The Effect of Sayings

        Think about your favorite movie. Do you like it because of the characters? Do you like the setting? Or is it just everything about it that sparks your attention? Well most of the time, in my opinion, what catches peoples eye or ears is the small sayings that are proposed throughout each film. They usually have a comical purpose, but sometimes could be used for other ideals.

         Some sayings or phrases are what make the movie so popular. Take for instance, Mean Girls directed by Mike Waters. This is a movie about a girl from Africa, Kady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), who transfers to a school in the United States and she has to go through the struggles of the “new kid”, trying to find where she belongs. As with every high school, there are the Jocks, the nerds, the “Emo” kids and everyone in between. This may have a typical story line, but the character’s lines couldn’t be more comical. The popular girls say a boy named Damien “is to gay to function” or the dumb blonde Karen questions Kady’s nationality and says “if you’re from Africa, why are you white.” Or when they are having a retreat in the gymnasium, a random girl blurts out “I just wished we lived in a world of rainbows and unicorns.” These all may seem irrelevant, or seem to be nonsense, but you can’t think about this movie without referring back to these sayings. This movie has turned into a “must see” just from these small phrases.

             Elf, a popular movie among the holidays, is also famous for its sayings throughout the film. This is about an elf that works in Santa’s workshop, but isn’t your typical average helper. He is abnormally tall and has trouble doing things that come so natural to typical elves. He is eventually sent to the North Pole to find out who he truly is. Some of the most comical parts of this movie include “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.” When they are talking about the diets of their daily lives. Or “ You sit on a throne of lies!” also “I'm a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.”This refers to all the people he comes into contact with in the real world.  Finally the most famous line of the whole movie, “You stink. You smell like beef and cheese! You don't smell like Santa.” This comes about as he comes in contact with “Santa” at the local mall. All of these small phrases may also seem dumb, but they interestingly enough make the whole movie. This has become one of the most watched Christmas movies of all time, and will continue into the following generations.

             Mean Girls and Elf are just a few of the many movies that are filled with various sayings that have everyone locked for the rest of their lives. Next time you sit down to watch a movie, really take into consideration all the funny or quirky sayings that not only stick into your head, but also give the movie an even better effect. You not only realize that these phrases are used throughout the film but also out of everyone else’s mouths around you as well. It’s amazing what the directors of each movie know what will catch their audience’s attention for the rest of their lives.