Reel Life Blog

Movie quote from: The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Scarecrow (Ray Bolger)

So much for the Don Imus radio show.  Big brave CBS just fired him for his short-sighted remarks about the women on the Rutgers basketball team.  Live by the sword, die by the sword.  However, I'm not sure who is the more offensive - Don Imus, who has a history of derogatory commentary, or the CBS executives who thought he was great until everybody else didn't.  Just once I'd like to see an executive defend media decency rather than ignoring the man behind the curtain until the jig is up.  Here's some slightly edited quotes from The Wizard of Oz that will be useful if Don's story ever makes the silver screen.

Movie quote from: Mary Poppins (1964) - Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews)

In the 1964 film Mary Poppins, there's a problem in the Banks family.  Everybody is too serious.  Mr. Banks is a pompous banker who hardly knows or cares for his children.  Mrs. Banks scampers about keeping things structured for her husband while pursuing her own quest for female freedom.  Nannies pour through the house, none of them able to give the unstructured children what they really need.  Into this mix comes the magical Mary Poppins, as played by the Oscar-winning Julie Andrews.  She teaches them all how to appreciate life and enjoy each other.  We all need a spoonful of Mary Poppins now and then, reminding us quite literally to 'lighten up' in our day-to-day life.    

Movie quote from: Going My Way (1944) - Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby)

Some time in the development of western culture, being cynical became cool.  At the same time, positive became naive and public expressions of hopefulness became targets for clever-minded critique.  The great casualty of our cultural cynicism is the active pursuit of human potential.  So much potential wasted while we sit quietly in our chairs, watching.  No film better illustrates what we have lost than Going My Way, the Oscar winning film for 1944.  Bing Crosby plays Father O'Malley, a role model for developing personal potential.  This movie wouldn't have a chance today.

Movie quote from: The People vs Larry Flynt (1996) - Alan Isaacman (Edward Norton)

During these times of increasing political and religious polarity, it is wise to remember the straight-up message of the 1996 film The People vs Larry Flynt.  The film's 'hero' is Larry Flynt, the sleazy publisher of Hustler magazine who shows little of the moral characteristics that hold our culture together.  However, his dogged defense of his right to express an unpopular thought earned him an influential victory in the Supreme Court.  Speech hasn't been the same since.

Movie quote from: Before Sunrise (1995) - Palm Reader (Erni Mangold)

Before Sunrise is one of my favorite human interaction stories.  Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is an American traveler on his way to Vienna to catch a flight back home.  Celine (Julie Delpy) is a French student on a journey to Paris to attend classes at the Sorbonne.  They meet on the train and are attracted to the uniqueness of each other's character.  They decide to spend a night together, exploring Vienna and their own souls.  What transpires is a great study of how truly good a relationship can be for two dynamic people.

Movie quote from: Fight Club (1999) - Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt)

In Fight Club, the Narrator (Edward Norton) is a lost soul, uninspired by the veneer-thin values of his consumer-centric life.  Into this detached existence comes Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), the polar opposite of Norton's apathetic character.  Durden takes him into a full-contact, chaotic world that re-aquaints him with a sense of unbounded freedom.  But is he really free?  What does 'being free' mean and do we really want it?  This film pulls no punches as it explores the implications of absolute freedom.

Movie quote from Sleuth (1972) - Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier)

In the film Sleuth, Laurence Olivier's character offers a very wise thought about the value of leisure time.  He tells Michael Caine's character, "In the good old days, before television that is, people constructed the pleasure of life for themselves."  This differs from the habitual practice of most people nowadays.  The great majority get home and just watch.  This is not the best way to use our free time.  That time away from work may be the secret to discovering a fulfilling life.

Adam Sandler seems to have recovered from his early career tendency to name his movies after his own characters (Billy Madison, Little Nicky, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy).  He also has become a more effective actor, especially in such films as Punch Drunk Love and Spanglish.  In honor of the release of his next film (Reign Over Me) in a couple of weeks, here are the top five quotes from Adam Sandler in his movies.   

Movie quote from: Steel Magnolias (1989) - Shelby (Julia Roberts)

I am always impressed by people who seek to experience all life has to offer.  Undeterred by personal challenges or life's obstacles, these individuals expect full value from their days.  They are 'all in', wholeheartedly pursuing the life they desire.  In the film Steel Magnolias, this spirit is personified in Shelby (Julia Roberts) and supported by an all-star cast of spicy Southern belles.  The character Truvy (Dolly Parton) tells us that "laughter through tears" is her favorite emotion.  This is the core emotion featured in the film as a group of straight-up friends live with the drama and great laughter of wholehearted lives.

Movie quote from: Rocky Balboa (2006) – Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone)

In the final chapter of Sylvester Stallone’s successful Rocky series, the boxer has an adult son who struggles with life in the shadow of his famous Philly father.  Rocky Jr. blames his Dad’s successes for his own unfulfilled life.  Rocky confronts his son, telling him, “You’re my son, you’re my life, but until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life!”  With this straight-forward piece of advice, Rocky reminds his son and everyone else precisely who is responsible for making life a knockout.