What is the Gen Y equivalent of "Play it again, Sam"?
August 12, 2016 12:09 AM   Subscribe

I'm trying to think of indisputably iconic movie quotes from the 90s to the present, and finding it surprisingly difficult. One example is "You're a wizard, Harry". Any others?
posted by dontjumplarry to Media & Arts (70 answers total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
"Why so serious?"
posted by Lorin at 12:17 AM on August 12, 2016 [8 favorites]


Best answer: "I'm king of the world!"

There's nothing particularly notable about the quote, but the scene that features it was pretty iconic.
posted by Nerd of the North at 12:20 AM on August 12, 2016 [9 favorites]


I drink your milkshake. I drink it up! SLUUUUUUURP!

Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

Both of those have been memed to death which is probably as good a criterion as any to judge this by.
posted by Ted Maul at 12:20 AM on August 12, 2016 [4 favorites]


Bye, Felicia.

Dude, where's my car?
posted by taff at 12:22 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


As IF.
posted by the webmistress at 12:24 AM on August 12, 2016 [12 favorites]


Now THAT's a knife.
posted by taff at 12:25 AM on August 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


Show me the money!
You had me at hello.
posted by the webmistress at 12:25 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: My precious
posted by tillsbury at 12:26 AM on August 12, 2016 [16 favorites]


You can't handle the truth!
posted by artdrectr at 12:29 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: "Life is like a box of chocolates..."

"Welcome... to Jurassic Park!"

"Hasta la vista, baby." (Hated that line, but it's certainly iconic.)

Every other line in Wayne's World and the original Austin Powers. (Mike Meyers had a kind of genius for coming up with catch-phrases.)

Pulp Fiction is chock-a-block with endlessly-memed lines, from the Royale with Cheese scene onward.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 12:49 AM on August 12, 2016 [4 favorites]


Hakuna Matata?
posted by poxandplague at 12:55 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


One does not simply walk into Mordor.
posted by Too-Ticky at 12:56 AM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]


I'm not at all sure I'd expect gen-y to get references to crocodile Dundee, and even Forrest Gump and terminator are pushing it
posted by tillsbury at 12:59 AM on August 12, 2016 [8 favorites]


"Welcome... to Jurassic Park!"

Why would you ever pick that instead of "Hold on to your butts"???

Anyway: I am surprised that nobody else has pointed this out already, but "Play it again, Sam" is not actually in Casablanca; it's just an extremely common misquote (sorta like "Beam me up, Scotty")
posted by aubilenon at 1:06 AM on August 12, 2016 [6 favorites]


Why would you ever pick that instead of "Hold on to your butts"???

Or, now that I think about it, "Clever girl"
posted by aubilenon at 1:07 AM on August 12, 2016 [18 favorites]


Stop trying to make 'fetch' happen!
posted by BungaDunga at 1:36 AM on August 12, 2016 [14 favorites]


Best answer: FWIW, from The American Film Institute's "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes" list of their "top 100 movie quotations in American cinema" (via wikipedia), these are the ones (in descending order) from the '90s:

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."

"Show me the money!"

"You can't handle the truth!"

"Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

"I see dead people."

"Houston, we have a problem."

"You had me at 'hello.'"

"There's no crying in baseball!"

"Hasta la vista, baby."

"I'm the king of the world!"

(However, observing the complete lack of Big Lebowsky quotes, I'm inclined to say that, well, you know, that’s just, like, their opinion, man.)
posted by taz at 1:44 AM on August 12, 2016 [15 favorites]


oops, I missed "to the present" in the OP. The AFI list only goes up to 2005, but "the line, 'My precious.' from the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, is the only quote that comes from a movie released after the year 2000."
posted by taz at 1:49 AM on August 12, 2016


I'd answer this question, but that would break the first rule of Fight Club.
posted by flabdablet at 1:52 AM on August 12, 2016 [11 favorites]




"What if I told you..."
posted by johngoren at 2:04 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


I came here to make fetch happen, but I guess I'll have to settle for:

"I am Jack's complete lack of surprise."

"Draw me like one of your French girls."

"I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else."

"They may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!"

"We need guns. Lots of guns."
posted by Leon at 2:54 AM on August 12, 2016 [6 favorites]


even Forrest Gump and terminator are pushing it

It was T2, which people never seem to get tired of. (I thought it was OK.) And if we're talking about 90s movies generations of kids have now seen those on cable infinite times. Those movies are probably on right now.

Why would you ever pick that instead of "Hold on to your butts"???

That clip where John Hammond welcomes them to the park is the moment they always use to represent the film in commercials or whatever. I also considered "Life, uh, finds a way."
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:01 AM on August 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


> I'm not at all sure I'd expect gen-y to get references to crocodile Dundee

"That's not a knife, that's a spoon."
"Ah! I see you've played knifey-spoony before!"

'cos, you know, meta.

("Onions have layers").
posted by Leon at 3:04 AM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]


There is no spoon.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:21 AM on August 12, 2016 [8 favorites]


"What's in the box?"

"It puts the lotion in the basket."
posted by Leon at 3:36 AM on August 12, 2016


"I'll be back" - spoken in a deep voice with a heavy Austrian accent.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 3:46 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


"I wish I knew how to quit you!"

"Why is the rum gone?"
posted by kariebookish at 4:13 AM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]


Come with me if you want to live
posted by PenDevil at 4:36 AM on August 12, 2016


Well I must say that whacking, whatever it is, sounds most disagreeable.
posted by Mitheral at 4:51 AM on August 12, 2016


"ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER, DO YOU SPEAK IT?!"
posted by Mitheral at 4:56 AM on August 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


Motherfucking snakes on the motherfucking plane. A line so memetic they felt compelled to write a whole movie around it.
posted by thebrokedown at 5:01 AM on August 12, 2016 [6 favorites]


My Gen Y kids really do spout these:

To infinity, and beyond!
You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.

I have just met you, and I love you.

Fish are friends, not food.

Gotta catch 'em all!
Pikachu, attack!
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 5:04 AM on August 12, 2016 [6 favorites]


"I want you to hit me as hard as you can."
posted by Gev at 5:13 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]




"Always."

(The Snape always, to be clear.)
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:01 AM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]


That was way harsh, Tai.
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:12 AM on August 12, 2016 [6 favorites]


Snakes..... why do they have to be SNAKES?
posted by Dressed to Kill at 6:21 AM on August 12, 2016


It's not the best line in the movie, but I've been pretty surprised how often I've heard "On Wednesdays we wear pink" come up in everyday conversation.
posted by Mchelly at 6:26 AM on August 12, 2016 [4 favorites]


Snakes..... why do they have to be SNAKES?

If you're referring to Raiders here, that came out in 1981.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:27 AM on August 12, 2016


Best answer: Pixar is a rich vein. "Just keep swimming," "To infinity and beyond," "NO CAPES!," "Kitty!"
posted by tchemgrrl at 7:00 AM on August 12, 2016


Let's grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.
posted by threetwentytwo at 7:06 AM on August 12, 2016 [7 favorites]


There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day.
posted by threetwentytwo at 7:11 AM on August 12, 2016 [4 favorites]


"What year is it?!"
posted by randomnity at 7:14 AM on August 12, 2016


That'll do pig. That'll do.
posted by BlueHorse at 7:19 AM on August 12, 2016 [16 favorites]


"Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth!?"

(Hey, I didn't write it.)
posted by cnc at 8:40 AM on August 12, 2016


"Pikachu I choose you"
posted by gryftir at 9:04 AM on August 12, 2016


This thread needs more Napoleon Dynamite. "Nunchuck skills… bowhunting skills… computer hacking skills…"
posted by salvia at 9:04 AM on August 12, 2016


"I know kung fu" from The Matrix comes to mind.
posted by torridly at 9:08 AM on August 12, 2016


I notice a disturbing lack of Fifth Element quotes here:

"You green?"
"Supagreen!"

"Multipass!"

"Time not important. Only life important."

"Bzz. BzzZZZZzzzZZ!"
posted by cmoj at 9:59 AM on August 12, 2016


From the Hunger Games:

"May the odds be ever in your favor."

"I volunteer! I volunteer!" (Shouted out desperately like Jennifer Lawrence/Katniss.)
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:07 AM on August 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


Oh, how has no one mentioned The Princess Bride?

"As you wish"

"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

(I know that Princess Bride is from the late 80s, but it definitely trickled down into the 90s and 2000s. It was definitely something that my cohort quoted, even though I was born the same year it came out.)
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:11 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


"I volunteer! I volunteer!" (Shouted out desperately like Jennifer Lawrence/Katniss.)
posted by litera scripta manet at 1:07 PM

Yeah, I've heard high schoolers say, "I volunteer as tribute."
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 10:17 AM on August 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Oh, I keep thinking of more quotes!

From Good Will Hunting: "How do you like them apples?"

From Die Hard: "Yippee ki yay mother fucker"

Another one from Harry Potter: "Kill the spare"

Also, I just want to strongly second, "Stop trying to make fetch happen" and "On Wednesdays we wear pink" from Mean Girls.
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:18 AM on August 12, 2016


"Is butter a carb?"

"Tina eat your food!"

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

"You're killing me Smalls!"

"D'oh"

"Memories... All alone in the moonlight" (School of Rock)
posted by TomFoolery at 11:09 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


"Winter is coming"

"A girl has no name"

"A Lannister always pays his debts"

"You know nothing Jon Snow"

"What do we say to the God of Death?"
"Not today"

"Hodor"

"valar morghulis"
posted by TomFoolery at 11:16 AM on August 12, 2016


The cold never bothered me anyway
posted by threetwentytwo at 11:23 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


From Silence of the The Lambs:

"Would you fuck me? I'd fuck me."

"It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again."
posted by litera scripta manet at 11:45 AM on August 12, 2016


Best answer: Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.
posted by carrienation at 12:28 PM on August 12, 2016 [6 favorites]


"Spared no expense"
posted by stoneandstar at 12:56 PM on August 12, 2016


In my experience, "Run, Forrest! Run!" is far more often quoted (usually in a mocking fashion) than the box of chocolates line.
posted by reren at 1:45 PM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'll tell you what I'd do, man: two chicks at the same time, man.

We're going to federal POUND ME IN THE ASS prison.

litera scripta manet: "Oh, how has no one mentioned The Princess Bride?"

You answered your question; it was released in 1987. There are going to lots of quotes from earlier periods that persist because of the enduring popularity of the movie that were originally released prior to 1990. That after all is the broader source of the question.

Similarly nothing from Star Wars, Back to the Future, Jaws, Apocalypse Now, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Airplane, Aliens etc. etc.
posted by Mitheral at 2:00 PM on August 12, 2016


Never go full retard.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 5:25 PM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]


It's so fluffy, I'm going to die!!
posted by Halo in reverse at 5:39 PM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


Coincidently, this afternoon I greeted a neighbor with a quick "How are you?", to which he responded:

"Alright, alright, alright..."
posted by she's not there at 8:32 PM on August 12, 2016


Let it go, let it GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
posted by divabat at 6:28 AM on August 13, 2016


"Someone's got a case of the Monday's!"

"We need to talk about your TPS reports."

"The pleasure's all on this side of the table."
posted by haqspan at 7:47 AM on August 13, 2016


I may be too old for this game, but:

Reagan?--the actor?

We gotta getta bigger boat.

Welcome to Earth, motherfucker.
posted by mule98J at 10:04 AM on August 13, 2016


"He should have armed himself." Unforgiven, 1992.
posted by mlis at 4:13 PM on August 14, 2016


"Are you not entertained?" Gladiator, 2000.
posted by mlis at 9:02 PM on August 14, 2016


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