The 2000s gave audiences a myriad of unforgettable and instantly iconic movies. The new millennium saw the rise of the superhero genre, and films about these colorful and superpowered characters quickly flooded the cinematic landscape. Teen comedies continued proliferating, dealing with increasingly diverse points of view. Comedies increased their risqué content, while dramas greatly succeeded by showcasing different voices, delivering riveting and timely stories.
Out of all the movies that have come out since the 2000s, some have managed to stay relevant because of the memorable dialogue they produced. Mean Girls is a prime example of a movie that’s entered the cultural lexicon with its seemingly endless collection of quotes. Comedic, impactful, and even inspirational, these lines have stayed with audiences the world over, reminding them about the power and influence of well-crafted cinema.
10 Mean Girls (2004)
“Four for you, Glen Coco, you go, Glen Coco!”
Ridiculously quotable and rewatchable, Tina Fey’s Mean Girls ranks as not only the best teen film of the 2000s but one of the best of all time. It tells the story of Cady Heron, a previously homeschooled girl who enrolls in high school for the first time and becomes involved with the most popular clique, the Plastics.
The character of Damian, played by Daniel Franzese, gets some of the most hilarious lines in the film. One of the most memorable occurs when he, dressed as Santa, goes into a classroom to deliver Christmas candy canes to several students. One of them, Glen Coco, gets four of them, prompting Damian to root for the boy, who silently accepts the gifts.
9 Scary Movie (2000)
“You on candid camera now!”
The Scary Movie franchise may not be at the pinnacle of cinema, but it did deliver a lot of laughs. A spoof of several movies in the horror, slasher, and mystery genres, the first entry in the series focuses on a group of teenagers who begin to get stalked by a killer a year after seemingly committing a murder of their own.
Among the group is Brenda, played by the incredibly talented Regina Hall. During one of the movie’s most memorable scenes, Brenda goes to the movies herself, where she behaves loud and obnoxiously towards the other patrons. The scene is a spoof of Jada Pinkett Smith’s death during Scream 2, and the perfect proof that Hall is one of cinema’s most gifted comediennes.
8 300 (2006)
“This is Sparta!”
Zack Snyder’s ultra-violent and stylish epic 300 deftly mixes action with historical fantasy to create an adventure unlike any other. Based on Frank Miller’s 1998 comic series of the same name, the film follows King Leonidas, who leads 300 Spartans into battle against the Persian God-King, Xerxes.
The film’s all-out style is perfectly captured in the scene where one of Xerxes’ Persian emissaries visits Leonidas in Sparta, demanding “earth and water.” Insulted, Leonidas yells the now-iconic phrase that has come to represent the movie as a whole, and kicks the messenger in the chest, throwing him into a deep well.
7 Iron Man (2008)
“I am Iron Man”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe began almost thirteen years ago with the release of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man. Starring Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role, it follows Tony Stark as he assumes his Iron Man identity and fights an enemy that comes from within his own inner circle.
The ending of the film, in which Stark confesses his superhero alter-ego in a press conference, has become one of the most memorable moments in the MCU. The fact that “I am Iron Man” is also Stark’s last words gives the quote an entirely new, almost poetic meaning, and it’s the perfect way to say goodbye to such an iconic character.
6 The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
“Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.”
Premiering in 2006, The Devil Wears Prada became an instant smash. A deep, satirical exploration at the high-fashion publishing world, it centers on Andy, a recent journalism graduate who accepts the job of assistant to powerful, domineering editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly.
Deliciously played by an icy Meryl Streep, Priestly truly is a boss from hell. Her quiet, commanding tone mixed with her sharp, biting tongue makes the character a joy to watch. Her sarcastic and condescending attitude is perfectly summarized when Priestly shuts down one of her employee’s ideas about showcasing floral prints for the spring issue of the magazine.
5 There Will Be Blood (2007)
“I drink your milkshake. I drink it up.”
Quite possibly the best actor alive, Daniel Day-Lewis has brought to life some of the most despicable, complicated men in recent memory, with the same ease with which he plays heroic, stoic figures. In Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 epic drama There Will Be Blood, Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, a ruthless oilman on a quest for fortune during the oil boom of the late 19th century.
Giving one of the most unique and powerful performances of his career, Day-Lewis commands every single moment on screen. Plainview’s unapologetic, unhinged descent reaches a furious crescendo during his final confrontation with the character of Eli Sunday. He taunts and humiliates Sunday, before finally exerting bloody revenge upon the young man.
4 Snakes On A Plane (2006)
“I have had it with these motherf*****g snakes on this motherf*****g plane!”
No one gets angry like Samuel L- Jackson. And, of course, no one curses like Samuel L- Jackson. The 2006 film Snakes on a Plane, about a plane that becomes invaded by a crate of deadly serpents, is far from perfect. However, it’s so committed to its ridiculous premise, and Jackson gives such a gonzo performance, that its many flaws quickly go out the window.
The film’s defining moment comes as Jackson’s character, FBI Agent Neville Flynn, has reached the limit of his patience. As they prepare to land the plane, Flynn speaks the famous line, before he shoots two windows, depressurizing the plane and blowing the snakes out of the cockpit.
3 Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
“You and I have unfinished business.”
2003 saw the premiere of the first in Quentin Tarantino’s two-part revenge fantasy. Kill Bill: Volume 1 follows The Bride, memorably played by Uma Thurman, as she hunts down and kills the members of her former organization on her way to her ultimate goal, her former lover and boss, Bill.
Every time The Bride faces one of her targets, she delivers the line “You and I have unfinished business” before exerting her revenge. Bloody, heart-pounding, and ultimately cathartic, Kill Bill is a riveting exploration of female rage, and a brilliant showcase for Thurman that’s bound to go on in history as a true classic.
2 The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
“My precious.”
What Peter Jackson achieved with his big-screen adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien’s high fantasy epic, The Lord of the Rings, is beyond impressive. He successfully and richly translated an intricate, deep, and complex literary work, into three equally engrossing movies without losing the essence that makes the source material so unique.
Filled with unforgettable characters, the trilogy brought attention and acclaim to Andy Serkis’ motion-capture performance. As Gollum, Serkis delivers a chilling, fully-fledged portrayal of a decaying creature dealing with a split personality. He has many noteworthy lines, but “My precious” has to be the most significant and indelible of them all.
1 The Dark Knight (2008)
“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
Even after all these years, and with the superhero landscape filled with increasingly daring movies, The Dark Knight is still the best comic book movie of all time. A tale of order versus chaos, it follows Batman as he is pitted against the Joker, an anarchist who desires nothing but to see the world burn.
The film includes the character of Harvey Dent, portrayed by Aaron Eckhart. During one of his earlier scenes, he discusses the importance of the Batman and how he’s performing a public service. He utters the emblematic line, which not only perfectly describes his future, but also summarizes Batman’s core dilemma throughout the trilogy of films. It’s a brilliant bit of foreshadowing and one of the standout moments in a movie full of them.
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