The actor: Owen Wilson The character: Eli Cash The film: The Royal Tenenbaums The quote: “Well, Wildcat was written in a kind of obsolete vernacular. Wildcat. Wildcat. K’pow.” Eli Cash has a way with words, even if it’s not a way that I’d like to have myself. Anyone who can write and then publicly read… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #72
The actor: Joel Edgerton The character: Richard Loving The film: Loving The quote: “Tell them I love my wife.” “For sale: Baby shoes, never worn” has been memed out of existence. For one thing, the six-word memoir is, even for someone who loves putting unnecessary rules down for what I write, a step too far… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #73
The actor: Jake Gyllenhaal The character: Jack Twist The film: Brokeback Mountain The quote: “I wish I knew how to quit you.” So the problem with “I wish I knew how to quit you” is twofold. I say “problem” like I wasn’t going to guarantee it a spot on this list. Even if it’s not… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #74
The actor: Alana Haim The character: Alana The film: Licorice Pizza The quote: “Fuck off, teenagers!” It’s not that Licorice Pizza felt super tight for me on the second go-round. It’s that the second time I watched it, the surprises were gone and so it all felt like it was on pace for something, felt… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #75
The actor: Jennifer Lawrence The character: Katniss Everdeen The film: The Hunger Games The quote: “I volunteer! I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!” Jennifer Lawrence becomes the first person to get two quotes on this list. This probably has more to do with how funny I think the “science oven” line is than anything else,… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #76
The actor: Masatoshi Nagase The character: Japanese Poet The film: Paterson The quote: “Poetry in translation is like taking a shower with a raincoat on.” There aren’t a bunch of lines in here that I’ve chosen mostly for beauty or pure insight, but this is one of them. It’s an awful thought. Can we never… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #77
The actor: Aaron Ruell The character: Kip The film: Napoleon Dynamite The quote: “Your mom goes to college.” Oh, does she ever. I haven’t seen Napoleon Dynamite since I was in high school, and if God is merciful I won’t have to see it again for a very long time. A lot of this movie… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #78
The actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor The character: Solomon Northup The film: 12 Years a Slave The quote: “I apologize for my appearance. But I have had a difficult time these past several years.” In March 1994, the Oscars were hosted by one of the most famous female comics of the era. She presided over a ceremony… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #79
The actor: Josh Brolin The character: Thanos The film: Avengers: Endgame The quote: “I am inevitable.” There are two moments from the MCU which feel essential to me not just as part of this business venture, but as emblematic, historical moments in American cinema. The first, which I’ve talked about a lot already, is from… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #80
The actor: Frank Oz The character: Yoda The film: Star Wars: The Last Jedi The quote: “Luke, we are what they grow beyond.” Putting thoughts about The Last Jedi on the Internet is sort of like going to Chernobyl without one of those protective suits. Anyway, The Last Jedi, everybody. I’ve read through Shelby Foote’s… Read More Top 100 American Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: #81
Seeing Things Secondhand 