10 everyday phrases you had no idea came from a movie

“I weep for the future” – ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

John Hughes is responsible for writing some of the best dialogue of the 1980s, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off might include the most frequently used quotes out of any of his films. “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” is a moniker that has been inserted into many yearbooks, and “I don’t trust this kid any further than I can throw him” has become another favourite.

One of the less-remembered lines from the film is from Jonathan Schmock as the Maitre D’, who remarks, “I weep for the future”, when Ferris (Matthew Broderick), Sloane (Mia Sara), and Cameron (Alan Ruck) enter the restaurant using fake identities. Ferris’ lines might be the most fun, but the Maitre D’ expressed a feeling that almost anyone in the audience could relate to.

“You hear this? It’s the world’s smallest violin” – ‘Reservoir Dogs’

The expression “it’s the world’s smallest violin,” used to lampoon someone who has melodramatically sought out the pity of others, was first used in a classic episode of M*A*S*H* from 1978, but it never truly caught on until it was spoken by Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi) in Reservoir Dogs, the incredible feature film directorial debut of Quentin Tarantino.

Its usage was no coincidence; Tarantino has often cited the ‘70s as being a primary influence upon all of his work, and includes a lot of homages to the decade’s music within the soundtrack for Reservoir Dogs. However, the phrase became more popular as an Internet meme thanks to its prominent usage in the children’s cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants; a younger generation is more likely to associate it with SpongeBob than they are with Tarantino, Buscemi, or the classic ‘70s television series.

“I’d rather stick needles in my eyes” – ‘Terms of Endearment’

Jack Nicholson has spoken more iconic lines than nearly any other actor; “Here’s Johnny!” from The Shining, “You make me want to be a better man” from As Good As It Gets, “I don’t want to be a product of my environment” from The Departed, and “have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” from Batman.

Even though Terms of Endearment earned Nicholson his second of the three Academy Award wins, it doesn’t feature as many lines that are quoted back to him. That being said, Garrett Breedlove is an endearing character because of his sarcastic and dismissive attitude, which is refreshing in a film that often borders on being melodramatic. His memorable description of self-inflicted punishment with “I’d rather stick needles in my eyes” has been iterated and expanded upon within many different films, shows, songs, and comedy routines.

“You’re toast!” – ‘Ghostbusters’

Ghostbusters has what may be the greatest theme song in any movie, but it’s also filled with iconic lines. Even though they have entered into the popular culture lexicon, quotes like “we came, we saw, we kicked ass” and “where do these stairs go? They go up!” are well-remembered because of Bill Murray’s line delivery. However, Murray ad-libbed the line “this chick is toast!” during a scene when the Ghostbusters suppress a supernatural being, and Ivan Reitman decided to keep it within the film.

The original screenplay had included the line “I’m going to turn that guy into toast!” but Murray simplified it and coined a new American slang phrase in the process. There are now innumerable people who have used “it’s toast,” “you’re toast,” or “we’re toast” without knowing that they are quoting Peter Venkman from the original Ghostbusters.

“Sliding doors” – ‘Sliding Doors’

Gwyneth Paltrow has appeared in a lot of terrible romantic comedies, but Sliding Doors is a pretty good one, mostly because of the excellent chemistry that she has with John Hannah. The most distinct aspect of Sliding Doors is the film’s framing device, in which Paltrow’s character Helen Quinlly considers the alternate path her life could have taken based on two different realities; one takes place after she gets on a train, and the other is predicated on her getting cut off by the sliding doors.

A “sliding doors situation” has become a phrase used to describe any specific moment that has significant ramifications based on the two different paths that could be taken. While it’s been referenced and recreated in shows like Doctor Who, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Broad City, and Frasier, the original Sliding Doors deserves credit for having such an innovative concept.

“Perfect storm” – ‘The Perfect Storm’

The Perfect Storm was based on the harrowing true story of a group of American sailors who were caught in a generational storm that claimed their lives. George Clooney, John C Reilly, and Mark Wahlberg delivered powerful performances in one of the saddest mainstream American films of the 21st century, but The Perfect Storm somehow became a blockbuster that ranked among the highest-grossing releases of 2000.

Although the film was inspired by a 1997 novel of the same name by Sebastian Junger that recounted the real events, The Perfect Storm’s title became associated with the type of coincidental disaster in which everything seems to go wrong at the same time. Memory of the film may have faded, but it’s still a fairly astute shorthand used to describe the type of scenarios in which everything that could go wrong does.

“My bad!” – ‘Clueless’

Alicia Silverstone and Clueless were responsible for starting several ‘90s trends when it came to fashion, music, style, and popular culture, and now feels like the perfect embodiment of its era; it’s a true sign that a film is “of its time” if contemporary viewers can watch it and think of it as a time capsule, given that Clueless is synonymous with the pop culture reputation of California high school in the ‘90s.

Many of Cher Horowitz’s lines are used commonly (“as if” being a significant phrase”), but one of the more underrated scenes in the film involves her attempting to drive, which is the one thing she isn’t perfect at. Silverstone’s delivery of the line “my bad!” has etched itself within language as an expression and phrase, even though it is not always remembered as being associated with Clueless.

“Dude, that chick’s a MILF!” – ‘American Pie’

American Pie kickstarted a trend of raunchy sex comedies because of how different it was from the other high school films of 1999, such as 10 Things I Hate About You, Election, She’s All That, and October Sky. While it’s so crude that some of its cast members have come to regret their involvement with the franchise (which continued with many theatrical and direct-to-DVD sequels), it did coin a term that is now ingrained within Internet culture.

It’s easy to forget that American Pie debuted at a time when Internet pornography was still a rather novel concept, and its observations about sexually-obsessed teenage boys felt legitimately insightful. While the memorable “band camp” exchange involving Alyson Hannigan’s character is frequently quoted, the use of “MILF” as a term has taken on a life of its own that goes beyond American Pie.

“Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night” – ‘All About Eve’

Few films have been honoured with more Academy Awards love than All About Eve, which won the Oscar for ‘Best Picture’ and received a record-setting number of nominations in the acting categories. Although it’s often misquoted with the word “ride” instead of “night,” the phrase “fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night” was used by the ageing Broadway star Margo Channing, who was portrayed by Bette Davis in her most iconic performance.

It’s a well-timed scene in the film because it shows Channing’s sharp wit, as she has become cynical about the realities of the entertainment industry, despite the infatuation that many have with her. It’s one of the many great lines that can be attributed to Mankiewicz; while he had a solid career as a director, he might be remembered even better for being one of the greatest screenwriters of all-time.

“Derp” – ‘BASEketball’

South Park wasn’t the only effort from Trey Parker and Matt Stone that took off in the ‘90s, as the sports comedy BASEketball has solidified itself as a cult classic. Parker and Stone took on rare live-action roles in the film directed by comedy legend David Zucker, in which they play two slackers who invent a new sport that they can win at. BASEketball is, like most of Parker and Stone’s work together, much smarter than it was given credit for being, as it works as a scathing satire of corporate sponsorship in sports.

However, the phrase “derp” is mentioned in an offhand way and steadily became a dominant Internet meme after the film took on a second life on home media. Ironically, “derp” became such a frequently used insult in Internet chatrooms that Parker and Stone eventually brought it back into South Park.