How do you guys feel about cheezy lines in a movie?
Is it honestly bad writing or is it bad delivery of a line that if delivered or directed by someone else wouldn't sound so bad?
If ridiculous overly dramatic delivery was removed would the story carry?
Does the audience demand delivery in a way they or anyone else never would?
Graphic novel adaptations aside, of course.

There was nothing cheesy with "I'm sorry Wilson," from Cast Away.


Phil

I think it's too general a question to answer. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. For me, it usually depends on the tone of the movie and/or the frequency of other cheesy lines, not to mention the placement of said lines.

As far as the clip goes though, I think almost all of the lines were bad writing. Half of the bad writing was coupled with bad acting (Arnold and Stallone tend to make their lines sound worse). At times, there was also bad music. Absolutely EVERYTHING was wrong with Batman & Robin.

For the most part, I would say it was the writing. Some of the lines were so bad, I can't imagine how any actor would've been able to handle them.

Some of the lines didn't sound that bad. Some seemed out of context. Most of them were pretty bad though.

I think that most of these lines became cheesy after the movies came out and every asshole repeated them to the point where they became cheesy.  True, Stallone and Schwarz... Schwartz... Arnold make everything sound cheesy but that's them.


Phil

Quoted from dogglebe I think that most of these lines became cheesy after the movies came out and every asshole repeated them to the point where they became cheesy.

That's absolutely true. The Forrest Gump and Braveheart lines wouldn't be cheesy at all if they hadn't become so recognized.

I also think no movie should ever use the word "younglings"... ever.

I am in the camp of "it depends." Sometimes a good actor in the right scene in the right moment can deliver the perfect line that at any other time would be horrible. It's hard to predict when a cheesy line will drop. It's hard to say if a line is cheesy when you're writing it. You might think it's the best line of dialogue of all time, and then they cast Hayden Christensen. It might sound awesome when you're shooting it but when you watch the final cut, it is cheesy in context.

I would think this would happen more often in drama and less in comedy. Drama is supposed to be serious and maybe the moment got screwed. Comedy is supposed to be funny so a cheesy line might be funnier.

Yes, there are cheesy lines you can predict. But there are other times you just can't. I suspect that most of the time, it isn't done on purpose.

I say some of the most cheesy lines anyone could say, so to see them in a film, I really don't care.  It's a part of life, people say them, it's fine with me.  And that goes for clichés too.

They did not put that Lord of the Rings line in there. How very dare they.

I guess if they are meant to be funny they fit. All of the Star Wars ones were cringe worthy though. As for this:

'I love you.'
'...Ditto.'

That made me laugh oh so heartily.
Tbf the cheesy lines are at least remembered. I remember reading a Davinchi code review where the audience laughed out loud when one of the main plot lines was revealed in appauling fashion. That was a few years back now, so I guess they aren't so bad.

Looking over the different lines in that clip, I'm beginning to wonder whether the guy who put it together actually know what a cheesy line is. In it you have classic quotes, chessy quotes and just plain ol' terrible quotes.

The terrible ones are easy: anything from Batman and Robin, anything from that Scientology movie with Travolta, anything from a Michael Bay movie...hmm, I see a pattern here, the terrible quotes are all from movies that suck!

The cheesy quotes are just as easy: Any testosterone action movie from the 80s and early 90s, Top Gun, Commando and Rocky IV come to mind. Actually not Top Gun - that movie fucking rocks. The wingman quote? Fucking classic. But is cheese bad? Hell no. The cheese is what made most of those movies so memorable - if not exactly good - cos the cheese was expected back then.

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that cheese, for lack of a better word, is good. Cheese is right, Cheese works. Cheese clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

I'm sure you can pick the classic quotes all by yourselves.

Yeah, there are many government regulated professions requiring a lambskin* on the wall, and even then that doesn't prevent some bad opinions or decisions from being made.
With something as esoteric as "What qualifies" as a cheezy line is subjectively dubious at best.
I guess it's like most John Carpenter movies: We can roll our eyes at the preposterousness of many of them, yet he's making the movies while we're just watching them!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000118/
Do better or shaddap.
Can't knock the guy that gets things done.

I thought the lines from Top Gun were fine.
Same for Cast Away. Dude just lost his best friend after nuttin' out for a few years. Cut the man some slack.

In stupid, cartoony movies - no kidding. You're gonna get goofy stuff.
SiFi & Lifetime channel? Oh, h3ll, yeah.
I guess there's just a greater market of fools that gobble up tripe than I am comfortable with.
Go WalMart $5 DVDs!!!

I'm looking at this list of top-selling 2010 DVDs and wondering "Would I not EXPECT these movies to have stupid lines in them?"
http://www.the-numbers.com/dvd/charts/annual/2010.php

Take the stock "Bad a$$ military guy" in AVATAR, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang).
Compare his behavior to a US military General in real life.
Think General Stanley McCrystal talks and acts like that?
It's just stupid.
But do we expect/demand that character to be ridiculous?
Can that character be written another way so that he's not just so ridiculous over-the-top?
Do we want Hurt Locker seriousness in our escapism?
I think the majority of consumers WANT ridiculous.
I vote write our screenplays accordingly.

*Yes. I know the difference. That was a joke.

Quoted from RayW With something as esoteric as "What qualifies" as a cheezy line is subjectively dubious at best. I guess it's like most John Carpenter movies: We can roll our eyes at the preposterousness of many of them, yet he's making the movies while we're just watching them! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000118/ Do better or shaddap. Can't knock the guy that gets things done.

Umm... John Carpenter's not making movies. He hasn't made a movie in almost a decade (unless you count his Masters of Horror entries which were absolutely boss). All those 2010+ movies listed on his IMDB have been in development hell for ages.

Not to rag on the guy. He definitely should be making movies. Pretty sure the "They Live" line was awesome too.

Quoted from RayW But do we expect/demand that character to be ridiculous? Can that character be written another way so that he's not just so ridiculous over-the-top? Do we want Hurt Locker seriousness in our escapism? I think the majority of consumers WANT ridiculous. I vote write our screenplays accordingly.

There's a difference between ridiculous and just flat out awful. Robert Rodriguez writes some delightfully stupid lines. Not like Tarantino's at all. The joke's on him as much as it is somewhere else. "MexiCAN... MexiCAN'T?"... They're completely silly but they've got charm. My favorite line from that movie is "Then I guess I have no choice... but to kill you all." Complete with the quintessential beat to let the audience know a doozie is coming. But it's all in fun, isn't it?

Can you say the same thing about the Batman & Robin lines? You have to wonder where lines like "Let's kick some ice" come from. Did the writer really put them on paper without pausing for a minute and thinking "WTF?" Did it come from some studio exec? Did either have to fight with Arnold to get him to say it? Was he happy just to get his paycheck and didn't care or just really want to get out of that suit? You don't ask these questions when the lines are, at the very least, tolerable.

Bottom line. Batman & Robin was a piece of shit. I know, I know... It's... SUBJECTIVE!!! Duh du-duh!

If numbers are the only thing that objectively determine a film's merit then how come this garbage, a Batman movie mind you, failed to outgross its predecessors?

I completely agree that escapism doesn't demand realism. Things can be ridiculous and over the top, even mind-bogglingly so. That doesn't mean they have to sound like crap. At some point, people started thinking that good movies and mainstream movies were mutually exclusive. I think it's about time people realized they're not, no matter how bad mainstream movies get.

Everyone knows a cheesy-burger is so much better than just a plain ole burger, so it follows that a cheesy-movie is...

Quoted from RayW How do you guys feel about cheezy lines in a movie? Is it honestly bad writing or is it bad delivery of a line that if delivered or directed by someone else wouldn't sound so bad? If ridiculous overly dramatic delivery was removed would the story carry? Does the audience demand delivery in a way they or anyone else never would? Graphic novel adaptations aside, of course.

It only seems cheesy if it doesn't work. Lots of scripts contain lines that appear to be cheesy but work out fine.

How do I feel?

Er electrical signals are sent from my nerves to my brain which interprets them for me.

I love saying that to journalists and people who pretend they care.

Simple answer is about cheezy lines... It depends.

In an airport. I love being back on the road, you always feel as if you're going somewhere. This time I'm going up. Makes a change.

R ox

R ox

Watch "Strangeland" or the abysmal "Shredder" ... Both brimming with an abundance of swiss.  Both, mind you, also suck massively too.