The best movies have stories, characters, and messages that permeate through culture and even cross generations. There are lines that are just burned into the collective subconscious. "Run, _______, run!" "How do ya like them _______?" Bet you had no problem filling in the blank on those.
Some lines are particularly memorable, whether due to the context, the actor, the movie, the writing, or simply because it was groundbreaking at the time. Here, we take a look at 11 of the best movie lines.
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather
The Godfather movies were among the first films to look at the underbelly of the mafia, igniting one of the most popular movie genres. The films were so highly acclaimed, they even had an influence on the real-life mob. Gangsters became so fond of the film and the language used by the characters that they began to adopt it into their vernacular, with the head of the mob being called “godfather.” Vito Corleone’s line about how he’ll persuade a studio head to cast a singer in a movie has become so archetypal that it's used whenever there is an ultimatum on the table.
“May the Force be with you.” – Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars: A New Hope
A line so iconic it spawned its own holiday (May the 4th be with you!) — this greeting has appeared in all of the Star Wars films, but it was originally spoken by Han Solo. It was a pivotal moment in the film when the once-cynical character became a believer in the ways of the Force.
“Heeeeere’s Johnny.” – Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in The Shining
Inspired by the introduction to The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, this line was a clever piece of improvisation by Jack Nicholson. After filming multiple takes of the chilling scene in which Jack is hacking through the door, director Stanley Kubrick wanted Nicholson to keep scaring actress Shelley Duval by saying different lines when he broke through the wood. Kubrick found this take fulfilled the magic mix of funny and creepy, so it stayed in the movie.
"You had me at 'hello.'" — Renée Zellweger as Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire
Sports agent Jerry Maguire has an epiphany and writes a manifesto, but all of this is supplanted by the burgeoning relationship with Renée Zellweger's Dorothy Boyd. He initially neglects her in favor of his lone football star client, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., but when he comes back to win her love, he tries to show his love with a big speech. Her reply? "You had me at 'hello.'"
“You talkin’ to me?” – Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver
Another improvised line in this list, Travis Bickle’s conversation with his reflection has become among the most famous in cinema. The sequence perfectly demonstrates his paranoid frame of mind and his loneliness at having to talk to himself. It is also arguably the most frequently uttered phrase while looking into mirrors of all time.
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” – Roy Scheider as Chief Brody in Jaws
Because a shark has been terrorizing a small island town, three men set off on a small boat to kill the animal. Once the beast reveals itself from the depths of the ocean, a dumbstruck Chief Brody informs the boat’s captain that they have come underprepared. This line was also improvised by Scheider, who had made it a running joke to say this line during takes, due to the size of the production boat. Director Steven Spielberg left it in the final cut, because, in the end, it suited the scene perfectly.
“I’ll be back.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-1000 in The Terminator
What started as a menacing threat from a villainous character soon became the catchphrase of a movie star. This famous promise not only appeared in the rest of the films of the franchise, but also became a personal catchphrase of Governator Schwarzenegger in several of his later films and on the campaign trail for his political career. He even immortalized it in cement, next to his signature and handprints at Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre.
"Nobody puts Baby in a corner." — Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing
How many teenage hearts have sighed while hearing this words? Patrick Swayze stars as the ultimate summer love in the '80s classic, "Dirty Dancing." Jennifer Grey's Baby spends the summer discovering her confidence as she learns how to dance, but she's given the final push to stand up to her straight-laced father when Johnny pulls here out of the corner for the big final dance.
“Rosebud….” – Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane
Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane is in the running when discussing the greatest film Hollywood has ever produced. The opening line is the last word spoken by newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane before his death. Kane’s “Rosebud” was thought by reporters to be the missing piece in solving the mystery of his enigmatic personality. Though the journalists in the film are never able to decipher the word’s meaning, it's revealed to the audience in the film’s closing shots that in Kane’s final moments, it was a childhood sled he was calling for.
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” – Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
After a tornado picks up her family’s home in Kansas, Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, find themselves in the magical, musical, merry land of Oz. The audience is transported with Dorothy to Oz when the film switches from the standard black and white of the opening scenes, to the jaw-dropping, state-of-the-art Technicolor, which brought Oz to life. It was one of the first uses of color in American cinema.
“Bond. James Bond.” – Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No
A line that has become the epitome of the cool introduction, it could only be from 007. It has been repeated in each of the 26 films featuring the British spy, and imitated in countless other pieces of work. Connery’s icebreaker proved to be an integral calling card of one of the most famous characters in history.