Line #115 Main/YouTalkinToMe


1	->''"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking...you talking to me? Well, I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Oh, yeah? OK."''
2	-->-- '''Travis Bickle''', ''Film/TaxiDriver''
3
4	A character has just gotten a new gun and checks himself out in the mirror. What does he do? Nine times out of ten, he starts [[MirrorMonologue talking to his reflection]], quoting Creator/RobertDeNiro's famous monologue from ''Film/TaxiDriver''. He doesn't even need a real gun -- if he just wants to feel badass, there's always the trusty FingerGun.
5
6	Of course, when De Niro did it, it was 10 times cooler. He also had a retractable handgun strapped to his forearm, which none of the imitators seem to have. Neither one of these defects seems to stop writers from inserting this scene at every opportunity. It doesn't matter what the character's background or psychological profile is; it seems that all TV characters, once given a gun, will immediately start to fantasize about verbally harassing people.
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8	For some reason, everyone seems to remember the line as "[[BeamMeUpScotty You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Well, I don't see anyone else here...]]"
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10	In some cases, the characters may literally be talking to ''you''. In this case, it's BreakingTheFourthWall.
11
12	Here is a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjlxVYueVeQ compilation]] with a lot of examples of this trope.
13
14	----
15	!Examples:
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17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
20	* Referenced but not actually spoken out loud in ''Anime/EdenOfTheEast''. Granted, the entire ''scene'' in question is a ({{lampshade\|Hanging}}d) ShoutOut to ''Film/TaxiDriver''.
21	* Cal says the lines or at least imitates the scene in ''[[VisualNovel/PhantomOfInferno Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~]].''
22	[[/folder]]
23
24	[[folder:Comic Books]]
25	* ''ComicBook/SinCity'': "For a while, we just get the feel of each other back. Good as ever. I tell her about Goldie and what we have to do."
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
29	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Balto}} III'', Balto and his friends encounter a moose who keeps saying "Are you talkin' to me?" before attacking them. When another moose arrives and challenges the first one, the first moose still asks "Are you talkin' to me?" This makes the other moose say "Yeah, I'm talkn' to you!"
30	* This happened, sans gun, in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'': Pumbaa launches into the first half of the speech after a hyena [[BerserkButton calls him a pig]], then ends it with the line, "[[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs They call me ''MISTER Pig!'']]"
31	* One of the personas adopted by the Genie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': "Are you lookin' at me? Did you rub my lamp? Did you wake me up? Did you bring me here?"
32	* This happened, sans gun in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeVITheSecretOfSaurusRock'' when Littlefoot says this line.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
36	* ''Film/TaxiDriver'', TropeCodifier. Duh.
37	* "You talkin' to me?", though not the rest of the sequence, was most famously originated by Creator/AlanLadd's character in ''Film/ThisGunForHire'' (1942). The scene is iconic enough that when ''L. A. Confidential'' had the Veronica Lake lookalike character showing one of Lake's old films, they used that scene from that movie.
38	* The probable origin of Bickle's monologue is the 1953 film ''Film/{{Shane}}'':
39	-->'''Shane:''' You speakin' to me?
40	-->'''Chris Calloway:''' I don't see nobody else standin' there.
41	** Note: Shane is played by...Alan Ladd.
42	* In ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRockyAndBullwinkle'' live action movie, Fearless Leader (Robert De Niro) did this as an obvious ShoutOut [[ActorAllusion to his character in]] ''Film/TaxiDriver''. Although there was no gun and mirror involved; it was just a case of asking if they were talking to him.
43	* Vincent Cassel does a French version of this in the film ''Film/LaHaine''.
44	* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII.'' Marty wakes up and sees that's he's alone with a gun. Cut to Marty wearing his gunbelt over his long underwear, quoting the scene to his reflection.
45	** [[ShoutOut He quotes]] [[Film/SuddenImpact the iconic "go ahead, make my day" scene too.]]
46	* The short film ''Film/YuMingIsAinmDom'' features a scene where the eponymous character, while shaving, looks at his reflection in the mirror and quotes the monologue. ''[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome As Gaeilge.]]''
47	* In ''Film/BonCopBadCop'', one character does this in a bathroom mirror. While wearing a squirrel costume.
48	* Parodied in the remake of ''Film/{{The Parent Trap\|1998}}'': When one of the swapped twins is addressed by a character she hasn't seen yet, she responds "You talkin' to me?" - and gets an answer: "What are you, Robert De Niro? Yes, I'm talking to you."
49	* In ''{{Film/Kiler}}'' main hero parodies this scene. Helps that Kiler is also a cabbie.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Literature]]
53	* The Ankh Morpork Watch in Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels has the motto "Fabricati Diem, Pvnc", which is ''[[CanisLatinicus very bad]]'' Latin for "Make My Day, Punk". In-story, Fred Colon [[FeigningIntelligence claims]] that it translates as "To Protect and Serve". The full motto is in fact "Fabricati Diem, Pvncti Agvnt Celeriter," but has been rendered partially unreadable over time. This supposedly means "Make the Day, the Moments Pass Quickly."
54	** Later in the same novel, Vimes channels Eastwood while using a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent swamp dragon]] as a weapon "This is Lord Mountjoy Quickfang Winterforth IV, the hottest dragon in the city! It can blow your head clean off!"
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
58	* ''Series/TheBill'' once featured someone doing the ".44 Magnum" speech from "Dirty Harry". Bits of the same speech have no doubt turned up in other shows, the most oft-quoted part being "Do ya feel lucky, Punk?!" (Technically, a BeamMeUpScotty; the actual line is "You'd better ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky'? Well, do you, punk?")
59	** "Other shows", such as the first ''Film/{{Transformers\|2007}}'' movie when Optimus introduces Ironhide.
60	* Occurs in ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'', where one of the villains does it while carrying out an armed robbery. Of course the detectives recognize the quote, and even catch the guy when they see him doing it again.
61	* In ''Creator/StephenFry In America'', a documentary series where the British actor travels around the US in a black cab, he gets to fire a .44 Magnum revolver. He does the whole speech (as well as the ''Film/DirtyHarry'' speech), quoting it correctly. And makes it entirely non-threatening, because he's the only person in the world who could do that. And everyone loves him for it.
62	* In an old ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch, [[HairTriggerTemper Joe Pesci]] models pinky rings in the mirror and launches into mouthed verbal abuse at his reflection.
63	* Parodied in ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' with ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egU-d1CRXkM Polite Taxi Driver]]''.
64	* ''{{Series/SCTV}}'' did a series of trailers for ''Film/TaxiDriver'' starring Gregory Peck, or stock character Sid Dithers, or Woody Allen ("I know what you're thinking, that violence isn't really my thing; that my idea of violence is a plaid jacket with striped pants, but...are you talking to me?")
65	* ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "Small Potatoes" featured a baddie who disguised himself as Agent Mulder and returned to D.C. in his place. He clowns around in Mulder's room a bit, first practicing brandishing his FBI badge -- then he segues into "...you talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? I'm the only one here, you must be talkin' to me..."
66	* Lampshaded in the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode "Folsom Prison Blues". As Dean and Sam are locked up in the county jail, Dean gets approached by one of the inmates with "You talking to me?!". Dean's response:
67	-->'''Dean:''' Great, another guy who's seen ''Taxi Driver'' [[YouWatchTooMuchX one time too many]].
68	* ''Series/FullFrontal'' did a skit ''[[Literature/PrideAndPrejudice Pride and Extreme Prejudice]]'' where Robert de Niro plays Mr Darcy. His response to Elizabeth Bennet's LoveConfession is to say "You talking to me?" and shoot her with a flintlock pistol.
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70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Music]]
73	* Played straight, sans gun, in Music/{{Pantera}}'s song "Walk":
74	-->[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Re! Spect! Walk!]]\
75	Are you talkin' to me?\
76	Are you talkin' to me?\
77	Are you talkin' to me?\
78	No way, punk!
79	* Music/{{Metallica}} follow them with the song "2X4":
80	--> I can't hear you are you talkin' to me?
81	--> I can't hear you are you talkin' to me?
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
85	* One of the commercials for ''[[Wrestling/{{WWE}} [=WrestleMania=] 21]]'' had several wrestlers trying to do the line. At the very end, Batista pulls it off perfectly. A week afterwards, he said it in response to a rant by Triple H, further proving his gimmick as well as being an obvious reference to said commercial.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Theatre]]
89	* In Creator/KimNewman's spoof Gothic melodrama ''Mildew Manor'', a Regency ingénue, admiring herself in the mirror, murmers "are you addressing yourself to my person? ... you must be, for no one else is present ... fie! and la!"
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Video Games]]
93	* Happens, of all places, in ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', when Dr. Eggman pulls this on one of his minions.
94	-->'''Cubot:''' ''(in gangster voice)'' You talkin' to me?
95	-->'''Eggman:''' ''(annoyed)'' Yes, I'm talking to you. There's nobody here, so I ''MUST'' be talking to you!
96	* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland Chapter 3: Lair of the Leviathan'', Guybrush can choose this quote after he and Morgan are asked, "What say you, digested SCUMM™?"
97	* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderI'' has this for one of the human enemies that shot at you with semi automatics while riding on a skateboard, but replaces "talking" with "firing". This wasn't kept in the remake.
98	--> "You firin' at me? You firin' at me? Ain't nobody else here, so you must be firin' at me!"
99	* ''VideoGame/TestDrive'' has this for the opponent Kurt Jackson, in a variant.
100	--> "Are you passing me? I mean, if you're passing me, there's no one else here!"
101	* The dwarven warrior Kagain in ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' has this as one of his selection quotes.
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder:Web Comics]]
105	* In ''Webcomic/GoodbyeChains'', Colin does this with a deringer and a special quick-draw mechanism similar to the one in Film/Taxidriver. Subverted for humor when he accidentally sends the gun flying through the mirror.
106	* The speech is [[ShownTheirWork accurately quoted]] in [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=801 this]] ''Webcomic/SquareRootOfMinusGarfield'' strip.
107	* In ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'', Ponda Baba (a.k.a. Walrus Man) does this to Luke in the cantina scene of ''Film/ANewHope''
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Western Animation]]
111	* The entire point for the existence of Bobby the Pigeon in the Goodfeathers segments of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' was to spoof this. The Goodfeathers were a complete parody of Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci from Goodfellas. Bobby's homage to Robert De Niro would naturally include this.
112	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' parodies this. While the babies are loose in a movie theater, they see a screen with a person doing this...except instead of a gun, he's holding a banana.
113	-->'''Chuckie:''' No, I was talking to Tommy. ''(whispers to Tommy)'' Let's try another.
114	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', of course, has an instance of this. Moe gets a gun, and does in fact have the retractable sleeve holster. When asking his reflection who he's talkin' to, however, the gun pops out and smashes the mirror.
115	-->'''Moe:''' Well, that was an antique. ''CRAP!''
116	* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold!'', "Mugged", has Arnold doing it after getting some karate lessons. Spoofed somewhat when Arnold's Grandpa, who was in the next room, replied "No, I wasn't saying anything."
117	* Mr. Garrison does it in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Weight Gain 4000" while buying a gun to kill Kathie Lee Gifford.
118	* In the WesternAnimation/LeapFrog educational release, ''[[ItsAWonderfulPlot A Tad of Christmas Cheer]]'', Tad tells his fairy godbug Edison that he's cuckoo and Parker asks him "Are you talkin' to me? Well, I don't see nobody else, so you must be talkin' to me." He says that he's talking to Edison and at that point, Edison reveals that nobody else can see him. "That's probably not good," deadpans Tad.
119	* Big Daddy did it at the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Fairly OddParents}}'' episode "Big Wanda". He kept asking the question during his sleep.
120	* The old Nick show ''WesternAnimation/KaBlam'' had a little shout out in the pilot near the end of the episode depicting a sheep in a taxi promptly saying "You talkin' to me?"
121	* WesternAnimation/KimPossible has an episode where Kim and Shego are under the influence of an emotion controlling Moodulator. When under the “Angry” mode, Shego says this while grabbing Dr. Drakken by the collar.
122	[[/folder]]
123
124	[[folder:Other]]
125	* Before ''Taxi Driver'', people made do with ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', where Abraham and Sampson go through a similar speech, 'Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?' 'No, but I do bite my thumb, sir.' People were still quoting this in the 19th century. See www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/009499.html for an example at the Monroe White House, where the British minister Sir Charles Vaughan saw the French minister Count de Serurier, directly across from him, bite his thumb every time Vaughan made a remark. "Do you bite your thumb at me, Sir?" Vaughan finally challenged. "I do," was the Frenchman's reply - just like people quoting ''Taxi Driver'' nowadays, to be macho.
126	* Ludacris's "Slap" contains a MidVidSkit which pays tribute to the iconic ''Taxi Driver'' scene.
127	* Used in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJyQOftBkTE&feature=related UK advert]] for the search engine Bing by a woman seemingly suffering from information overload.
128	* New York City's Museum of the Moving Image once had a series of interactive exhibits to demonstrate different technological tricks of the movie trade. One of the exhibits was on dialogue looping, which let visitors record their own voice in on an existing film clip. ...Guess which clip.
129	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / YouTalkinToMe