Great Movie Exchanges 24 Trivia Quiz

Answer: My Cousin Vinny

In this scene new lawyer Vincent "Vinny" Gambini (Joe Pesci) from Brooklyn, NY is arguing his first murder case before Alabama judge (Fred Gwynne), and runs into some language difficulties. This conversation actually did take place between actor Joe Pesci and director Jonathan Lynn, who felt it was funny enough to be added to the movie's script. Judge Haller says lines one and three and Vinny says lines two and four. Regional differences lead to some pretty funny situations in this movie: Vinny Gambini learns about grits and Judge Haller learns about yutes. In the events leading up to this scene, two young men from New York are driving across Alabama when they are stopped and jailed on suspicion of murder of a Sac-O-Suds convenience store clerk. The lawyer they choose to represent them is Vinny, a cousin of one of them, but he has very little judicial experience and none on murder cases.

In the 1993 Academy Awards Marisa Tomei won for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Vinny's girlfriend, Mona Lisa Vito. This was the first Oscar she won. The scene where Vinny accidentally knocks over the judge's chessboard actually happened during filming, and the director thought it was so funny, he left in the final cut.

Answer: The Blind Side

In this scene Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock) has invited homeless student Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) to spend the night at her house and is showing him where he will sleep. After she shows him their living room couch, she adds that her husband Sean (Tim McGraw) says the sectional sofa in their family room separates during the night. A puzzled Michael asks line one and Leigh Anne, without missing a beat, answers with line two. This movie tells the mostly-true story of how well-to-do Leigh Anne and Sean Touhy and their two children took a homeless African-American teenager, with little formal education and few skills, under their wing and guided him during his high school and college years. After a successful college career at Ole Miss (University of Mississippi), Oher was the first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL (National Football League) draft of college players.

In the 2010 Academy Awards "The Blind Side" was nominated for Best Picture (but was beaten by "The Hurt Locker"). Sandra Bullock won Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Touhy. It was the first Oscar she had won. When Michael enrolled at Briarcrest Christian High School, the movie depicted him as a passive, unskilled big guy who was only barely acquainted with football (American style). The real Michael Oher was not too pleased at this, since he was an experienced football player by then. Fans of U.S. college football undoubtedly enjoyed seeing real-life coaches Lou Holtz, Phillip Fulmer, Houston Nutt, Ed Orgeron, Nick Saban and Tommy Tuberville make cameo appearances in the movie playing themselves during the college recruiting scenes.

Answer: Mississippi Burning

In this scene FBI agents Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) are discussing how best to find the murderers of three civil rights activists in Mississippi. Ward is an idealistic but often unrealistic agent whose methods get many black homes, schools and churches bombed or set ablaze. Anderson is more practical and effective, but his methods are often borderline legal. Ward has reluctantly concluded that Anderson's methods may work best, but cautions him with this heated exchange. Ward says lines one and three, and Anderson retorts with lines two and four. Although this movie was inspired by an actual 1964 case, the movie story is fictional. Many people were upset that some facts from the real-life case were either distorted or left out of the movie story.

In the 1989 Academy Awards, "Mississippi Burning" won one Oscar and was nominated in six other categories, including Best Picture (but lost to "Rain Man"). Gene Hackman was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (but lost to Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man"). Frances McDormand was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of the wife of racist Deputy Clinton Pell (Brad Dourif) but lost to Geena Davis in "The Accidental Tourist.") Actor R. Lee Ermey, who is perhaps best known for his gruff and crusty recent TV appearances (such as the G.I. drill instructor-turned-psychiatrist in a TV insurance ad), is effective as the town mayor.

Answer: The Talented Mr. Ripley

In this scene (at the end of the movie, in a ship stateroom), Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) lets down his guard and tries to explain to his Italian friend, Peter Smith-Kingsley (Jack Davenport), why he did the things he did. Tom says line one and a confused Peter says line two. Peter had accompanied Tom as a translator when Tom appeared before the Venice, Italy police investigating the death of Tom's friend Freddie Miles (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Tom had managed to con rich Herbert Greenleaf (James Rebhorn), who sent Tom to Europe to try to retrieve Greenleaf's wastrel son Dickie (Jude Law). While there Tom winds up killing Dickie and trying to assume his identity. In one telling scene, Dickie says, "Everybody should have one talent, what's yours?" and Tom replies, "Forging signatures, telling lies, impersonating practically anybody."

In the 2000 Academy Awards, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" was nominated in five categories, but didn't win any Oscars. Actor Jude Law was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (but was beaten out by Michael Caine in "The Cider House Rules.")

Answer: American Graffiti

In this scene Terry "Toad" Fields (Charles Martin Smith) has been talking to new acquaintance Debbie Dunham (Candy Clark), when Debbie's former date Vic (Joe Spano) appears on the scene. Vic says, "Aw, come on honey. Look, so I never called you back. I've been, you know, busy," and then adds, "Hey, I'll call you some night Deb. Some night when I'm hard up." Debbie replies, "I won't be home." Terry observes this and then says line one. Debbie replies with line two and adds, "That's why I like you, you're different." Incredulous Terry says, "I am? I mean, do you really think I'm intelligent?" Debbie says, "Yeah, and I bet you're smart enough to get us some brew." What follows are some hilarious scenes of Terry trying to buy liquor with a fake ID.

The finished movie was previewed in San Francisco and was enthusiastically approved by the audience. However, a representative from Universal Studios was also in attendance, and despite the favorable audience reaction, he called the movie "unreleasable." Director George Lucas' friend, fellow director Francis Ford Coppola, was so enraged at the comment that he offered to buy the film from Universal. The end result was a reluctant compromise that finally allowed the movie to be released under the Universal Studios name. In the 1974 Academy Awards, "American Graffiti" was nominated in five categories, including Best Picture (but lost to "The Sting") and George Lucas for Best Director. The stunning financial success of this movie then allowed Lucas to create the "Star Wars" movies. In 1975 he established the company Industrial Light & Magic to produce the visual effects that made possible his (and others') movies.

Answer: The Last of the Mohicans

In this scene French forces are attacking English Fort William Henry during the French and Indian War in North America. The spokesman for a group of colonial militia soldiers has asked English Colonel Edmund Munro (Maurice Roëves), commander of the fort, to allow them to leave the fort so they can return home to defend their families. They had been promised by another commander that they could do this, but Col. Munro says they can't leave. American frontiersman Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis) comes to their defense with lines 1, 3 and 5. English Major Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington) heatedly says lines 2 and 4.

In the 1993 Academy Awards "The Last of the Mohicans" won the Oscar for Best Sound. The opening credits of this movie, superimposed on the fog-shrouded Adirondack Mountains in New York state, with the great theme music, are spectacular on a wide screen TV with a good sound system. Actor Wes Studi plays an Indian character named Magua, who the English consider a guide, but who is secretly working for the French. The following great scene involves Magua. On a march Magua is guiding, British Major Duncan Heyward instructs Magua by saying, "You there, scout. We must rest soon, the women are tired." Magua wants to stop further ahead where the water is better but he is overruled by Major Heyward. When a displeased Magua mutters (in the Huron language, with English subtitles), "Magua understands that the white man is a dog to his women. When they are tired, he puts down his tomahawk to feed their laziness." Major Heyward asks Magua what he said, and Magua replies, this time in English, "Magua said he understands the English very well."

Historical note:
The French and Indian War in North America (1754-1763) expanded into a worldwide conflict in 1756 called the Seven Years' War. However, Europeans often do not differentiate these two conflicts.

Answer: Men In Black

In this scene a spaceship carrying a bug has crashed outside the home of Edgar (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Beatrice (Siobhan Fallon), and Edgar has gone outside with a gun to investigate. The unseen bug says line one from the crater that resulted from the crash, Edgar says line two, and the bug concludes this conversation with line three. After the bug kills Edgar and disguises itself in Edgar's skin, it heads to New York City. After Men In Black Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) see a supermarket tabloid story that was headlined "An Alien Stole My Husband's Skin," they realize big trouble might be brewing. They start investigating by interviewing the housewife Beatrice. "Men In Black" follows the activities of a top-secret organization under Chief Zed (Rip Torn) that monitors and polices alien activity on Earth.

In the 1998 Academy Awards, "Men in Black" won one Oscar and was nominated for two others. The special effects in this movie were impressive but that year they were up against those in "Titanic" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park."

Answer: Platoon

In this scene the infantry platoon of narrator Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) has been ordered to capture two Vietnamese bunkers near the Cambodian border, but several soldiers are nervous about the order. Sgt. O'Neill (John C. McGinley) says line one and Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger) replies with line two. Technical advisor Dale Dye (a decorated U.S. Marine Corp veteran) put the actors through a harsh 14-day "boot camp" before shooting of the film started. Tom Berenger's facial scar required three hours of makeup work every day he was filmed. Some of the Vietnamese cast members were tourists who were vacationing in the Philippines (where most of this movie was filmed).

In the 1987 Academy Awards "Platoon" won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Oliver Stone. Both Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe were nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (for very convincing performances, in my opinion), but neither won (Michael Caine won for "Hannah and Her Sisters"). Director Oliver Stone was also nominated for writing the screenplay (which was based on his own personal experiences during the Vietnam War), but Woody Allen won that Oscar for "Hannah and Her Sisters."

Answer: Fatal Attraction

In this scene married lawyer Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) and single copy editor Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) are engaging in playful conversation at a lunch date when Dan's wife is out of town. According to director Adrian Lyne (on "Inside Story: Fatal Attraction" on the Biography Channel), he asked actress Glenn Close to play "footsies" with Michael Douglas during this scene (unbeknownst beforehand to Douglas) to get a surprised look on Douglas' face. Dan had met Alex at a party and now has run into her again. Alex says lines 1, 3 and 5, and Dan says lines 2 and 4. Their small talk leads to a brief affair, after which Alex becomes obsessed with Dan. When Dan is annoyed that Alex has shown up at his house, she says this great line: "Well, what am I supposed to do? You won't answer my calls, you change your number. I mean, I'm not gonna be ignored, Dan!" Then, in a chilling turn of events, she begins to stalk Dan and his family. This movie was based on the 1980 British TV movie "Diversion."

In the 1988 Academy Awards "Fatal Attraction" was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture (but lost out to "The Last Emperor"). The term "bunny boiler" has come to mean an obsessive, psychopathic female who stalks a lover who has spurned her (from the infamous scene in this movie where Alex boils the pet rabbit of Dan's little daughter Ellen).

SPOILER ALERT: The original ending was Alex committing suicide and Dan being wrongfully accused of her death (based on his fingerprints on her knife). However, this ending was rejected by a prevue audience. Having Dan's wife Beth (Anne Archer) kill Alex was requested by the prevue audience.

Answer: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

In this scene Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and The Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) are crouched in hiding while observing a posse of mounted Pinkerton detectives trailing them. Cassidy, Sundance and their gang have just robbed a train, and the gang has split up, hoping to split the posse. But the entire posse goes after Butch and Sundance, promoting this exchange. Butch asks line one, Sundance dryly replies with line two and an indignant Butch says line three. In the years approximately before 1911 there was no federal crime-fighting agency, and tracking criminals who crossed state lines fell to private agencies like Pinkerton's.

In the 1970 Academy Awards, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was nominated in seven categories, including Best Picture (but lost to "Midnight Cowboy"). It did win four Oscars, including Best Writing, Based on Material Not Previously Published or Produced by William Goldman and Best Music, Original Song by Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics) for the song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head." Paul Newman and Robert Redford did not receive any Oscar nominations, although Redford won a minor award and Newman was nominated for two minor awards (but did not win either). Although the two actors had hoped to co-star in a third movie ("The Sting" in 1973 was their second together), Newman's advanced age made that unlikely. Newman died 26 September 2008 at age 83.