Of the seventy-five Mt. Rushmores I've erected since initiating my most enduring series in July 2012, the one I've most often been tempted to demolish and re-construct enshrined four perfect one-liners from a movie. I hope you'll join in today by nominating up to four easy-to-remember lines of movie dialogue that you think measure up to those below. (To avoid duplicating any of my flawless choices, be sure to also check out the October 2013 originals on Mt. Rushmore #16.) My repurposed monument orders the four lines via release date of the film. Order yours however you wish.
1.) "I'll alert the media." From the day I heard Sir John Gielgud deadpan this line to Dudley Moore in Arthur (1981), I've used this one-liner dozens of times. Has there ever been a more perfectly sarcastic response to a banality?
2.) "Well, that would certainly explain the hostility." My Cousin Vinny (1992) has several Rushmore-worthy lines. But judge Fred Gwynne's offhand remark upon learning that Marisa Tomei is the fiancée of hapless attorney Joe Pesci is an unimprovable line from this top-notch comedy.
3.) "Show me the money!" The films of director/screenwriter Cameron Crowe are stuffed with goodies like this. The mercenary challenge hurled at Tom Cruise/Jerry Maguire (1996) by Cuba Gooding Jr. is a moment of pure movie magic.
4.) "I love you but you don't know what the hell you're talking about." From arguably the least well-known film in this group - Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - comes this unforgettable gem. How many times in your life have you had this exact thought even if you never said it aloud to someone you loved?
Reflections From The Bell Curve: #16: The Mt. Rushmore Series
Your turn.
There are so many lines that come to mind. Here are four that I nominate:
ReplyDelete"I'll be back." —Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator
"Go ahead, make my day." —Clint Eastwood, Sudden Impact
"You can't handle the truth!" —Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men
"You talking to me?" —Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver
Chris; All good choices. Not as good as mine but that is to be expected. Thanks for reading.
DeleteSomething has changed in the comments from previously in terms of posting comments. Regardless, given the horrific murder of Rob Reiner and his wife, I have always loved the line: "I want what she is having."
ReplyDeleteInes; When we next talk face-to-face maybe you can elaborate more on "what's changed" re posting comments. And, wild as it is, that line from "When Harry Met Sally" - spoken by Rob Reiner's mother, BTW - occurred to me when I began writing this post. I decided not to use the line or to make mention of those senseless murders because doing so felt exploitative and a little ghoulish.
DeleteIn my favorite film noir, OUT OF THE PAST, the femme fatale, having been caught in her duplicity says to Robert Mitchum, "But, darling, no one is ALL bad. To which Mitchum replies, "Yeah, but you come the closest."
ReplyDeleteAnonymous; Thanks for the comment. Great line, BTW from "Out of the Past", surely one of the best film noir classics. This moment, I can't remember who played that femme fatale. And I purposefully don't use Goggle etc. to look up stuff like this; prefer to let my brain do some work. So, when that actress name finally comes to me - as I'm sure it will - I'll think of this comment and smile.
DeleteHey Pat. I'm actually going to deviate from my usual response to your Mt. Rushmore Series. And only because reading this post brought up so many, too many, films that Rose and I quote all the time that it would take much more than 4 responses to adequately express how much fun we have doing this and how often we do it. It's almost become reflex. So much fun. But, I will say that quoting from 'Arthur' is one of our favorites .. 'Don't You Hate Perry's Wife', 'I'm Talking Small', 'I'll give you $100 but I will ask you to simonize my car' ... I could go on and on. It is one of our absolute favorite movies.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the non-response/response but ... I just had to .
Be well,
Bob
Bob; Never, never apologize for "deviating" or any "non-response" response. The fact that you regularly read and comment is more than enough. And I'm pleased my favorite line from "Arthur" got you & Rose riffing on other lines from that film and others. That's actually the point of this post. Finally, I get that you would have trouble limiting yourself to just four lines. That's the reason I felt I needed to demolish #16 and start all over with #76, the first time I've ever done so with any Mt. Rushmore.
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