# Worst single-line delivery in a movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2004, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778 "2004-04-24T06:16:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [April 24, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/21 "2004-04-24T16:23:38Z")
> [@Mr. Miskatonic](#): > > Daniel-Day Lewis in _Last of the Mohicans_ > > “Someday you and I are going to have a serious disagreement” > > Missed it by a mile. Not to mention: > [@](#): > > You stay alive, no matter what occurs. I will find you. Over-act much? ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Bongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9adbd/32.png) [@Winston\_Bongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Bongo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/22 "2004-04-24T16:24:17Z")
“But I was going to Toshi station to pick up some power converters!” (And yes, I’d consider Mark Hamill an “otherwise decent actor.” _Only_ decent, but decent nonetheless.) ---
**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/23 "2004-04-24T18:47:55Z")
Thora Birch as Jane Burnham in American Beauty: “They’re trying to, you know, take an active interest in me.” It just doesn’t ring true, maybe because the “you know” is set off too much from the other parts of the line. I wince every time I get to that part of the scene. Luckily every other line in the film is delivered well, including a couple monologues that could have been really tacky in the wrong hands. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/24 "2004-04-24T19:01:04Z")
> [@SuperNova](#): > > It was Joss Whedon who wrote the line. The only other line he wrote in the movie was Wolverine’s “You’re a dick.” line. > > Yes, he said Storm’s line was delivered horribly. There’s an interview online somewhere (I think in the Onion AV club) where he talks all about it. This must be some kind of milestone. One writer is singlehandedly responsible for the best _and_ worst lines in a movie, yet little else in the film. 😃 ---
**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:** [April 24, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/25 "2004-04-24T19:08:32Z")
> [@Winston Bongo](#): > > “But I was going to Toshi station to pick up some power converters!” > > (And yes, I’d consider Mark Hamill an “otherwise decent actor.” _Only_ decent, but decent nonetheless.) I wonder if it would have been better without the whining. ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/26 "2004-04-24T19:16:41Z")
But, **Mr. Blue Sky** , then it would have been out of character! ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/27 "2004-04-24T19:45:10Z")
I nominate **John Wayne** in _The Greatest Story Ever Told_, a 1960s movie about the life of Jesus. He played the bit part of the centurion who actually nailed Jesus to the cross. His one line in the movie came after Jesus died, and Wayne is shown in silhouette, with a backdrop of storm clouds gathering and lightning flashing. “Truly, this man was the Son of God.” came out as The Duke, nothing more, nothing less. It was laughingly bad. And I found this, on the Turner Classic Movies site: > [@](#): > > There is a great story behind The Greatest Story Ever Told that involves director George Stevens and superstar John Wayne in the role of a Roman centurion. His one line in the picture was: “Truly, this man was the Son of God.” After a couple of attempts at the seemingly simple line, Stevens gently told him, “Duke, what we need in this line is something more. Look up at the man and give us some awe.” Wayne nodded affirmatively, Stevens signaled the cameras to roll, and Wayne said, “Awww, truly this man was the Son of God.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/28 "2004-04-24T19:50:26Z")
My submission is disqualified under the Shatner Rule, but I’d like to share it anyway. In Roman Polaski’s “Tess,” there is a scene where Nastassja Kinski boards a train, walks over to someone and says, “I’ve come to tell you I killed him.” This line is so badly delivered that the theatre audience actually broke into laughter when it was spoken. Now that’s some bad acting. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gretchen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Miss\_Gretchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gretchen)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/29 "2004-04-24T21:18:15Z")
In _Fight Club_ when Edward Norton sees a male model in an ad, elbows Brad Pitt and says “Is that what a man looks like?” I dunno, it was just so forced? self conscious? clunky? I can’t quite put my finger on why that one line bugs me so. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/30 "2004-04-24T22:45:13Z")
> [@SuperNova](#): > > It was Joss Whedon who wrote the line. The only other line he wrote in the movie was Wolverine’s “You’re a dick.” line. > > Yes, he said Storm’s line was delivered horribly. There’s an interview online somewhere (I think in the Onion AV club) where he talks all about it. I agree, it’s not an inherently bad line. You just have to imagine it being delivered by Sarah Michelle Geller with a perky smile, a shrug and a hair flip. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/31 "2004-04-24T23:27:13Z")
Not that she’s a good actress, but the single worst line I have ever heard is Denise Richards in _The World is Not Enough_ (well, a whole lot of bad line deliveries, but this one especially): “Aren’t you forgetting something, Doctor?” It’s just awful. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/32 "2004-04-25T00:43:14Z")
“We can’t just leave her like this.” – Matthew Modine, **droning** this line near the end of _Full Metal Jacket_ ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/33 "2004-04-25T01:19:42Z")
I love the X-Files movie, really I do; I’ve seen it 10 times in the past 3 years. But David Duchovny’s last lines make me cringe every time because it’s such an odd delivery. Why didn’t they do another take? " **No** it isn’t. You were **right** to want to quit. You were right to want to leave me. You should get as far away from me as you can! I’m not going to watch you die, Scully, because of some hollow personal cause of **mine**. Go be a doctor. **Go** be a doctor while you still can." ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/34 "2004-04-25T06:27:06Z")
Well, I’m not so sure about the “otherwise decent actor” bit, but… George Lucas even says that one of his intentional recurring themes (and lines) in each movie is “I’ve got a baaaad feeling about this…” That’s okay, in and of itself. For instance, Han Solo says it at times when they are going into a strange situation (and it works). Even in Phantom Menace, it’s use is appropriate – at the beginning, when the two Jedi are there for “negotiations” – and Obi Wan senses that things aren’t quite right. BUT… it’s use **annoys the hell out of me** in ATOC, when Anakin says it. The line should convey a sense of “hey, things **seem** okay, but they’re really not”. Instead, Anakin says it when he is TIED TO A POLE, and three dealy-looking monsters are being led out into the arena to EAT him and his friends… “I’ve got a baaaad feeling about this…” **Thank you, Darth Obvious Boy** This is not the actor’s fault. That one was George Lucas’ fault for using it at that point in the script… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/35 "2004-04-25T06:30:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Why didn’t they do another take? They probably did a bunch. Actors and directors often disagree on what the best take of a scene is, and the director may have liked that one more than a reading you’d have liked. You never know. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/36 "2004-04-25T08:18:23Z")
Nick Cage: “Put down the bunny!” ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/37 "2004-04-25T12:02:27Z")
_The Usual Suspects_ Chazz Palminteri: “Now you talk to me, or that precious immunity they seem so fit to grant you won’t be worth the paper the contract put out on your life is printed on.” I cringe every time I hear it. In a movie filled with sharp dialogue where does this piece of crap come from? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/38 "2004-04-25T14:04:38Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Well, ignoring the “otherwise decent actor” bit, IMO it would be Tony (can’t sing, can’t dance, can’t act-the triple threat) Curtis’s “Yondah lies da castle uv my faddah” line. > > Fenris Well, I can’t find the actual quote, but it was more like “Yondah, in da tent of my faddah”, probably from the movie _Taras Bulba_. You also have to groan at his “I love you, Spahtahcus” line. The worst for me was James Coburn saying “groovy” every five minutes in one of his old films. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/39 "2004-04-25T14:33:28Z")
The full line is usually rendered as “Yonda lies da castle of my fadda, da Caliph” and it’s from _The Black Shield of Falworth_ (1954), one of Curtis’ first starring roles. It’s Shatner-related, but Stephen Collins gets some of the dumber lines near the end of _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_ including describing a human’s ability to “leap beyond logic” and “As much as you wanted the _Enterprise_, I want _this!_” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778/40 "2004-04-25T14:59:42Z")
In the movie _Soldier_ there was a doozy. A female character asks Russell what he intends to do to the soldiers attacking their base and the camera closes in on Russell in three leaps so he can deliver the line, “Kill them all”. Seriously cringe worthy footage. I don’t know if it’s so much the delivery(which was not great) as the camera moving in by three leaps which was supposed to build drama. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-single-line-delivery-in-a-movie/241778.md?page=3)