Some movies have an X-factor when it comes to quotability — something about the characters and the dialogue that makes the lines pop, so much so that they stick in your head and find their way into general conversation.
It’s all a bit subjective, of course, when it comes to determining the most-quoted movies of all time, but here are eight classics that undeniably rank near the top. And apologies in advance if your own quotable favorite — Aliens, Ghostbusters, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Mean Girls, the list goes on — hasn’t made the cut. For now, “That is so fetch!” is still not going to happen.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Few movies have inspired as much fandom as the original Star Wars trilogy. The now-sprawling franchise began back in 1977 with Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, which introduced us to iconic characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. Many fans can literally recite the entire movie as they watch it, much to the annoyance of anyone else in the room. The movie’s quotability is off the charts, just as it is in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.Obi-Wan Kenobi
May the Force be with you.Han Solo (and General Jan Dodonna)
I find your lack of faith disturbing.Darth Vader
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride wasn’t a big box-office success upon its release in 1987, but has since become a cult classic thanks to its postmodern mix of swashbuckling, comedy, and fairy-tale romance. The film’s host of colorful characters, played by actors including Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, and André the Giant, come out with some truly classic lines, making the Rob Reiner-directed movie eminently quotable. When asked if people often come up to him and quote the movie, Elwes replied, “Oh, please. I mean, people have got vast portions of the screenplay tattooed on their body.”
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.Inigo Montoya
As you wish.Westley
Inconceivable!Vizzini
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Despite mixed reviews upon its release in 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is now widely regarded as one of the best comedy movies of all time — even if some viewers are left baffled by the sheer silliness of it all. The movie satirizes Arthurian legend with a host of bizarre scenes that feature everything from three-headed knights to killer rabbits, and no shortage of delightfully silly lines.
We are the Knights who say… Ni!Knight of Ni
A five-ounce bird could not carry a one-pound coconut.Soldier with a keen interest in birds
I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!French soldier
Casablanca
Few films are more emblematic of the golden age of Hollywood than Casablanca. Released in 1942, it won the Academy Award for Best Picture and went on to become a truly iconic movie that often features in lists of the greatest films of all time. Its cultural impact was so great that even people who have never seen the movie are familiar with some of its most famous lines — including one of the most common misquotes in cinema history, “Play it again, Sam,” which is never said in Casablanca.
Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake.Ilsa Lund
Here's looking at you, kid.Rick Blaine
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in the world, she walks into mine.Rick Blaine
The Godfather
The Godfather, released in 1972, is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola — and with a heavyweight cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton — the movie was a financial and critical success, winning Best Picture, Best Actor (for Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Brando’s distinctive voice in the movie, which he based on real-life mobster Frank Costello, made his lines even more quotable, while other characters also chipped in with some classic gangster dialogue.
I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.Don Corleone
It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business.Michael Corleone
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.Peter Clemenza
Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction is often considered to be Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus, a true masterpiece combining comedy and violence in equal measure, with the endlessly sharp and quotable dialogue that Tarantino is famous for. The movie became an almost instant classic, and helped revitalize the careers of John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman. Many of its most famous quotes are undeniably R-rated, but others are repeatable in polite company.
They call it a Royale with cheese.Vincent
I love you, Honey Bunny.Pumpkin
Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.Butch
The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski, directed by the Coen brothers, received mixed reviews on its release but has since become a cult classic. The Dude, played by Jeff Bridges, is one of the most iconic slackers in movie history, and has even inspired a whole religion known as Dudeism. (The character is also the basis for the names of two species of African spider: Anelosimus biglebowski and Anelosimus dude.)
Nobody f*cks with the Jesus.Jesus Quintana
The Dude abides.Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski
That rug really tied the room together.Walter Sobchak
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
When it comes to quotability, few films can rival the 2004 comedy Anchorman. The actors were encouraged to improvise their lines, and when you have comedic heavyweights like Will Ferrell and Steve Carell on set, magic is bound to happen. It’s pure silliness to the highest degree, but it’s hard not to love the world’s most ridiculous news team. Stay classy, San Diego.
I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.Ron Burgundy
They've done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time.Brian Fantana
I love lamp.Brick Tamland
Photo credit: Maximum Film/ Alamy Stock Photo
