Are These The Most Memorable Movie Misquotes?
Filed under: Action, Animation, Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Fandom, Lists
I'll admit it, I'm one of those people who loves to quote movies. Even though I know it can be a little annoying, there are times that I just can't help myself -- but I never claimed to have a photographic memory and I can only assume that I've messed up a few lines over the years, taking a relatively endearing geek trait and turning it into a social faux pas. But, it's good to know I'm not alone, because over at lovefilm.com, they took a poll of the most misquoted movie lines in history and the big winner may surprise you. So what line have we all managed to mess up? According to lovefilm, it was a line from Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back that took the grand prize as the most misquoted line in movie history. As embarrassing as it may seem, even I was a little shocked to find out that "Luke, I am your father" was never actually spoken in the film. There I was thinking, "But that's the line, right?" -- and no, what Vader actually says to Luke out on the platform is "No, I am your father." (And if you don't believe me, watch the scene for yourself).
After the jump: find out which misquotes cracked the top 5.
2. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The original line begins with the words, "Magic Mirror..."
3. "Do you feel lucky, punk?" – Dirty Harry
This one might not come as a shock to any Dirty Harry fan, but what the renegade cop actually says is: "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"
4. "Play it again, Sam" – Casablanca
I have to admit that I might have chosen this line as the number one misquote, considering that Humphrey Bogart never even says anything remotely close to this, and instead what Rick actually says to his piano playing friend is, "You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Play it!"
5."Hello, Clarice" – The Silence of the Lambs
Again, this is a small mistake, but Lecter (ever the gentleman) greets Agent Starling with the line, "Good Evening, Clarice".
But that's the thing about us movie geeks -- we love lists, yet we also love to gripe about what didn't make it to the final cut. So just like with every other movie list, you can't always make room for everyone and a few votes will fall by the wayside (you can see the complete list over at The Guardian).
So instead of complaining about someone else's list, I'm going to throw in a few of my own. First up would have to be Wall Street and the fact that Michael Douglas never actually said "Greed is good", or how about Bela Lugosi's Dracula never uttering the immortal words "I want to suck your blood"? I'm going to stop here, but now I'm going to turn it over to you: leave your votes for the top movie (mis)quotes below...










Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-11-2009 @ 5:29PM
jrkinsella said...
i believe the quite from Wall Street is "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good." So, getting rid of the aside is ok. Plus, "Greed...is good." just looks suspicious.
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5-11-2009 @ 5:41PM
Paul Nicholson said...
Rick (Bogart) doesn't say "play it again" but Ilsa (Bergman) gets much closer:
Ilsa: Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake.
Sam: I don't know what you mean, Miss Ilsa.
Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes By."
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5-11-2009 @ 5:49PM
Batzarro said...
Now I think the Dracula one should top the list.
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5-11-2009 @ 6:03PM
crispeaterz said...
U have 2 remember, a lot of movies have 'ode'd to these movies. So over time these misquotes have come to be real quotes, just from different movies. "Do you feel lucky, punk?" is in a few movies
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5-11-2009 @ 10:12PM
uforeader said...
People who say "Play it again, Sam" aren't quoting Bogart. They're quoting Bergman: "Play it once, Sam."
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5-11-2009 @ 10:58PM
Audra said...
All Star wars fans would know that Darth Vadar never said that line...The "Luke, I am your father" line came up in two comedy films...Tommy Boy and Austin Powers...but it was said as a spoof from the film...so as the next generation saw those two films, they all thought that was the line......and it wasnt...good catch..but like I said, those of us who know the Trilogy, know what was said
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5-12-2009 @ 12:02AM
YULI99 said...
U are right!
I watched the movie and Darth is right.....
Well, I was a complete fan of the movies for about 3 years.....
:)
5-11-2009 @ 11:16PM
Audra said...
Again...the Wall Street quote was shortened..."Greed, for lack of a better word, is good"....its close, but its said....it just got shortened....
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5-11-2009 @ 11:21PM
Audra said...
And for the Gone with the wind quote...I believe it was "Frankly Miss Scarlett, I dont give a damn"...thats what I remember, but its been a long time since I seen that movie...I may be wrong, but it sounds right
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5-12-2009 @ 1:52PM
Alex said...
The quote is "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"
5-12-2009 @ 12:52AM
jeff said...
"Fly you fools" from The fellowship of the ring is the one I remember most. Everyone always says Run you fools.
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5-12-2009 @ 4:30AM
Jason said...
You know, the phrase 'Beam me up, Scotty' was never actually said in any Star Trek movie, or even episode. They should see about fixing that.
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5-12-2009 @ 10:34AM
Key Rick said...
I'd like to offer two quotes from Taylor Hackford's adaptation of Stephen King's Delores Claborne I hear repeated fairly often, but seldom exactly the same way twice:
"Sometimes, Delores, being a bitch is all a woman has to hold onto."
"An accident, Delores, can be an unhappy woman's best friend."
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5-12-2009 @ 10:50AM
cineman said...
"We don't need any stinking badges," is how I most often hear the line from Treasure of the Sierra Madre quoted. It's something more like, "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges."
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5-13-2009 @ 2:55AM
almostinfocus said...
I think the "We don't need no stinking badges" line came from "Blazing Saddles" misquoting that line. Like many of the misquotes, it's probably a combination of common misuse and misquotes from parodies.
6-18-2009 @ 7:52AM
Benjamin Nunis said...
However, Michael Douglas does say "Greed is good" in the trailer due to editing of the scene from the film...
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