Spring Break
The science of movie quotes
Dylan Polk / Staff Reporter
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: The Verge
In a world driven by pop culture, movie quotes seem to fuel most conversations on a college campus.
You'll be sitting around with your friends, sharing stories and laughs, when someone finally says it.
Well, maybe Will Ferrell said it first.
Or perhaps it was Steve Carrell.
Movie quotes have worked themselves into everyday conversation and have become a staple of college conversation.
It's an unusual phenomenon that prompted researchers at Kansas State University to delve deeper into the subject.
Led by psychology professor Richard Harris, the study titled "Social Movie Quoting: What, Why and How?" investigated the deeper psychological meaning behind movie quotes, according to the Kansas State Collegian.
The study found that 100 percent of those surveyed had quoted movies before, mostly citing comedies.
The Collegian reported the top three quoted movies were "Anchorman," "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Dumb and Dumber," though recent movies tend to be more popular.
Kevin O'Rourke, a senior social sciences major, said his favorite movie quote comes from "Major League II," a 1994 comedy about a struggling Cleveland Indians team.
O'Rourke said one of the reasons people quote movies so often is just to be funny or get a laugh out of a group.
Tyler Herscher, a sports management major, said motivation is also a driving factor in movie quoting.
"I love them," Herscher said. "It's something to live by, basically. If I hear a good movie quote, I'll quote it myself all the time."
Shir'Mond Burroughs cited a quote from the 1995 comedy "Friday" as one of his favorite quotes.
"Cause it's Friday - you ain't got no job and you ain't got s*** to do," the film opens with. Burroughs cited this quote as his favorite quote, saying it "just stuck in (his) head."
"Sometimes (a quote) might mean something to them," Burroughs said. "Sometimes it might be funny to them and they might like it. They might be able to understand where it's coming from."
However, movie quoting can reach a certain level of annoyance if done in excess.
When the Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy "Wedding Crashers" came out in 2005, O'Rourke said, people began quoting the movie entirely too much just for the sake of popularity, or at least to get a rise out of people.
In some instances, he said, it just gets plain annoying.
"People quoted that all the time when it first came out and it just got to the point where it wasn't funny anymore," O'Rourke said.
Burroughs said those who alienate their peers with a bombardment of movie quotes may be few and far away, but said those who constantly immerse themselves in film lore are among the annoying minority.
But for the most part, it's an attempt to get laughs.
Comedy dominates the movie quoting phenomenon and drives people to search for a few chuckles without having to strain themselves for creativity.
All that aside, I'm Dylan Polk. Stay classy, Eastern.
You'll be sitting around with your friends, sharing stories and laughs, when someone finally says it.
Well, maybe Will Ferrell said it first.
Or perhaps it was Steve Carrell.
Movie quotes have worked themselves into everyday conversation and have become a staple of college conversation.
It's an unusual phenomenon that prompted researchers at Kansas State University to delve deeper into the subject.
Led by psychology professor Richard Harris, the study titled "Social Movie Quoting: What, Why and How?" investigated the deeper psychological meaning behind movie quotes, according to the Kansas State Collegian.
The study found that 100 percent of those surveyed had quoted movies before, mostly citing comedies.
The Collegian reported the top three quoted movies were "Anchorman," "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Dumb and Dumber," though recent movies tend to be more popular.
Kevin O'Rourke, a senior social sciences major, said his favorite movie quote comes from "Major League II," a 1994 comedy about a struggling Cleveland Indians team.
O'Rourke said one of the reasons people quote movies so often is just to be funny or get a laugh out of a group.
Tyler Herscher, a sports management major, said motivation is also a driving factor in movie quoting.
"I love them," Herscher said. "It's something to live by, basically. If I hear a good movie quote, I'll quote it myself all the time."
Shir'Mond Burroughs cited a quote from the 1995 comedy "Friday" as one of his favorite quotes.
"Cause it's Friday - you ain't got no job and you ain't got s*** to do," the film opens with. Burroughs cited this quote as his favorite quote, saying it "just stuck in (his) head."
"Sometimes (a quote) might mean something to them," Burroughs said. "Sometimes it might be funny to them and they might like it. They might be able to understand where it's coming from."
However, movie quoting can reach a certain level of annoyance if done in excess.
When the Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy "Wedding Crashers" came out in 2005, O'Rourke said, people began quoting the movie entirely too much just for the sake of popularity, or at least to get a rise out of people.
In some instances, he said, it just gets plain annoying.
"People quoted that all the time when it first came out and it just got to the point where it wasn't funny anymore," O'Rourke said.
Burroughs said those who alienate their peers with a bombardment of movie quotes may be few and far away, but said those who constantly immerse themselves in film lore are among the annoying minority.
But for the most part, it's an attempt to get laughs.
Comedy dominates the movie quoting phenomenon and drives people to search for a few chuckles without having to strain themselves for creativity.
All that aside, I'm Dylan Polk. Stay classy, Eastern.
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