Referring to the implementation of a film’s title as spoken dialogue within the film itself, movie title drops can be both tricky and treacherous to execute. A lot of the most well-known examples have an air of infamy about them as they have become notorious for how egregiously they were placed (looking right at you, 2016's Suicide Squad). However, there have been plenty of times when the gimmick has been handled incredibly well.
From wry winks to the audience that plays on the often cringe-worthy ploy to films that incorporate their titles into the script to emphasize a key theme or idea, these utterances of the movie titles actually enhance the viewing experience. They might even elicit a sense of joy from audiences, even if they do make some roll their eyes. And while they might not be as big a deal as Peter Griffin makes it out to be, these title drops do have a certain charm when executed well.
10 'Do the Right Thing' (1989)
"Always do the right thing."
Written, directed and produced by Spike Lee, who also stars as Mookie, Do the Right Thing is widely regarded as being one of the greatest films of the 1980s and a vitally important and insightful look at racial tensions in America. Taking place in a Brooklyn neighborhood, the story transpires over one scorching summer day as severe violence erupts between the residents of the diverse community.
As Mookie (Lee) goes about making a pizza delivery, he is pulled aside by the friendly drunk Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), who dispels a succinct dose of worldly wisdom. The simple, good-natured philosophy of the line, and, by extension, the movie title, clashes fiercely with the volatile setting the film explores. The line permeates throughout the remainder of the story with tragic poignancy as the characters become engulfed in the escalating violence.
Do the Right Thing
RDramaDocumentary- Release Date
- June 14, 1989
- Director
- Spike Lee
- Cast
- Danny Aiello , Ossie Davis , Ruby Dee , Richard Edson , Giancarlo Esposito , Spike Lee
- Runtime
- 120
9 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998)
"Someday, we might look back on this and decide that saving Private Ryan was the one decent thing we were able to pull out of this whole godawful sh***y mess."
Widely regarded to be one of the greatest war films of all time and an essential viewing experience for all movie lovers, Saving Private Ryan offers an authentic and grueling trek through the horrors of the Second World War. It follows a squad of American soldiers tasked with locating Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), the last surviving brother of four, so he can return home to be reunited with his mother.
While the mission has honorable intentions, the film explores the validity of the squad risking their lives to save one man amid a raging war claiming thousands of lives every day, something the soldiers frequently discuss. Towards the end of the film, Sergeant Horvath (Tom Sizemore) concedes he has some optimism about the squad’s assignment. Snuck into the middle of his monologue, the title drop targets the small glimmer of hope and human decency that thrives amid the carnage and chaos of war.
Saving Private Ryan
RDramaHistoryWar- Release Date
- July 24, 1998
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Cast
- Tom Hanks , Tom Sizemore , Edward Burns , Barry Pepper , adam goldberg , Vin Diesel
- Runtime
- 169
8 'Face/Off' (1997)
"I’d like to take his face… off."
Perhaps a little bit of a so-bad-it’s-good movie, Face/Off has one of the most apparent yet hilariously phenomenal title drops of all time. The 1996 sci-fi action thriller follows FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) undergoing facial transplant surgery to assume the identity of the criminal who murdered his son, Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), to foil a terrorist plot. The situation escalates when the crook wakes up prematurely and takes Archer’s identity to exact revenge.
Face/Off received widespread critical acclaim for its cat-and-mouse story, its stylistic tastes, and director John Woo’s knack for over-the-top action. However, it is arguably best remembered for Cage’s delivery of just one line of dialogue. Dropping the film’s title with no subtlety whatsoever, Archer states, “I’d like to take his face… off.” Ever the master of larger-than-life deliveries, Cage indulges in the line's absurdity, his hand movements and expression helping make the moment even more perfect.
Face/Off
RScience FictionActionThriller- Release Date
- June 27, 1997
- Director
- John Woo
- Cast
- Nicolas Cage , John Travolta , Joan Allen , Gina Gershon , Alessandro Nivola
- Runtime
- 139 minutes
7 'Hot Tub Time Machine' (2010)
"It must be some kind of… hot tub time machine."
An utterly ridiculous and completely inappropriate comedy adventure, Hot Tub Time Machine follows Adam (John Cusack), a recently dumped workaholic. Reuniting with his two childhood friends, they go on vacation at a ski resort they enjoyed in their youth, with his nephew, Jacob (Clarke Duke), tagging along. When a dodgy Jacuzzi teleports them back to 1986, they must relive the events of one fateful night to ensure Jacob will be born.
While a gross-out, guy-centric comedy, the film was rife with hilarious gags, some more ghastly than others. One of the tamest yet most hysterical came as the four men were figuring out how they had traveled back in time. As they investigate the outdoor spa, Nick (Craig Robinson) succinctly says, "It must be some kind of… hot tub time machine" before casting a deadpan look straight at the camera. It was so overt that it was brilliant, a deliberately lazy and self-referential quote that proves sometimes the best jokes are the simplest.
Hot Tub Time Machine
RAdventureComedy Sci-Fi- Release Date
- March 26, 2010
- Director
- Steve Pink
- Cast
- John Cusack , Clark Duke , Craig Robinson , Rob Corddry , Sebastian Stan , Lyndsy Fonseca
- Runtime
- 93
6 'Rush Hour' (1998)
"No problem. Just rush hour."
A fan-favorite flick that blends action and humor in equal measure and coasts off two exceptional lead performances, Rush Hour is a buddy-cop-comedy done to perfection. A huge reason why it has attracted so many fans is the film possesses the brilliant quality of not taking itself too seriously. This was perhaps best exemplified by its wry title drop, one that effectively kick-started the plot.
Soo-Yung (Julia Hsu), the daughter of a Hong Kong diplomat in L.A., is being driven to school by security when they are intercepted by the criminal Sang (Ken Leung) posing as a policeman. Sang drops the movie title immediately before he kills the security and kidnaps Soo-Yung. Much like the film itself, the title drop is effortless and delightfully meta, made even funnier by Leung's matter-of-fact, deadpan delivery. Of course, another popular title drop in the franchise came in the outtakes of Rush Hour 2 when Chris Tucker ad-libbed the instantly iconic “Damn! He ain’t gonna be in Rush Hour 3.”
Rush Hour
PG-13ActionComedyCrimeThriller- Release Date
- September 18, 1998
- Director
- Brett Ratner
- Cast
- Ken Leung , Jackie Chan , Tom Wilkinson , Tzi Ma , Robert Littman , Michael Chow
- Runtime
- 98
5 'Some Like It Hot' (1959)
"I guess some like it hot. I personally prefer classical music."
One of the all-time great comedy movies, Some Like It Hot is famous for its fast-paced story, exceptional characters, and razor-sharp wit. It follows two Chicago-based musicians who, after witnessing a mob hit, dress up as women and join an all-girls band to escape the gangsters hunting after them. When one of the escapees becomes enamored by the band’s vocalist, Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe), he slips between disguises as he tries to win her affection.
As Joe (Tony Curtis) dons his guise as Junior—impersonating a millionaire—to seduce Sugar, he gets to talking to her on the beach, wherein he drops his line as she tells him about her career as a hot jazz musician. Curtis and Monroe share now-legendary chemistry, making the scene all the more effective and the title drop far more subtle and organic. It is implemented with such class and grace that it doesn’t demand attention yet is unmistakably a purposeful nod for audiences to smile upon.
Some Like It Hot
ComedyMusicRomance- Release Date
- March 19, 1959
- Director
- Billy Wilder
- Cast
- Marilyn Monroe , Jack Lemmon , Tony Curtis , George Raft
- Runtime
- 121 minutes
4 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004)
"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! / The world forgetting, by the world forgot / Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! / Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd."
A true modern classic of romantic cinema, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind also meshed elements of science-fiction, drama, and absurd comedy, producing a strikingly original film that has aged excellently over the years. The film’s title, and the title drop narrated by Kate Winslet’s Clementine, comes from Alexander Pope’s 1717 poem "Eloisa to Abelard."
While it’s an oversimplification, Pope’s poem reflects on themes of blissfulness of blamelessness, that an innocent life of virtue and simplicity can be the ultimate source of happiness. Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay, focusing on Joel (Jim Carrey) undergoing a procedure to erase all memories of his ex-girlfriend after he learns she underwent the same process, is rife with ideas of love, memory, and the desire to be unjaded. Implemented at the perfect time, the title drop underscores the weight of the character’s complex yearnings and the underlying tragedy of their initial want to forget their relationship.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
RDramaRomance Sci-Fi- Release Date
- March 19, 2004
- Director
- Michel Gondry
- Cast
- Jim Carrey , Kate Winslet , Gerry Robert Byrne , Elijah Wood , Thomas Jay Ryan , Mark Ruffalo
- Runtime
- 108
3 'Full Metal Jacket' (1987)
"Seven-six-two millimeter. Full metal jacket."
Stanley Kubrick’s harrowing anti-war film presents a grueling depiction of life in the military and the hell on Earth that was the Vietnam War. For many viewers, the first half of the movie, following the training the young soldiers are subjected to, is even more confronting than many of the battle sequences that make up the film's latter half. The main reason for that is the tale of Private Pile (Vincent D’Onofrio).
Overweight and dim-witted, Pyle is relentlessly targeted by R. Lee Ermey’s ruthless drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, who punishes the squad for Pyle’s incompetence. The endless torment takes its toll on the Private, who eventually snaps, with Private “Joker” David (Matthew Modine) finding him in the latrine loading his rifle. Pyle then kills Hartman before turning the rifle on himself, leaving Joker (and viewers) mortified. D’Onofrio’s delivery of the titular line is chilling, capturing the desperation and inner turmoil the character is undergoing. It's a brutal and mortifying reminder of how much mental stress these soldiers are on and the heavy consequences that the army's lack of empathy can cause.
Full Metal Jacket
RDramaWarA pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
- Release Date
- July 10, 1987
- Director
- Stanley Kubrick
- Cast
- Matthew Modine , Adam Baldwin , Vincent D'Onofrio , R. Lee Ermey , Dorian Harewood , Kevyn Major Howard
- Runtime
- 116 minutes
2 'Jurassic Park' (1993)
"Welcome to Jurassic Park."
One of many defining films in Steven Spielberg’s filmography, Jurassic Park blended adventure and sci-fi fantasy to conjure up one of the most wondrous viewing experiences in cinematic history. Few moments embody that imaginative wonder quite like the first time the dinosaurs are seen on screen. The moment was perfectly executed, with Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) awe-struck by the sight.
With many audiences in 1993 similarly stunned by the visual feat, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) sports a proud grin as he says, “Welcome to Jurassic Park.” Cut to the wide shot with John Williams’ mesmerizing score swelling, and you have one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history. The scene also set the tone for the rest of the movie, with the fight for survival undeniably intense, but never forgetting to be tremendous fun.
Jurassic Park
PG-13Adventure Sci-Fi- Release Date
- June 11, 1993
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Cast
- Sam Neill , Laura Dern , Jeff Goldblum , Richard Attenborough , Bob Peck , Martin Ferrero
- Runtime
- 127
1 'Back to the Future' (1985)
"Next Saturday night, we’re sending you back to the future!"
Another magnificent sci-fi blend that boasts no shortage of iconic moments, Back to the Future is deemed by many to be the perfect adventure movie. Coincidentally, it also flaunts the perfect movie title drop. The film famously follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a 17-year-old from 1985 who finds himself having to set up his parents' romance to save his own existence when a time-traveling DeLorean takes him back to 1955.
The one man he can trust is the time machine’s future inventor, Emmet “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd), who, despite being initially reluctant, agrees to help Marty get back to his own time. Complete with Doc’s phenomenal point towards the camera, the line has a rousing call to adventure about it. Yes, it's somewhat in-your-face, but that doesn't make him any less exciting, especially with Lloyd's electrifying energy to enhance it. “Back to the future” is said other times throughout the trilogy as well, always with an effective, winking tone to it that is thoroughly enjoyable.
Back to the Future
PGAdventureComedyFamily Sci-Fi- Release Date
- July 3, 1985
- Director
- Robert Zemeckis
- Cast
- Michael J. Fox , Christopher Lloyd , Lea Thompson , Crispin Glover , Thomas F. Wilson , Claudia Wells
- Runtime
- 116
