‘What is this? A center for ants?!’
Do you ever casually slip something like “Get to da choppa!” into conversation when hustling your friends to head for a night out? Turns out you’re not alone. A researcher at Kansas State University did a study on social movie quoting in 2008 and found that 100 per cent of those questioned – that’s a sample of 478 people – quoted movies, primarily comedies (about 70 per cent), in conversation.
Exactly why we infiltrate snoozy conversations about how we can’t rustle up a Tinder match with choice cinematic quips isn’t beyond the findings of this intensive research, either. “People are doing it to feel good about themselves, to make others laugh, to make themselves laugh,” Richard Harris, a psychology professor at Kansas State University, told CNN. But deciding which one to use to liven up a declining conversation can be tricky, lest you fuck up and receive the deadened stares of misunderstanding. Here are 18 of the best lines you can massage into a clammy tête-à-tête, or to copy-paste into your Tinder bio.
THE ROOM (2003)
“You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!”
ZOOLANDER (2001)
“What is this? A center for ants?!”
PULP FICTION (1994)
“Well, let’s not start sucking each other’s dicks quite yet.”
GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
“Me, me, me… me also.”
CLERKS (1994)
“I’m not even supposed to be here today!”
ALIENS (1986)
“Game over, man! Game over!”
DONNIE DARKO (2001)
“Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion!”
FINDING FORRESTER (2000)
“You’re the man now, dawg!”
JURASSIC PARK (1993)
“Clever girl.”
AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999)
“I will sell this house today.”
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
“Welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, well. To what do I owe the extreme pleasure of this surprising visit?”
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005)
“I wish I knew how to quit you.”
DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993)
“Alright, alright, alright.”
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
“I’m sorry Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU (2004)
“Where’d you come from? You look pregnant.”
THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)
“Phone’s ringin’, Dude.”
TROLL 2 (1990)
“OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!”
GHOST WORLD (2001)
“So… what was all that about enlarged holes and tight cracks?”
