- Think you know your movie lines?
Certain lines from popular movies have become truly legendary. Often, people who have never even seen the film will know the famous quote.
Except that they don’t. And neither do the people who have seen the flick.
Some movie lines have been misquoted so often that you may actually be surprised when you hear the real thing. Here are 10 examples of movie quotes that (almost) everybody gets wrong.
1. Star Wars
Wrong Quote: “May the Force be with you.” (attributed to Obi-Wan Kenobi)
Actual Quote: “Remember, the Force will be with you always.”
Let’s start with one that’s really more of a misattribution than a misquote. “May the Force be with you,” is said several times in practically every iteration of Star Wars, including the first one.
People just often think Obi-Wan Kenobi said it, but that particular string of words never comes out of his mouth until Ewan McGregor plays him in the prequels. He instead reminds Luke that the Force will be with him, which is probably a better way to put it.
2. Silence of the Lambs
Wrong Quote: “Hello, Clarice.”
Actual Quote: “Good evening, Clarice.”
Anthony Hopkins crept his way into our hearts when he greeted Jodie Foster as the cannibalistic psychologist Hannibal Lecter. His greeting was more specific than what most people realize.
Think about it, though. Would the prim and proper Lecter who always insisted on good manners be so rude as to not use a greeting appropriate for the time of day?
3. Wall Street
Wrong Quote: “Greed is good.”
Actual Quote: “The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good.”
In this case, it’s easy to see why people don’t remember the full quote. Gordon Gekko was perhaps a bit too verbose in his famous speech. Although it might not be entirely accurate, the shorter version everyone remembers does get the point through in fewer words.
4. Jaws
Wrong Quote: “We’re going to need a bigger boat.”
Actual Quote: “You’re going to need a bigger boat.”
When Chief Brody sees the enormous shark emerge from the waters in Jaws, he mumbles this famous line with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Somehow, the mistaken quote makes more sense, though. Brody is on the same boat, so why is he leaving himself out of the equation?
5. All About Eve
Wrong Quote: “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Actual Quote: “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
Just like the Jaws quote, this famous line from All About Eve makes more sense in the mistaken version — at least when taken out of context. If you have to fasten your seatbelt, you’re usually expecting to go on a ride.
6. Star Wars
Wrong Quote: “Luke, I am your father.”
Actual Quote: “No, I am your father.”
If you ever want to piss off a Star Wars nerd, this one line will do it. Then again, most people have been corrected about this quote so many times that the mistake is about as famous as the quote itself.
7. Casablanca
Wrong Quote: “Play it again, Sam.”
Actual Quote: “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’”
We may be able to blame this mistake on Woody Allen. After all, he directed Play It Again, Sam, a tale of a film critic obsessed with Casablanca. Whether or not Allen got the quote wrong accidentally or on purpose, however, is anyone’s guess.
8. Apollo 13
Wrong Quote: “Houston, we have a problem.”
Actual Quote: “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”
Once again, the mistaken quote makes a little bit more sense. Sure, the problem the astronauts of Apollo 13 faced at the time this line is spoken is already over. That just led to an ongoing problem, though, so the incorrect quote isn’t entirely wrong.
9. Dirty Harry
Wrong Quote: “Do you feel lucky, punk?”
Actual Quote: “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”
This line is probably (at least in my opinion) one of the best action movie quotes ever. Like the quote Wall Street, though it does suffer a bit from being too wordy. The mistaken version gets right to the point, so it works better in some situations.
10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Wrong Quote: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall — who’s the fairest of them all?”
Actual Quote: “Magic mirror on the wall — who is the fairest one of all.”
I genuinely had to go watch this clip to make sure I had it wrong. And indeed, the evil queen never says “mirror, mirror.” Wonder what else I’ve been wrong about my entire life.