Anurag Jain's Blog on Bangalore Events, Travel, IIM Bangalore, IIM, IIMB, Management

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Posted 7:32 AM by Anurag

American Splendor and Love Actually

Recently watched these two movies. Some neat quotes from 'em.

# American Splendor
Harvey Pekar: Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff.

Real Harvey: I felt more alone that week than any. Sometimes I'd feel a body lying next to me like an amputee feels a phantom limb. All I did was think about Jennie Gerhardt and Alice Quinn and all the decades of people I had known. The more I thought, the more I felt like crying. Life seemed so sweet and so sad, and so hard to let go of in the end. But hey, man, every day is a brand new deal, right? Just keep on working and something's bound to turn up.

Mr. Boats: "Avoid the reeking herd! Shun the polluted flock! Live like that stoic bird, the eagle of the rock!" You know what that means, son?
Harvey: Yeah. It's from an Elinor Hoyt Wylie poem. It means stay away from the crowds of common ordinary people and do your own thing.
Mr. Boats: Nope, it means don't compromise yourself for women. Ain't gonna do you no good. Get away from them as soon as you can!
Harvey: Well, I ain't got no woman now. So I'm living like the stoic bird, man.
Mr. Boats: The only way to live, son.

Toby: [to Harvey] You know, you should try believing in something bigger than yourself. It might cheer you up.

Mattress Guy 1: So how smart is she?
Mattress Guy 2: I don't know. I guess she's about average.
Mattress Guy 1: Average? Hey, man. Average is dumb!

Real Harvey: It seemed that real, salt of the earth people like Toby and me were being co-opted by these huge corporations. We were getting held up and ridiculed as losers in the system. What can I say, it was the '80s, man.

"But don't think I buy into any of this 'growth' crap, man... Everybody's always talking about how BAD experiences cause you to grow and all that cliche'd stuff, man...
"And I'd had enough BAD experiences with growth to last me plenty. (sigh)
"Right now, I'd be glad to trade some growth for happiness.

# Love Actually
Sam: Daniel, I have a plan!
Daniel: Thank the Lord! Tell me.
Sam: Well, girls love musicians, don't they? Even the really weird ones get girlfriends.
Daniel: That's right. Meatloaf got laid at least once. For Christ's sake, Ringo Starr married a Bond girl!
Sam: [looks at him strangely] Whatever.

Jamie: You learned English?
Aurelia: Just in cases.

Daniel: Aren't you a bit young to be in love?
Sam: No.
Daniel: Oh, OK, right. Well, I'm a little relieved.
Sam: Why?
Daniel: Well, you know - I thought it might be something worse.
Sam: [incredulous] Worse than the total agony of being in love?
Daniel: Oh. No, you're right. Total agony.

Billy Mack: I realized that Christmas is the time to be with the people you love.
Joe: Right.
Billy Mack: And I realized that as dire chance and fateful cockup would have it, here I am, mid 50s, and without knowing it I've gone and spent most of my adult life with a chubby employee. And much as it grieves me to say it, it might be that the people I love is, in fact... you.
[pause]
Joe: Well, this is a surprise. Ten minutes at Elton John's and you're as gay as a maypole.
Billy Mack: I left Elton John's, where there were a large number of half-naked chicks with their mouths open, to hang out with you. It's a terrible mistake, Chubs, but you turn out to be the fucking love of my life. And to be honest, despite all my complaining, we have had a wonderful life.

Billy Mack: Hiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don't buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free.

Colin: American girls would seriously dig me with my cute British accent.
Colin: I am Colin. God of Sex. I'm just on the wrong continent, that's all.
Colin: Watch out America, here comes Colin Frissell!
[pauses and turns, holding his hands out as if describing a large fish]
Colin: [in a much deeper voice] ... And he's got a big *knob*!

Stacey, American Dreamgirl: [points to beer bottle] How do you say this one?
Colin: Uh, Bottle.
Stacey, American Dreamgirl, Jeannie, American Angel, Carol-Anne, American Goddess: [giggling, mimicking accent] BOHT-el!
Jeannie, American Angel: [points to straw] How 'bout this?
Colin: Straw.
Stacey, American Dreamgirl, Jeannie, American Angel, Carol-Anne, American Goddess: [mimicking accent] Strohw!
Carol-Anne, American Goddess: [points to table] And this?
Colin: Table.
Stacey, American Dreamgirl, Jeannie, American Angel, Carol-Anne, American Goddess: [starting to repeat] Tab - Oh, the same. It's the same.
[Colin nods apologetically]

Sam: Let us go get the shit kicked out of us by love.

[to a portrait of Margaret Thatcher]
The Prime Minister: Did you ever have this kind of problem? Yeah - of course you did, you saucy minx.

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