No, that’s not one of my all-time favorite movie lines. Those are listed below. But it is one of the Top 100 movie quotes of all time as determined by—well, I’ll let them tell it:
AFI distributed a ballot with 400 nominated movie quotes to a jury of over 1,500 leaders from the creative community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers), critics and historians. [ read: two interns on leave from USC film school ]
Jury members were asked to choose up to 100 movie quotes from a comprehensive list [read: cadged from imdb.com], including entries such as “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid” (CASABLANCA), “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” (GONE WITH THE WIND), “Why don’t you come up sometime and see me?” (SHE DONE HIM WRONG), “May the Force be with you” (STAR WARS), “Houston, we have a problem” (APOLLO 13), “Snap out of it!” (MOONSTRUCK), “You can’t handle the truth!” (A FEW GOOD MEN), “I’ll be back” (THE TERMINATOR) and “Show me the money!” (JERRY MAGUIRE). [ read: every cliché known to man and beast ]
Due to the extensive number of memorable movie lines in American film, jurors could also write in votes for up to five quotes that may not already appear on the ballot. [ read: sure, show us up—if you want a room facing the La Brea tar pits in the Old Actors Retirement Home ]
So click here to discover both the nominees and the winners. (I can’t believe “She’s my sister! She’s my daughter!” didn’t make the final cut. I mean, Chariots of Fire was a great flick.)
Anyway, here’s my top 10:
1. I don’t really like talking about my flair. (Jennifer Aniston, Office Space )
2. Who am I, Rand McNally? (Paul Reiser, Diner )
3. Unemployed lumberjack are sitting around sawing legs off chairs. (Jack Lemmon, The Prisoner of Second Avenue )
4. Scut Farkas—what a rotten name! (Jean Shepherd, A Christmas Story )
5. What hump? (Marty Feldman, Young Frankenstein )
6. I do not believe one should devote his life to morbid self- attention, but should become a person like other people. (Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver )
7. Oh my God. What have I done? (Alec Guinness, Bridge on the River Kwai )
8. My name is Jenny Hill, and I’m simultaneously sad and funny. (Madeleine Khan, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother )
9. Big John, do you think this boy is a hustler? (Jackie Gleason, The Hustler )
10. (Deep space, 2001: A Space Odyssey )
(H/T to TitusOneNine )
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