Understand Real English: Famous Lines from Movies

Hi, everybody. Welcome to www.engvid.com. I'm Adam. In today's video, I'm going to talk

to you about movies. And what I'm going to show you are some movie lines, lines that

have... Came from actual movies, from scripts that people use in everyday situations. Now,

this is part of the learning process. For those of you learning English, it's very important

to understand that native English speakers... And I'm sure this happens in your... In your

native languages as well. Native English speakers often refer to cultural signposts,

I guess you could say. Cultural things that reflect a particular situation. So, in this

case, I'm going to talk about movie lines that are so famous that people often refer

to them if they fit the particular context that they're in.

So, I'm going to start with this one. "If you build it, they will come." This came from

the movie Field of Dreams. The main actor is Kevin Costner. And what happens in this

movie, he has a dream that he should build a baseball diamond, a baseball playing area

so that all the ghosts of all the great players from the past will come and play. Now, it

sounds like a crazy idea, so he's not sure if he should do it, but then one of the ghosts,

I guess, comes and tells him, "If you build it, they will come." So, basically, what this

means is have faith, follow your dreams, don't give up. Even if people are telling

you you're crazy, even if it sounds crazy, even if it's difficult, keep your faith, follow

your dreams, and you will succeed. You will get what you want. And people use this in

those situations.

So, for example, I want to go to university to become an engineer, but I'm not very good

with math and it's very difficult for me, so I'm about to give up, and then my friend

will say, "Come on, if you build it, they will come." It means follow your dreams, try

it and you'll see, you may succeed at the end. Don't give up, okay? But again, movie

lines capture an idea, they capture a feeling more than, "Oh, don't give up, keep trying."

Yeah, that's very easy to say. This has a bit more of an effect, that's why people refer

to these. As an English learner, you're not going to see these things in English textbooks.

You have to watch movies, you have to listen to music, you have to watch TV, because a

lot of the things that native English speakers use come from there.

So, let's go on to another one. "Make him an offer he can't refuse." Now, I could pretend

to be Marlon Brando and say it like that, but I'm sure you know it, you've heard it

enough times. So, the movie is Godfather, I think it's Godfather 2, where he says this

line. Essentially, it means make him understand that he doesn't really have a choice. So,

this is actually quite often used in business. So, go... Like, I'm sending my representative

of my company and I go to the other... The competition and tell him I want to buy his

company and just make him an offer he can't refuse. Basically, make it clear to him that

if he says no, I will bankrupt him and take his company anyway. So, convince him nicely,

but not really. That's why I put the quotes. Make him an offer he can't refuse, convince

him he has no choice, basically.

"Show me the money." Show me the money, right? I'm not going to yell that either, but that's

from the movie Jerry Maguire. He's a sports agent, and he's talking to one of his clients,

and he's saying, you know, I'm going to work for you, and I'm going to help you, and blah,

his client says to him, "All I want to hear from you is these words. Show me the money."

And he makes him scream, "Show me the money, show me the money." Basically, talk is cheap.

Money works, right? Or action works. Don't tell me what you're going to do, do it. Show

me the action, show me the money. Don't tell me that you're going to get me a big contract,

show me the money on the paper, show me that it's done. Actions speak louder than words.

So, people often use this. It doesn't have to be about money, it's about any action.

Don't talk, do.

Okay, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Now, most people only say this part, "I love

the smell of napalm in the morning", but the full quote is, "It smells like victory." So,

this is from the very famous movie, Apocalypse Now. Marlon Brando's also in that, and Martin

Sheen. And Robert Duvall is actually the character that... The actor, but the character that says

this expression. So, the scene in this movie, there's a big fight, and... Oh, sorry. Napalm,

by the way, is a gas that was used in the Vietnam War. It was very explosive, very flammable,

and they used it to attack the Vietnamese, and they blew up huge areas of land. So, there was a

battle, and the Americans came, and they bombed the whole jungle, and they killed all the Vietnamese,

and then they landed, and then this colonel comes out of the helicopter, and like, without a shirt,

he goes, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." So, amid all the chaos, he's just

showing how confident he is. He's very casual, like nothing happened. He's not afraid of being

shot. He's like the alpha male. So, people often use this expression when there's a lot

of going on, there's a bit of a chaos, but you feel extremely confident. "Ah, I love

the smell of napalm." You enjoy the chaos, because you can be better than the chaos.

That's the situation you would use it... Use it in.

Next, "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." This is from The Wizard of...

It's, again, a very old movie, I think 1940s, early '40s. So, this girl goes to sleep, and

there was a tornado that picked up her house and flew her to some strange new land, which

is called Oz, and she lands, and she comes out of the house with her... Toto is her dog.

She comes out with her dog, and there's, like, munchkins, and all kinds of weird flowers,

and there's a witch, and a good witch, and a bad witch, and suddenly, she realizes that

everything is very, very strange. So, she says to the dog, "I don't think we're in Kansas

anymore." Obviously, they're in a very strange, unusual place.

A good word here is "surreal". Surreal means, like, above reality. It's not... Something

is so unbelievable, but it's still part of reality, you're not sure how to deal with

it. So, any situation where you're... You're very confused, or you think everything is

very strange around you, or something doesn't make sense, you can say, "I don't think we're

in Kansas anymore." Like, the situation has completely changed from reality.

Now, the next one is actually a very funny line, because it's considered one of the cheesiest

or corniest lines in movies. "Cheesy" or "corny" means very, like, very weak, very kind of

nerdy. It's a very bad line. It shouldn't have been in any movie, but it was so bad

that it became so popular. Everybody knows this line, and people use it quite regularly.

Nobody puts "Baby" in the corner, and you notice "Baby" is capitalized. This is one of the

character's names. So, this girl went to a country club, a summer country club with

her parents, and she fell in love with one of the dance teachers, and then her father

found out and was very angry. So, the final show, the final night of the summer before

they go home, they're at the banquet hall, and "Baby" is in the corner, and this dancer,

who is the tough bad guy, he comes and tells her dad, "Nobody puts 'Baby' in the corner."

He takes her onto the stage, and they do their dance, and everybody's happy. So, basically,

"Nobody puts 'Baby' in the corner", people use when somebody is trying to limit them

or hold them back or keep them back. So, if somebody is trying to not let me do something

I want to do, I would say, "Nobody puts 'Baby' in the corner", and then I go do whatever

it is I want to do. Again, mostly girls say it, guys don't really say it so much, but

you could. The meaning is the same. It's like a... It's a funny... It's a funny line.

Okay, last one. So, "You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?" If you ever saw "Taxi Driver"

with Robert De Niro, it's a very famous scene where he's standing in front of the mirror

and pretending somebody's insulting him, and he's like, "You talkin' to me?" Like, very

New York style. So, people say this when they want to show, like, a little bit of confidence.

Like, somebody saying... Said something to me, I say, "You talkin' to me? Are you talkin'

to me?" Like, basically I'm making fun of that person, showing him that he's a little

bit silly, he shouldn't start with me, or I want to show confidence to that person,

like, don't start with me. Usually it's said as a joke more than serious, but some people

do see... Do say it seriously.

So, here are a few. I'm going to give you a few more because I wanted to concentrate

a little bit on "Star Wars" because "Star Wars" is quoted a lot. So, I'm going to give

you a sample of those quotes. Let's see. Okay, so now we're going to look specifically at

a few "Star Wars" quotes because "Star Wars" has become a phenomenon. It is so popular

all over the world, and so many... There are actually so many good lines in the movie that

people often quote. Okay? So, one, this is... Yoda says this, I think, to Luke. "Do or do

not, there is no try." Basically, don't try to do something, just do it or give up doing

it. Right? So, do or do not. And this is for a lot of situations. Don't try to learn English,

do it. Just learn English. Don't try to get a job, get a job. Right? Trying means that

you're not putting 100% effort. "Doing" is the key. "Obi-Wan has taught you well." So,

when somebody does something very good, or very well, I should say, or in a very good

way, we say, "Oh, Obi-Wan has taught you well." It's a bit of a joke, but it means that you

did something very well. You successfully completed your task or mission. "The Force

is strong" with this one. It's very similar to this one. We say... Like, I would say,

about somebody. "Obi-Wan has taught you well." One-to-one. "The Force is strong" with this

one means this is a... This person is a very good hard worker, or maybe he's just very

good at something he does, and the Force is strong. "The Force" is from the movie. Like,

the Force is the power, the energy that makes the Jedi. If you haven't seen the movie, don't

worry about it, but if you have seen the movie, you know.

"Use the Force", Luke. So, if somebody needs a little bit of motivation or a little bit

of encouragement, we say, "Use the Force", Luke. Like, put all your energy into it, put

all your talent, all your capability, don't give up, try to do.

Now, this one I wouldn't say is quoted often, but what I want to point out is the structure.

So, Yoda says, "The greatest teacher failure is". So, Yoda is... The way Yoda speaks, Yoda's

also a character in the movie, he puts the verb at the end of the sentence, he inverts

the sentences. So, people often say something by inverting the sentence and putting the

verb at the end to try to sound like Yoda. It sounds wise and has a lot of wisdom in

it and helps somebody. Plus, this is a very good quote. "The greatest teacher failure

is". Failure is not something to be ashamed of. Failure teaches you how to succeed the

next time, so don't be afraid of failure.

So, a few Star Wars movies, but again, watch the movies and you'll get a lot more good

lines from that, like, "Luke, I am your father". People say that all the time in whatever strange

situation when they want to surprise people, and there's a lot more.

Now, I do want to include this one because this is probably the most quoted line from

a movie and that everybody uses. "Frankly", oh, sorry. "Frankly", there should be an L

in here. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" from the movie Gone with the Wind. At

the end of the movie, the character finally gives up on this woman. He says, "You know

what? I just don't care anymore", and then he leaves and the movie ends. At the time,

this movie was, I think, like in the 1920s or '30s. Saying this in a movie was a very

big deal. Now, this word is almost nothing. It's a swear word, just in case you're not

sure. At the time, that was a very big deal. So, that's also one of the reasons this line

became famous, but also because, "You know what? I just don't care anymore. Do whatever

you want", right? And we use this in the same context as well.

So, there you go. A few lines to help you understand native speakers, and just a fun

line. If you ever watched The Princess Bride, a lot of people know this line. "I am Inigo

Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." It's a meaningless sentence. This character

just wants to get revenge on the man who killed his father, and he says this line over, and

over, and over again, and it's a funny line, so a lot of people know it, and a lot of people

will quote it at random situations. So, if you hear it, you know where it's from and

why they're saying it. It's just for fun.

So, hopefully this was a little bit helpful for you. If you have any questions, please

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