Catchphrase / Live-Action Films

aka: Film

Cinematic Catch Phrases. By definition, the phrase(s) should to be repeated multiple times throughout the film or the film series in order to qualify.

This page is not a dumping ground for famous film quotes; those go on the Signature Line page.

Likewise, if the quote has become a Catch Phrase for the audience, those belong on the Memetic Mutation page.

Examples:

• Abbott and Costello:
  • "Hey Abbott!" - Lou Costello
    • Also: “I’m a baaaaaad boy.”

• Ace Ventura series:
  • "All righty then!" - Jim Carrey

• Adele Hasn't Had Her Dinner Yet:
  • "Always on alert!" - Nick Carter, America's greatest detective^note It's funniest when he says it totally wasted and exhausted after beer drinking montage.

• Airplane!:
  • "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." - Leslie Nielsen

• Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
  • "You stay classy, San Diego."
    • "Go fuck yourself, San Diego."

• Animal House
  • "Toga! Toga!" - John Belushi

• Annie:
  • Stacks tries to modify his cell phone company's slogan "never drop a call" into a political slogan for his mayoral campaign: "never drop a citizen".
  • Hannigan, when flirting, tends to open with the same line:
  Man: Ms. Hannigan?
  Hannigan: That's my maiden name. But I'm not ... married to it.

• Austin Powers series:
  • "Oh behave!"
  • "Yeah, baby, yeah!"

• The Back to the Future trilogy
  • Doc Brown's "Great Scott!" and Marty McFly's "This is heavy!". In the first film, Brown takes Marty's catchphrase literally. Subverted in the third movie, where they once exchange lines.
  • In the second and third films Marty also develops the Catchphrase "Nobody calls me chicken!" (or "yellow" in the Western setting) in response to his personal Berserk Button.
  • "Hey McFly!" - said by Biff/Griff Tannen to Marty and George

• Batman (1989)
  • "You ever dance with the Devil in the pale moonlight?" - Joker; later used right back at him by Batman.

• The Big Lebowski:
  • "Man." - Jeff Bridges
  • "It really tied the room together"
  • "Shut the fuck up, Donny."

• ''The Blues Brothers":
  • "We're on a mission from God." - Dan Aykroyd

• Bonnie and Clyde:
  • "We rob banks." - Warren Beatty

• Conan the Barbarian (1982):
  • "Do you want to live forever?"

• The Court Jester:
  • "King of jesters, and jester of kings!"
  • "Harm one hair on (her/that majestic) head, and I throw myself from the highest turret!"
  • "If he dies, you die."
  • "Get it?" "Got it." "Good."

• The Dark Knight:
  • "Wanna know how I got these scars?" - Heath Ledger

• Die Hard:
  • "Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker!" - Bruce Willis; Only given context in the first film but said in all of them.

• Dirty Harry:
  • "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?"

• Dog Day Afternoon
  • "Attica! Attica!!" - Al Pacino

• Duets:
  • Todd Woods: "I'm going out for a pack of cigarettes."
  • Reggie Kane: "I made an error in judgement."

• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
  • "E.T. phone home."

• Forrest Gump
  • "...And that's all I have to say about that."

• Evil Dead
  • "Groovy" - Bruce Campbell as Ash

• Free Guy
  • "Catchphrase." - Ryan Reynolds as invoked DUDE

• From Dusk Till Dawn
  • Protagonist Seth Gecko has a Catchphrase template he adapts to the situation at hand: "Ok [noun], let's [verbed form of same noun]."
  • Prior to making the last dash to the Mexican border and freedom: "Ok ramblers, let's get ramblin'."
  • Having arrived at the rendezvous at which they are to meet their Mexican contact: "Ok hard drinkers, let's start drinking hard."
  • Immediately prior to the last confrontation with the vampires: "Ok vampire killers, let's kill some fucking vampires."

• Funny Girl
  • "Hello, gorgeous." - Barbra Streisand

• Galaxy Quest
  • "Never give up — never surrender." - Jason Nesmith/Commander Peter Quincy Taggart
  • "By Grapthar's hammer..." - Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus

• GoldenEye
  • "I AM INVINCIBLE!" - Boris Grishenko, who obviously has not read the Evil Overlord List.
  • "For England, James." - Sean Bean

• Good Burger
  • "Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?"
  • "You mess with Kurt and you go into the grinder"

• Good Morning, Vietnam
  • "GOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOOOO'NIN' VIETNAAAAAM!" - Robin Williams

• Highlander
  • "There can be only one."
  • "It's a kind of magic."

• The Hudsucker Proxy
  • "You know...for kids!"

• The Indiana Jones film series
  • "I hate snakes!" - Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
    • "Don't call me "Junior"!" - Harrison Ford
    • "This is intolerable!" - Sean Connery

• The James Bond film series
  • "Bond. James Bond."
  • "Shaken, not stirred."
    • The martini one was subverted in Casino Royale (2006): when asked how he wants his martini, Bond asks "Do I look like I give a damn?" Earlier in the film, though, he gives very specific instructions as to how he wants his martini prepared, which is word-for-word out of the original book. "Shaken, not stirred" is a summary of part of this particular order.
    "A dry martini," he said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."
    "Oui, monsieur."
    "Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?"
  • Q's repeated plea to Bond, to bring his equipment back "in pristine order" (which Bond never does). And of course, the ever-popular "Grow up, 007."

• Judge Dredd
  • "I knew you'd say that."
  • "I am the law!"
  • "Court's adjourned."

• Jurassic Park (1993)
  • "We spared no expense." - John Hammond

• Kill Bill
  • "You and I have unfinished business." - The Bride

• The King and I: "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera." - The King of Siam.

• The Kung Fu Theater series
  • "I thought you were dead!" (crops up in other genres as well)
  • "I heard your kung fu is really good." (usually meant as a challenge to the hero)
  • "Teacher!"
  • "But still..."
  • "You (or he) killed teacher!"

• Late Night (2019)
  • "I hope I've earned the privilege of your time." - Katherine Newbury

• Laurel and Hardy film series
  • "D'ooooooooooh!" - James Finlayson
  • "Why don't you do something to help me?" - Oliver Hardy
  • "There's another nice mess you've gotten me into." - Oliver Hardy (often misquoted as "fine mess")

• Lethal Weapon: "I'm too old for this shit!" - Roger Murtaugh

• The Little Shop of Horrors: Seymour's "I didn't mean it", Gravis Mushnick's "excellent", and Audrey Jr.'s "Feed Me".

• Lives Of A Bengal Lancer: "We have ways to make men talk" - Douglas Drimbille (which later became a stock phrase as: We Have Ways of Making You Talk)

• Logan's Run
  Box: Fish and plankton! And sea greens and protein from the sea!

• Major Grom: Plague Doctor
  • "Think, think!" - Igor Grom

• The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
  • "Always with a little humor." - Dr. Yen Lo

• Marathon Man
  • "Is it safe?" - Laurence Olivier

• The Marx Brothers film series
  • "Of course you know, this means war!" - Groucho Marx. He first mentioned it in Duck Soup (1933).
  • Chico Marx often began conversations with a cheery "Hello, boss!" Groucho would sometimes end them with, "...And I do mean you." (suggestive eyebrow waggle)

• A Mighty Wind
  • Fred Willard plays a former child TV star where his catchphrase was "Wha' Happened?" — which he still uses as it's his only claim to fame left.

• Missing in Action series:
  • Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
    • "You lose." - Colonel Yin

• Miss Meadows: Miss Meadows' says "Toodle-oo" for goodbye, whether the farewell is temporary or permanent.

• Mr. Saturday Night
  • Billy Crystal plays a TV comedian whose catchphrase is "Don't get me started!" (also a title of one of Billy Crystal's comedy albums).

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
  • The Black Knight's "NONE SHALL PASS!" as well as everything else he says.
  • "Ni!" - Michael Palin as the Head Knight Who Says "Ni"
  • "Run away!" King Arthur sounding retreat
  • People assumed to be killed suddenly saying "I'm not dead yet!"

• The More the Merrier:
  • Benjamin Dingle says, "Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!"

• Mystery Team
  • "We're the Mystery Team!"

• Oblivion2013:
  • "Another day in paradise." - Victoria
  • "Are you an effective team? - Sally

• Olsen-banden and adaptations^note All catch phrases have been translated here for simplicity even if the original film hasn't received an official English translation; as such, be aware that translators may handle them differently.:
  • Egon:
    • "I have a plan."
    • "No, no, no!" (Danish & Norwegian versions only)
    • "It's all timed and organized." (Danish & Norwegian versions only) / "Timed and prepared down to the last detail." (Swedish version only)
    • Swedish version only: "Of course" in response to pretty much anything, including compliments.
  • Benny:
    • "Bloody good, Egon!" in the original series. Both the Norwegian and Swedish adaptations tone down the character's swearing and change the catchphrase to "Brilliant, Egon/Sickan!"
    • In the Norwegian Spinoff Babies films, he will typically say "I've got to agree with Kjell/Egon there" if Kjell and Egon are in a conflict and he tries to be reasonable about taking one of their sides.
  • Kjeld:
    • "I knew it, I knew it!"
    • "What am I going to tell Yvonne?"
    • "Is it dangerous?" (Often in response to Egon's "I have a plan.")
  • Yvonne: "You've put me through a lot during all these years..."
  • Dynamit-Harry, Swedish version only: "What a friggin' blast!"
  • Hermansen Sr:
    • "You can make a note of that, Holm."
    • "Holm, Holm, Holm! What am I going to do about you?!"
  • Ingrid:
    • Ending negative statements about men in general with "That's what my aunt says, and she knows what she's talking about!"
    • "The same goes for you too, Benny!" after Valborg either tells Kjell off or invites him along somewhere.

• The Pirates of the Caribbean:
  • Jack Sparrow's catchphrases:
    • "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." - Johnny Depp.
    • "Captain Jack Sparrow," when someone omits his title. To the point that when he isn't there, Will and Elizabeth do it for him.
    • "The rum is always gone."
    • "But we need not forget about that one"
    • Adding "savvy?" to the end of his sentences.
    • "This will be the day you will always remember as the day you ALMOST defeated/captured/killed/cannibalized/etc. Captain Jack Sparrow!"
  • Davy Jones: "Do you fear death?"
  • Cutler Beckett: "It's just... good business."
  • Pintel: "Hello, Poppet."

• Prince of Space
  • "Your weapons are useless against me!" - Tatsuo Umemiya

• The Princess Bride:
  • Vizzini shouts, "Inconceivable!" whenever something goes happens that he didn't expect. His partner, Inigo Montoya, eventually says, "You Keep Using That Word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
  • Inigo's own catch phrase: "Hello!. My Name Is Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare to Die."
  • Westley's own "As You Wish," which he even uses to identify himself.

• Porco Rosso, the eponymous character (who is half man, half pig) bitterly reiterates "I'm a pig."

• Psycho
  • "My mother isn't quite herself today." - Anthony Perkins

• In Rain Man, Raymond has "I'm an excellent driver."
  • "Definitely, definitely."
    • "Uh-oh."
    • "Ten minutes to Wapner."

• RoboCop (1987)
  • "I'd buy that for a dollar!" - Bixby Snyder in a Lampshade of the trope. Continuity Nod in the 2014 version by Rick Mattox: "I wouldn't buy that for a dollar."
  • "Dead or alive, you're coming with me." - Robo himself.
  • "Come quietly or there will be (Beat) trouble." - Also Robo himself.

• Rocky III
  • "I pity the fool." - Mr. T

• The Room (2003)
  • "Oh hi, (name)!" - Tommy Wiseau
  • As well as his distinctive, inappropriate laughter.

• Saw
  • "Hello, [victim]. I want to play a game." - Jigsaw
  • "Live or die. Make your choice."

• The Searchers
  • "That'll be the day." - John Wayne.
    • This was also the inspiration for the Buddy Holly song.

• In Shakespeare in Love, Geoffrey Rush's character answers every question to which he doesn't know the answer with "I don't know. It's a mystery." By the end of the movie, he's got Gwyneth Paltrow using it, too. This is arguably a reference to Rush's portrayal of David Helfgott in the 1996 film Shine, where he frequently said the line, too.

• Shoot 'Em Up
  • "Y'know what I hate?" - Clive Owen

• Showdown in Seattle
  • "THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING!" - a chant repeated by demonstrators throughout the protests.

• Silent Night, Deadly Night
  • "Punish!" - Billy Caldwell

• Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
  • "Naughty." - Eric Freeman

• Slap Shot
  • "I tried to capture the spirit of the thing." - Dickie Dunn

• Smoke Signals
  • "HEY VICTOR!". - Thomas Builds-A-Fire
  • "Thomas, you're so full of shit...". Victor Joseph

• Song of the South
  • "Don' worry. Ah can take care of mah self." - Brer Rabbit
  • "Ah'm just gonna knock his head CLEAN OFF! - Brer Bear
• Star Wars
  • "Hello there!" (General) Obi-wan Kenobi
  • "Good"- Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine
  • "May the Force be with you"- The Jedi as a whole
  • "You underestimate/do not know the power of the Dark Side"- various Sith
  • "I have a bad feeling about this"- pretty much everybody at some point
• Stroker Ace
  • "Fastest chicken in the South!" - the Chicken Pit's oft-repeated campaign slogan
  • "It's in your contract." - Clyde Torkle and pretty much everyone else when Stroker complains about his job. Stroker later gets to turn this against Torkle.
• The N Little Mistresses:
  • One of the younger mistresses, Because, is called such because a video of her coyly asking "Because?" went viral. She frequently asks "because?" in the same way when prompting other characters.
  • Constantin peppers his dialogue with an exuberant "Amazing!".
• The Terminator film series
  • "Hasta la vista, baby!" - Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
  • "Come with Me If You Want to Live" - Kyle Reese in the first film, also used in later films and twice in the TV series.
    • "Get Out!" also appears Once per Episode.
  • "I'll be Back" - Arnie's T-800.
    • Lampshaded in Last Action Hero.
    • Parodied in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, where he says "She'll be back" (after fighting off the T-X) and "I'm back".
    • Subverted in Terminator: Dark Fate, where he says "I won't be back".
• TRON
  • "I fight for the users"
  • End of line.
  • "Greetings, Programs!"

• The Truman Show
  • "Good morning! And in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night!"

• The Victors
  • "Stupid idiots!" Sgt. Craig.

• The War
  • "A bowl full of cherries" - Miss Strapford uses this as her way of saying that everything, including racism, is wonderful.

• Wayne's World
  • "Party on, [Character]!"

• Wheeler and Woolsey, 1930s comedy team
  • Robert Woolsey would give a distinctive cry of "Whoooooooooahh!!" whenever he realized something had gone wrong or he and Wheeler were in some kind of trouble. He did it multiple times per film for years, so it certainly would have been a well-recognized catchphrase (or catch-yell) in 1930s America.

• Who Framed Roger Rabbit
  • "P-P-P-Pleeeease!" - Roger Rabbit

• The Wild Bunch
  • "Let's go." - Pike Bishop

• The Wolf Man series
  • "Even a man who is pure at heart/and says his prayers at night/may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms/and the autumn moon is bright"
  • It's worth noting that the movie Van Helsing has both this and the prior phrase.

• Woody Allen film series
  • "La dee da. La dee da." - Diane Keaton in Annie Hall

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