100 Years…100 Hoo-ahs!

Let’s face it: Movie lines are only really fun when they’re not part of the national lexicon. Otherwise we risk coming off as the boob at the party saying “Do I make you horny, baby?” one too many times. A line I use a lot isn’t among the 400 nominees and I didn’t expect it to be (and I didn’t want it to be). It’s from “Die Hard.” John McCain is going through hell battling terrorists alone until the bad guys begin shooting up a police car. McCain’s sympathetic reaction? “Welcome to the party, pal!” I use this line whenever I’m suffering through something — bad weather, bad boss, asthma — and a neophyte gripes about that very thing. But if everyone said it? No fun at all.

That’s the irony of “100 Years…100 Quotes.” The most famous lines in movie history aren’t much fun to say anymore.

An Offer They Can’t Refuse
So how can AFI make sure they don’t breed contempt with their familiar quotes? A few suggestions. First, during the June broadcast, make sure filmmakers and stars tell us what lines they use in their daily lives. Particularly if the lines aren’t famous. Or theirs.

More important, don’t just celebrate these quotes; theorize why they’re popular. Are certain lines — “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid”; “Show me the money” — well-known because they’re repeated often during the course of the film? Are they memorable, in other words, only because they’re easy to remember? Hell, let’s admit that some of these lines are actually kind of dumb. Love means never having to say you’re sorry? Life is like a box of chocolates? If the worst thing in your life is nougat, you’re getting off easy.

Come June I doubt we’ll be able to quote Itzhak Stern’s line in “Schindler’s List” about the list being an absolute good. But pretty good wouldn’t be bad.

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