Morjes!

Welcome to my blog. I write about fitting in, sticking out, and missing the motherland as a serial foreigner.

Are you talking?

A few months ago, Ken Jennings observed that movie quotes have become ingrained in the daily conversation of himself and his family members. He then shared a few of his most frequently used quotes.

I've often noticed the same thing: how much of what I say is really original, and how much has been stolen - even unconsciously or long forgotten - from a movie?

Here are a few that came to mind when I sat down for a few minutes to think about it. I'm sure there are many, many more - and note that I haven't even considered "The Simpsons."

The Emperor's New Groove is a goldmine for Jeremy and me. For example, there's this exchange:

"Pacha: Uh-oh.
Kuzco: Don't tell me. We're about to go over a huge waterfall.
Pacha: Yep.
Kuzco: Sharp rocks at the bottom?
Pacha: Most likely.
Kuzco: Bring it on."

Mostly, we just use the "Bring it on" part.

From the same movie:

"In my defense, your poisons all look the same. You might want to think about re-labeling some of them." We use this in situations that call for the "in my defense" line. Sometimes we finish the rest; sometimes we put in what we actually mean.

"Or, to save on postage..." The perfect line to describe an alternative to what we realize is a ridiculously complicated plan.

"Well, which one is it? It seems like a pretty important conjunction." In real life, this can refer to someone mixing a word up or being equivocal about a decision.

The Saint is one of those over-the-top, ridiculous movies. It's even more ridiculous if you've actually lived in Russia. And yet still more ridiculous if you've worked at the embassy there. But we still use the lines:

"What do you like about it?" while pushing one's imaginary fake hair away from one's face; and

"I'm a traveler...in search of...energy" whenever someone asks you what you're looking for. Or even if the word "traveler" comes up.

Return to Me is another one that has worked its way into our everyday talk. Two favorites:

"You own it?" - said by that ditzy girl in the blind date scene. Actually, now that I think about it, almost every line in that scene is quotable in some situation. But if anyone ever says they own something in our presence, you can bet we'll answer in a dim, high-pitched voice with this line.

"Are you stayin' or leavin' or what?"

We use this one, from Batman Begins, all the time:

"Sometimes... sometimes things just go bad." It works best when you say it in Carmine Falcone's style of intonation.

"It's a mystery," from Shakespeare in Love.

Finally, one from the Lord of the Rings trilogy:

"So few...so few of you have returned!" Eowyn says this to her father when the men come back from battle. The way she says it is so endearing. Strangely, this one usually ends up getting used to refer to food. Like when you get out the package of Oreos and find, to your surprise, that they're almost all gone.

Do any of you use these same quotes? If not, what movies make up large portions of your family conversations?

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