” ( Planet of the Apes , 1968)

“I drink your milkshake!” ( There Will be Blood , 2007)

“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.” ( Gladiator , 2000)

“You complete me” ( Jerry Maguire , 1996)

”If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” ( Taken , 2008)

“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)

“They call me Mister Tibbs!” ( In the Heat of the Night , 1967)

”They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!” ( Braveheart , 1995)

“Love means never having to say you're sorry” ( Love Story , 1970)

Click here to take the Famous Movie Quote quiz

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75 famous movie quotes every film buff should know

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!

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• “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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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"

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

• "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)

Love movies? Watch these classics!

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Sarah is a lifestyle and entertainment reporter for TODAY who covers holidays, celebrities and everything in between.

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The Greatest Movie Quotes Of All Time

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

You're gonna need a bigger boat.

May the force be with you.

You can't handle the truth!

Yippee-ki-yay, Motherf*cker.

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100 Famous Movie Quotes You've Definitely Heard Before

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

BuzzFeed Staff

Odds are, you don't remember every line from every movie you've ever seen. But some lines are so good that they'll stick with you for months, maybe even years. And throughout cinema history, there have been a handful of lines so iconic that they've surpassed the movie they're in and become famous in their own right.

For instance, I heard "yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker" and "I'll have what she's having" well before I was old enough to watch Die Hard  or When Harry Met Sally ...

So here, with the help of members of the BuzzFeed Community along with some input from Twitter, are the best movie quotes of all time:

Shoutout to Twitter user  @HashtagRoundup  and BuzzFeed Staff who helped fill out the list!

1. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

—Johnny Castle ( Patrick Swayze ) in  Dirty Dancing

2. "Here’s looking at you, kid."

—Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) in  Casablanca

3. "Hasta la vista, baby."

— The Terminator ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) in  Terminator 2: Judgment Day

4. "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!"

—The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) in  The Wizard of Oz

5. "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 (Billy Crystal) in  When Harry Met Sally...

6. "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

—Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) in  The Princess Bride

7. “By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.”

—Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) in  The Devil Wears Prada

8. "Shut up — you had me at 'hello.'"

—Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger) in  Jerry Maguire

9. "There are two types of people in the world: those with a gun, and those who dig."

—Blondie (Clint Eastwood) in  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

10. "You can't sit with us!"

—Gretchen Weiners (Lacey Chabert) in  Mean Girls

11. "You have bewitched me, body and soul."

—Matthew Macfadyen as Fitzwilliam Darcy in  Pride and Prejudice  (2005)

12. "Just keep swimming."

—Ellen DeGeneres as Dory in Finding Nemo

13. "I feel the need, the need for speed."

—Maverick (Tom Cruise) in  Top Gun

14. "Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!"

—Abraham Lincoln (Robert V. Barron) in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

15. "I like you very much. Just as you are."

—Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) in  Bridget Jones's Diary

16. "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind."

—Lilo (Daveigh Chase) in  Lilo and Stitch

17. "Why so serious?"

—The Joker (Heath Ledger) in  The Dark Knight

18. "Greater good? I am your wife. I'm the greatest good you are ever gonna get!"

—Honey (Kimberly Adair Clark) in  The Incredibles

19. "It's just a flesh wound."

—The Black Knight (John Cleese) in  Monty Python and the Holy Grail

20. "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

—Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) in  The Fly

21. "Here's Johnny!"

—Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in  The Shining  

22. "Keep your head down and your powder dry."

—Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) in  The Departed  

23. "Don't forget: I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."

—Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) in  Notting Hill

24. "It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!"

—Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) in  Frankenstein  

25. "Bye, Buddy. Hope you find your dad!"

—Mr. Narwhal (Jon Favreau) in  Elf 

26. "But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

—Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) in  Taken

27. "Coffee's for closers only."

—Blake (Alec Baldwin) in  Glengarry Glen Ross

28. "He can't see without his glasses!"

—Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky) in  My Girl

29. "Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man."

—The Dude (Jeff Bridges) in  The Big Lebowski

30. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

—Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) in  Gone with the Wind

31. "So you're telling me there's a chance?"

—Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) in  Dumb and Dumber

32. "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

—Brody (Roy Scheider) in  Jaws

33. "King Kong ain't got shit on me!"

—Detective Sergeant Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) in  Training Day

34. "English, motherfucker! Do you speak it?"

—Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) in  Pulp Fiction

35. "I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse."

—Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) in  The Godfather

36. "You're killing me, Smalls!"

—Hamilton "Ham" Porter (Patrick Renna) in  The Sandlot  

37. "As if!"

—Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) in  Clueless  

38. "Get away from her, you bitch!"

—Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in  Aliens

39. "To live would be an awfully big adventure."

—Peter Banning (Robin Williams) in  Hook  

40. "I do wish we could chat longer, but...I'm having an old friend for dinner. Bye."

—Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in  Silence of the Lambs  (1991)

41. "This one time at band camp..."

—Alyson Hannigan as Michelle in  American Pie  (1999)

42. "Welcome to Earth."

—Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller in  Independence Day  (1996)

43. "Now we are free. I will see you again, but not yet. Not yet."

—Djimon Hounsou as Juba in  Gladiator  (2000)

44. "What, like it's hard?"

—Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) in  Legally Blonde

45. “My mama always said, life was like a box a chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

—Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) in  Forrest Gump

46. "You can’t handle the truth!"

— Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (Jack Nicholson) in  A Few Good Men

47. "Gentlemen, welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!"

—Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden in  Fight Club  (1999)

48. "Bye, Felicia"

—Ice Cube as Craig Jones in  Friday  (1995)

49. "Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now."

—Julia Roberts as Vivian in  Pretty Woman  (1990)

50. "Look at me. Look at me. I'm the captain now."

—Barkhad Abdi as Abduwali Muse in  Captain Phillips  (2013)

51. "That'll do, pig. That'll do."

—Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell) in  Babe

52. "You better lawyer up, asshole."

—Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin in  The Social Network  (2010)

53. "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings."

—Karolyn Grimes as Zuzu in  It’s   A Wonderful Life  (1946)

54. "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?"

—Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter in  Rush Hour  (1998)

55. "I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!"

—Samuel L. Jackson as Agent Neville Flynn in  Snakes on a Plane  (2006)

56. "YOU. SHALL. NOT. PASS!"

—Gandalf (Ian McKellen) in  Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

57. "Some people are worth melting for."

—Olaf (Josh Gad) in  Frozen

58. "Hold on to your butts!"

—Samuel L. Jackson as Ray Arnold in  Jurassic Park  (1993)

59. “So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause.”

—Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005)

60. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

—Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller in  Ferris Bueller's Day Off  (1983)

61. "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker."

—Bruce Willis as John McClane in  Die Hard  (1998)

62. "No touchy!"

—David Spade as Kuzco in  The Emperor's New Groove  (2000)

63. "If I had a dick, this is where I'd tell you to suck it."

—Betty White as Delores Bickerman in  Lake Placid  (1999)

64. "To infinity..." "And beyond."

—Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear and Tom Hanks as Woody in Toy Story 4  (2019)

65. “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin'... That's goddamn right.”

—Red (Morgan Freeman) in  The Shawshank Redemption

66. "I'm finished."

—Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in  There Will Be Blood  (2007)

67. “Do or do not. There is no try.”

—Yoda (Frank Oz) in  Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

68. "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."

—Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy in  On The Waterfront  (1954)

69. "It's funny how a little place like this brought so many people together."

—Jessica Tandy as Ninny Threadgoode in  Fried Green Tomatoes  (1991)

70. "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night."

—Bette Davis as Margo Channing in  All About Eve  (1950)

71. "Life is a state of mind."

—Jack Warden as the President in  Being There  (1979)

72. "This confession has meant nothing."

—Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in  American Psycho  (2000)

73. "Hey everybody, we're all gonna get laid!"

—Rodney Dangerfield as Al Czervik in  Caddyshack  (1980)

74. "The stuff that dreams are made of."

—Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade in  The Maltese Falcon*  (1941)

75. "Hail to the king, baby."

—Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams in  Army of Darkness  (1992)

76. "Go ahead, make my day."

—Clint Eastwood as Harry Calahan in  Sudden Impact  (1983)

77. "You talkin' to me?"

—Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in  Taxi Driver  (1976)

78. "I am serious…and don't call me Shirley."

—Leslie Nielsen as Dr. Rumack in  Airplane  (1980)

79. "Son of a bitch stole my line."

—Robin Williams as Sean Maguire in  Good Will Hunting  (1997)

80. "Alright, alright, alright."

—Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson in  Dazed and Confused  (1993)

81. "Mr. Demille, I'm ready for my close-up."

—Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in  Sunset Boulevard  (1950)

82. "They call me Mister Tibbs!"

—Sidney Poitier as Virgil Tibbs in  In the Heat of the Night  (1967)

83. "I was perfect."

—Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in  Black Swan  (2010)

84. "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?"

—Mae West as Lady Lou in  She Done Him Wrong  (1933)

85. "I see dead people."

—Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear in  The Sixth Sense  (1999)

86. "Snap out of it!"

—Cher as Loretta Castorini in  Moonstruck  (1987)

87. "There's no crying in baseball!"

—Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan in  A League of Their Own  (1992)

88. "Baby, you are gonna miss that plane." "I know."

—Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke as Céline and Jesse in  Before Sunset  (2004)

89. "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."

—Robin Williams as John Keating in  Dead Poets Society  (1989)

90. "You're tacky, and I hate you."

—Brian Falduto as Billy in  School of Rock  (2003)

91. "I'm the king of the world!"

—Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson in  Titanic  (1997)

92. "If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them; buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever."

—Rochelle Davis as Sarah Mohr in  The Crow  (1994)

93. "Jessica, only child, Illinois, Chicago."

—Park So-dam as Kim Ki-jung in  Parasite  (2019)

94. "Well, nobody's perfect."

—Joe E. Brown as Osgood Fielding III in Some Like It Hot (1950)

95. "Shut up and deal."

—Shirley MacLaine as Fran Kubelik in  The Apartment

96. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

—Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in  Casablanca  (1942)

97. "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads."

—Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) in  Back to the Future

98. "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

—Peter Finch as Howard Beale in  Network  (1976)

99. "I just wanted to take another look at you."*

—Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) in  A Star Is Born  (2018)

*The same line was featured in all the previous versions of A Star Is Born (1937, 1954, and 1976)

100. And finally, "May the force be with you."*

— Harrison Ford as Han Solo in  Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope  (1977)

*This is, of course, just one of many times the line is repeated throughout the franchise.

Did any of your favorites not make the list? Comment below!

Share this article.

100 Best Movie quotes of all time

1. Batman Begins

2. The Dark Knight

3. Reservoir Dogs

4. Django Unchained

5. Death Proof

6. reservoir dogs.

7. Kung Fu Panda

8. reservoir dogs, 9. the dark knight.

11. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

13. The Usual Suspects

14. They Live

More to explore, recently viewed.

The 37 Best Movie Quotes of All Time

"No wire hangers, EVER!"

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.

Stream it here

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

The mafia’s credo distilled into one line.

“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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100 Most Famous Movie Quotes: The Infographic

I’ll be right there: if parenthood were a modern indie, the monkey: trailer 1, omni loop: trailer 1, alien: romulus: a love letter to the alien franchise, with mixed results, woman of the hour trailer 1, the becomers: what’s weirder, aliens or 2020, kraven the hunter: trailer 1, saturday night trailer 1, this is no game: why ready or not still matters, rebel ridge trailer 1, alien: romulus: not quite stellar, his three daughters trailer 1.

In 2005, the American Film Institute listed the 100 most memorable movie quotes to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Earlier this year, Nathan Yau , a data visualist, decided to put these famous movie quotes into an infographic.

Check out this great infographic, which has quotes from  James Bond (guess which),  Taxi Driver and, of course,  Gone With The Wind .

To view the infographic in full size, click here .

This infographic is also available as a 24″ by 36″ poster, which is pretty spiffy. Check it out here .

Which is your favorite quote? Which one is your favorite, visualized?

Let us know in the comments, and share this article on the webz if you liked it!

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Infographic: Drugs in Film

Infographic: gender inequality in cinema, 10 most inspiring film quotes, famous film & tv mansions [infographic].

Best final lines In movies - 50 great movie quotes

Saving the best for last... now, this is how you end a movie.

Starting a script is a hard task but finding just the right line to end things on can be just as tough. But get it right, as this best final lines in movies list proves, then you can turn a great movie into a classic.

Great final lines are key: while your audience may have started watching with a feeling of expectancy and excitement, chances are that come the conclusion, their eyes may be falling deeper into the destructive world of sleep.

Now's the time to fuel their dreams/nightmares with a catchy one-liner.

We've assembled 50 of the best here but would like to hear if you think we've missed any out. Comments are at the bottom.

Best closing lines in movies

1 . The Silence Of The Lambs

"I do wish we could chat longer, but I'm having an old friend for dinner..."

Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins)

2 . Ferris Bueller's Day Off

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once and a while you might miss it.”

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick)

3 . Back To The Future

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads!"

Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd)

4 . The Usual Suspects

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And like that... he is gone."

Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey)

5 . The Truman Show

"In case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.”

Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey)

6 . Casablanca

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Rick (Humphrey Bogart)

7 . Some Like It Hot

"Well, nobody's perfect."

Osgood Fielding III (Joe E Brown)

8 . Stand By Me

“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?”

The Write (Richard Dreyfuss)

9 . Planet Of The Apes

"You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!"

George Taylor (Charlton Heston)

10 . Casino Royale

"The name's Bond. James Bond."

James Bond (Daniel Craig)

"That'll do, Pig. That'll do."

Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell )

12 . The Wizard Of Oz

“There’s no place like home!”

Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland)

13 . Iron Man

"The truth is...I am Iron Man."

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr)

"Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "The world is a fine place and worth fighting for." I agree with the second part."

William Somerset (Morgan Freeman)

15 . The Dark Knight

"We will hunt him down because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight..."

Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman)

16 . Fight Club

"You met me at a very strange time in my life."

The Narrator (Edward Norton)

17 . Toy Story 3

"So long... partner."

Woody (Tom Hanks)

"This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off."

Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)

19 . Gone With The Wind

"After all, tomorrow is another day."

Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh)

20 . Magnum Force

"A man’s got to know his limitations."

Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood)

21 . Psycho

"I'm not even gonna swat that fly. I hope they are watching. They'll see. They'll see and they'll know and they'll say, 'Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly'..."

Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins)

22 . Memento

"Now, where was I?"

Leonard (Guy Pearce)

23 . The Thing

"Why don't we just wait here for a little while... see what happens..."

MacReady (Kurt Russell)

"I'll be right here..."

E.T. (E.T.)

25 . King Kong

"Oh, no! It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast."

Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong)

26 . Spider-Man

"This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-man."

Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire)

27 . Chinatown

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.

Lawrence Walsh (Joe Mantell),

28 . Shutter Island

"This place makes me wonder... Which would be worse, to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?"

Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio)

29 . The Matrix

"Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you."

Neo (Keanu Reeves)

30 . Rocky Balboa

"Yo, Adrian, we did it. We did it."

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone)

31 . The Italian Job

"Hang on, lads; I've got a great idea."

Charlie Croker (Michael Caine)

32 . Inglourious Basterds

"You know somethin', Utivich? I think this just might be my masterpiece."

Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt)

33 . Terminator 2: Judgment Day

"The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too."

Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton)

34 . Apocalypse Now

"The horror, the horror..."

Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando)

35 . Goodfellas

"Right after I got here, I ordered some spaghetti with marinara sauce and I got egg noodles and ketchup. I'm an average nobody. I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook."

Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

36 . Army of Darkness

"Hail to the king, baby."

Ash (Brce Campbell)

37 . L.A. Confidential

"Some men get the world. Others get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona."

Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger)

38 . Gandhi

"There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always."

Mahatma Gandhi (Ben Kingsley)

39 . Black Swan

"I was perfect."

Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman)

40 . Scarface

"Go ahead! I take your fucking bullets! You think you kill me with bullets? I take your fucing bullets! Go ahead!"

Tony Montana (Al Pacino)

41 . Road To Perdition

"When people ask me if Michael Sullivan was a good man, or if there was just no good in him at all, I always give the same answer. I just tell them, he was my father."

Frank Sullivan Jr (Tyler Hoechlin)

42 . Kill Bill: Volume One

"One more thing, Sofie... is she aware her daughter is still alive?"

Bill (David Carradine)

43 . Before Sunset

"Baby, you are gonna miss that plane."

Celine (Julie Delpy)

44 . Cape Fear

"Still, things won't ever be the way they were before he came. But that's alright because if you hang onto the past you die a little every day. And for myself, I know I'd rather live."

Danielle Bowden (Juliette Lewis)

45 . A Clockwork Orange

"I was cured all right!"

Alex (Malcolm McDowell)

46 . Shallow Grave

"Oh yes, I believe in friends. I believe we need them, but if one day you find that you just can't trust them anymore then what then? What then?"

David Stephens (Christopher Eccleston)

47 . Raging Bull

"I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss... I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss, I'm da boss."

Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro)

48 . Avengers: Infinity War

Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans)

49 . Schindler's List

"Heil Hitler."

Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes)

50 . The Ring

"What about the person we show it to? What's happens to them?"

Aidan Keller (David Dorfman)

• The best opening lines in movies , revealed.

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• Quotes and Sayings

95 Famous Movie Quotes Everyone Will Remember

From celebratory moments to laughing out loud, these silver screen one liners will walk you down memory lane.

Inspirational Movie Quotes

Best funny movie quotes, best quotes from southern movies, best love quotes from southern movies, famous movie quotes from the 2000s, movie quotes about love, best movie quotes of all time, quotes from favorite christmas movies.

It’s no secret that movie quotes have solidified their place in our lives. From timeless classics to modern masterpieces, the silver screen has given us an endless amount of memorable lines that resonate long after you leave the theater.

Whether you’re seeking a funny movie quote to share with a friend or trying to remember a famous quote from a beloved Southern movie , this collection of quotes from movies we love will have you covered.

Southern Living

• “Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain’t how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.” – Rocky
• "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." — Forrest Gump
• “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• “If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.” – Ratatouille
• “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” – The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
• “The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up.” – Dumbo
• "My life has no big meaning or direction or purpose, and I’m happy." — Hope Floats
• “How many times do I have to teach you: just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.” – Black Panther
• “It’s what you do right now that makes a difference.” – Black Hawk Down
• “A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it’s the only weapon we have.” – Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
• "Look at you, you have a baby... In a bar." — Sweet Home Alabama
• "Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere, leave you for dead?" – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
• “I find it amusing. Men are supposed to be made of steel or something.” — Steel Magnolias
• "As if!" — Clueless
• "When I buy a new book, I always read the last page first. That way, in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends." – When Harry Met Sally
• “You talking to me?” — Taxi Driver
• "What do tigers dream of when they take their little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras? Or Halle Berry in her 'Catwoman' suit?" – The Hangover
• "You sit on a throne of lies." — Elf
• “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't.” — Legally Blonde
• "Who's the only one here who knows secret Ninja moves from the government?" – Napoleon Dynamite
• "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries." – Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• "I want to apologize. I'm not even confident on which end that came out of." – Bridesmaids
• "Last night you were unhinged. You were like some desperate, howling demon. You frightened me. Do it again." – The Addams Family
• "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." – Dodgeball
• “I should’ve quit when I was behind.” — Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood
• "Honey, just cause I talk slow doesn't mean I'm stupid." - Sweet Home Alabama
• "Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up." - Hope Floats
• "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." – A Streetcar Named Desire
• “All I'm saying is, kindness don't have no boundaries.” - The Help
• "Our lives are not fully lived if we're not willing to die for those we love, for what we believe.” – Selma
• “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” – To Kill a Mockingbird
• “For the good old American life: For the money, for the glory, and for the fun... mostly for the money.” – Smokey and the Bandit
• “It’s less trouble to feel sorry for her than it is to teach her anything better.” — The Miracle Worker
• “I wouldn’t expect you to understand this, but it’s a great comfort for a girl to now she could not possibly sink any lower.” — Cape Fear
• “Don't give me no rules. All I got are rules.” – Walk The Line
• “I have always been dependent on the kindness of strangers.” — A Streetcar Named Desire
• “Life and death are only temporary but freedom goes on forever.” – Crazy in Alabama
• “I like them French-fried potaters.” – Sling Blade
• “I’m gonna come at you like a spider monkey.” – Talladega Nights
• “I've got the guts to die. What I want to know is, have you got the guts to live?” ― Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
• “They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that when it starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up.” – Big Fish
• “It’s a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart.” — O Brother Where Art Thou
• "A heart can be broken, but it keeps beating just the same." – Fried Green Tomatoes
• "They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops." – Big Fish
• "We fell in love, despite our differences, and something rare and beautiful was created." - The Notebook
• "The truth is I gave my heart away a long time ago, my whole heart, and I never really got it back." - Sweet Home Alabama
• I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special. - Steel Magnolias
• “My precious.” — The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers
• "I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now." - The Incredibles
• "You have no idea what I'm capable of." — Transformers
• “Just keep swimming.” — Finding Nemo
• “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” — The Help
• "You're a wizard, Harry." — Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• "To me, you are perfect." — Love Actually
• "If you're a bird, I'm a bird." — The Notebook
• "And sometimes you love a person just because they feel like home." — Bridget Jones's Diary
• "Are you not entertained?" — Gladiator
• "With great power comes great responsibility." — Spider-Man 
• "Why so serious?" — The Dark Knight
• "You can't change who people are without destroying who they were." — The Butterfly Effect
• "Happiness is only real when shared." — Into the Wild
• "Adventure is out there." — Up
• "The greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." — Moulin Rouge
• "Our love is like the wind... I can't see it, but I sure can feel it." — A Walk to Remember
• "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." — Wuthering Heights
• "I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone." — Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
• “It was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together … and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home. .. only to no home I’d ever known … I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like … magic.” – Sleepless In Seattle
• “Listen to me, mister. You’re my knight in shining armor. Don’t you forget it.” – On Golden Pond
• "I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met." — The Wedding Date
• “I knew I’d never be able to remember what Nina wore that day. But I also knew I’d never forget the way she looked.” – Father of the Bride
• “I wanted it to be you, I wanted it to be you so badly.” – You’ve Got Mail
• "I wish I knew how to quit you." – Brokeback Mountain
• “I can't see anything I don't like about you.” – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• “I wish I had done everything on earth with you.” – The Great Gatsby
• "You want the moon? Just say the word, and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down." – It’s A Wonderful Life
• "I will return. I will find you. Love you. Marry you. And live without shame." – Atonement
• "I love you without knowing how, why, or even from where." – Patch Adams
• “I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme. I hate it, I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.” – 10 Things I Hate About You
• “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” — Dead Poets Society
• “May the Force be with you.” — Star Wars
• “There's no place like home.” — The Wizard of Oz
• “Elementary, my dear Watson.” — The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
• “You're gonna need a bigger boat.” — Jaws
• “Here's looking at you, kid.” — Casablanca
• “There's no crying in baseball!” — A League of Their Own
• “You had me at ‘hello.’ " — Jerry Maguire
• “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” — The Godfather Part II
• “That'll do, pig. That'll do.” — Babe
• “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” — Dirty Dancing
• You’re killin’ me, Smalls.” — The Sandlot
• “Talk to me, Goose.” — Top Gun
• “I’m king of the world!” — Titanic
• “Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” — Miracle on 34th Street
• “It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more.”— Scrooged
• “You can mess with a lot of things. But you can’t mess with kids on Christmas.” — Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
• “If you’re worried and you can’t sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep. Then you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings.” — White Christmas
• “I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all really. Maybe it just needs a little love.” — A Charlie Brown Christmas
•  “Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas, upon, which the entire kid year revolved.”— A Christmas Story
• “Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.”— The Polar Express
• “If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love is actually all around.” — Love Actually
• “I suppose it all started with the snow. You see, it was a very special kind of snow. A snow that made the happy happier, and the giddy even giddier. A snow that’d make a homecoming homier, and natural enemies, friends, natural.” — Frosty the Snowman

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Most Memorable Quotes From Movies

Much like iconic song lyrics, movie quotes are something that just sticks with you, launching to the front of your brain whenever a certain circumstance triggers it — and the particularly memorable ones have the power to remain with you forever. Whether they make you laugh, cry, or just give you something to ponder as the credits roll, a movie's script — and sometimes just a single word or sentence — can evoke powerful emotions.

For some of these memorable lines, they've transcended the films they originated from to become part of our language, referenced throughout pop culture and quoted so often they may as well have come from Shakespeare. When others in your orbit are familiar with the quote — and the context behind it — the result is something akin to a verbal meme, shorthand for exactly what needs to be said at that given moment.

There really is a movie quote for every occasion, it seems, and everybody has their favorites. With that in mind, the American Film Institute (AFI) has compiled a list of the 100 greatest movie quotes, those that everybody should know — and if you don't, you need to see more movies. Here's a selection of some of the very best, and the context in which they appear.

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

In the sweeping historical romance "Gone With the Wind," the tumultuous union of Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) reaches a dramatic conclusion with this unforgettable moment . After years of loving Scarlett while she was in love with another, Rhett finally gives up on their relationship and rebuffs her tearful plea of "Where shall I go? What shall I do?" with these immortal words, walking off into the fog and leaving her alone. It's one of the all-time classic film endings, as well as arguably the best final line ever written.

With the strict Motion Picture Production Code of the time in place, this line could've been very different. However, an amendment in 1939 allowed exceptions for a "quotation from a literary work," and since "Wind" was based on Margaret Mitchell's bestselling novel, the "damn" was given a pass.

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

On the surface, it feels like a simple statement of intent. But keep in mind, this line is spoken by mob boss Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) in "The Godfather," so suffice it to say there is an implied threat attached to it — the kind of threat no one can ignore.

In this case, Corleone's godson Johnny Fontane (Al Martino) is a struggling singer, convinced that the only way to rescue his declining career is to star in an upcoming Hollywood film. With studio head Jack Woltz (John Marley) reticent to give Fontane the part, Corleone decides to take matters into his own hands. The lesson learned here is you better accept the offer — otherwise, you might just wake up next to a horse's head .

"Here's looking at you, kid."

After their fleeting romance in Paris, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) drift apart, only to meet again in Rick's "gin joint" in Casablanca . This bittersweet love story has one of the most heartbreaking Hollywood endings of all time, as Rick decides to help Ilsa's fugitive husband escape, leading her to believe she will stay in Casablanca with Rick. 

At the last minute, however, Rick makes Ilsa get on the plane, telling her she would regret it if she didn't. As they say a tearful goodbye, Rick lets her know he still loves her with these affectionate parting words, and an iconic movie moment is born.

"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup."

In "Sunset Boulevard," former silent-movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) glides down her grand cascading staircase and is every inch the Hollywood star . But it has been a long time since Norma was a star, and the silent movie legend has been so gripped by her desire to make a comeback to the silver screen that she has been living in an elaborate, demented fantasy, leading her to shoot screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden). Following the murder, her house is filled with police and reporters, but Norma's demented state of mind has her believing the cameras are there to shoot her latest film. A shell of her former self, Desmond utters these infamous words as she steps towards the cameras, completely unhinged.

"May the Force be with you."

A line so memorable it now has its own day , these familiar words from "Star Wars" have become something so much bigger than the film they came from. They've been spoken in almost every "Star Wars" iteration since they first appeared in the film we now call  "A New Hope," but their first utterance doesn't come from who you might expect. The line is often wrongfully attributed to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) — instead, he tells Luke "The Force will be with you, always" — and it is minor character General Dodonna (Alex McCrindle) who first says the line as Luke (Mark Hamill) and the other X-Wing pilots are briefed for the mission to attack the Death Star.

"You talking to me?"

Addressing no one apart from his reflection, Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) practices his intimidation techniques in this oft-quoted monologue . Throughout "Taxi Driver," Scorsese alternates between us observing Bickle's unusual behavior, and positioning us directly in his headspace, exploring the psyche of the disturbed driver. 

At this moment, the two collide as Bickle decides he needs to take matters into his own hands to clean up the streets. The fact that Bickle rehearses this imagined confrontation scenario is both darkly comedic and terrifying, marking a huge turning point for the character while demonstrating his spiraling mental state.

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Most people like to start their day with the smell of fresh coffee. For Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall) in Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now,"  however, it is the smell of napalm that rejuvenates him. Surrounded by the chaos of war, the wistfully nostalgic way Kilgore says these famous words  makes it clear he has found his happy place, providing a stark contrast to the living hell being depicted on screen. The line perfectly demonstrates the confidence that radiates from Kilgore, who — despite being in an incredibly dangerous situation — doesn't smell the threat around him, only victory.

"E.T. phone home."

With a limited vocabulary, the titular alien of this 1982 classic is a character of few words, but the few things he does say have a massive impact. When Elliott's (Henry Thomas) younger sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) teaches the alien how to say a few words, he is able to communicate to his new friends that he wants to "phone home" and make contact with his family. As heartwarming as the friendship is between Elliott and E.T., it is a bittersweet reminder that the alien doesn't belong in this world forever — making the tear-jerker ending all the more devastating.

"They call me Mister Tibbs!"

This memorably defiant line from "In The Heat Of The Night," spoken by Black police officer Virgil Tibbs ( Sidney Poitier ), is all about the delivery — and the way it instantly commands respect. 

Assigned to a murder case that he is initially mistakenly arrested for, Tibbs frequently clashes with the racist police force of Sparta, Mississippi, particularly Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger). Despite the fact Tibbs has just made a potential breakthrough on the case, Gillespie repeatedly disrespects him by calling him by his first name. Tibbs finally snaps when Gillespie uses a slur towards him, and he powerfully responds with this unforgettable declaration , which is the only quote here that became so well known it was turned into the title of a sequel .

Rarely has one word had so much meaning. But say the word "rosebud" to anyone and unless they're a horticulturist, chances are they'll think of "Citizen Kane," long considered by many to be among the greatest films ever made. 

Orson Welles' masterpiece begins with the end of the life of Charles Foster Kane (Welles), as the media tycoon drops a snowglobe and  speaks his final words , "rosebud." A reporter is then tasked with getting to the bottom of the mystery behind one of the world's most successful men, interviewing Kane's friends and associates and discovering there was far more to the man than what was reported in his newspapers. The beauty of this line is two-fold: Revealed  at the end  in a way that keeps the secret between Kane and the viewer, "rosebud" was supposedly an NC-17 nickname employed by the film's none-too-pleased inspiration, William Randolph Hearst. 

"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Thanks to 1978's "Network," we have the perfect line to quote when pushed to the breaking point. Bitter, old and on the verge of losing his job, newsman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) decides he isn't going to go quietly into the night, launching an angry, on-air tirade about the horrible state of the world, urging viewers to go their windows and shout this catchphrase along with him. It seems like the best way ever to get yourself fired.

But here's the kicker: it makes him a TV sensation. Now dubbed " The Mad Prophet of the Airwaves ," the lifelong news reporter is suddenly a sideshow, ranting and raving every night to 62 million people. Looking at all the screamers and doomsday prophets on cable TV today, is there any doubt director Sidney Lumet and writer Paddy Chayefsky were predicting a sad future yet to unfold?  

A scathing, brilliantly-written attack on television, "Network" is a film that feels as relevant today as it did then.

"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."

Pulled from her FBI training, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is assigned to interview Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), an incarcerated cannibal who could be useful in getting inside the mind of a serial killer on the loose known as "Buffalo Bill." Throughout Clarice and Hannibal's iconic first meeting in "The Silence of the Lambs," it is evident that the man in prison holds all the power, unnerving Clarice with his particularly keen sense of smell and peculiar mannerisms. 

When Clarice challenges him to "point that high-powered perception at yourself," Hannibal responds by letting her know exactly what he did to the last person who tried to test him.

"Bond. James Bond."

With this quotable introduction, a cinematic icon was born, and even now when people want to feel like the suave gentleman spy himself, they may choose to introduce themselves in this way. Spanning many books and films, Ian Fleming's creation has become a pop culture icon, and it was back in 1963 that cinema audiences were first introduced to him in the film "Dr. No." 

Effortlessly cool, Bond (Sean Connery) sits smoking a cigarette at a casino table and lets the world know his name, as the famous theme music kicks in. The movie world — and the lives of any real-life people who happen to share his name — would never be the same again.

"There's no place like home."

The image of Dorothy (Judy Garland) tapping together the heels of her red shoes as she expresses her desire to go home is one of cinema's most iconic, and this wistful phrase instantly conjures up warm, nostalgic feelings. 

With the help of the Scarecrow, Tin-Man, and Cowardly Lion, Dorothy has traveled the length and breadth of Oz, battling wicked witches, just trying to get back home . When it seems all hope is lost, Glinda the Good Witch tells Dorothy she has always possessed the power to get home. On her journey, Dorothy learns the important lesson of gratitude — to appreciate what she has in Kansas — and this (along with those magic words) gives her the power to return.

"Show me the money!"

Formerly a cocky, successful sports agent, Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) reaches a turning point in his career where a change of heart looks like a sign of weakness. Now going it alone as an independent agent, Maguire is desperate to keep clients, but only one — Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) — continues to stand by his side.

After a particularly impassioned phone call, Maguire and Tidwell end up sing-songing the line "show me the money! " to each other as a galvanizing statement of intent. Repetition certainly helps a quote stick in your mind, with this one said back and forth between Gooding Jr. and Cruise, getting funnier and louder each time. "Jerry Maguire" also gave us the iconic quote "you had me at hello," making it a rare film that has two quotes in the  AFI's Top 100  list.

"You can't handle the truth!"

When a film is scripted by Aaron Sorkin , you know it's guaranteed to have powerful, rapid-fire dialogue coming at you like its being spit out of a Gatling gun, and in the climactic courtroom scene of "A Few Good Men," we get some of the very best. 

Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), assigned to defend two Marines accused of murder at Guantanamo Bay, is fighting to prove their innocence. When it emerges that the man was killed during a hazing ritual, Kaffee interrogates the tough Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) to try and bring the truth to light. Kaffee's persistence and demand for the truth result in these famous words from Jessup, barking them like a caged animal backed up against a wall. While these particular words might be the most enduring from the film, Nicholson's entire monologue — ending with the crucial confession — is exceptional.

"I'll have what she's having."

In director Rob Reiner's romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally..." the question is posed about whether men and women can be "just friends." For Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally, (Meg Ryan) this does seem to be the case initially — but in this beloved exploration of the theme, attraction rules the day. 

In the film's  famous diner scene , Harry and Sally discuss a woman's ability to fake things, and the man's inability to know the difference. To prove her point, Sally begins a very public demonstration, much to the shock of their fellow diners. When the performance concludes, an older lady perfectly punctuates the moment with those unforgettable words. Making the scene even more perfect? The woman in the diner was Estelle Reiner — mother of Rob.

"You're gonna need a bigger boat."

When Chief of Police Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) finally manages to convince the townspeople of Amity that they need to sort out their shark problem, he sets sail with marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and grizzled fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw). Tasked with throwing the "chum" out to sea to lure the shark to them, the great white suddenly pops up behind Brody, who then slowly backs into the cabin to let Quint know – they've got a big problem on their hands and  they're ill equipped.

According to "Jaws" screenwriter Carl Gottlieb ( via The Hollywood Reporter ), the line was something the crew used as a catchphrase for whenever anything went wrong, which  happened frequently . Not only is it an enduring line for movie fans, but it is the perfect phrase to demonstrate the huge task the characters are facing and the massive undertaking involved in making the film, simultaneously.

"I'll be back."

It's only three words, but you instantly know what film they come from and the character that speaks them. 

In 1984's sci-fi action classic  "The Terminator," we are introduced to the titular cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger), sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before her unborn child can become the future leader of the humans as they defend themselves against the machines. In pursuit of Connor, The Terminator arrives at a police station in his iconic leather jacket and sunglasses. After calmly asking to see Connor, he is rebuffed, leading to those three words; of course, when he does come back, all hell breaks loose.

"No one, not Jim Cameron or anyone else, knew when he wrote the line and I said the line that it would ever be repeated again," Schwarzenegger, who was known to employ it during press conferences when he was Governor of California, said in a 2019 interview . "This was something that was really surprising to all of us when the movie came out."

"If you build it, he will come."

When Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears this ethereal whisper while out in the cornfields surrounding his home, he decides to build a baseball diamond and is soon surprised to see ghosts of former legends (most notably, disgraced slugger "Shoeless" Joe Jackson) at play. "Field of Dreams" is a strange film on the surface — Is it a sports movie? A film about father and sons?  About following your conscience? — but underneath it all is a pervasive, heartwarming message about second chances and the healing powers of America's pastime. Steeped in allegory, the film speaks to the power of dreams and the assurance of faith, with it all encapsulated in this statement.

"Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

Many film quotes offer sound life advice, and that is certainly the case with this confectionary-inspired line from "Forrest Gump." We meet Forrest (Tom Hanks) sitting on a bench, telling his life story and the words of wisdom his "Mama" gave to him throughout his life, to anyone who sits long enough to listen. The famous quote infers that life is full of surprises, and Forrest's life is certainly an extraordinary one. As the film unfolds, we see several key historical events of the 20th Century – many of which he unwittingly played a part in — from his unique perspective. The film itself is also full of surprises, another reason why this quote is a perfect fit.

"I see dead people."

One of the most chilling quotes in any film, this line — spoken by the troubled young boy Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) — is not only frightening, but one that gains potency after the film's surprising twist ending . 

Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), working with Cole to encourage him to open up about what is afflicting him, believes he is helping the boy. The powerful thing about this line is the influence it has on the rest of the film — when Cole reveals that he can see the dead, we start to see the terrifying ghostly visions he has as well. Oft-parodied but unbeaten, this line has the power to give you goosebumps, just thinking about it.

"A boy's best friend is his mother."

On the run, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) arrives at the isolated Bates Motel and meets its unusual proprietor, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). At this point, Marion has no clue about the danger she is in, and Norman — while certainly a bit odd — seems personable and friendly enough not to raise an alarm. 

The subtlety of this line from "Psycho" is one of the brilliant things about it. While at the time it suggests little more than Norman being hen-pecked by his overbearing mother, it masks the dark secret that makes the film's shocking reveal a classic.

"Say 'hello' to my little friend!"

With an armed hit squad closing in on crime boss Tony Montana (Al Pacino), he's forced to make one final stand . Never one to be caught unprepared, he's got the firepower to do it — an AR-15 assault rifle and a grenade launcher. Brian De Palma's bloody, brutal masterpiece is packed with shocking displays of violence; this particularly notable line, however, elevates it above the rest. Taking heavy fire and surrounded by mounds of cocaine, Montana knows he isn't going to survive this onslaught — but is determined to go out in a blaze of gunfire.

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Frances "Baby" Houseman ( Jennifer Grey ) has never been the center of attention, and favors the idea of saving the world over chasing boys. That all changes during one memorable summer family vacation at Kellerman's Resort, when she meets and falls in love with streetwise dance teacher Johnny (Patrick Swayze). 

Johnny has a bit of a reputation, something of which Baby's father (Jerry Orbach) is particularly aware. As the season comes to a close, Baby and Johnny will soon have to part ways, and despite knowing the risk it poses to his future at Kellerman's, Johnny is determined to tell Baby how he feels. Before the strains of "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" kick in, Johnny pulls Baby out of the corner and gives the girl her moment in the spotlight.

• 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

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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The Top 50 Famous Movie Quotes (How Many Do You Know?)

Updated: March 11, 2022

Published: September 21, 2018

Movies can be an escape from reality or an inspiration. We often relate to the characters, situations they’re presented with, or words they speak. And many famous quotes have originated from movies.

Whether you’re a film buff or enjoy watching the occasional movie on Netflix, memorable movie phrases have likely made their way into your everyday vocabulary, presentations, or water cooler talk. Check out the movie quotes below and test your memory to see how many you remember.

Famous Movie Quotes

1. “May the Force be with you.” - Star Wars, 1977

2. “There's no place like home.” - The Wizard of Oz, 1939

3. “I'm the king of the world!” - Titanic, 1997

4. “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” - Dead Poets Society, 1989

5. “Elementary, my dear Watson.” - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1939

6. “It's alive! It's alive!” - Frankenstein, 1931

7. “My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.” - Forrest Gump, 1994

8. “I'll be back.” - The Terminator, 1984

9. “You're gonna need a bigger boat.” - Jaws, 1975

10. “Here's looking at you, kid.” - Casablanca, 1942

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11. “My precious.” - The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, 2002

12. “Houston, we have a problem.” - Apollo 13, 1995

13. “There's no crying in baseball!” - A League of Their Own, 1992

14. “E.T. phone home.” - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982

15. “You can't handle the truth!” - A Few Good Men, 1992

16. “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.” - Goldfinger, 1964

17. “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!” - Auntie Mame, 1958

18. “If you build it, he will come.” - Field of Dreams, 1989

19. “The stuff that dreams are made of.” - The Maltese Falcon, 1941

20. “Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937

21. “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” - The Godfather Part II, 1974

22. “I am your father.” - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980

23. “Just keep swimming.” -Finding Nemo, 2003

24. “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” - The Pride of the Yankees, 1942

25. “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” - The Help, 2011

26. “What we've got here is failure to communicate.” - Cool Hand Luke, 1967

27. “Hasta la vista, baby.” - Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 1991

28. “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.” - On the Waterfront, 1954

29. "Bond. James Bond." - Dr. No, 1962

30. “You talking to me?” - Taxi Driver, 1976

31. “Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.” - Back to the Future, 1985

32. “That'll do, pig. That'll do.” - Babe, 1995

33. “I'm walking here! I'm walking here!” - Midnight Cowboy, 1969

34. "It was beauty killed the beast." - King Kong, 1933

35. “Stella! Hey, Stella!” - A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951

36. "As if!" - Clueless, 1995

37. “Here's Johnny!” - The Shining, 1980

38. “Rosebud.” - Citizen Kane, 1941

39. “I'll have what she's having.” - When Harry Met Sally, 1989

40. “Inconceivable!” - The Princess Bride, 1987

41. “All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.” - Sunset Boulevard, 1950

42. “Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night.” - All About Eve, 1950

43. “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” - Dirty Dancing, 1987

44. “Well, nobody's perfect.” - Some Like it Hot, 1959

45. “Snap out of it!” - Moonstruck, 1987

46. “You had me at ‘hello.’" - Jerry Maguire, 1996

47. "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!" - Braveheart, 1995

48. “To infinity and beyond!” - Toy Story, 1995

49. “You’re killin’ me, Smalls.” - The Sandlot, 1993

50. “Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.” - The Wizard of Oz, 1939

Looking for some more quotes? Check out these motivational quotes to start your day, awesome quotes for every situation , brainy quotes that will make you sound smart , and uplifting entrepreneur quotes .

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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."

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."

"'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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"'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.

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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

" 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.

"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."

"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.

"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.

"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.

"'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.

" 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.

"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.

"'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.

"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.

"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."

"'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.

"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.

"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.

"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."

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"' 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.

"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."

"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.

"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."

"'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.

"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.

" [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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

" 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."

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"' 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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The best quote from each superman movie.

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Every Superman Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Superman just officially lost his status as dc's most powerful hero (with new costume to mark his demotion), superman declares the 2 dc heroes he trusts in a fight for the entire earth.

Superman has been one of the most important figures in the DC Universe since his first appearance in 1938. Everything known about DC Studios' Superman reboot suggests that the character's legacy will remain critical to his future . This means that exploring that legacy and pulling apart details from the hero's previous movies may be critical to understanding his future. While Superman has undoubtedly evolved and changed through the years, understanding the words used both by him and to describe him can help to place the iconic hero in context.

Until now, only three actors have played the Man of Steel in live-action, big-budget films. While Superman has had 13 animated films , and has appeared in multiple TV series and serials, his big-screen realization is encapsulated only by the performances of Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill. Each performer brought something very different to the role, and was able to create a version of the hero that best represented their respective eras. Looking back on the quotes from these films helps to understand the context of Superman throughout the years.

Superman films have shown both the best and the worst the superhero genre has to offer. Let's rank all the Man of Steel's theatrical releases.

7 "I'm Here To Fight For Truth, Justice, And The American Way"

Superman says to lois in superman: the movie.

This line provides the fundamental ethos of the Superman character. Drawn directly from the comics, this quickly informs all of what Superman represents. Notably, this has also been seen as a Superman quote that has aged poorly , and while this may be partially the case, it is worth understanding as the basis of the hero's outlook. While DC has since removed the American part of the hero's catchphrase, it is a genuine component of his identity, for good or for ill. Being American and fighting for the American way is part of what drives Superman.

This line is memorable and shines in the glow of heroism, but there is also a darkness to it. As was examined in the comic book Superman: Red Son , the place where Kal-El arrives on Earth will influence and shape so much of his worldview. Truth, justice, and the American way were instilled as values in Clark as a child, and those have shaped his outlook. While the American way may no longer represent what it meant in 1978, this evolution of meaning is still important to Superman’s character.

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Superman, directed by Richard Donner, stars Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent, an alien from the planet Krypton living on Earth who adopts the persona of Superman to protect humanity. Released in 1978, the film features Gene Hackman as the villain Lex Luthor, who creates a plan that threatens millions of lives. Margot Kidder co-stars as Lois Lane, a journalist at the Daily Planet and Clark Kent's colleague.

6 "Kneel Before Zod"

General zod to the president in superman ii.

Quotable and iconic, Terrence Stamp turns General Zod into a terrifyingly theatrical villain with this simple line. In an unusual uniform resembling a bathrobe, Zod's incredible power is displayed in how he challenges the world and its leaders. Without any fear or doubt in himself, Zod approaches the president and says, "I see you are practiced in worshiping things that fly. Rise before Zod. Now kneel before Zod." This line effectively creates a villain who is genuinely otherworldly and terrifying.

With his strange, spacey outlook and his disconnection from the human world, Stamp's Zod feels above everyone and everything around him. He is operating on a different plane from humanity, and his outlook is packed with violent potential. His disdain for humanity is so profound that he sees himself as so high above them that they are not even worth thinking about. Their survival can only be allowed if they bow down before him. With this simple line, the entirety of Zod's terror is encapsulated.

Superman II (1980)

Superman II (1980) sees Christopher Reeve reprise his role as the Man of Steel, battling General Zod (Terence Stamp) and his followers, who escape from the Phantom Zone and threaten Earth. Meanwhile, Superman must grapple with his feelings for Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and the loss of his powers. Directed by Richard Lester, the film combines elements of action, romance, and moral dilemmas, continuing the narrative of the iconic superhero.

5 "Any Man Who Can Trick My Machine Can Do Anything"

Gus to superman in superman iii.

Superman III reflects on the use of technology in convoluted ways, including the manipulation of weather satellites to ruin coffee crops. The villain, Ross Webster, says, "Computers rule the world today. And the fellow that can fool the computers can rule the world himself." When Superman stops their plan, Gus' reflection on his abilities comes to the front. Beyond the physical barriers that Superman has been able to transcend in his previous appearances, his ability to manipulate machinery becomes evident here.

With this line, a whole new dimension is provided to the Superman character. His powers transcend the analog and move into the digital sphere, yet it is all for good, not for ill. While the film is not especially insightful, these lines are prescient of the direction that technology would follow. Machines have only become more important to the daily lives of people. A quote like this one, spoken casually, actually reflects heavily on the state of the world today, and the importance of a hero like Superman.

Superman III

Superman III follows Clark Kent, portrayed by Christopher Reeve, as he faces a new enemy in the form of a computer mastermind, Gus Gorman, played by Richard Pryor. Directed by Richard Lester, the 1983 film explores the dynamics between Superman and his alter ego while dealing with threats both human and technological, including corporate magnate Ross Webster’s schemes to control the world. The movie delves into themes of identity and power, continuing the saga of the iconic superhero.

4 "I Thought I Could Give All The Gift Of Freedom From War But I Was Wrong. It's Not Mine To Give"

Superman addresses the un in superman iv: the quest for peace.

Similar to the ending of Aquaman & the Lost Kingdom , Superman IV closes with the titular hero making a speech to the United Nations. In this scene, he reflects on his powers and abilities. Showing some growth over the course of his four films, this last appearance of Christopher Reeve's Superman reflects on there being limits to his own ability. Superman cannot be all things for all people at all times; he can be an important symbol, but humanity must also take action themselves.

While much of Superman IV is ineffective, the eventual realization of limits to Superman's power is an excellent closing to the film. With this line, inspiration is passed to the audience and the public at large. Superman is here to help, but he is not the arbiter of how humanity can function, and nor should he be. Serving as an inspiration is an effective path for the Superman character, but using that power unilaterally can only lead to chaos and destruction. This narrative underscores the crucial role of humanity in shaping its own destiny.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace stars Christopher Reeve as the iconic superhero who takes on the global threat of nuclear weapons. Directed by Sidney J. Furie, the film features Gene Hackman reprising his role as Lex Luthor, who creates a new adversary for Superman in an attempt to achieve world domination. The movie examines themes of peace and conflict in the backdrop of Cold War tensions, continuing the legacy of the Superman franchise.

3 "Gods Are Selfish Beings Who Fly Around In Little Red Capes And Don't Share Their Power With Mankind"

Lex luthor explains his outlook in superman returns.

Following Superman IV' s developing outlook on heroism, Superman Returns allows Lex Luthor to reflect on Superman's existence. While pompous and catchy in his phrasing, Luthor comes off as petulant, although there is a hint of truth to what he is saying. By reframing the superhuman figure, the villain's motivations are made somewhat clearer. Superman cannot be all things for all people, and that means that some are going to see him as a villain rather than a hero. People like Luthor can imagine other ways to use his powers and find jealousy in that.

The mere existence of Superman challenges so many conceptions of life, and contending with that would be a difficult task. While Luthor is often cartoonish in his evil plots and theatrical in his dialogue, confronting the reality of an ambitious man being taken down with ease by a godly figure is a frustrating realization. Lex hates Superman for what he represents, and dialogue like this helps to illustrate and explain that effectively to the audience.

Superman Returns

Bryan Singer's Superman Returns follows the events surrounding the hero's return to Earth after a five-year absence. When Superman (Brandon Routh) arrives back on Earth, he discovers that Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has developed a plan to use kryptonite crystals to establish a new landmass that he intends to sell off to the highest bidder. With Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) now married with a child, Superman must come to terms with everything he left behind in order to stop Luthor's villainous scheme.

2 "You Are My Son"

Jonathan kent to clark in man of steel.

One of the most effective scenes in the film, packed full of emotion, the theme of found family that is so important to Clark Kent's growth on Earth is explored in Man of Steel so simply. The connection between Clark and Jonathan feels authentic. When Clark asks, "Can I just keep pretending I'm your son?" the emotion in his voice transcends the screen. When Jonathan Kent takes him in his arms and assures him that he is his son, the bond between Superman and his adoptive parents is clearly displayed.

Superman's story is of found family. The story of the Kents taking in Clark and raising him as their own is the entire Superman story in miniature. Kal-El's love for his adoptive parents is a core theme of Henry Cavill's iteration of the character. Director Zack Snyder has explained that it was Clark's trust in Jonathan's belief that he shouldn't reveal himself to the world yet that led the young Kryptonian to allow his father to die, despite having the ability to save him. Further, it was Clark's love for Martha that ultimately saved him from being killed by Batman.

Kal-El is not from Earth, but humanity has taken him in and has raised him as one of their own. Because of this, he gets to be a human being and think, act, and participate in the world as one. This shared love constructs so much of what Superman is and represents, and nowhere is that clearer than in this simple, emotional scene between Clark and his adoptive father.

Man of Steel

This new take on Superman's origin story, Man of Steel, centers on young journalist Clark Kent/Kal-El, a being who came to Earth as a child from Krypton. Though he has trouble fitting in with his secret superpowers and questions his purpose in life, Clark is forced into action when fellow Kryptonian General Zod arrives on Earth hellbent on conquest. Clark is built by the values set upon him by his parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, who adopted him as an otherworldly orphan, inadvertently raising him to become the hero humanity needs.

1 "If God Is All-Powerful, He Cannot Be All Good. And If He Is All Good, Then He Cannot Be All-Powerful"

Lex luthor speaks about superman in batman v superman: dawn of justice.

During a scene with Holly Hunter's Senator June Finch, Lex Luthor shares his outlook on heroism and gods, and it aligns with much of what has been explored in previous Superman films. There are limits to what any single figure could and should be able to be. Unbridled power is a danger, no matter who holds it. While Luthor's dialogue here is filtered through a kind of jealousy and is expressed with an uncomfortable level of pomp, there is some truth to what he is sharing.

The impact of superpowered beings on the world is most effective when filtered through Luthor's perspective. Although the villain is conniving and has plans of his own, he is only able to achieve these by convincingly and honestly discussing the downsides of superhuman figures. The balance between goodness and power is an interesting one to consider in Superman and DC Universe stories, and it leaves a lingering, thought-provoking effect after the theme is explored in this film.

Of course, it could be argued that the movie itself proves Superman is, in fact, good. Since Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice concludes with Superman's death, showing he isn't all-powerful, by Luthor's own logic, it means he is all good. The goodness in Superman is a key element of his character, and this line from Luthor helps prove it.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

In this high-action film by Zack Snyder, the two DC superheroes face off against one another in a conflict spurred on by the villainous Lex Luthor. The film also features WonderWoman playing a role in the fight against Doomsday and other villains from beyond the Earth. As the world's two most powerful superheroes prepare to destroy each other, an unexpected commonality brings them together to defeat their real enemy.

Upcoming DC Movie Releases

Joker: folie a deux, superman (2025), supergirl: woman of tomorrow, the batman part ii.

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Film Critics Quotes

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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.

I have cultivated a little crew of people whose opinions I understand. It's like the way you'd follow certain film critics because you know what their criteria are, and you may not agree with them, but you can glean from their opinion how you will feel about a film.

You become a film critic because you're interested in film. I don't know whether knowing so much about cinema leads you to make better films, but it certainly can't hurt.

I first came to cinema as a passionate filmgoer, when I was a child. Then, when I was a very young man, I became a film critic precisely because of my knowledge of cinema. I did better than others because of this. Then I moved on to screenwriting. I wrote a film with Sergio Leone, 'Once Upon a Time in the West.' And then I moved to directing.

No film critic's going to say it, but 'Madagascar 3' is better than 'The Artist.'

We're all so jaded. We've seen so many movies. We know what's going to happen in every single movie. I mean, there are some movies where I'm like why do I even need to keep watching? And so, if you can make a movie in which you're completely surprising the audience left and right, and left and right, then you've won. If a jaded film critic or reporter or an audience is like, "I didn't see that one coming," that to me is like a victory.

I mean, the old film critics just excoriated me.

When I had been a film critic for ten minutes, I treated Doris Day as a target for cheap shots. I have learned enough to say today that the woman was remarkably gifted.

The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't know my films.

I became a film director, but I wasn't successful with my first couple of films, so I had to turn to becoming a film critic to make a living.

I don't have any bone to pick with critics. In fact, if I wasn't a filmmaker I would probably be a film critic. Most of my bone is I would be a better film critic than most of the film critics I read.

I built my [early] career on negative reviews. There was a cultural war going on, the '60s was going on. All the film critics were square. They hated my movies. You could never have that happen today. Critics are way too hip.

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

I was at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards one year - they called me up when somebody canceled two days before the thing, and asked me to present some awards. So I went, and one of the funniest film moments I've ever had was when they introduced the New York film critics. They all stood up - motley isn't the word for that group. Everybody had some sort of vision problem, some sort of damage - I had to bury myself in my napkin.

Plays can outlast even the opinions of the chief film critic of The New York Times and that 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.

. . . you [film critics] always overstress the value of images. You judge films in the first place by their visual impact instead of looking for content. This is a great disservice to the cinema. It is like judging a novel only by the quality of its prose. I was guilty of the same sin when I first started writing for the cinema. . . . Now I feel that only the literary mind can help the movies out of that cul de sac into which they have been driven by mere technicians and artificers.

Recently, I took my son to see The Haunted Mansion, which was one of the worst things (I hesitate even to call it a movie) that I have ever seen. He thought it was better than Finding Nemo and we had a fruitless argument which I'm sure made him acutely aware of the disadvantages of having a film critic for a dad.

I love magazines and film critics, so I eat it up. I'm not one of those people who says 'I never read anything.' I generally read all of it.

When I was a film critic, the reason I kind of found it disenchanting was because the things that I wanted to talk about were the ideas in the movie, the theme of it, and contextual elements that weren't necessarily central to the story. But the only thing people really wanted was a plot description and how many stars I'd give it. It didn't matter how much effort you put into writing a piece, they looked at it solely as a consumer's guide toward going or not going to films.

My father was an engineer, .. But I found out that the film critics for the Stanford Daily got free passes for all the films. So I became first an assistant critic and then the main film critic. Those free passes changed my life.

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