Close-up Culture’s James Prestridge selects his 200 favourite film quotes of the 2010s.
200. “There should be no boundaries to human endeavour. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.” – The Theory Of Everything (2014)
Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) gives an inspirational and hopeful answer to an audience member.
199. “I have been falling… for 30 minutes!” – Thor: Ragnarok (2018)
Loki (Tom Hiddlestone) responds to being sent falling by the magic of Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch).
198. “I work for the KGB, baby.” – Anna (2019)
This line from Anna (Sasha Luss) is all in the delivery.
197. “Let’s go get drunk and make love.” – Blue Valentine (2010)
Dean (Ryan Gosling) has a quick fix for his marital problems with Cindy (Michelle Williams).
196. “Do you think America give a flying rat’s ass about you or me? America doesn’t bail out the losers. America was built by bailing out winners. By rigging a nation of the winners, for the winners, by the winners.” – 99 Homes (2014)
Real estate shark Rick (Michael Shannon) gives his outlook on financial hierarchies in America.
195. “I’m gonna tear up the f*cking dancefloor, check it out.” – Ex Machina (2014)
Nathan (Oscar Isaac) gears up for his iconic dance in Alex Garland’s sci-fi film.
194. “There are rich teams, and there are poor teams. Then there’s fifty feet of crap, and then there’s us.” – Moneyball (2011)
At a scouting meeting, Billy (Brad Pitt) drives home the uphill battle facing his baseball side.
193. “Ah, you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, moulded by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding!” – The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Bane (Tom Hardy) shares his dark origins as he brawls with Batman (Christian Bale).
192. “That’s what I love about music. Even the most banal scenes are suddenly invested with so much meaning, you know? All these banalities, they suddenly turn into these beautiful, effervescent pearls.” – Begin Again (2014)
Dan (Mark Ruffalo) speaks about the transformative power of music as he spends a glorious night walking the streets of New York City with Gretta (Keira Knightley).
191. “My name is… Jeff.” – 22 Jump Street (2014)
Jenko (Channing Tatum) attempts to sound Mexican are nothing short of hilarious.
190. “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love.” – Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) speaks to Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) in a place that looks similar to King’s Cross Station.
189. “Look at me. I’m the Captain now” – Captain Phillips (2013)
Muse (Barkhad Abdi) asserts his position of power over Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) and his crew.
188. “In a million years, when kids go to school, they gonna know: Once there was a Hushpuppy, and she lived with her daddy in the Bathtub.” – Beasts Of The Southern Wild (2012)
Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) dreams of one day having mythical status.
187. “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullsh*t story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” – The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) gives an inspiration speech to his staff.
186. “I ain’t afraid to die anymore, I’ve done it already.” – The Revenant (2016)
Hugh (Leonardo DiCaprio) tells Andrew (Domhnall Gleeson) why he isn’t afraid of pushing further for revenge.
185. “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” – The Help (2011)
Housekeeper Aibileen (Viola Davis) offers sweet words to a young child who might not receive them from her birth mother.
184. “When will the lesson be learned! You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth!” – Darkest Hour (2018)
Churchill (Gary Oldman) fights back against pleas to admit defeat and negotiate with the Germans.
183. “You’re the only man who’s ever touched me.” Moonlight (2016)
Black (Trevante Rhodes) opens up to Kevin (Andre Holland) in the closing scene of Moonlight.
182. “They’re idiots.”
“They’ve all been knighted.”
“Makes it official then” – The King’s Speech (2010)
Lionel (Geoffrey Rush) reminds King George VI (Colin Firth) that a knighthood doesn’t prevent someone from being stupid.
181. “I mean they spend their whole life looking for Prince Charming and then they marry the guy who’s got a good job and is gonna stick around.” – Blue Valentine (2010)
Dean (Ryan Gosling) explains why he thinks men are the more romantic than women.
180. “Man, glass tables are acting weird tonight.” – Game Night (2018)
Kevin (Lamorne Morris) calls out the incredibly sturdy glass tables in Game Night.
179. “A friend is a gift you give yourself.” – Nightcrawler, 2014
This quote is way creepier heard in the context of Louis (Jake Gyllenhaal) pressuring his boss to sleep with him.
178. “At age eleven, I audited my parents. Believe me, there were some discrepancies, and I was grounded.” – The Other Guys (2010)
Allen (Will Farrell) shares this amusing story to prove no loyalties get in the way of his duty.
177. “Career suicide is not so bad when you consider the alternative is suicide by career.” – Miss Sloane (2016)
Elizabeth (Jessica Chastain) makes an observation about smart career choices.
176. “I suspect foul play. I have eliminated no suspects.” – Knives Out (2019)
The amusing southern drawl of detective Benoit (Daniel Craig) makes this one of the most memorable lines of 2019.
175. “What? I’m menstruating. Why is that a big deal?” – 20th Century Women (2016)
Abbie (Greta Gerwig) questions why it is a big deal to bring up her menstruation around the dinner table.
174. “You’re taught your entire life that what you do matters and that you’re special. And that, there are things you can point towards that would… which’ll show that you’re special, that show you’re different, when, in all reality, those things… don’t matter. And you’re not special.” – American Animals (2018)
Warren (Evan Peters) comes to terms with his place in the universe.
173. “Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe.” – Snowpiercer (2013)
Mason (Tilda Swinton) looks to maintain order on the Snowpiercer train.
172. “Shame isn’t a strong enough emotion to stop us from doing anything at all. Believe me.” – Elle (2016)
Michèle (Isabelle Huppert) sums up my feelings every time I eat another mini Mars bar.
171. “Spring break. Spring break. Spring break forever!” – Spring Breakers (2012)
Alien (James Franco) gives a soft spoken monologue praising his special, fearless new friends.
170. “Now this is my worst, okay? This is my worst. But I’m gonna get better. You just gotta give me a chance to get better.” – Blue Valentine (2010)
Dean (Ryan Gosling) pleads to Cindy (Michelle Williams) to keep faith in their marriage.
169. “You know what, I can overthink everything and find a million ways to doubt myself. And since Charles left, I’ve been really thinking about that part of myself and, I’ve just come to realise that, we’re only here briefly. And while I’m here, I wanna allow myself… joy.” – Her (2013)
Amy (Amy Adams) reveals her fresh approach to living life.
168. “When I’m around you, I kind of feel like I’m on drugs. Not that I do drugs. Unless you do drugs, in which case I do them all the time. All of them.” – Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
This quote from Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) speaks to anyone who has contorted their interests to try and impress someone they like.
167. “The moment you catch feelings is the moment you catch a bullet.” – Baby Driver (2017)
Bats (Jamie Foxx) sends a warning to Baby (Ansel Elgort) about the vulnerability that accompanies love.
166. “Apes together strong!” – War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017)
Caesar (Andy Serkis), the only ape to make this list, calls for unity to fight back against the humans.
165. “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” – The Avengers (2012)
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has an impressive comeback to a jab from Captain America (Chris Evans).
164. “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Things To Come (2016)
Philosophy teacher Nathalie (Isabelle Huppert) quotes Blaise Pascal in this French drama.
163. “Courage is the solution to despair, reason provides no answers. I can’t know what the future will bring; we have to choose despite uncertainty. Wisdom is holding two contradictory truths in our mind, simultaneously, hope and despair. A life without despair is a life without hope. Holding these two ideas in our head is life itself.” – First Reformed (2017)
Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) gives us plenty to think about in this compelling speech.
162. “I f*cked up my whole life because of the way you sing.” – Before Midnight (2013)
Jesse (Ethan Hawke) teases Celine (Julie Delpy) about the reason he fell for her.
161. “You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have a say in who hurts you. And I like my choices. I hope she likes hers. Okay, Hazel Grace?” – The Fault In Our Stars (2014)
This teen romance-drama ends with Gus’ touching words for Hazel (Shailene Woodley).
160. “Ba-ba-ba… dook! Dook! Dook!” – The Babadook (2014)
Amelia (Essie Davis) reads the world’s scariest children’s book to her son.
159. “Goodbye, yard! Goodbye, crepe myrtle! Goodbye, mailbox! Goodbye, box of stuff Mommy won’t let us take with us but we don’t want to throw away. Goodbye, house, I’ll never like Mommy as much for making us move!”
“Samantha! Why don’t you say goodbye to that little horsesh*t attitude, okay, because we’re not taking that in the car.” – Boyhood (2014)
A real zinger from mother (Patricia Arquette) to daughter (Lorelei Linklater).
158. “But if you put the hammer in an elevator?”
“It’ll still go up.”
“Elevator’s not worthy.” – Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
Captain American (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Tony Stark) share a joke about Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) hammer.
157. “A man becomes a critic when he cannot be an artist, the same way that a man becomes an informer when he cannot be a solider.” – Birdman (2014)
Mike (Edward Norton) cuts into a theatre critic with this line.
156. “Crazy is building your ark after the flood has already come.” – 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Howard (John Goodman) defends is pessimistic forward planning in this tense thriller.
155. “Look at my sh*t!” – Spring Breakers (2012)
Alien (James Franco) brags about his ‘sh*t’, which includes blue Kool-Aid and nunchucks.
154. “When you love someone you have to be careful with it, you might never get it again.” – Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal) talks about the delicacy of love.
153. “Time, you know, takes everybody out. It’s undefeated.” – Creed (2015)
An ageing Rocky gives us this gem of a quote as he talks to Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) about his father.
152. “What if my problem wasn’t that I don’t understand people but that I don’t like them?” – Nightcrawler (2014)
Louis (Jake Gyllenhaal) opens a window into his mind in an intense interaction with Rick (Riz Ahmed).
151. “If I saw a competitor drowning, I’d shove a hose down his throat.” – The Founder (2016)
Ray (Michael Keaton) verbalises his ruthless approach to business.
150. “Rudeness is merely an expression of fear. People fear they won’t get what they want. The most dreadful and unattractive person only needs to be loved, and they will open up like a flower.” – The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
M. Gustave’s (Ralph Fiennes) nightly sermon gives us this wonderful quote.
149. “You don’t want the bumpers, life doesn’t give you bumpers.” – Boyhood (2014)
A father (Ethan Hawke) teaches his son (Ellar Coltrane) a hard life lesson by letting his bowl gutter balls.
148. “I volunteer as tribute!” – The Hunger Games (2012)
Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) puts her life on the line to spare her little sister.
147. “This is the dream. It’s conflict and it’s compromise and it’s very, very exciting.” – La La Land (2016)
An highly enthusiastic Seb (Ryan Gosling) shares his infectious love for jazz.
146. “I hear the list is longer than my wang.”
“That’s not saying much.” – It (2017)
Two youngsters share some banter to relieve us from the barrage of jump scares and creepy clown appearances in It.
145. “You can’t be as accomplished as you are and as well-rounded as an actress as you are and still expect to hold on to the privileges of youth. It just doesn’t work that that.” – Clouds Of Sils Maria (2014)
Valentine (Kristen Stewart) gives Maria a harsh truth about her place as an experienced actress.
144.”If you figure a way to live without serving a master, any master, then let the rest of us know, will you? For you’d be the first person in the history of the world.” – The Master (2012)
Lancaster (Philip Seymour Hoffman) makes a candid observation about the nature of human relationships.
143. “Just pretend it’s a video game. Like you’re in a f*cking movie.” – Spring Breakers (2012)
Brit (Ashley Benson) lends her friends some reassurance before they do terrible things to go on Spring Break.
142. “When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life, and that I can’t do.” – A Most Violent Year (2014)
Abel (Oscar Isaac) explains the big, risk-taking moves he makes in J.C. Chandor’s film .
141. “Would that it were so simple?” – Hail, Cesar, 2016
Hobie’s (Alden Ehrenreich) inability to properly pronounce this line leads to one of the funniest film interactions of the decade.
140. “How did we end up here? This place is horrible. Smells like balls. We don’t belong here.” – Birdman (2014)
Birdman opens with this hilarious quote and the sight of Riggan (Michael Keaton) levitating.
139. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is. And so are you.”
“On the inside.” – Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol.2 (2017)
Drax (Dave Bautista) perfects the art of turning a compliment into a quasi-insult.
138. “You must pay for everything in this world, one way and another. There is nothing free except the grace of God.” – True Grit (2010)
A voiceover from a 40-year-old Mattie (Elizabeth Marvel) reflects on the revenge she got for her father’s murder.
137. “Manners maketh man.” – Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Harry (Colin Firth) delivers this line before fighting a group of thugs.
136. “She was the Picasso of passive-aggressive karate.” – American Hustle, 2013
Irving (Christian Bale) gives his wife, Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), an unflattering comparison to Picasso.
135. “I am Groot.” – Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
Vin Diesel delivers this line on numerous occasions in the Guardians Of The Galaxy films.
134. “Have you noticed whenever we’re around baseball all we talk about is puss*. Now, we’re actually around a few potentially interesting young women, all you talk about is baseball. It’s a little f*cked up” – Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Finnegan (Glen Powell) calls out the ridiculous, self-defeating behaviour of his friends.
133. “Stop looking at the world through your cell phone screen. Have a real experience!” – Birdman (2014)
This quote from Mike (Edward Norton) is a reminder to us all to put away our phones at the theatre, concerts, football games, and in general in life.
132. “Men always feel that they have to fix things for women, but they’re not doing anything. Some things just can’t be fixed. Just be there, somehow that’s hard for all of you.” – 20th Century Women (2016)
Dorothea (Annette Bening) bemoans the inability of men to do the right thing.
131. “The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control and not the other way around. Let them fight.” – Godzilla (2014)
This quote from Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) sets the stage for the fight between Godzilla and the MUTOs.
130. “With the world so set on tearing itself apart, it don’t seem like such a bad thing to me to want to put a little bit of it back together.” Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Conscientious objector Desmond (Andrew Garfield) explains why he chooses not to fight.
129. “I’m made of rocks, as you can see, but don’t let that intimidate you. You don’t need to be afraid, unless you’re made of scissors! Just a little Rock, Paper, Scissors joke for you.” – Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
This joke gives us a funny introduction to Korg (Taika Waititi).
128. “I want you to be the very best version of yourself that you can be.”
“What if this is the best version?” – Lady Bird (2017)
In this chat with her mother (Laurie Metcalf), Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) shows a type of vulnerability and self-doubt that most young people can relate to.
127. “What’s my stance on 9/11? Oh um, anti. It was a tragedy, I mean we lost 19 of our best guys.” The Big Sick (2017)
Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) makes a 9/11 joke to Emily (Zoe Kazan) before rushing to apologise for it.
126. “If you want to win the lottery, you have to make the money to buy a ticket.” – Nightcrawler (2014)
Louis underlines the importance of hard-work.
125. “According to the experts, men are very fragile. They can get crushed down if you assert yourself in any way.” – The Love Witch, 2016
Elaine (Samantha Robinson) speaks about the vulnerability of men.
124. “I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!” – Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)
Yondu (Michael Rooker) is excited to be compared to Mary Poppins as he descends from the sky.
123. “I’ve been poor my whole life, like a disease passing from generation to generation. But not my boys, not anymore.” – Hell Or High Water (2016)
In a tense interaction, Toby (Chris Pine) tells Marcus (Jeff Bridges) that he has broken the cycle of poverty in his family.
122. “We build our legacy piece by piece and maybe the whole world will remember you or maybe just a couple of people, but you do what you can to make sure you’re still around after you’re gone.” – A Ghost Story (2017)
This is just part of an epic monologue – which speaks to meaning and legacy – delivered by a party-goer (Will Oldham).
121. “I’m TS-motherf*ckin’-A. We handle sh*t. That’s what we do. Consider this situation f*ckin’ handled.” – Get Out (2017)
Rod (Lil Rel Howery) provides much needed comedic relief in Jordan Peele’s horror.
120. “Okay, anybody on our side hiding any shocking and fantastic abilities they’d like to disclose? I’m open to suggestions.” – Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) makes this humorous remark after Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) transforms into Giant-Man (bigger Paul Rudd).
119. “You’re nothing to me until you’re everything.” American Hustle (2013)
Sydney (Amy Adams) lets former lover and fellow con-artist Irving (Christian Bale) know where she stands.
118. “You guys are getting paid?” – We’re The Millers (2013)
Kenny (Will Poulter) learns he is the only one not getting paid for his drug-smuggling exploits in this hilarious scene.
117. “I’ve always been someone’s daughter or mother or wife. I never got to be in the driver’s seat of my own life.” – Wild (2014)
Bobbi (Laura Dern) opens up about the secondary roles she has filled in life.
116. “Wondering if you’re happy is a great shortcut to just being depressed.” – 20th Century Women (2016)
Dorothea (Annette Bening) shares this life lesson with her son (Lucas Jade Zumann) as they clean dishes.
115. “And when a person is culpable to altar-boy-f*cking, or any kinda boy-f*cking, I know you guys didn’t really narrow that down, then they kinda forfeit the right to come into my house and say anything about me, or my life, or my daughter, or my billboards.” – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Mildred (Frances McDormand) launches a scathing verbal attack on a priest who has come to persuade her to take down the billboards.
114. “Hi Georgie!” – It (2017)
For those who haven’t seen the film, just imagine a creepy clown saying this from a sewage drain… yes, disturbing stuff.
113. “I believe that the characters we read on the page end up being more real than the men who stand beside us.” – Jackie (2016)
Jackie (Natalie Portman) reflects on how powerful and lasting a legacy can be.
112. “Eat sh*t, eat sh*t, eat sh*t… definitely eat sh*t.” – Knives Out (2019)
Ransom (Chris Evans) blusters into Knives Out and verbally unloads on his relatives.
111. “The best thing about now, is that there’s another one tomorrow.” – The Spectacular Now (2013)
Directionless teen Sutter (Miles Teller) delivers this line in James Ponsoldt’s coming-of-age drama.
110. “People will want to go to it because you’re passionate about it, and people love what other people are passionate about. You remind people of what they’ve forgot.” – La La Land (2016)
Mia (Emma Stone) encourages Seb (Ryan Gosling) to chase his dream during a tense dinner.
109. “We came for a good time, not for a long time.” – Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Willoughby (Wyatt Russell) lays out his plans for fun in Everybody Wants Some!!.
108. “He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy.” – Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol.2 (2017)
Yondu (Michael Rooker) lets Peter (Chris Pratt) know what he meant to him before making the ultimate sacrifice.
107. “I don’t want to come off as arrogant here, but I’m the greatest botanist on this planet.” – The Martian (2015)
Mark (Matt Damon) discovers it is easy to be the best at something when you are the only person on a planet.
106. “The world is f*cked by unemotional, rational men deciding sh*t.” – Before Midnight (2013)
Celine (Julie Delpy) vents about the state of the world while on holiday in Greece.
105. “Despite knowing the journey… and where it leads… I embrace it… and I welcome every moment of it.” – Arrival (2016)
Louise (Amy Adams) embraces the highs and heart-breaking lows of life in the closing scene of Arrival.
104. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s America’s ass.” – Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) compliments Captain America’s (Chris Evans) assets.
103. “Crying helps me slow down and obsess over the weight of life’s problems.” – Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out’s Sadness (Phyllis Smith) speaks about the emotional role crying can play in someone’s life.
102. “The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel. It’s a wonderful way to live. It’s the only way to drive.” – Rush (2013)
James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) sums up his on-the-edge attitude toward life and racing.
101.”Every generation has their war. Men make the wars and wars mak e the men. It never ends!” – Last Flying Flag (2017)
Ex-Marine Sal (Bryan Cranston) speaks to the endless cycle of wars that plague mankind.
100. “I felt like we had a secret, just the two of us. Like that thing where you just wanna be with one person all the time. You feel like the two of you get something no one else gets.” – American Hustle (2013)
This voiceover from Irving (Christian Bale) explains his love-struck experience with Sydney (Amy Adams).
99. “You get hurt, hurt ’em back. You get killed… walk it off.” – Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
Captain America (Chris Evans_ has a few comforting words of encouragement for his fellow Avengers as they head off into battle.
98. “If you’ve trusted love this far, don’t panic now. Trust it all the way.” If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Sharon (Regina King) encourages her daughter (KiKi Layne) to follow her heart.
97. “Nieman, you earned the part. Alternates, will you clean the blood off my drum set?” – Whiplash (2014)
The relentless toil witnessed in Whiplash is encapsulated by this quote from Fletcher (J.K. Simmons).
96. “I f*cked her brains out… for eleven seconds.” – The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) gives an honest appraisal of his performance during his first sexual experience with Naomi (Margot Robbie).
95. “Airplanes are beautiful, cursed dreams, waiting for the sky to swallow them up.” – The Wind Rises (2013)
An Italian airplane engineer visits Jiro in a dream to tell him about the cursed beauty of airplanes.
94. “What am I in the eyes of most people – a nonentity, an eccentric, or an unpleasant person – somebody who has no position in society and will never have; in short, the lowest of the low. All right, then – even if that were absolutely true, then I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart.” – Loving Vincent (2017)
Social outcast – and genius artists – Vincent van Gogh (Robert Gulaczyk) explains how he’d like his work to impact other people.
93. “I think anybody who falls in love is a freak. It’s a crazy thing to do. It’s kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity.” – Her (2013)
Amy (Amy Adams) makes Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) laugh with this observation about love.
92. “Hey f*ckhead!”
“What?”
“Don’t say what, Dixon. When she comes in calling you a “f*ckhead.” – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Dixon (Sam Rockwell) amusingly gets called out for his incompetency.
91. “You know why this is my favourite tree?”
“Why?”
“‘Cause it’s tipped over, and it’s still growing.” – The Florida Project (2017)
Young Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) makes a sweet observation that also speaks to the tough hand life has given her.
90. “Pain reminds you the joy you felt was real. More joy, then. Do not be afraid.” – Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Niander (Jared Leto) delivers this line while trying to get answers out of Deckard (Harrison Ford)
89. “Sure, I guess I pay attention.”
“Don’t you think maybe they are the same thing? Love and attention?” Lady Bird (2017)
Sister Sarah (Lois Smith) tries to help Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) realise that she does love her home city.
88. “I didn’t name you Starr by accident.” – The Hate U Give (2018)
Mav (Russell Hornsby) tries to inspire his daughter (Amandla Stenberg) with this stirring line.
87. “You see, there are still faint glimmers of civilisation left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity. Indeed that’s what we provide in our own modest, humble, insignificant… oh, f*ck it.” – The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) hilariously gives up midway through his eloquent monologue.
86. “We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything – what a waste.” – Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Mr. Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) has wise words for his heartbroken son (Timothée Chalamet).
85. “No harm, no foul. No foul, there’s a joke in there somewhere.” – The Florida Project (2017)
Bobby (Willem Dafoe) stumbles across some fun word play when shoos away a group of fowl.
84. “The only way to beat my crazy was by doing something crazy yourself. Thank you. I love you. I knew it the minute I met you. I’m sorry it took so long for me to catch up. I just got stuck.” – Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Pat (Bradley Cooper) expresses his love for Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) in the romantic climax of Silver Linings Playbook.
83. “Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast, I would catch it.” – Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
A hilarious example of how literal Drax (Dave Bautista) is.
82. “He mistook me for my mother, so I used a knife to show him the difference.” – Cold War (2018)
Zula (Joanna Kulig) gives us a chilling taste of her violent past.
81. “Does this mean… Woody’s a lost toy?”
“He’s not lost. Not anymore. To infinity…”
“…and beyond. – Toy Story 4 (2019)
Buzz (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) share an emotional farewell.
80. “This didn’t put an end to sh*t, you f*cking retard; this is just the f*cking start. Why don’t you put that on your Good Morning Missouri f*cking wake up broadcast, bitch?” – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Mildred (Frances McDormand) does an epic insult drive-by on a local news team.
79. “Did being married make you happy?” “Not really. I’m gay.” – Rocketman (2019)
Elton (Taron Egerton) gives insight into why his marriage to Renate Blauel didn’t work out.
78. “f*ck. f*ck! f*ck, f*ck, f*ck and f*ck! f*ck, f*ck and bugger! Bugger, bugger, buggerty buggerty buggerty, f*ck, f*ck, arse!” – The King’s Speech (2010)
King George VI’s (Colin Firth) speech therapy classes results in this wonderfully rude quote.
77. “I believe when you’ve been stuck too long in one spot, it’s best to throw a grenade and jump. And pray.” – Tracks (2013)
Robyn (Mia Wasikowska) talks about avoiding stagnation in life as she embarks on a daring solo trek across 1,700 miles of Australian outback.
76. “Excuse me. Could you give us some change, please? The doctor said we have asthma and we have to eat ice-cream right away.” – The Florida Project (2017)
Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) and her friends come up with a creative way to guilt-trip strangers into buying them ice cream.
75. “You and I are a team, Doc.” “Don’t feed me any more lines from Monsters Inc. It pisses me off.” – Baby Driver (2017)
Doc catches out Baby (Ansel Elgort) for stealing lines from a Pixar classic.
74. “Big things have small beginnings.” – Prometheus (2012)
David (Michael Fassbender) echoes Lawrence Of Arabia in the most memorable scene from Ridley Scott’s film.
73. “If it was never new and it never gets old, then it’s a folk song.” – Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Llewyn Davis’ (Oscar Isaac) words capture the mythic beauty of folk music.
72. “Smile, open up, cross your legs, spread your puss*, speak softer, scream louder, be quiet, be confident, be interesting, don’t be so difficult, be strong, don’t fight back, be an angel, be a whor*, be a princess, be anything you want to be, even the president of the United States of America… Just kidding… f*ck you.” – Assassination Nation (2018)
Lily (Odessa Young) talks about the expectations placed on women in a video to rally the young women of Salem to take arms.
71. “Anyone can be happy and cosy. Nothing good happens in the world by being happy and cosy.” – Free Solo (2018)
Alex Honnold, who climbs a 3,000 foot tall rock face without a rope, urges people to get out of their comfort zones.
70. “Who are you?” “I’m the motherf*cker that found this place, sir.” Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
When credentials are called into question by the CIA Director, Maya (Jessica Chastain) bluntly lets her boss know that she was responsible for finding Osama Bin Laden.
69. “I can’t beat it. I can’t beat it. I’m sorry.” – Manchester By The Sea (2016)
Lee (Casey Affleck) admits to Patrick (Lucas Hedges) that he cannot beat the unbearable grief that follows him.
68. “I count six shots, n*****”
“I count two guns, n*****.” – Django Unchained (2012)
Django (Jamie Foxx) amusingly shows off his superior numeracy skills.
67. “Jack talked about how music is essentially twelve notes between any octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. It’s the same story told over and over, forever. All any artist can offer the world is how they see those twelve notes. That’s it. He loved how you see them.” – A Star Is Born (2018)
Bobby (Sam Elliott) comforts Ally (Lady Gaga) with these touching lines about her musical connection with Jack (Bradley Cooper).
66. “It’s not easy for me to admit that I’ve been standing in the same place for eighteen years!”
“Well, I’ve been standing with you! I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot as you!” – Fences (2016)
An argument between Troy (Denzel Washington) and Rose (Viola Davis) reaches its climax in these highly emotional words.
65. “Some wounds do not close; I have many such. One just walks around with them and sometimes one can feel them filling with blood.” – The Favourite (2018)
Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) gives an unsettling description of the many tragedies that haunt her.
64. “I’m letting life hit me until it gets tired. Then I’ll hit back. It’s a classic rope-a-dope.” – La La Land (2016)
Down-on-his-luck Seb (Ryan Gosling) claims borrowing a trick from Muhammad Ali in an early scene from a La La Land.
63. “Let me tell you something. There’s no nobility in poverty. I’ve been a poor man, and I’ve been a rich man. And I choose rich every f*cking time.” – The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) speaks to the Wall Street mentality in Martin Scorsese’s rip-roaring film.
62. “I’d like to think if you’re seeing me you’re having the worst day of your life.” – Nightcrawler (2014)
Louis (Jake Gyllenhaal) amuses himself with this comment about his presence as an L.A. crime journalist.
61. “Is everybody okay?”
“Well… the f*ckin’ hippies aren’t. That’s for goddamn sure.” – Once Upon A time In Hollywood (2019)
Rick (Leonardo DiCaprio) hilariously sums up the outcome of the Manson family home invasion in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
60. “Beauty isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” – The Neon Demon (2016)
Roberto (Alessandro Nivola) ends his bar room debate with Dean (Karl Glusman) – about the importance of beauty – with this powerful line.
59. “You have part of my attention – you have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention is back at the offices of Facebook, where my colleagues and I are doing things that no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing.” – The Social Network (2010)
The biting arrogance of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is on full display in this deposition scene.
58. “A wise man can learn more from his enemies than a fool from his friends.” – Rush (2013)
Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) opens up to James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) about their fierce Formula One racing rivalry.
57. “Ideals are peaceful. History is violent.” – Fury, 2014
Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) leads Norman (Logan Lerman) through a room of dead Nazis and delivers this chilling line.
56. “You f*ck dumb. You don’t marry dumb.” – I, Tonya (2017)
Some beautifully eloquent motherly advice from LaVona (Allison Janney).
55. “I am a Comanche. Do you know what it means? It means ‘Enemy to everyone’.”
“Do you know what that makes me? A Comanche.” – Hell Or High Water (2016)
Tanner (Ben Foster) says this stirring line in a confrontation at a casino.
54. “Wakanda forever!” – Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
This Wakandian battle cry gives us all the chills.
53. “Nothing in this world can take the place of good old persistence. Talent won’t. Nothing’s more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius won’t. Unrecognised genius is practically a cliché. Education won’t. Why the world is full of educated fools. Persistence and determination alone are all powerful.” – The Founder (2016)
Ray (Michael Keaton) outlines his key to being financially successful in America.
52. “If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.” – Spotlight (2015)
This quote from Mitchell (Stanley Tucci) brings into focus the amount of people involved in the decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston’s religious, legal, and government establishment.
51. “The year I turned 26, as the head of my own brokerage firm, I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week” – The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) introduces us to the crazy, excessive world he lives in.
50. “I remember everything” – Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Oliver (Armie Hammer) tells Elio (Timothée Chalamet), over the phone, that he hasn’t forgotten a thing about their summer together.
49. “So how’s it all going in the n*****-torturing business, Dixon?”
“It’s ‘Persons of colour’-torturing business, these days, if you want to know.” – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Dixon (Sam Rockwell) attempts to be politically-correct and makes himself sound like even more of a fool.
48. “Women, they have minds and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for.” – Little Women (2019)
Writer Jo (Saoirse Ronan) speaks to the diverse capabilities of women.
47. “You’re anything but invisible. You’re big. You’re kind of a great mess. Like a candle burning on both ends… but it’s beautiful.” – Birdman (2014)
Mike (Edward Norton) tells Sam (Emma Stone) what a beautiful mess she is as they hang out on the theatre balcony.
46. “Chewie… we’re home.” Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Han Solo (Harrison Ford) announces his and Chewie’s (Peter Mayhew) long-awaited return to the Millennium Falcon.
45. “I’d rather die drunk, broke at 34 and have people at a dinner table talk about me than live to be rich and sober at 90 and nobody remember who I was.” – Whiplash (2014)
Andrew (Miles Teller) drops this blunt truth-bomb during a tense family meal.
44. “I failed as a mother, Moonee!”
“Yeah, mom, you’re a disgrace!” The Florida Project (2017)
Halley (Bria Vinaite) and Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) have a laugh about both getting into trouble.
43. “There comes a time in man’s search for meaning when he realises that there are no answers. And when you come to the horrible and unavoidable realisation, you accept it or you kill yourself. Or you simply stop searching.” – Jackie (2016)
A priest (John Hurt) offers honest words on meaning and life to a grieving Jackie (Natalie Portman).
42. “You cannot hesitate. The only thing worse than being incompetent, or being unkind, or being evil, is being indecisive.” – Thoroughbreds (2017)
A quote from Throughbreds’ Amanda (Olivia Cooke) which might come in handy the next time your friend can’t decide where to eat.
41. “In the face of overwhelming odds, I’m left with only one option. I’m going to have to science the sh*t out of this.” – The Martian (2015)
This quote from The Martian’s Mark (Matt Damon) is a perfect T-shirt idea for science-lovers.
40. “What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient… highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate.” – Inception (2010)
Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) explains the power of ideas in the early stages of Christopher Nolan’s film.
39. “Sometimes to love someone, you got to be a stranger.” – Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Deckard (Harrison Ford) explains the sacrifice he had to make to ensure his child’s safety.
38. “I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.” – Life Of Pi (2012)
An older Pi (Irrfan Khan) reflects on his life-changing experience being stranded on a boat with Richard Parker – a Bengal tiger.
37. “When I think of my wife, I always think of the back of her head. I picture cracking her lovely skull, unspooling her brain, trying to get answers. The primal questions of a marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? What have we done to each other? What will we do?” – Gone Girl (2014)
David Fincher’s Gone Girl tweaks the opening of Gillian Flynn’s novel – Flynn also wrote the screenplay for the film – to give us a fascinatingly unsettling opening.
36. “Sometimes it’s the very people who no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” – The Imitation Game (2014)
The genius Alan Turning (Benedict Cumberbatch) reminds us why we should never underestimate someone.
35. “Mankind was born on Earth… it was never meant to die here.” – Interstellar (2014)
Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) sees mankind’s future elsewhere in this prophetic scene.
34. “You have to think like an American. You’ll feel so homesick that you’ll want to die, and there’s nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won’t kill you. And one day the sun will come out – you might not even notice straight away, it’ll be that faint. And then you’ll catch yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past. Someone who’s only yours. And you’ll realise… that this is where your life is.” – Brooklyn (2015)
The closing scene of Brooklyn sees Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) speak beautifully about the immigrant experience.
33. “Memory is a strange thing. It does not work like I thought it did. We are so bound by time, by its order.” – Arrival (2016)
Arrival opens with an emotional montage and a voiceover of Louise’s reflections on time.
32. “Criminal lawyers see bad people at their best, divorce lawyers see good people at their worst.” – Marriage Story (2019)
Ted (Kyle Bornheimer) makes this astute comment in Noah Baumbach’s brilliantly written drama.
31. “150 years ago all this was my ancestors land. Everything you could see, everything you saw yesterday. Until the grandparents of these folks took it. Now it’s been taken from them. Except it ain’t no army doin’ it, it’s those sons of bitches right there [points at a bank].” Hell Or High Water (2016)
Alberto (Gil Birmingham) talks to Marcus (Jeff Bridges) about shifting power dynamics in America.
30. “We are alone. No matter what they tell you, we women are always alone.” – Roma (2018)
Sra. Sofía (Marina de Tavira) holds Cleo’s (Yalitza Aparicio) face as she makes this poignant comment.
29. “Here at NASA we all pee the same colour.” – Hidden Figures (2016)
Al (Kevin Costner) pulls down the signs for racially segregated restrooms and punctuates his action with this comment.
28. “You filthy, goddamn, pock-marked, fascist assholes! Take your hands off my Lobby Boy!” – The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) stands up to fascists with this ever-flamboyant response.
27. “Because genius is not enough, it takes courage to change people’s hearts.” – Green Book (2018)
This quote, from musician Oleg (Dimiter Marinov), speaks to the incredible courage and strength Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) shows in Green Book.
26. “Oh, what a day… what a lovely day!” – Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Nux (Nicholas Hoult) embraces the chaos and violence around him with the film’s most iconic line.
25. “Sometimes an empty page presents more possibilities.” – Paterson, 2016
A Japanese poet (Masatoshi Nagase) offers Paterson (Adam Driver) hope when he has lost his poetry notebook.
24. “Like sunlight, sunset, we appear, we disappear. We are so important to some, but we are just passing through.” – Before Midnight (2013)
Natalia (Xenia Kalogeropoulou) makes this beautiful comment during a touching monologue about her deceased husband.
23. “You are probably going to be a very successful computer person. But you’re going to go through life thinking that girls don’t like you because you’re a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an asshole.” – The Social Network (2010)
Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) delivers a blunt truth to Mark Zuckerberg (Jess Eisenberg) at the start of David Fincher’s film.
22. “We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down, and worry about our place in the dirt.” – Interstellar (2014)
Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) bemoans the state of mankind while talking to his father-in-law (John Lithgow).
21. “I want you flat on your back. Helpless, tender, open with only me to help.” – Phantom Thread (2017)
Alma (Vicky Krieps) takes control of Reynolds (Daniel Day-Lewis) in the closing scene of Phantom Thread.
20. “Language is the foundation of civilisation. It is the glue that holds the people together, it is the first weapon drawn in a conflict.” – Arrival (2016)
Ian (Jeremy Renner) quotes from Louise’s (Amy Adams) book as the two meet for the first time.
19. “Popularity is the slu*tty little cousin of prestige.” – Birdman (2014)
Theatre actor Mike (Edward Norton) underlines why he’d rather have admirers on the stage than ‘likes ‘on the internet.
18. “That’s L.A. They worship everything and they value nothing.” – La La Land (2016)
Seb (Ryan Gosling) talks about the hollowness of life in Los Angeles.
17. “Which would be worse – to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?” – Shutter Island, (2010)
This jaw-dropping line suggests Teddy (Leonardo DiCaprio) is fully aware of his true identity.
16. “You look like a badger.” – The Favourite (2018)
Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) gives Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) a brutally honest – and utterly hilarious – appraisal of how her makeup looks.
15. “The past is just a story we tell ourselves.” – Her (2013)
A thoughtful observation from AI operating system, Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), as she shares an honest discussion with Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) about dwelling on past pain.
14. “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?” – The Witch (2015)
Black Phillip (Wahab Chaudhry) seduces young Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) to the dark side of witchcraft.
13. “It’s official, old buddy. I’m a has-been.” – Once Upon A Time Hollywood (2019)
Rick (Leonardo DiCaprio) mourns the decline of his acting career with Cliff (Brad Pitt).
12. “Not quite my tempo” – Whiplash (2014)
Fletcher (J.K Simmons) seeks perfection with the most memorable line of Whiplash.
11. “You know how everyone’s always saying seize the moment? I don’t know, I’m kinda thinking it’s the other way around. You know, like the moment seizes us.” – Boyhood (2014)
Nicole (Jessi Mechler) shares this interesting thought as she gazes at the sunset with Mason (Ellar Coltrane).
10. “At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be. Can’t let nobody make that decision for you.” – Moonlight (2016)
Juan (Mahershala Ail) encourages Little (Alex R. Hibbert) to find his true self.
9. “Let… let me finish. However… My heart was broken – cause it’s always gonna be broken, and I know yours is broken, too.” – Manchester By The Sea (2016)
Randi (Michelle Williams) struggles to get her words out in a deeply emotional scene with Lee (Casey Affleck).
8. “It’s a party… and you’re both talking to other people, and you’re laughing and shining… and you look across the room and catch each other’s eyes… but – but not because you’re possessive, or it’s precisely sexual… but because… that is your person in this life.” – Frances Ha, 2012
With an audience of slightly bemused dinner party guests, Frances (Greta Gerwig) talks about the type of connection she wishes to one day share with a partner.
7. “When you least expect it, nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot.” – Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Another quote from Mr. Pearlman’s (Michael Stuhlbarg) monologue as he offers support to his son (Timothée Chalamet).
6. “So if I’m not black enough and if I’m not white enough, then tell me, Tony, what am I?” – Green Book (2018)
In a heart-wrenching scene, Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) opens up to Tony (Viggo Mortensen) about struggling with his identity.
5. “I used to think that my life was a tragedy, but now I realise, it’s a comedy.” – Joker (2019)
Arthur (Joaquin Phoenix) realises his life is a different genre.
4. “Sometimes I think I have felt everything I’m ever gonna feel. And from here on out, I’m not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I’ve already felt.” – Her (2013)
A late night chat between Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and a drunk Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) leads to this upsetting thought.
3. “One day the AIs are going to look back on us the same way we look at fossil skeletons on the plains of Africa. An upright ape living in dust with crude language and tools, all set for extinction.” – Ex Machina (2014)
Nathan (Oscar Isaac) gives us serious technophobia with his vision for AI.
2. “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than ‘good job’.” – Whiplash (2014)
There is no room for praise or complacency in the world of jazz instructor Fletcher (J.K. Simmons).
1. “I mean, who the f*ck are you? You hate bloggers. You make fun of Twitter. You don’t even have a Facebook page. You’re the one who doesn’t exist. You’re doing this because you’re scared to death, like the rest of us, that you don’t matter. And you know what? You’re right. You don’t. It’s not important. You’re not important. Get used to it.” – Birdman (2014)
This quote comes from the tail end of Sam’s (Emma Stone) unforgettable monologue, in which she tears apart her dad (Michael Keaton) for his weak attempts to stay relevant.
