The Best Movie Quotes of the 21st Century: Like Looking for a Needle in Haystack

Recently Internet Movie Database offered as one of its daily polls the chance to vote on the best movie quote so far of the new millennium. The nominees sadly proved once again that the art of the filmmaking in America is currently at its lowest ebb ever. Not only has this decade witnessed the fewest truly great movies of any decade, but so far it appears not to have produced one single truly popular movie line that will make it to classic status.

The winner of the IMDB poll for the best movie quote of the new millennium is a case in point of the total lack of creativity currently in place in Hollywood. What was the winner? “My precious” from that cure for insomnia The Lord of the Rings. In the first place, I think this should be considered a classic book quote rather than a classic movie quote. Along the same line, so should “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do,” from The Passion of the Christ, originally found in the Bible, of course, and “With great power comes great responsibility,” from Spiderman, originally from the comic book. “Good night and good luck,” has, of course, been with us since Edward R. Murrow originally signed off with it on his news reports fifty years ago.
As if those quotes weren’t suspect enough as being great movie quotes, consider such other questionable nominees as:

“They’re called boobs, Ed,” from Erin Brokovich.
“Are you not entertained?” from Gladiator.
“I am a golden god!” from Almost Famous.
“Wilson!” from Cast Away.

Not to mention this one: “The son becomes the father and the father the son.” Does anyone even know what movie that is from? Doubtful since Superman Returns returned to obscurity after its first week of release.