10 Famous Movie Lines You Remember WRONG
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Thomas Muzekari
Think you know your favorite movie quotes by heart? Think again! Join us as we explore some of the most commonly misquoted lines from classic films. From sci-fi revelations to thriller encounters, these iconic movie moments aren't exactly how you remember them. Get ready to question everything you thought you knew about cinema's most memorable lines! We're covering classics from "Star Wars," "Jaws," "The Silence of the Lambs," "Casablanca," and more! Which misquoted line surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below!
10 Famous Movie Moments You’re Probably Misquoting
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most well-known and frequently misquoted movie lines.
This iconic ad-lib by Roy Scheider lets everyone know that the danger in the water is no joke—and that not just any boat is equipped for it. The line became a catchphrase among the crew when they encountered obstacles during production. And after making the final cut of the film, it has become a mainstay pop culture reference. There’s a subtle difference, though. People often misquote it as, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” This makes sense as it implies that the speaker is also involved in whatever problem is at play. However, in the movie, Scheider’s character Brody actually says, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
When someone foresees a difficult time ahead, you could say that they should fasten their seat belt, because it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. What a lot of people may not realize is that a variation of this familiar idiomatic expression appears in the 1950 classic film “All About Eve.” Margo Channing, played by legendary actress Bette Davis, doesn’t actually say the word “ride,” though. She says “night,” as in, “Fasten your seat belts; it’s going to be a bumpy night.” Yet, if you say the movie quote verbatim, someone might give you a puzzled look.
When he feels like Mrs. Robinson might be coming on to him, Benjamin Braddock utters a quote from “The Graduate” that lives on. Many people remember it and refer to it as, “Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” But that’s not the exact quote from the film. Benjamin actually utters a statement, followed by a pause, and finally a request for clarification. In other words, Benjamin tells Mrs. Robinson that she is trying to seduce him, before taking a few breaths and ultimately asking her to clarify whether his suspicion is correct.
There are multiple chilling lines and moments featuring Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.” It’s no wonder the American Film Institute ranked him as the number one film villain of all time. Contrary to popular belief, however, Lecter never says, “Hello, Clarice.” The closest he ever comes to such a line is when he says, “Good evening, Clarice.” Perhaps the character’s dark and twisted nature, combined with his memorable interactions with Clarice and his distinctive, unsettling tone, led people to falsely remember him greeting her with a creepy hello.
Just because Sam has played it before doesn’t mean that Ilsa or Rick says, “Play it again, Sam” —which is what many people misremember from the all-time classic, “Casablanca.” Ingrid Bergman’s character actually says, “Play it once, Sam, for old times' sake.” And after Sam’s reply, she says, “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’” Based on the musician’s reaction, he had played that tune before. In a later scene, Humphrey Bogart’s Rick insists that Sam play it again. But, like Ilsa, Rick doesn’t actually use the word “again.” Even so, as time goes by, the common misquote persists. Woody Allen’s 1969 play and 1972 film titled “Play It Again, Sam” may have something to do with that.
As Kevin Costner’s Ray Kinsella walks through his family cornfield, a mysterious voice repeats a memorable phrase. Yet, despite the repetition, many viewers misquote this iconic line from the sports fantasy drama, “Field of Dreams.” Rather than “If you build it, they will come,” the actual line is “he will come.” Ray does end up taking the voice’s advice by building a baseball field within the cornfield—and, as a result, ghosts of baseball legends appear. So, yes, they do come. But there's one man in particular that the voice must’ve been talking about.
The length and complexity of this memorable line may have something to do with it being so widely misquoted. But of course it’s the sheer awesomeness of it that makes people remember it from “Dirty Harry,” albeit incorrectly. The title character, played by Clint Eastwood, tells a robber, “You’ve got to ask yourself one question.” Since this sets up Harry to word the question from the robber’s perspective, he asks, “Do I feel lucky?” before saying, “Well, do ya, punk?” The simplified, punchy misquote that you’re much more likely to hear is, “Do ya feel lucky, punk?”
This iconic quote from an all-time classic film remains a staple in pop culture and everyday conversation. While it’s often paraphrased as “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” or simply, “We’re not in Kansas anymore,” Dorothy’s actual words to Toto are slightly different. Of course, Dorothy’s “feeling,” as she says, turns out to be spot-on. They definitely aren’t in Kansas anymore. We have a feeling that even people who have never seen “The Wizard of Oz” may have used this phrase in some way before. And it’s definitely a fun one to pull out in the appropriate situation.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” We attribute this timeless saying to Disney’s first feature-length animated film: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” But the wicked Queen doesn’t actually say, “mirror, mirror.” She says “Magic mirror.” With that said, “mirror, mirror” is the phrase used in the original 1812 Brothers Grimm fairy tale, on which the film was based. Disney changed the line for their adaptation. Still, we bet that a lot of people who didn’t read the original tale but saw the 1937 film misremember the Queen saying, “mirror, mirror.”
Wait a sec. Surely, it’s “Luke, I am your father,” right? Well, not quite actually. The plot twist in “The Empire Strikes Back” in which Darth Vader drops that bombshell on Luke doesn’t go down exactly as most people remember. Just as the reveal itself comes as a shock, finding out that this is a misquote may come as a shock as well—and understandably so. In the movie, James Earl Jones’ Vader actually responds to Mark Hamill’s character by saying, “No, I am your father.” Why did we think he says Luke? Who knows? The Mandela Effect really is something.
Is there a certain movie reference that you often make? Let us know in the comments!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most well-known and frequently misquoted movie lines.
#10: “You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat.”
“Jaws” (1975)This iconic ad-lib by Roy Scheider lets everyone know that the danger in the water is no joke—and that not just any boat is equipped for it. The line became a catchphrase among the crew when they encountered obstacles during production. And after making the final cut of the film, it has become a mainstay pop culture reference. There’s a subtle difference, though. People often misquote it as, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” This makes sense as it implies that the speaker is also involved in whatever problem is at play. However, in the movie, Scheider’s character Brody actually says, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
#9: “Fasten Your Seat Belts; It’s Going to Be a Bumpy Night.”
“All About Eve” (1950)When someone foresees a difficult time ahead, you could say that they should fasten their seat belt, because it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. What a lot of people may not realize is that a variation of this familiar idiomatic expression appears in the 1950 classic film “All About Eve.” Margo Channing, played by legendary actress Bette Davis, doesn’t actually say the word “ride,” though. She says “night,” as in, “Fasten your seat belts; it’s going to be a bumpy night.” Yet, if you say the movie quote verbatim, someone might give you a puzzled look.
#8: “Mrs. Robinson, You’re Trying to Seduce Me... Aren’t You?”
“The Graduate” (1967)When he feels like Mrs. Robinson might be coming on to him, Benjamin Braddock utters a quote from “The Graduate” that lives on. Many people remember it and refer to it as, “Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” But that’s not the exact quote from the film. Benjamin actually utters a statement, followed by a pause, and finally a request for clarification. In other words, Benjamin tells Mrs. Robinson that she is trying to seduce him, before taking a few breaths and ultimately asking her to clarify whether his suspicion is correct.
#7: “Good Evening, Clarice.”
“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)There are multiple chilling lines and moments featuring Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.” It’s no wonder the American Film Institute ranked him as the number one film villain of all time. Contrary to popular belief, however, Lecter never says, “Hello, Clarice.” The closest he ever comes to such a line is when he says, “Good evening, Clarice.” Perhaps the character’s dark and twisted nature, combined with his memorable interactions with Clarice and his distinctive, unsettling tone, led people to falsely remember him greeting her with a creepy hello.
#6: “Play It, Sam.”
“Casablanca” (1942)Just because Sam has played it before doesn’t mean that Ilsa or Rick says, “Play it again, Sam” —which is what many people misremember from the all-time classic, “Casablanca.” Ingrid Bergman’s character actually says, “Play it once, Sam, for old times' sake.” And after Sam’s reply, she says, “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’” Based on the musician’s reaction, he had played that tune before. In a later scene, Humphrey Bogart’s Rick insists that Sam play it again. But, like Ilsa, Rick doesn’t actually use the word “again.” Even so, as time goes by, the common misquote persists. Woody Allen’s 1969 play and 1972 film titled “Play It Again, Sam” may have something to do with that.
#5: “If You Build It, He Will Come”
“Field of Dreams” (1989)As Kevin Costner’s Ray Kinsella walks through his family cornfield, a mysterious voice repeats a memorable phrase. Yet, despite the repetition, many viewers misquote this iconic line from the sports fantasy drama, “Field of Dreams.” Rather than “If you build it, they will come,” the actual line is “he will come.” Ray does end up taking the voice’s advice by building a baseball field within the cornfield—and, as a result, ghosts of baseball legends appear. So, yes, they do come. But there's one man in particular that the voice must’ve been talking about.
#4: “Do I Feel Lucky? Well, Do Ya, Punk?”
“Dirty Harry” (1971)The length and complexity of this memorable line may have something to do with it being so widely misquoted. But of course it’s the sheer awesomeness of it that makes people remember it from “Dirty Harry,” albeit incorrectly. The title character, played by Clint Eastwood, tells a robber, “You’ve got to ask yourself one question.” Since this sets up Harry to word the question from the robber’s perspective, he asks, “Do I feel lucky?” before saying, “Well, do ya, punk?” The simplified, punchy misquote that you’re much more likely to hear is, “Do ya feel lucky, punk?”
#3: “I Have a Feeling We’re Not in Kansas Anymore”
“The Wizard of Oz” (1939)This iconic quote from an all-time classic film remains a staple in pop culture and everyday conversation. While it’s often paraphrased as “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” or simply, “We’re not in Kansas anymore,” Dorothy’s actual words to Toto are slightly different. Of course, Dorothy’s “feeling,” as she says, turns out to be spot-on. They definitely aren’t in Kansas anymore. We have a feeling that even people who have never seen “The Wizard of Oz” may have used this phrase in some way before. And it’s definitely a fun one to pull out in the appropriate situation.
#2: “Magic Mirror on the Wall”
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” We attribute this timeless saying to Disney’s first feature-length animated film: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” But the wicked Queen doesn’t actually say, “mirror, mirror.” She says “Magic mirror.” With that said, “mirror, mirror” is the phrase used in the original 1812 Brothers Grimm fairy tale, on which the film was based. Disney changed the line for their adaptation. Still, we bet that a lot of people who didn’t read the original tale but saw the 1937 film misremember the Queen saying, “mirror, mirror.”
#1: “No, I Am Your Father.”
“Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)Wait a sec. Surely, it’s “Luke, I am your father,” right? Well, not quite actually. The plot twist in “The Empire Strikes Back” in which Darth Vader drops that bombshell on Luke doesn’t go down exactly as most people remember. Just as the reveal itself comes as a shock, finding out that this is a misquote may come as a shock as well—and understandably so. In the movie, James Earl Jones’ Vader actually responds to Mark Hamill’s character by saying, “No, I am your father.” Why did we think he says Luke? Who knows? The Mandela Effect really is something.
Is there a certain movie reference that you often make? Let us know in the comments!
