It is a strange little quirk of human nature that we sometimes quote memorable lines from movies to evoke a particular feeling or relevant sentiment…. and it’s strange how some screen moments stay with you forever and others are gone by the time the credits roll. I think I must be one of those people who quote movies a lot because I find I often have to explain myself when the reference is lost on someone. I’m not sure why I do this – I like to think it’s because I appreciate an elegant turn of phrase but it’s probably more likely due to having a sense of humour that has a fine appreciation for the absurd. Who knows… but it does seem to happen quite frequently.
For example.. every time I hear someone saying the word ‘charisma’… I get an instant replay of Pauly Shore as Crawl in Son In Law saying “You’ve got ka-riz-ma” and Becca says “What’s that?” (referring to the screwdriver he has in his hand) and Crawl answers “A special quality of leadership that captures the popular imagination and inspires allegiance and devotion.” And I have to bite my tongue from uttering that definition!
In our house the phrase: “It was just a really pretty meadow” is regularly doled out to hang shit on someone who has just related a particularly boring or redundant story thanks to the phrase being used in the movie Threesome by a doe-eyed blonde bimbo who told an insipid little tale over the dinner table to her sarcastic and dry witted dinner companions. Threesome is also responsible for the “I need new shoes” quote being associated with a sense of unidentifiable emotional disquiet … Oh and let’s not forget the “She’s so sweet” which gets trundled out when we find ourselves describing someone of doubtful intellectual capacity. (God we’re horrible).
Another one heard with alarming regularity at Chez Borys is the Eddie Izzardism “Are you happy with your wash?” from Unrepeatable…. which has become a generic phrase of enquiry as to satisfaction with someone’s purchase or particular project. This one goes something like, “I finally finished making my flemish gown” … “Cool. Are you happy with your wash?” or maybe “I just got a new mobile phone.” …. “Excellent! Are you happy with your wash?” and so on and so forth. There’s many other Izzardisms in our everyday vocabulary too – “Bunch of flowers!” (used when presenting anything with a flourish) and “Cake or death?” (when offering anyone a choice between two of anything) and my favourite “Help!!! I’m covered in Bees!!!” (when overwhelmed in the kitchen/office/workplace etc).
So all these little in jokes are all good and well… until you someone new comes into your social circle and then you find yourself constantly explaining your little idioms and wanting to inflict all your favorite old movies etc on them so they will understand why you’re blurting out Pride and Prejudice quotes like “All young ladies are accomplished… they sing, play, dance, speak French and German, sew screens and I know not what!” at irregular intervals at dinner parties. Perhaps we should just try and speak more in plain English :S
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