Classic Lines From the Most Quotable Movies Ever
Some movies have an X-factor when it comes to quotability — something about the characters and the dialogue that makes the lines pop, so much so that they stick in your head and find their way into general conversation.
It’s all a bit subjective, of course, when it comes to determining the most-quoted movies of all time, but here are eight classics that undeniably rank near the top. And apologies in advance if your own quotable favorite — Aliens, Ghostbusters, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Mean Girls, the list goes on — hasn’t made the cut. For now, “That is so fetch!” is still not going to happen.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Few movies have inspired as much fandom as the original Star Wars trilogy. The now-sprawling franchise began back in 1977 with Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, which introduced us to iconic characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. Many fans can literally recite the entire movie as they watch it, much to the annoyance of anyone else in the room. The movie’s quotability is off the charts, just as it is in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
The Princess Bride wasn’t a big box-office success upon its release in 1987, but has since become a cult classic thanks to its postmodern mix of swashbuckling, comedy, and fairy-tale romance. The film’s host of colorful characters, played by actors including Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, and André the Giant, come out with some truly classic lines, making the Rob Reiner-directed movie eminently quotable. When asked if people often come up to him and quote the movie, Elwes replied, “Oh, please. I mean, people have got vast portions of the screenplay tattooed on their body.”
Despite mixed reviews upon its release in 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is now widely regarded as one of the best comedy movies of all time — even if some viewers are left baffled by the sheer silliness of it all. The movie satirizes Arthurian legend with a host of bizarre scenes that feature everything from three-headed knights to killer rabbits, and no shortage of delightfully silly lines.
Few films are more emblematic of the golden age of Hollywood than Casablanca. Released in 1942, it won the Academy Award for Best Picture and went on to become a truly iconic movie that often features in lists of the greatest films of all time. Its cultural impact was so great that even people who have never seen the movie are familiar with some of its most famous lines — including one of the most common misquotes in cinema history, “Play it again, Sam,” which is never said in Casablanca.
The Godfather, released in 1972, is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola — and with a heavyweight cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton — the movie was a financial and critical success, winning Best Picture, Best Actor (for Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Brando’s distinctive voice in the movie, which he based on real-life mobster Frank Costello, made his lines even more quotable, while other characters also chipped in with some classic gangster dialogue.
Pulp Fiction is often considered to be Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus, a true masterpiece combining comedy and violence in equal measure, with the endlessly sharp and quotable dialogue that Tarantino is famous for. The movie became an almost instant classic, and helped revitalize the careers of John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman. Many of its most famous quotes are undeniably R-rated, but others are repeatable in polite company.
The Big Lebowski, directed by the Coen brothers, received mixed reviews on its release but has since become a cult classic. The Dude, played by Jeff Bridges, is one of the most iconic slackers in movie history, and has even inspired a whole religion known as Dudeism. (The character is also the basis for the names of two species of African spider: Anelosimus biglebowski and Anelosimus dude.)
When it comes to quotability, few films can rival the 2004 comedy Anchorman. The actors were encouraged to improvise their lines, and when you have comedic heavyweights like Will Ferrell and Steve Carell on set, magic is bound to happen. It’s pure silliness to the highest degree, but it’s hard not to love the world’s most ridiculous news team. Stay classy, San Diego.
The Princess Bride
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Casablanca
The Godfather
Pulp Fiction
The Big Lebowski
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
