In an effort to take a break from our sports commentary, we decided to go with old fall-back of compiling a list. The list is our version of Vinny Testaverde, if you will.
Anyway, we present…
The Top 10 Most Quotable Movies
(10) Rain Man - Pretty much any line uttered by Dustin Hoffman in this movie will do, as long as you repeat it a few times. There’s Wapner, Qantas, or just the basic, “I’m an excellent driver.”
(9) Monty Python and the Holy Grail - This would be higher on the list, except that you definitely need a counterpart also familiar with the film to really pull it off. But on your own, there’s “I fart in your general direction” or “It’s only a flesh wound.”
(8) Tommy Boy - With this flick, you get two options. You can go with Farley’s lines - “Fat guy in a little coat” or “That’s gonna leave a mark.” Or try it out with Spade’s sarcasm - “Ah, M & M’s on in the dashbaord, that really ups the re-sell value.”
(7) Cool Hand Luke - Oddly enough, most of the great quotes come from characters other than Luke. There’s the always solid, “What we’ve got here is, failure to communicate…” But a really wide range of options come from: “If you [fill in the blank], you spend the night in the box.” Not to mention being able to ask permission for all activities, beginning and ending the request with “Boss.”
(6) Full Metal Jacket - Memorize everything said by Sgt. Hartman in the first 45 minutes. It’s just that easy, way too much to choose from. A quick one that can work in any situation: “Sir what? Were you about to call me an asshole?”
(5) Old School - With a variety of main characters, this movie provides many options. Some of our favorites include: “Denver, the Sunshine State, gorgeous” or “You’re my boy, Blue.” And of course, any reference to Home Depot or Bed, Bath, and Beyond has the appropriate quote tailor-made.
(4) Pulp Fiction - While we would advise staying away from the over-used “going medieval” quote, there’s a lot to be used form this film. Try out, “This is a tasty burger,” or “I’m Superfly TNT, the Guns of the Naverone.” Then there’s the always subtle, “Zed’’s dead, baby, Zed’s dead.”
(3) Office Space - You have to be careful when quoting this movie. But, if done correctly, you can really create some nice moments. Any reference to a stapler or TPS reports should always go over well. If you want to be more adventurous, you can suggest that someone might have a case of the Mondays. And you have the perfect answer to the question, “What would you do with a million dollars?”
(2) The Big Lebowski - Where to begin? This movie has plenty to work with. You can try out “That rug really tied the room together” as a comment for just about any situation. You are provided with about 10 different ways to refer to a White Russian cocktail. Also, any piece of dialog from John Goodman’s character is golden. “Donny, you’re out of your element.”
(1) A Few Good Men - We have neither the time nor the space on this blog to explain all the great quotes that can retrieved from this movie. You need to watch it, then watch again, then maybe one more time. Every line in this movie (other than the one involving the phrase “galactically stupid”) is a top of the line quote for almost any situation. And it’s a bonus if you make good use of the terrific lines spouted off by characters other than Jessup.
Are we clear?