“Sarcasm is the refuge of losers.”
“Albuquerque. Snorkel. See I can do it too.”
“I hope you have Hobo stab insurance.”
“Buyers and sellers. Pimps and whores, pimps and whores.”
Out of context, many of these lines don’t have meaning. But give the line the right inflection and rhythm and suddenly it re-images an entire scene and feeling from a movie.
Movies are family time at my house. Movie night equals popcorn and Dots (you eat the Dot in the same mouthful as a big scoop of over-buttered popcorn and that taste of salty/sweet is out of this world) and all five of us snuggled together on the sectional sofa.
Our collective taste is eclectic. We watch everything from sci-fi (Serenity) to R-action adventure (The Movie That Shall Not Be Named–since I promised Martha) to PG-action adventure (National Treasure) to fantasy (Harry Potter) to quirky (Little Miss Sunshine) to sophomoric humor (Accepted) to animated (Titan A.E.). And if we all like a movie it becomes something we watch regularly. My favorites switch. For awhile, National Treasure was my go-to movie if nothing else appealed. All of the above are perennial favorites.
After watching a film over and over, some of those special lines, the zingers that amuse you every time, wiggle their way into your speech patterns like worms into your dirt. The quote is usually appropriate to the conversation but there is a moment where we connect on a deeper more intimate level.
Last week I asked son’s friend if the girl hanging around his house was his girlfriend.
My son was suitably embarrassed. “Mom.” As in, it’s none of your business.
To which I replied, “Fuck you, I’m old I can do what I want.”
Alan Arkin couldn’t have said it better. Friend’s eyes got round and big, thinking we were on the verge of a fight, then son and I started laughing.
So, sure the images are great, but it's the words that I remember and the emotions they evoked that stick with me.
Finally, (I couldn't resist) when you’re in the mood for a Bruce Willis fix....
“Come out to the coast, we’ll have a few laughs.” I promise there will be no guns blazing, but look out for lines flying. “Yippee Cay-Yay Mother Fucker.”
Lisa
ps–Just in case you aren’t sure where these quotes come from:
“Sarcasm....” Greg Kinnear’s character, Little Miss Sunshine
“Snorkel....” Riley, National Treasure
“Hobo stab....” Jonah Hill’s character, Accepted
“Pimps and whores....” Lewis Black’s character, Accepted
“F-U, I’m old....” Alan Arkin’s character, Little Miss Sunshine
Last one is from the movie that shall not be named....
9 comments:
Riley had all the best lines in National Treasure! My personal fave - "Delicious jams and jellies?"
I love quoting from movies, but in my case I often find the worse the movie, the better. My current favorite is Rupert Everett in My Best Friend's Wedding: "Love it. Love the bag, love the shoes, love everything."
From Little Miss Sunshine, also from Alan Arkin (one of my favorite actors): "You've got to be crazy to do drugs when you're young, but stupid not to do them when you're old." Something like that...
Vision Sister--Riley was a great buddy. I seriously *love* that movie. My kids make fun of me and last year we were in PA for a wedding and made it a point to visit some of the places in the movie. :) I also love the part where he's all happy because he knows something that Ben doesn't....
Juliet--
Little Miss Sunshine is a brilliant movie. I watch it at least once a month. The characters and characterization are so incredibly distinct and detailed and the resolution so incredibly perfect. The other line we quote continuously is "again with the fucking chicken" :)
Lisa, first - thank you for respecting the Die Hard Love.
What is a dog???
crap, I mean dot. or dots. I've *seen* them but don't really know what it is.
Martha--I wondered what dog you were talking about? *vbg*
Dots are basically gum drops except they aren't super sweet and they are chewier and they don't have sugar on the outside. The combo of really buttery salty popcorn and chewy sweet candy is excellent (thanks to Mary Beth who shared this movie viewing technique in high school--I think possibly at Stripes, which is another favorite movie, "uh, convicted? No, never convicted." :)
Lisa, dots are not the best combo with popcorn. That would be Milk Duds. Better yet, M&Ms.
you guys amaze me with your ability to remember lines! all i can remember is...*feelings*. how movies made me feel. big surprise right? so what is this popcorn-with-candy thing and how have i missed it all these years?! If there was anything decent in the theater i'd round up the boy and go right now!
go see Hurt Locker. Now.
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