The 15 most famous movie quotes from the 1990s - how many do you remember


The '90s gave us the best that romance, horror and comedy had to offer – but some lines still stick with us more than most


 Julia Roberts As Julianne In "My Best Friend's Wedding", 1997.© Getty Images
Daisy Finch
Daisy FinchAudience Writer
2 minutes ago
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From Richard Curtis' swoon-worthy classics walking the streets of London to imprisoned cannibals and reality-bending thrillers, the '90s covered a lot of ground. But one thing all of these features share is the fact that we're still quoting them today. Put down your camcorder and pause that VHS tape, we're rewinding to decade that made movie history...

Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in a still from the movie 'Notting Hill'. © Sygma via Getty Images

Julia Roberts' sweet confession is endlessly quotable to this day

"I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her" – Notting Hill (1999)

The Venn diagram of Julia Roberts hits and '90s rom-com classics is, almost, a circle. Notting Hill holds a particularly special place in viewers' hearts as it saw the actress team up with heartthrob Hugh Grant, cast in his '90s comfort zone as a bumbling bookshop owner.

It's the stuff of fantasy for his character when Julia Roberts' Anna Scott confesses her love and reminds him that, below all the glamour of Hollywood, she's really just an ordinary girl who's fallen for an ordinary boy.

Actor Anthony Hopkins and actress Jodie Foster on set of the movie " The Silence of the Lambs " , circa 1991. © Getty Images

Hannibal Lecter's unusual tastes made him an icon of the horror genre

"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti" – The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins teamed up for the terrifying production of a lifetime as the detective in search of a serial killer and a well-spoken cannibal, respectively.

It can be easy to lose sight of Hannibal Lecter's dark nature but his confession accompanied with a loud sipping sound shows just how much he relishes an... unconventional meal. 

Jack Nicholson plays Colonel Nathan Jessup in the Rob Reiner film adaptation of the Broadway drama "A Few Good Men" November 15, 1991 in Washington, DC. The film tells the story of three Judge Advocate General lawyers defending two US Marines facing murder charges.© Liaison via Getty Images

Jack Nicholson's impactful delivery and heavy context made the line memorable

"You can't handle the truth!" – A Few Good Men (1992)

Jack Nicholson never tires of delivering a memorable performance and 1992's A Few Good Men certainly provided sufficiently emotional material. 

His role as Colonel Jessup had the actor screamingly defend his harsh methods, arguing that civilian morals are facilitated by the actions of the military.

Julia Roberts in a scene from the film 'Pretty Woman', 1990. © Getty Images

Julia Roberts starred in unconventional Cinderella retelling 'Pretty Woman'

"Big mistake. Big. Huge!" – Pretty Woman (1990)

Before she was star actress Anna Scott, Julia Roberts starred as Vivian Ward opposite Richard Gere in Pretty Woman. Their on-screen chemistry led to another hit with Runaway Bride 9 years later.

The moment that every viewer most adores is when Vivian gets the chance to show off her serious spending power after being shunned by snooty shop workers, who have missed out on a hefty commission.

Stacey Dash as Dionne Davenport and Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz in 'Clueless'.© CBS via Getty Images

"As if!" – Clueless (1995)

Alicia Silverstone's yellow three-piece outfit might have made it into the fashion history books, but it's the dialogue of Clueless that really made it a hit, picking up '90s phrases and putting them on the big screen.

It's her simple "As if!" that is still incredibly useful today, best delivered after a groan of disdain for an unwelcome admirer.

Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm on the set of the film 'Jurassic Park', 1993.© Getty Images

Jeff Goldblum's role as Dr Ian Malcolm had him deliver a memorable word of caution

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should"

In what is perhaps Jeff Goldblum's most iconic role, and that's certainly saying something, the actor starred as chaos theory mathematician Dr Ian Malcolm.

The premise of bringing dinosaurs back from extinction feels increasingly close and Ian Malcolm's word of warning continues to have applications beyond the prehistoric.

The movie "Terminator 2: Judgment Day",  (alt: T2) directed by James Cameron. Seen here, Arnold Schwarzenegger (as the Terminator) on a motorcycle.© CBS via Getty Images

Arnold Schwarzenegger continued to provide quotable lines in the Terminator franchise

"Hasta la vista, baby!" – Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

This won't be the last time Arnold Schwarzenegger appears on our list. He'll be back. Terminator 2: Judgement Day rivalled the first instalment's quotability with a fond farewell.

John Connor's lessons in human slang mean Arnold's T-800 cyborg picks up some '90s phrases, even if the appropriate context is slightly lost on him.

Andie MacDowell and Hugh Grant on the set of 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'.© Getty Images

Despite sopping wet hair and droplets running into her eyes, Andie MacDowell's Carrie is too loved-up to notice

"Is it still raining? I hadn't noticed" – Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

True love apparently thrives in stressful weekends packed out with wedding receptions. At least, that was the case for Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral

When they have their suitably cheesy moment in the rain, Andie's confession takes a turn for the comedic as she stands sopping wet outside Hugh's door and claims she can't feel a drop.

Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving face each other in a scene from Andy and Larry Wachowski's 1999 movie The Matrix. In this scene, Neo (Reeves) fights the computerized Agent Smith.© Sygma via Getty Images

The Matrix provided action-filled entertainment, and a shortcut to an existential crisis

"There is no spoon" – The Matrix (1999)

Will you choose the red pill or the blue pill? In the film, Keanu Reeves' Neo opts to uncover the truth of the universe, discovering that there's more to the world than his own perceived reality.

A young boy holding a spoon tells him the secret to uncovering this hidden world by questioning his material surroundings and recognising it as code to remove all physical limitations.

Still from 'My Best Friend's Wedding'. © Sygma via Getty Images

Julianne Potter might have some character flaws but her famous metaphor is still incredibly useful today

"Crème brûlée can never be Jell-O" – My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

Julia Roberts wasn't just a fixture on screen in the '90s: her rom-com dialogue has stuck with us ever since. While food critic Julianne Potter's attempts to win back her best friend Michael might be misguided, she certainly provided us with cinema gold.

In particular, it's her confrontation with crème brûlée Kimmy (chic, sweet and put together) that gave us the ultimate love interest metaphor. Do you opt for perfection or something familiar and comforting?

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in a scene from You've Got Mail.© Sygma via Getty Images

Frank Navasky's pretentious line conjures up a comedic image that's provided decades of laughs

"You are a lone reed, standing tall, waving boldly in the corrupt sands of commerce" – You've Got Mail (1998)

Nora Ephron was the queen of rom-coms, and adding in '90s icons Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan only made things sweeter. There's plenty of deliciously romantic moments in the film, but there's one that stands out for its comedy powers.

Meg's on-screen boyfriend Frank Navasky, played by Greg Kinnear, gave us this immortal line, tapped pretentiously on a typewriter and handed to Meg during the fight to save her independent bookshop.

Kevin Bacon, Tom Hanks, and Bill Paxton talking in ship in a scene from the film 'Apollo 13', 1995.© Getty Images

Ron Howard hit Apollo 13 had hearts racing in 1995

"Houston, we've had a problem" – Apollo 13 (1995)

Did you know the line is actually "Houston, we've had a problem" not "Houston, we've got a problem"? Despite being constantly mis-quoted, the scene has remained strong in pop-culture's imagination.

Tom Hanks joined the crew on Apollo 13, telling the tale of a moon mission gone wrong. When the astronauts find themselves stranded, NASA has to work against the clock to bring them back safely.

Kevin Pollak, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro, Gabriel Byrne and Kevin Spacey line up in a scene from the film 'The Usual Suspects', 1995.© Getty Images

Keyser Söze's legendary status helps him to avoid detection

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist" – The Usual Suspects (1995)

The Usual Suspects dug into the long tale of criminal mastermind Keyser Söze's exploits, as told by Kevin Spacey's Roger "Verbal" Kint.

Of course, at the film's conclusion this description of the legendary criminal figure has another layer of meaning, and proves just how skilled the true mastermind is at avoiding detection.

Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura poses for a photo in December 1995 in Los Angeles, California.© Getty Images

Every hero has a great catchphrase and Ace Ventura was no exception

"Alllll righty then!" – Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

It's hard to pinpoint exactly which delivery of this iconic catchphrase made it such a memorable line, and perhaps that's exactly why we're still saying it today.

Peppered throughout Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Jim Carrey's exaggerated delivery made this simple phrase a comedy classic.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger on the set of the film Jingle All the Way, directed by Brian Levant.© Sygma via Getty Images

Arnold Schwarzenegger gave us a memorable Christmas classic with Jingle All the Way

"Put that cookie down! Now!" – Jingle All the Way (1996)

Finishing out our list is, of course, a Christmas classic. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Jingle All the Way managed to simultaneously cast Arnie in the role of action hero and bumbling father, making the comedy a great watch to this day.

But first, he's got to get over himself and his jealousy towards neighbour Ted, feelings that lead to an angry outburst when Ted takes one of his wife's homemade cookies.

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