I have caught myself trying to use the Godfather III quote, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!" in a variety of situations. A couple of times it wasn't really apropos. Why, I wondered, would I go out of my way to insert this bit of dialog into my everyday speech?
A few things make this strange. First, I didn't like Godfather III even slightly. Second, the line isn't particularly clever or profound. Third, Pacino goes way over the top when he delivers the line -- par for the course in a poorly acted film.
Take the line, "I made him an offer he couldn't refuse." Now that's a clever line. It speaks volumes about Vito Corleone, and it's got style and subtlety. The only problem is that it's been overused. So, generally, you avoid pulling that out in conversation.
Recently in Men's Health, they said that the upcoming movie "Tropic Thunder" was for every guy who ever woke up hung over, walked over to his window, and said, "Saigon. Shit. I'm still only in Saigon." One thing I found amusing about that is how predictable we all are. David Sedaris once mentioned seeing a jar full of glass eyes that were for sale. He said he had one in each hand and began lifting them to his face when he caught a sign that said, "Please do not hold the glass eyes in front of your real eyes." He lowered them back down, realizing how many people before him had done that joke.
One thing came to mind about the Godfather III quote. I don't think that I'm channeling Pacino when I say it, so much as I'm channeling George Costanza who was spoofing Godfather III. So I'm paying homage to a spoof, I think. Even so, I think the line has long been played out, and I shall endeavor to expunge it from my personal bag of quotable quotes.
Friday, August 8, 2008
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4 comments:
Lou,
Sorry to hear you've put so much time and effort into a quote from Godfather III. I'd imagine you're a very busy man by now. May I suggest, "I'm going to track down all of you whores..." from Miller's Crossing. I'm sure you can find everyday friendly context for that one.
Bud
You know what, Bud? I believe you.
I could not disagree with you more, Louie. I think that if you wait long enough, lines like that become hilarious. For instance, say, "Up your nose with a rubber hose" or "sit on it!" to anyone under 30 and see the reaction. For instance, here's a conversation I recently had with my 16-year-old niece, Rachel.
Me: Man, oh, man, Rachel. That was a good dinner, those other dinners, I was like, "Where's the Beef?"
(Pause)
Me: (Laughing)
(Pause)
Me: Hey, Rachel, you know what that is, that "where's the beef?" line?
(Pause)
Me: There was this old lady and she was like, "Where's the beef." I think it was a Wendy's commercial.
(Pause)
Me: Actually, I think I saw jokes about the commercial before I saw the commercial.
(Pause)
Me: But, obviously, eventually I saw the commercial.
(Pause)
Me: But, of course, that lady is dead now. The "Where's the Beef?" lady. She's dead.
(Pause)
Me: I never really got that "whattttssuuuuup?" commercial.
Every time I go to your site, I think, how about "Lou's Wildly Amusing Musings." Then I thought, aliteration, duh... How funny would "wildly amusing" be? Only mildly, not wildly, as "mildly amusing" is.
Bud
Bud -- How about: "Don't smart me! See I wanna watch you squirm; I wanna see you sweat a little, and when you smart me... it ruins it."
God bless you for trying to communicate with these youngsters, Mike.
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