Adam's Rib (1949): "Lawyers should never marry other lawyers. This is called inbreeding, from which comes idiot children and more lawyers."
"What is marriage? Tell me that. It's a contract. It's the law. Are you going to outsmart that, the way you've outsmarted other laws?" (Spencer Tracy to Katherine Hepburn)
"Assault lies dormant within us all. It requires only circumstance to set it in violent motion." (Hepburn's closing argument)
All About My Mother (1999): "Success has got no taste or smell. And when you get used to it, it’s like it didn’t exist."
The Art of the Steal (2009): "One man's conspiracy is another man's political consensus."
"What is marriage? Tell me that. It's a contract. It's the law. Are you going to outsmart that, the way you've outsmarted other laws?" (Spencer Tracy to Katherine Hepburn)
"Assault lies dormant within us all. It requires only circumstance to set it in violent motion." (Hepburn's closing argument)
All About My Mother (1999): "Success has got no taste or smell. And when you get used to it, it’s like it didn’t exist."
The Art of the Steal (2009): "One man's conspiracy is another man's political consensus."
Australia (2008), Faraway Downs (2023): "Most people like to own things. You know, land luggage, other people. Makes them feel secure. But all that can be taken away, and in the end, the only thing you really own is your story."
The Bookshop (2017): "Writers go anywhere there a free drink. I'm not so sure about thinkers."
Cape Fear (1962): "You can't arrest a man for what he might do. And thank heaven for that."
[Bonus: "There is no such crime as a crime of thought; there are only crimes of action." -- Clarence Darrow]
Citizen Kane: (1941): Woman: "I don't know many people." Kane: "I know too many people. I guess we're both lonely."
Dial M for Murder (1954): "[P]eople don't commit murder on credit."
Eat Man Drink Woman (1994): "Eat, drink, man, woman. Basic human desires. Can't avoid them. All my life, every day, that's all I've ever done. It pisses me off. Is that all there is to life?"
Equinox Flower (1958) (not a good movie, but I liked these lines): "Then everyone's inconsistent. Everyone but God. Life is absurd. We're not all perfect. As a scholar said, 'The sum total of inconsistencies is life.'"
The Bookshop (2017): "Writers go anywhere there a free drink. I'm not so sure about thinkers."
Cape Fear (1962): "You can't arrest a man for what he might do. And thank heaven for that."
[Bonus: "There is no such crime as a crime of thought; there are only crimes of action." -- Clarence Darrow]
Citizen Kane: (1941): Woman: "I don't know many people." Kane: "I know too many people. I guess we're both lonely."
Dial M for Murder (1954): "[P]eople don't commit murder on credit."
Eat Man Drink Woman (1994): "Eat, drink, man, woman. Basic human desires. Can't avoid them. All my life, every day, that's all I've ever done. It pisses me off. Is that all there is to life?"
Equinox Flower (1958) (not a good movie, but I liked these lines): "Then everyone's inconsistent. Everyone but God. Life is absurd. We're not all perfect. As a scholar said, 'The sum total of inconsistencies is life.'"
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022): “In another life, I could have been perfectly happy doing laundry and taxes with you.”
The Field (1990):
McCabe: "There's a law stronger than the common law."
Priest: "What's that?"
McCabe: "The law of the land."
The Field (1990):
McCabe: "There's a law stronger than the common law."
Priest: "What's that?"
McCabe: "The law of the land."
Funny Girl (1968):
Omar Sharif: "I like to feel free."
Barbra Streisand: "You can get lonesome being that free."
Omar Sharif: "You can get lonesome being that busy."
Barbra Streisand, singing: "We travel single, oh / Maybe we're lucky, but I don't know."
Gilmore Girls (2001): Luke, on marriage: "It's a bureaucratic civil ceremony and a pretty pointless one... It's not biologically natural for people to mate for life. Animals don't mate for life. Well, ducks do, but who the hell cares what ducks do? I mean, people grow and evolve their whole lives. The chances that you'll grow and evolve at the same rate as someone else are too slim to take. The minute you say, 'I do,' you're sticking yourself in a tiny little box for the rest of your life. But hey, at least you had a party first, right?" (Season 2, "Red Light on Wedding Night")
Rory Gilmore, on goals: "Travel, see the world up close, report on what's really going on, be a part of something big... I just want to be sure that I see... something."
Gloomy Sunday (1999):
Schnefke: "But we must be careful not to stray too far outside the law."
Hans: "Of course. But the beauty and vibrancy of the law lies in its flexible boundaries."
[Two Nazis in Hungary around 1939 discussing their future, indirectly demonstrating that the law, regardless of its substance or intent, usually favors those in power.]
Henry Fool (1997): "An honest man is always in trouble, Simon. Remember that."
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007): "He looks at me like he's the spoon, and I'm the dish of ice cream."
Juno (2007), from the protagonist, a pregnant high school student: "Oh, I'm a legend. The tale of the cautionary whale, you know?"
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) (a very fun dark comedy): "I must admit, he exhibits the most extraordinary capacity I've ever encountered for middle age in a young man of 24."
Omar Sharif: "You can get lonesome being that busy."
Barbra Streisand, singing: "We travel single, oh / Maybe we're lucky, but I don't know."
Gilmore Girls (2001): Luke, on marriage: "It's a bureaucratic civil ceremony and a pretty pointless one... It's not biologically natural for people to mate for life. Animals don't mate for life. Well, ducks do, but who the hell cares what ducks do? I mean, people grow and evolve their whole lives. The chances that you'll grow and evolve at the same rate as someone else are too slim to take. The minute you say, 'I do,' you're sticking yourself in a tiny little box for the rest of your life. But hey, at least you had a party first, right?" (Season 2, "Red Light on Wedding Night")
Rory Gilmore, on goals: "Travel, see the world up close, report on what's really going on, be a part of something big... I just want to be sure that I see... something."
Gloomy Sunday (1999):
Schnefke: "But we must be careful not to stray too far outside the law."
Hans: "Of course. But the beauty and vibrancy of the law lies in its flexible boundaries."
[Two Nazis in Hungary around 1939 discussing their future, indirectly demonstrating that the law, regardless of its substance or intent, usually favors those in power.]
Henry Fool (1997): "An honest man is always in trouble, Simon. Remember that."
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007): "He looks at me like he's the spoon, and I'm the dish of ice cream."
Juno (2007), from the protagonist, a pregnant high school student: "Oh, I'm a legend. The tale of the cautionary whale, you know?"
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) (a very fun dark comedy): "I must admit, he exhibits the most extraordinary capacity I've ever encountered for middle age in a young man of 24."
The Last Kiss (2006) (not a great movie, except for these lines): "Stop talking about love. Every a**hole in the world says he loves somebody. It means nothing. What you feel only matters to you. It's what you do to the people you say you love--that's what matters. [Indeed] It's the only thing that counts."
Lilies of the Field (1963): "To me, it [the chapel] is insurance. To me, life is here on this Earth. I cannot see further, so I cannot believe further. But if they are right about the hereafter, I have my insurance, señor."
The Lion in Winter (1968) (a must-see film): "He came from the North to Paris with a mind like Aristotle's and a form like mortal sin. We shattered the Commandments on the spot."
A Man for All Seasons (1966):
Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Mario's Story (2007): "[E]ventually good triumphs, but before it triumphs, a lot of people have to suffer."
Miller's Crossing (1990): "All in all, not a bad guy...if looks, brains, and personality don't count."
My Favorite Year (1982): "Comedy? You can't write comedy in California. It's not depressing enough!"
Nashville (1975): "Congress is run by lawyers. A lawyer is trained for two things, and two things only: to clarify and to confuse. He does whichever is to his client's advantage."
Night of the Hunter (1955): "Open the door, you spawn of the devil's own strumpet!"
One Day (2011): "She lit up with you... She made you decent. And then in return, you made her so happy."
The Opposite of Sex (1998): "What if sex isn’t about procreation...what if it’s about concentration? I only ask for one thing: when you’re in a crowded room, look for me first."
Past Life (2016): Two Israelis in 1977 discussing Europe and shedding light on democratic values: "Germany is no longer dangerous. It is a democracy. In Poland, you could disappear and no one would know."
Public Enemy (1931): "You're a spoiled boy, Tommy. You want things, and you're not content until you get them. Well, maybe I'm spoiled, too."
Quai des Orfevres (1947): "Maurice is my flame. He may not burn bright, but he lights my way."
Revolutionary Road (2008): "No one forgets the truth, Frank. They just get better at lying."
Lilies of the Field (1963): "To me, it [the chapel] is insurance. To me, life is here on this Earth. I cannot see further, so I cannot believe further. But if they are right about the hereafter, I have my insurance, señor."
The Lion in Winter (1968) (a must-see film): "He came from the North to Paris with a mind like Aristotle's and a form like mortal sin. We shattered the Commandments on the spot."
A Man for All Seasons (1966):
Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
Thomas More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Mario's Story (2007): "[E]ventually good triumphs, but before it triumphs, a lot of people have to suffer."
Miller's Crossing (1990): "All in all, not a bad guy...if looks, brains, and personality don't count."
My Favorite Year (1982): "Comedy? You can't write comedy in California. It's not depressing enough!"
Nashville (1975): "Congress is run by lawyers. A lawyer is trained for two things, and two things only: to clarify and to confuse. He does whichever is to his client's advantage."
Night of the Hunter (1955): "Open the door, you spawn of the devil's own strumpet!"
One Day (2011): "She lit up with you... She made you decent. And then in return, you made her so happy."
The Opposite of Sex (1998): "What if sex isn’t about procreation...what if it’s about concentration? I only ask for one thing: when you’re in a crowded room, look for me first."
Past Life (2016): Two Israelis in 1977 discussing Europe and shedding light on democratic values: "Germany is no longer dangerous. It is a democracy. In Poland, you could disappear and no one would know."
Public Enemy (1931): "You're a spoiled boy, Tommy. You want things, and you're not content until you get them. Well, maybe I'm spoiled, too."
Quai des Orfevres (1947): "Maurice is my flame. He may not burn bright, but he lights my way."
Revolutionary Road (2008): "No one forgets the truth, Frank. They just get better at lying."
Rocky Balboa (2006): "You know, I think if you live someplace long enough, you are that place."
Sabrina (1954):
Linus Larrabee: What’s money got to do with it? If making money were all there were to business, it'd hardly be worthwhile going to the office. Money is a by-product.
David: What’s the main objective? Power?
Linus: Agh! That’s become a dirty word.
David: Well then, what’s the urge? You’re going into plastics now. What will that prove?
Linus: Prove? Nothing much. A new product has been found, something of use to the world. So, a new industry moves into an undeveloped area. Factories go up, machines are brought in, a harbor is dug and you’re in business. It’s purely coincidental of course that people who've never seen a dime before suddenly have a dollar. And barefooted kids wear shoes and have their teeth fixed and their faces washed. What’s wrong with a kind of an urge that gives people libraries, hospitals, baseball diamonds and movies on a Saturday night?
The Shop Around the Corner (1940):
Pirovitch: I'm sure she'll be beautiful.
Alfred Kralik: Well, not too beautiful. What chance does a fellow like me--
Pirovitch: What do you want? A homely girl?
Alfred Kralik: No, no. You knock on wood for me. Just a lovely, average girl. That's--that's all I want.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): "Money and women: the reasons to make most mistakes in life."
Starting Out in the Evening (2007): "I find very few men of my age interesting. They're like chewing gum--ten minutes of flavor followed by bland repetition."
10,000 Black Men Named George (2002): "Nobody got anything in this country unless they took it. Hell, I admire the white man. He wanted Manhattan Island, gave the Indians a bottle of whiskey, and he took it. White folks died, suffered, sacrificed. Took a country and built it up. Yeah, they brought us here in chains, we know that. We're still in chains--they're a tad lighter, but they're still chains. And the only way those chains are gonna get broke is if we break 'em. Ain't nobody else gonna do it for us...We're the same, you and me... I just like money and p*ssy more than you do." -- Milton P. Webster, black Republican (1887-1965), to union organizer and Democratic civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph
To Catch a Thief (1955):
Francie: Money handles most people.
John: Do you honestly believe that?
Francie: I've proved it.
John: You're a singular girl.
Francie: Is that good or bad?
John: Oh, it's good, it's quite good. You know what you want. You go out after it and nothing stops you from getting it.
Francie: You make it sound corny.
John: Oh no, you're a jackpot of admirable character traits.
Francie: I already knew that.
John: Yes, I will say you do things with dispatch. No wasted preliminaries. Not only did I enjoy that kiss last night, I was awed by the efficiency behind it.
Francie: Well, I'm a great believer of getting down to essentials.
Venus (2006):
"For most men, a woman's body is the most beautiful thing they will ever see."
"What about for women?"
"Her first child."
Wall Street (2010): "Most people, they lose, they whine and quit. Don't run when you lose, don't whine when it hurts. It's like the first grade... Nobody likes a crybaby."
X-Men 2 (2003):
Storm: Sometimes anger can help you survive.
Nightcrawler: So can faith.
You Can't Take It With You (1938): Lincoln said, "With malice towards none; with charity to all." Nowadays they say, "Think the way I do, or I'll bomb the daylights out of you."
[Bonus: "Nature never intended for Southern California to breed realists." -- William C. Hodapp (Autumn 1936, The Folio)]
Sabrina (1954):
Linus Larrabee: What’s money got to do with it? If making money were all there were to business, it'd hardly be worthwhile going to the office. Money is a by-product.
David: What’s the main objective? Power?
Linus: Agh! That’s become a dirty word.
David: Well then, what’s the urge? You’re going into plastics now. What will that prove?
Linus: Prove? Nothing much. A new product has been found, something of use to the world. So, a new industry moves into an undeveloped area. Factories go up, machines are brought in, a harbor is dug and you’re in business. It’s purely coincidental of course that people who've never seen a dime before suddenly have a dollar. And barefooted kids wear shoes and have their teeth fixed and their faces washed. What’s wrong with a kind of an urge that gives people libraries, hospitals, baseball diamonds and movies on a Saturday night?
The Shop Around the Corner (1940):
Pirovitch: I'm sure she'll be beautiful.
Alfred Kralik: Well, not too beautiful. What chance does a fellow like me--
Pirovitch: What do you want? A homely girl?
Alfred Kralik: No, no. You knock on wood for me. Just a lovely, average girl. That's--that's all I want.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): "Money and women: the reasons to make most mistakes in life."
Starting Out in the Evening (2007): "I find very few men of my age interesting. They're like chewing gum--ten minutes of flavor followed by bland repetition."
10,000 Black Men Named George (2002): "Nobody got anything in this country unless they took it. Hell, I admire the white man. He wanted Manhattan Island, gave the Indians a bottle of whiskey, and he took it. White folks died, suffered, sacrificed. Took a country and built it up. Yeah, they brought us here in chains, we know that. We're still in chains--they're a tad lighter, but they're still chains. And the only way those chains are gonna get broke is if we break 'em. Ain't nobody else gonna do it for us...We're the same, you and me... I just like money and p*ssy more than you do." -- Milton P. Webster, black Republican (1887-1965), to union organizer and Democratic civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph
To Catch a Thief (1955):
Francie: Money handles most people.
John: Do you honestly believe that?
Francie: I've proved it.
John: You're a singular girl.
Francie: Is that good or bad?
John: Oh, it's good, it's quite good. You know what you want. You go out after it and nothing stops you from getting it.
Francie: You make it sound corny.
John: Oh no, you're a jackpot of admirable character traits.
Francie: I already knew that.
John: Yes, I will say you do things with dispatch. No wasted preliminaries. Not only did I enjoy that kiss last night, I was awed by the efficiency behind it.
Francie: Well, I'm a great believer of getting down to essentials.
Venus (2006):
"For most men, a woman's body is the most beautiful thing they will ever see."
"What about for women?"
"Her first child."
Wall Street (2010): "Most people, they lose, they whine and quit. Don't run when you lose, don't whine when it hurts. It's like the first grade... Nobody likes a crybaby."
X-Men 2 (2003):
Storm: Sometimes anger can help you survive.
Nightcrawler: So can faith.
You Can't Take It With You (1938): Lincoln said, "With malice towards none; with charity to all." Nowadays they say, "Think the way I do, or I'll bomb the daylights out of you."
[Bonus: "Nature never intended for Southern California to breed realists." -- William C. Hodapp (Autumn 1936, The Folio)]
