Do you ever have that “one thing” you want to say, and there never seems to be the right opportunity to say it?
I love when actors say things in movies, or on TV, and it just fits the moment perfectly. But in real life, those occasions rarely occur. OR… 45 minutes later you think…. “Oh holy crap. I should have said THAT!”
At any rate, one “go-to” phrase, which English actors seem to say more than Americans, is… “Now, now. We’ll have none of that here.”
I love that particular line. I want to turn around in my kitchen, with a spatula in hand, and say… “Now, now. We’ll have none of that here.” I mean. Just once.
Actually….I do it all the time when no one is around. Except for the dogs. And they look up at me, and cock their heads… like… “What the heck Mom? We’re all just laying around on the floor? What WOULD you have us do right now?”
The truth of it is… I use movie quotes ALL the time. In public settings. And it seems this happens, only when they make sense in my little head. And people look at me… just like my dogs look at me in the kitchen.
For instance, it happens EVERY time we are at a fundraiser, or gathering, or some hoity-toity social event, and I meet somebody named Mike. I break into the Geico Commercial. I become the camel. I start saying to the guy… “Hey Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. Guess what day it is Mike. It’s HUMP Day.”
At that point, Mary always takes my elbow, and says… “I’m terribly sorry. She likes to say things from movies, and such.”
And off we go.
Other quotes I say.. often.. and mostly out of context.
“Wax on, wax off.” (The Karate Kid, 1984) …. normally after I get my eyebrows done… or when I am doing any manual labor.
“That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.” (Babe, 1995) …. often. For no apparent reason.
“It’s alive! It’s alive!” (Frankenstein, 1931) …. when someone makes a bonehead statement.
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” (The Wizard of Oz, 1939) ….when someone makes a bonehead statement.
“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” (Cool Hand Luke, 1967) …. I use this one… WAY more often than I’d like to.
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” (The Wizard of Oz, 1939) …. I use this one every time I see Donald Trump on TV.
No wire hangers, ever!” (Mommie Dearest, 1981) … if I’ve just cleaned something up… like the kitchen … and someone comes along and makes fried chicken, or chocolate souffle’ from scratch.
“Oh my gosh, look at that fluffy unicorn! He’s so fluffy, I’m gonna die!” (Despicable Me 2010) … any time I am happy.
“There’s no crying in baseball!” (A League of Their Own, 1992)… any time I am complaining …. or someone else is complaining.
“Houston, we have a problem.” (Apollo 13, 1995) …. Spoiler: I don’t use it when things are going right.
Seriously though, we can learn a lot from great movies, and great messages in those films. There are thousands of them. So, if the opportunity does arise, to use a line from a movie.. . make it a really, really great one….
“You is kind. You is smart. You is important.”
The Help, 2011
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. – Ferris, from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986
It is not our abilities that show what we truly are… it is our choices. – Dumbledore, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 2002
