WHERE HAVE ALL THE GREAT MOVIE LINES GONE?

Growing up, movie quotes were like a secret language in my household. We could fit a line from any film, popular or obscure, into any situation. For me, it was an identity and a gateway into my love of film. In fact, I have a film quote below my photo in my high school yearbook. Don't believe me? Well, frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

But where have all the great movie lines gone?

According to the American Film Institute's top 100 movie quotes, the most recent is from 2002's The Lord of the Rings: "My precious." Surely, there must be newer lines that have made their way into the cultural zeitgeist?

Let's consider recent Best Picture winners from the past decade: Nomadland, Green Book, The Shape of Water, Spotlight. Can you recall any standout quotes?

Playing devil's advocate, one might mention "In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you" from Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). But does it hold the same weight as "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse," "Life was like a box of chocolates," or "May the Force be with you"?

The issue isn't the writing or performance. It's how we share and remember. In our post-social media world, movie lines have morphed into memes—visual representations that fit countless scenarios. Instead of quoting "You see... I'm Gatsby," we now share a meme of Leonardo DiCaprio raising a champagne glass. Or more recently, DiCaprio pointing at the TV as Rick Dalton in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—but can you recall the actual line from the film?

Sometimes, we don't even need to know the movie. How many have shared the viral meme of an intense Nicolas Cage looking at a smiling Pedro Pascal? Few know it’s from The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, but it’s been applied to countless situations in hopes of going viral.

Perhaps our ability to retain dialogue is fading. Maybe it's more fun to send visuals than to quote lines. But there's something special about a movie line that stands the test of time, whether on a T-shirt or at the dinner table with family.

You may not know which movie "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up" comes from, or "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." But you've heard the lines, and you can picture the way they're delivered.

I hope to one day create a film with gems like “Get busy livin' or get busy dyin' ” or "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." But I’d also settle for a movie meme that gets shared on birthdays.

While memes may dominate now, the magic of a timeless movie line still holds a special place for me. Either way, both still reflect our deep connection to film. While the way we share these moments may have changed, the essence remains the same; movies continue to shape how we see the world, one memorable line – or meme-at a time.