# Worst delivery of a line in a movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2004, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503 "2004-07-04T16:27:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/81 "2004-07-06T15:07:45Z")
DeVena: > [@](#): > > He’s awful in just about everything anyway As the residents of South Park know, he’s quite good in barbecue sauce. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/82 "2004-07-06T15:14:18Z")
And I forgot to mention my nomination: Shelley Duval in **The Shining**. Just bad on some many different levels. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/83 "2004-07-06T18:46:34Z")
Another _Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves_ nomination: “Our fighting days are done.” Ummm, memorize much there, Kevin? Snicks ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/84 "2004-07-06T19:37:26Z")
Khaaaaaaaannnnnnn!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/85 "2004-07-06T21:16:42Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Khaaaaaaaannnnnnn!!! Blasphemy!! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/86 "2004-07-07T01:20:34Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > There’s nothing about Mamet films that should make it impossible to act, as demonstrated by the fine performances we’ve seen from people in Mamet films. They’re stylized films to be sure, but Pidgeon sticks out as being so woefully incompetent I almost feel sorry for her. Mostly I felt sorry for myself having paid to watch her act, though. You’ll certainly get no argument from me on _Heist_ & _Prisoner_, but I thought she was OK (not great, but not bad) in _The Winslow Boy_ and _State and Main_, both of which are less complicated, generally warmer characters. And she only has one line in _Pulp Fiction_, but **Julia Sweeney** manages to make hers the worst-delivered in the entire film (yes, even worse than QT’s!). ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/87 "2004-07-07T02:05:35Z")
One more swipe at Andie McDowell: In **Green Card** , she utters some line about the underadvantaged neighborhood kids that goes “They live with chaos…Despair” or some such thing. It’s not good in the first place, but she really vacuums the intended effect right out of it. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/88 "2004-07-07T02:18:51Z")
> [@Nutty Bunny](#): > > I’ve posted this before in a thread about movies you’re not ashamed to admit you like. It’s a badly delivered line, but the line is so bad that I don’t know how _any_one could have pulled it off: > > About Last Night - which has one of the worst lines in movie history. Demi (walking over to turn on the light) ::click:: “Good, because I think we’ve been in the dark long enough.” See, this is why I paid $4.95. LOL! I can’t _believe_ you picked this, **Nutty Bunny** – it was the very first thing I thought of when I saw the topic, but I was embarrassed to post it because it’s such an obscure line from a generally trashy movie that doesn’t get talked about much. I wonder if David Mamet has issues with women? Because he really does write some excrutiatingly bad lines for 'em. However, I agree that it’s not just the writing: poor Demi gives a bad reading of a dreadful line. The way she turns on that damn light looking _sooooo smug_ at her staggeringly clever and self-aware comment. BLURG! (Hmm. I think you’ve given me the courage to post a question that has caused a ragin’ debate between me and my sister for years since seeing the flick. Stay tuned.) ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/89 "2004-07-07T03:36:14Z")
> [@](#): > > “She gets home in about an hour and a half…the graveyard shift…at the hospital. You wanna make some calls? You wanna call some people? Then do it, and get the fuck outta my house!” > > -Jimmy Dimmick (Quintin Tarantino), Pulp Fiction Holy shit! _That’s_ Quentin Tarantino?! I always imagined him as looking…well…more bad-ass. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/90 "2004-07-07T04:04:57Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Holy shit! _That’s_ Quentin Tarantino?! I always imagined him as looking…well…more bad-ass. Yep…that’s him. He was also Mister Brown in _Reservoir Dogs_, who gave the speech on what Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” was about. Kinda geeky lookin’, ain’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/91 "2004-07-07T05:12:15Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Yep…that’s him. He was also Mister Brown in _Reservoir Dogs_, who gave the speech on what Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” was about. > > Kinda geeky lookin’, ain’t he? Actually, his performance in that is worse than his performance in Pulp Fiction… ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/92 "2004-07-07T06:00:11Z")
Potato, potahto, I guess. To me, you can’t GET worse than his _Pulp Fiction_ delivery. ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/93 "2004-07-07T06:58:42Z")
_Empire_ is far and away the best of the Star Wars movies, but I cringe every time I watch the final confrontation between Luke and Vader and I hear Luke shriek “Noooooooo!” and sob out “That’s impossible!” ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/94 "2004-07-07T13:55:53Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Potato, potahto, I guess. > > To me, you can’t GET worse than his _Pulp Fiction_ delivery. I don’t see him as being all that awful in “Pulp Fiction.” Yes, he looks and sounds like a goober. But the character IS a goober. Since he is not really far removed from what the character’s supposed to be like, I don’t see much of a problem. If he had tried to play the Winston Wolf character, then you would have seen some truly bad acting. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/95 "2004-07-07T14:19:09Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Kinda geeky lookin’, ain’t he? That’s because he’s a geek. Why do you think he has such a devout following? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/96 "2004-07-07T15:32:50Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Yep…that’s him. He was also Mister Brown in _Reservoir Dogs_, who gave the speech on what Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” was about. Tarantino’s acting is awful. One of the best things about _Reservoir Dogs_ is that he played Mr. Brown instead of the character he had originally intended to play: Mr. Pink (thank God Steve Buscemi got cast in that role instead). Mr. Brown thankfully is a fairly small role in the film since he’s dead throughout most of it, having been killed not long after the heist. Great director, but a terrible actor. The OP already nailed _the_ worst ever line-delivery. Also, MacDowell’s voice makes me cringe. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/97 "2004-07-07T15:34:42Z")
> [@Skopo](#): > > The OP already nailed _the_ worst ever line-delivery. Also, MacDowell’s voice makes me cringe. Me too, and I think after FW&AF, I finally figured out why. She sounds like she’s desperately trying to cover up a southern accent, and failing miserably. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/98 "2004-07-07T15:37:10Z")
Ah, the good ones (the horrible Storm line and the horrible Anakin Skywalker sand line) are taken. And I will listen to no bad mouthing of **Groundhog Day**. Ramis should have got an Oscar for getting a decent performance out of Andie. Berry’s performance in Die Another Day was indeed cringe-worthy. She must have been channeling her fine performance as Storm. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![snorlax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@snorlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snorlax)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/99 "2004-07-07T17:37:31Z")
Here’s an interesting one. James Caan (Sonny) in the Godfather is teasing Michael about getting involved in the family business: “You gotta get up close like this and, bada-bing!, you blow their brains all over your nice Ivy League suit…” Not bad in isolation, but you should see De Niro’s rendition in his test screening (available on the box set DVD). Whoa! Makes Caan look terrible. It is clear that the studio bosses wanted a bankable actor in the role, rather than the then-unknown De Niro. ---
**Author:** ![MinniePurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@MinniePurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MinniePurl)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503/100 "2004-07-07T19:13:25Z")
> [@Skopo](#): > > Tarantino’s acting is awful. One of the best things about _Reservoir Dogs_ is that he played Mr. Brown instead of the character he had originally intended to play: Mr. Pink (thank God Steve Buscemi got cast in that role instead). Mr. Brown thankfully is a fairly small role in the film since he’s dead throughout most of it, having been killed not long after the heist. > > Great director, but a terrible actor. What’s weird is that he must recognise a good line reading when he hears one from one of the actors in his movies, and he writes snappy dialogue… so why is he so incredibly incapable of delivering a good line reading himself? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-delivery-of-a-line-in-a-movie/253503.md?page=6)