Top Ten Movie Quotes from Cameron Crowe

Unlike many other individuals working in Hollywood today, Cameron Crrowe, chooses to both write and direct his films. The resulting product then, is exactly as Crowe would have us see it, time and time again. He creates characters with such realistic personalities, that the audience can't help but to relate to them. Moreover, his stories are so heartfelt, that we can't help but love Crowe himself, as we watch each love letter to the art of film that he produces.

Initially, I set out to list the best quotes from 1980's films. Then, I realized that half of them were coming from two places: "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", and "Say Anything"-both written and directed by Crowe. So, this became a list of the best quotes from Cameron Crowe films. Unfortunately, when I did a little research, I ended up with a long list of about twenty quotes-what follows is a significantly pared-down version of that.

10. Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom): Elizabethtown, 2005

"There's a difference between a failure and a fiasco. A failure is merely the absence of success. Any fool can achieve failure. But a fiasco, a fiasco is a disaster of epic proportions. A fiasco is a folk tale told to other's to make other people feel more alive because it didn't happen to them."

This is the line, spoken as a voiceover, opens the film, and introduces us to the character of Drew Baylor. In that, it certainly succeeds, but more importantly, it stands alone and enables the audience to look at their own failures and successes with a bit of perspective. In comparison to the concept of "fiasco" that Drew discusses, our own mere "failures" don't seem like such a big deal.

9. Steve Dunne (Campbell Scott): Singles, 1992

"My dad left home when I was eight. You know what he said to me? Have fun, stay single. I was eight."