# Most Effective Movie Speeches **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279 "2012-07-24T20:32:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/41 "2012-07-25T22:19:03Z")
And then there are “Most Effective Movie Comebacks” to which I offer four words- “I am no man.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MSNPeJAgBzo/hqdefault.jpg "Eowyn vs. The Nazgul") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSNPeJAgBzo) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/42 "2012-07-25T22:33:31Z")
George Segal walking among the tombstones, telling the departed what they are missing, in [Bye Bye Braverman.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062768/) Hard to find. And it’s more of a monologue. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/43 "2012-07-25T23:05:35Z")
Kind of a short speech and I know this movie doesn’t get much love here, but I still like the [My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNdKBPcVGJI) speech from _Gladiator_. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/44 "2012-07-26T00:04:06Z")
[Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEIQSbul9Os) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/45 "2012-07-26T01:19:06Z")
> [@Tanbarkie](#): > > [“A sword day! A red day… ere the sun rises!”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdnqZcmWk8U&feature=player_detailpage#t=59s) > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > :: shakes fist angrily :: > > I came in to mention that. Theoden’s speech to the Rohirrim – which can be summarized as “This battle is hopeless. I’m going anyway. 'Cause I’m like that. Come with me or be known a pussy” is all kinds of awesome. And in the same movie is Aragorn’s speech at the Black Gate of Mordor [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EXGUNvIFTQw/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCWm_5iJ2pRyIZkGnPDrqdXMFYPpA "Famous Speeches: Aragorn at the Black Gate") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGUNvIFTQw) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/46 "2012-07-26T02:42:24Z")
Network - in addition to the famous “I’m mad as hell” speech, there’s this gem: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcXIktL55Gw) It won Beatrice Straight an Academy Award, and represents 90% of her lines in the film. That’s what O call an effective speech. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/47 "2012-07-26T02:55:57Z")
[http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBfdl6hNZ9k](http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBfdl6hNZ9k) Have to include this-adore! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/48 "2012-07-26T03:43:06Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > :: shakes fist angrily :: > > I came in to mention that. Theoden’s speech to the Rohirrim – which can be summarized as “This battle is hopeless. I’m going anyway. 'Cause I’m like that. Come with me or be known a pussy” is all kinds of awesome. Skald, I love your plain language summary! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/49 "2012-07-27T17:33:13Z")
> [@Typo\_Knig](#): > > And in the same movie is Aragorn’s speech at the Black Gate of Mordor > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGUNvIFTQw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGUNvIFTQw) :: ritually spits at the mention of the Strider-beast :: You must be feverish. Aragorn’s speech is the feckless twin’s of Theoden’s: it tries to be manly, muscular, and inspiring, but winds up being just annoying. That might just be me expressing my hatred of Movie!Aragorn, of course, But even if you like the son of Arathorn, I don’t see how you can liken his speech to Theoden’s. Theoden’s speech is briefer, it’s more poetic, it’s more bold. Aragorn is just preaching. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/50 "2012-07-27T17:53:24Z")
From [Runaway Train](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTdjoA8HeAM) > [@](#): > > Dreaming. That’s bullshit. You’re not gonna do nothing like that. I’ll tell you what you’re gonna do! You’re gonna get a job. That’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna get a little job-- some job a convict can get… Like scraping off trays at a cafeteria or cleaning out toilets. And you’re gonna hold on to that job like gold… because it is gold! Let me tell you, Jack. That is gold. You listening to me? And when that man walks in at the end of the day…and he comes to see how you done… you ain’t gonna look in his eyes. You’re gonna look at the floor…because you don’t wanna see that fear in his eyes… when you jump up and grab his face and slam him to the floor… and make him scream and cry for his life. So you look right at the floor, Jack. > > Pay attention to this, motherfucker. > > And then he’s gonna look around the room-- see how you done. And he’s gonna say, “Oh, you missed a little spot over there. Jeez, you didn’t get this one here. What about this little bitty spot?” And you’re gonna suck all that pain inside you… and you’re gonna clean that spot. And you’re gonna clean that spot… until you get that shining clean. And on Friday, you’ll pick up your paycheck. And if you could do that…you could be president of Chase Manhattan–corporations. If you could do that. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/51 "2012-07-27T19:16:05Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > :: ritually spits at the mention of the Strider-beast :: > > You must be feverish. Aragorn’s speech is the feckless twin’s of Theoden’s: it tries to be manly, muscular, and inspiring, but winds up being just annoying. > > That might just be me expressing my hatred of Movie!Aragorn, of course, But even if you like the son of Arathorn, I don’t see how you can liken his speech to Theoden’s. Theoden’s speech is briefer, it’s more poetic, it’s more bold. Aragorn is just preaching. Both speeches do what they set out to do - ready the armies for battle against long odds. Theoden’s is more poetic, but disjointed. Aragorn’s is less poetic, but has complete thoughts and sentences. I like them both, and any single movie or book that has them both is pretty darn good! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/52 "2012-07-27T19:25:17Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I show Michael Douglas’ [speech](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3NI5sE3KeY) at the end of _The American President_ to my Government classes every year. Once of my favorites. Perfect, except he forgot to add _“…mother fucker!”_ to the end. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/53 "2012-07-28T04:15:01Z")
The start of [No Country For Old Men](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kqoJevTIIQ) Watch only to 2:18 to avoid the violence that follows, if that kind of thing bothers you. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/54 "2012-07-28T13:29:12Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?” And that’s not the only one! > [@](#): > > Otter: Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests - we did. [winks at Dean Wormer] But you can’t hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn’t we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn’t this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn’t this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we’re not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America. Gentlemen! > [Leads the Deltas out of the hearing, all humming the Star-Spangled Banner] ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/55 "2012-07-28T14:32:04Z")
Henry Fonda in The Grapes of Wrath. Just about anything from Paths of Glory. Bogie did okay in Casablanca. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/56 "2012-07-28T14:41:28Z")
“Gentlemen, progress has never been a bargain. You have to pay for it. Sometimes I think there’s a man who sits behind a counter and says, ‘Alright, you can have a telephone, but you lose privacy and the charm of distance.’ ‘Madam, you may vote, but at a price. You lose the right to retreat behind the powder-puff or your petticoat.’ ‘Mr., you may conquer the air, but the birds will lose their wonder and the clouds will smell of gasoline.’ Darwin took us forward to a hilltop from where we could look back and see the way from which we came, but for this insight, and for this knowledge, we must abandon our faith in the pleasant poetry of Genesis.” –Henry Drummond, **Inherit the Wind** Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, authors ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/57 "2012-07-28T14:54:15Z")
> [@MostlyClueless](#): > > [Al Pacino, Devil’s Advocate](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCYbG5IRQjk) Damn, you beat me! I like the absentee landlord part of the speech but I like this part too: “These people, it’s no mystery where they come from. You sharpen the human appetite to the point where it can split atoms with its desire. You build egos the size of cathedrals. Fiber-optically connect the world to every eager impulse. Grease even the dullest dreams with these dollar-green gold-plated fantasies until every human becomes an aspiring emperor, becomes his own god. Where can you go from there? As we’re scrambling from one deal to the next, who’s got his eye on the planet? As the air thickens, the water sours, even bees’ honey takes on the metallic taste of radioactivity… and it just keeps coming, faster and faster. There’s no chance to think, to prepare; it’s buy futures, sell futures… when there is no future.” ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/58 "2012-07-28T14:59:18Z")
Monologue ≠ speech (in the absence of an assembled audience) and voiceover ≠ speech IMHO ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/59 "2012-07-28T17:43:28Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Just about anything from Paths of Glory. Damn. at first glance, I thought that said _Pants Of Glory_, and I was just about to dive into NetFlix based on the title alone. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279/60 "2012-07-28T18:24:59Z")
Kurt Russell in [_Miracle_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwpTj_Z9v-c): > [@](#): > > Great moments…are born from great opportunity. And that’s what you have here, tonight, boys. That’s what you’ve earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game, not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them…and we shut them down because we can! Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players. Every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time is done. It’s over. I’m sick and tired of hearing about what a great hockey team the Soviets have. Screw 'em. This is your time! Now go out there and take it! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-effective-movie-speeches/629279.md?page=4)