Top 25 Greatest Movie Speeches

“The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006)
This heartwarming film is based on the true story of Chris Gardner, a man who dealt with homelessness while trying to build a life for himself and his young son. In this scene, as he and Christopher Junior play basketball on an apartment rooftop, Chris tells the boy not to waste too much time on the sport, since he probably won’t be very good at it. When he sees his son’s disappointment, he immediately regrets his words. Realizing he should be encouraging his son’s dreams, he gives Christopher this short but powerful pep talk. It’s another poignant moment in a film that’s full of them.

“The Goonies” (1985)
When a rag-tag group of kids discovers an old treasure map in an attic, they set off in search of the riches to save their homes from foreclosure. But they didn’t count on running into a group of criminals and a bunch of ancient booby traps along the way. When given the chance to bail on their adventure, some of the kids, understandably, are eager to take it. But Sean Astin’s Mikey isn’t going to let them quit without a fight. His stirring speech convinces them to carry on – because Goonies never say die.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End” (2007)
The magical Flying Dutchman and her cursed crew are a formidable foe, and they’re working for the bad guys. Elizabeth Swann has just been elected Pirate King, and her own crew is ready to give up before the battle even begins. She rallies them and the eight other pirate lords with this stirring speech. The phrase “hoist the colours” is a callback to a scene at the beginning of the film, where a group of condemned pirates sing the anthem at their own executions. Elizabeth’s battle cry is all the men need to forget their fear and face their enemy.

“Miracle” (2004)
In the 1980 Winter Olympics, the American hockey team did the impossible. The group of college players beat a professional Soviet team that hadn’t lost an Olympic game since 1968. The game was dubbed the “Miracle on Ice.” The 2004 film “Miracle” is based on that historic victory, following Coach Herb Brooks as he works to get his amateur players in shape for an Olympic run. In this scene before the game, he delivers a classic locker room speech to the nervous group. It’s enough to convince the young men that they really have a shot against the Soviets – and we all know what happens next.

“V for Vendetta” (2005)
Remember, remember the fifth of November. The dialogue in this movie is famously poetic. The hero, V, is a man of many words, and none of them are wasted. From his introduction to the final scene, he enthralls the audience and everyone around him with his eloquence. After hijacking a TV station early in the film, he addresses the British public, urging them to join him on November 5 in one year to rebel against the fascist government. The citizens watch in captivated silence as he makes his plea, accompanied by a tense score that builds throughout the scene. If only every political speech could be this engrossing.

“Malcolm X” (1992)
Denzel Washington turned in a career-defining performance in this biopic of the late Civil Rights leader. The real Malcolm X had a distinctive, almost lyrical way of speaking, and it’s easy to see why he was so good at firing up a crowd. Washington’s delivery is more homage than imitation, but he captures the poetry of Malcolm X’s words beautifully. As he details the ways in which Black people suffer from systemic oppression at the hands of the white people in power, the crowd gets increasingly riled up. It’s no wonder this movie was considered by many to be one of the best of the 90s.

“Steel Magnolias” (1989)
This late 80s comedy-drama follows a group of Southern women dealing with the stresses and traumas of life. Sally Field’s character, M’Lynn, has just lost her daughter to complications from type 1 diabetes. She turns in a powerhouse performance in this scene at the funeral, where she seems to go through all of the stages of grief in just a few minutes. Although she initially appears to be keeping it together, she soon breaks down, crying, screaming, and lashing out. Olympia Dukakis’s character Clairee is the one who snaps her out of it as she offers up Shirley MacLaine as a sacrifice. It’s a heartrending and accurate portrayal of loss and the beauty of friendship.

“Call Me by Your Name” (2017)
Elio has just said goodbye to his first love, an older man who he’ll probably never see again. Instead of being judgmental, his father reacts with sympathy. In this quiet scene, he encourages Elio to recognize how beautiful and important their brief relationship was. He even implies that he nearly had a similar relationship in his own youth, and that he wished he’d seized the moment. Michael Stuhlbarg plays Mr. Perlman with such kindness and sensitivity. We should all be so lucky to have a dad like him in our lives.

“Fight Club” (1999)


A lot of people don’t realize that Tyler Durden is not an admirable character. You’re not supposed to want to be like Tyler. But he does make some pretty powerful points in this monologue. Capitalism and materialism have led to a lot of misery, both in the U.S. and around the world. Many people are forced to work meaningless jobs just to get by, and the feeling of purposelessness is a real problem. We can understand why so many audience members would relate to a character who wants to blow up the whole system.

“Rocky Balboa” (2006)
While Elio’s father gave him sympathy and understanding, Robert’s dad doles out some tough love. Robert thinks that living in the shadow of his famous father Rocky Balboa is the source of his hardships in life. Although there may be some truth to that, there’s no point in wallowing in it. Rocky tells Robert exactly what he needs to hear: If he’s ever going to achieve his dreams, he has to fight through adversity. No matter how hard he gets hit, he has to keep getting back up. The “Rocky” franchise has also had its ups and downs, but this father-son talk is definitely one of the high points.

“Little Women” (2019)
So much has changed for women over the last 150 years, and yet some things have hardly changed at all. Jo March doesn’t see herself being tied to a man for life, but at the same time, she yearns to be loved. Her frustration and pain at this contradiction come spilling out in this heartfelt monologue. Writer-director Greta Gerwig is brilliant at capturing women’s stories on screen. 2023’s “Barbie” features another passionate speech from a woman who is fed up with the impossible demands placed on women in the modern era. We have a feeling Gloria and Jo March would have a lot in common.

“Good Will Hunting” (1997)
Will is a genius, but he’s also a scared kid who uses his intellect to hold other people – and life itself – at arm’s length. Sean is a therapist who has been through some pretty tough times of his own, and he sees right through Will’s facade. He might be the only person alive who knows how to get through to Will and convince him to drop his defenses, and he proves it in this candid conversation. It’s amazing how many similarities there are between this monologue and another one that Robin Williams gave just eight years earlier. In “Dead Poets Society,” he addressed a classroom full of prep school boys and helped them to understand the value of literature and poetry.

“Henry V” (1989)


On the eve of Saint Crispin’s Day at the Battle of Agincourt, the English troops are outnumbered five to one. But King Henry doesn’t want to hear any complaining about it. He riles up his men by encouraging them to think of the glory they’ll have if they’re victorious, and how envious the men who stayed home will be. The speech comes straight from Shakespeare’s original play, written over 400 years ago. The language might sound archaic to modern ears, but the sentiment – and the soldiers’ inspired cheers – are timeless.

“The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
The first scene that takes place in Shawshank Prison, and the first time we meet Red, is at a parole hearing. He’s still relatively young, and eager to tell the parole board what they want to hear. Twenty years later, Red is much older, more jaded, and more honest. He no longer cares about pandering to the board. Instead, he’s open about the terrible choice he made that led him to this place, and he’s accepted that he may never leave it. Ironically, it’s this honesty that finally earns him his freedom.

“Wall Street” (1987)
It might be one of the seven deadly sins, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing – at least not in Gordon Gekko’s eyes. In fact, if you replaced the word “greed” with something else, like “desire” or “striving,” the things he’s saying wouldn’t sound so bad. However, considering how many terrible things we see him do in the pursuit of wealth, there’s no question that greed, in his case, is very bad. But that doesn’t make this speech any less fun to watch. Douglas’s performance as the single-minded Gekko earned him an Oscar, and judging from this scene alone, we’d say he deserved it.

“Braveheart” (1995)
Even if you’ve never seen this movie, you probably know this scene, or at least the last line. Facing up against a much larger and stronger English force, the Scottish army is ready to cut and run. But William Wallace has seen the brutality of the English firsthand, and he doesn’t want to live under their thumb any more. He acknowledges that they’re outnumbered, and that there’s a good chance they’ll die if they stay and fight. But in his mind, it’s better to die fighting for freedom than to live a long life as someone else’s subject.

“Fences” (2016)
Viola Davis and Denzel Washington had already starred in the 2010 Broadway revival of August Wilson’s play “Fences,” and they both won Tonys for their performances. That means they’d already had plenty of practice at this scene before they filmed, so it’s no surprise that they absolutely nailed it. After decades of standing loyally by her husband, Rose confronts Troy over his infidelity. Thinking of the dreams and opportunities that have passed her by, all of her pain and anguish comes pouring out. We all know Davis is an incredible actor, and she’s at her peak in this powerful monologue. No wonder she took home a slew of awards for the film.

“Network” (1976)
This 1970s black comedy basically predicted the cable news outrage machine. News anchor Howard Beale is in the middle of a breakdown, but instead of pulling him off the air, his savvy boss makes sure the camera stays on him. At the time, American society was dealing with problems that would feel pretty familiar to us today: crime, inflation, and increasing isolation. We get why Howard’s rant connected with so many viewers. Sadly, Peter Finch passed away shortly after this iconic performance, but the Academy still recognized him with a posthumous Oscar. Opening a window and shouting into the void actually sounds pretty cathartic. You might even want to give it a try.

“Independence Day” (1996)
They don’t make movies like this any more. Bill Pullman’s short but impassioned speech to a mismatched group of pilots doesn’t contain a drop of sarcasm or cynicism. It might come across as corny today, but if you saw this movie in a theater back in the mid-90s, you know that audiences absolutely ate it up. Pullman’s eloquence and sincerity, combined with the intense score, made people want to stand up and cheer. There’s a reason this movie made over $800 million at the box office – and that’s not adjusted for inflation.

“Any Given Sunday” (1999)
Every sports movie worth its salt includes a powerful motivational speech from the coach. Denzel Washington gives a great one on the site of the Battle of Gettysburg in “Remember the Titans.” And Matthew McConaughey’s address in “We Are Marshall” is also a classic. But our pick for one of the best goes to Al Pacino as Tony D'Amato in “Any Given Sunday.” The speech takes place in a more traditional setting – a locker room – but Coach D’Amato’s words are pretty unconventional. He gets real about his life and all the mistakes he’s made along the way, and the little things that could have made a difference. His brutal honesty is enough to get his players on their feet and cheering.

“A Few Good Men” (1992)
When a speech gets quoted as often as this one does, you know it’s got to be good. Colonel Jessep is testifying at the trial of two Marines who beat another to death. But JAG lawyer Lieutenant Kaffee, played by a young Tom Cruise, suspects that it was Jessep himself who gave the order for the beating. Nicholson gives the performance of his career in the role, appealing to the audience’s love of freedom to defend his actions and his beliefs. Whether you agree with him or not, you have to admit, it’s an incredibly effective speech.

“Jaws” (1975)
He might not look it in this movie, but Robert Shaw was a Shakespearean trained actor from England. And although his character, Quint, comes across as a grizzled old man, Shaw was only in his late 40s at the time of filming. His ability to disappear into the role is astounding. In this monologue, Quint recounts the story of a real-life disaster, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II. Up to this point, the audience has mostly seen Quint as an eccentric weirdo, but this monologue reveals that he’s witnessed true horrors. It’s totally enthralling, and his crewmates are under his spell through the entire story.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)
There are so many inspiring monologues and speeches in this trilogy, it’s almost impossible to pick just one. King Théoden’s rallying cry to the Rohirrim at Gondor is short but still gives us chills. But nothing tops Aragorn’s speech to the men of the West at the Black Gate. The men are vastly outnumbered, and they know they probably won’t come out of this battle alive. Their goal is not to win, but to distract Sauron and the Orcs long enough for Frodo to complete his mission. Only a leader like Aragorn could convince an army to take on such a hopeless mission.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962)
Gregory Peck had a long and successful career as an actor, but the role he’s best known for today is the lawyer Atticus Finch. He’s tasked with defending a Black man accused of assaulting a white woman in 1930s Alabama, and he knows he has his work cut out for him. The evidence is clear, but it will take more than reasonable doubt to clear Tom Robinson’s name. In his closing statement, he calls out the townfolk’s own racism, pointing out how absurd it would be to condemn this clearly innocent man. He truly believes in equal justice for everyone, and he implores the jury to carry it out.

“The Great Dictator” (1940)


Charlie Chaplin is best known for his comedy, and most of this film, which satirizes the Third Reich, is pretty funny. Chaplin’s character, a Jewish barber, happens to look exactly like the dictator Adenoid Hynkel. This, of course, leads to plenty of hijinks. However, when the barber is called on stage to address a victory parade, he seizes the opportunity to call for kindness, brotherhood, and democracy. At the time of filming, World War II was devastating Europe. Chaplin himself was English but working in the U.S., and many see this speech as a rallying cry aimed directly at his American audience. It’s beautiful, poignant, and as relevant today as it was nearly a century ago.




Which movie speech makes you want to stand up and cheer? Let us know in the comments.