There are certain movies that simply command your attention. For some, it's all about the sound designer, who may create explosive car chases that are loud and fiery. For others, it might be the work of the cinematographer, framing green, rolling hills below a buttery sunset. For me, and many others, what brings the most magic to film is the words brought to us by the screenwriters. Obviously, a masterful director—and brilliant actors—pull all of these elements together to create a near-perfect cinematic experience.
Some dialogue from screenplays just hits like a ton of bricks. And if it hits at the right time, it might just stay embedded in your mind forever, possibly even transforming your life. One that I've carried with me is from the 1950s film Harvey starring Jimmy Stewart. "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years, I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."
-Jimmy Stewart in the film Harvey. www.youtube.com, Bhana Prasad M, Universal Pictures
Oftentimes, the movie itself doesn’t have to be an A+ for the line to be stellar. A lesser James L. Brooks film, How Do You Know, gave us another profound favorite movie line, delivered by Paul Rudd: "We are all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work." I think about that quote nearly every day.
The art of writing screenplays is a delicate and nuanced endeavor. In fact, just recently, Ken Miyamoto listed "15 Movies Screenwriters Should Watch to Study Dialogue," in which he insists there are no real secrets. It either works or it doesn't, and it mostly depends on how relatable it is. A few of the movies he lists include Annie Hall, The Social Network, Good Will Hunting, and Glengarry Glen Ross. (Three of those screenwriters—Woody Allen, Aaron Sorkin, and David Mamet—are also playwrights, which could offer a clue as to why their work is so reliant on dialogue, alone.)
On a Reddit post, someone asked, "What's the most unexpectedly profound quote you've ever heard in a movie?" The OP adds, "I was watching a movie the other day, and a line of dialogue just hit me harder than I expected. It got me thinking about how certain quotes from films can stick with you for years. What’s a quote from a movie that really resonated with you or made you think differently about something?"
The question got over one thousand replies. They varied in tone from deeply meaningful and thought-provoking to just plain funny. Here are a few that stood out, mixed in with a few favorites of my own.
PROFOUND:
"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you are uncool." – Almost Famous
"It's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you." – Batman Begins
"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." -- Ran (Kurosawa)
"We just don’t recognize life’s most significant moments while they’re happening. Back then I thought, 'Well, there’ll be other days.' I didn’t realize that that was the only day." – Field of Dreams
"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." – Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
"Make the money, don't let the money make you." -- The Players Club
"It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything." – Fight Club
"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it" -- The Color Purple"
"Life is pain, highness. Anyone that tells you otherwise is selling something." – The Princess Bride
"Life is pain" scene from the film The Princess Bride www.youtube.com, JM Lam, 20th Century Fox
HUMOROUS:
"Look up idiot in the dictionary, you know what you'll find?" "A picture of me?" "No, the definition of the word idiot, which you f-ing are." – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
"Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere." – Van Wilder
"Nervous?" "Yes." "First time?" "No, I've been nervous lots of times." – Airplane
"That is one nutty hospital." – Tootsie
"You're never too old to go to space camp." – Stranger Than Fiction
"It must be nice always thinking you know better, to think you’re the smartest person in the room." "No, it's awful." – Broadcast News
Holly Hunter in Broadcast News. www.youtube.com, 20th Century Fox, Michael Stevenson
SCI-FI:
"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain" - Blade Runner
"Watch the skies, everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies." -- The Thing from Another World
“I just try to live every day as if I’ve deliberately come back to this one day to enjoy it as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.” - About Time"
"Do or do not. There is no try." – The Empire Strikes Back
- YouTube www.youtube.com, Empire Fan Productions
CLASSIC:
"It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." – Rocky Balboa (2006)
"Get busy living, or get busy dying." – The Shawshank Redemption
"I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen." -- Say Anything
"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." __ When Harry Met Sally
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." – Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Matthew Broderick stars as Ferris Bueller. www.youtube.com, Paramount Pictures, Maximus Operandi