I love lists, so when I tripped over the Top 100 Greatest Movie lines, I couldn’t resist reading them all.
The way Premier Online presents this list is a little tiresome, clicking from image to image reading their lines in their chosen order, but it was enlightening.
The lines that people love most come not necessarily from the most revered films in the canon (though Casablanca and Citizen Kane are represented), but from down-to-earth comedies or action films (Ahem, “I’ll be baaack!”) that grabbed the audience on a visceral level. Whatever the genre of the film, these small bits of dialogue are important: they’re cultural shorthand, part of the language everyone shares.
I quote movie lines so often that people quite expect it from me. Many of the lines I choose are more obscure than these ones,
On that list, some of my favourites are:
88. “We find the defendants incredibly guilty.” — Jury foreman (Bill Macy) in The Producers (1967)
86. “Can I borrow your underpants for ten minutes?” — The Geek (Anthony Michael Hall) in Sixteen Candles (1984)
83. “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.” — Jessica Rabbit (Kathleen Turner) in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
68. “Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!” — Bill Murray as Dr. Venkman in Ghostbusters (1984)
41. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” — Brody (Roy Scheider) in Jaws (1975)
27. “The first rule of Fight Club is you don’t talk about Fight Club.” — Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) in Fight Club (1999)
22. “May the Force be with you.” — Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in Star Wars (1977)
15. “You sly dog! You got me monologuing!” — Syndrome (Jason Lee) in The Incredibles (2004)
8. “You talkin’ to me?” — Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) in Taxi Driver (1976)
Easily #22 is the one I like the most. Sure, lots of people said that in the movies, but there is something impacting when Han “I trust a blaster at my side over some hokey religion any day” Solo says it. It has no greater meaning in the entire saga than just there.
You can click here to read the whole list proper.
