The Most Quoted Comedy of the Last Decade? Pikers...
The young, hip, smart bloggers at Lawyers, Guns, and Money--for whom I've expressed both admiration and envy before--are finding Beaks's belief that Anchorman was "the most quoted comedy of the last decade" to eminently plausible...yet are seeking rival nominations. To which I say...hmmph.
Let's not limit ourselves; let's go for the most quoted comedy ever, people. Not "movie," period (so, no Star Wars's Tashi station, no Princess Bride's land wars in Asia, none of that), but "comedy." I'll start us out, shall I?
"Lord loves a working man; don't trust whitey; see a doctor and get rid of it."
"You take drugs, Danny?"
"You might say we had a passion for shells. That's why we named the oil company after them."
"And stop calling me Shirley."
"Of course it isn't only physical! I deeply respect you as a human being!"
"Don't you blaspheme in here!"
"Riots in the streets, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!"
"Edwina's insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase."
"You can't dust for vomit."
And, of course...
"Splitter!"
Add to the list or contribute commentary, as you feel so inclined.
16 comments:
'You shut your mouth when you're talking to me!'
Is there a reason why you're stipulating that Princess Bride is *not* a comedy?
Interesting question, Jacob. I'm not sure. Because it's a "romantic comedy," rather than a straight-up comedy, perhaps? A chick flick? Those lines are hard to draw, I'll admit; I know people who would consider Raising Arizona romantic date movie first, comedy second.
Wait, are you going for most quoted comedy ever, not just in the last decade? Because honestly I haven't paid as much attention in the 2000's.
I think if we're talking about what people are quoting this year from all comedys ever...
I nominate "Seinfeld's" "Not that there's anything wrong with that!"
"You ever seen a grown man naked?"
Russell, that answer confuses me even more. First, because it wouldn't occur to me to exclude When Harry Met Sally or Annie Hall from the category "comedy," and second because it wouldn't occur to me to put Princess Bride into the same category as WHMS or Annie Hall. (Nor do I think of any of them as chick flicks-- a category I do recognize and am happy to use lots of other things.)
The whole point of the Fred Savage- Peter Falk "Is this a kissing book?" routine is that he's wrong to draw the boundaries that way-- something can be fully a kissing book and fully many other things at the same time. And one of the other things it can be is an all-time great quotable comedy!
WHMS and Annie Hall are romantic comedies... like Notting Hill or 50 First Dates. Princess Bride is well, Princess Bride: a comedy, yes. But also an epic fantasy, a princess movie, and a love story. It's its own beast.
When you say "comedy" I think more along the lines of what Russell's quoting: slapstick, stupid, sometimes hilarious movies whose sole purpose is to go for the laughs.
"Whatcha gonna do? Bleed on me?"
Two masters of the genre:
First, take your pick from
Where the white women at?
Walk this way
A Druish Princess?
vs.
Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries (so hard to choose just one from that)
Every sperm is sacred!
Always look on the bright side of life...
Western Dave
Jacob, I think Melissa's right (but of course I would agree with my wife!). Princess Bride really is it's own beast--a comedy, yes, but also a romance, a fantasy, and more. But you also have a good point about the "kissing book" thing; it's foolish to get too particular about whether any given film is a comedy or a romance or what. There are just stories...and yes, some stories are more quotable than others, and PB is one of the most quotable of them all. I guess I just didn't want to hit the usual suspects (Star Wars, etc.), and that included PB. Besides there are so many more pure comedies out there, why not focus on them...and why restrict yourself to the past decade alone?
I understand wanting to keep PB from its rightfully dominant place in this category. :)
Just about anything by Mel Brooks - and any Monty Python movie. I'll submit the following, which was a sign, but still...:
"Circumcism: Half Off"
This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.
A hospital? What is it?
It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now.
Though my favorite is: "Looks like I picked the wrong week to give up drinking."
"You ever seen a grown man naked?"
I don't dare google that.
"Badgers.....Badgers!....WE DON"T NEED NO STINKING BADGERS!!"
One Hilariously-Great line.....and it must be considered one of the Greatest Comedic-Rip-off lines of all time!!
You covered alot of them Russell. How about:
"I did not achieve this position in life by having some snot-nosed punk leave my cheese out in the wind!"
and
"I didn't get a harumpf out of you."
One more:
"It's not a big college town."
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