I am woman, hear me quote!

A few months back, I was standing with a friend of mine. He mentioned that he was really good at remembering movie lines and that women generally didn't remember movie lines. I expressed my wholehearted disagreement. It seems though that my friend was not alone in his opinion. Now, several months later, Feministing (among other feminist blogs) brought this Aaron Sorkin quotation to my attention:

“Most guys, we can recite all of The Godfather, we can recite all of Caddyshack, we can do all those kind of things. Women, by and large, can’t. You can guys can say you complete me, and that’s about it. And I think it’s because in the history of movies, there have been fewer quotable lines spoken by actresses than actors.” –Aaron Sorkin
(via feministing and shelby knox)

Now his quotation, it seems to me, makes several points. One, that women can't quote movies like men. Two, that we can't do that because there are fewer quotable lines spoken by actresses than actors. Three, that the only movie we can quote is Jerry Maguire. Let me tackle this one step at a time.

Woman can't quote movies like men.
Now, maybe I grew up in the twilight zone, but I know plenty of females who can quote movies. Myself included. Now, I admit, I can't quote The Godfather, but I can pretty much recite all the lines to Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, Ocean's 11, A League of Their Own, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Brown Sugar, A Low Down Dirty Shame, You've Got Mail, The Birdcage, The Mummy, Independence Day, Pretty Woman, Return of the Jedi, and a whole lot more.

I also would like to point out that many times I know the actual line. For example, the Ghostbusters on TV is sometimes edited (as are many movies). I was saying a line that didn't match up with what was said on TV. A friend of mine said I was wrong. Being the complete loser that I am, I went home and watched the actual movie and, lo and behold, I was right (You also shouldn't mess with my Ghostbusters skills. My friend Kate and I went to watch Ghostbusters in the movie theater last month with a whole bunch of other Ghostbusters lovers. Some people know Rocky Horror, we know Ghostbusters). I also have had fights about character names (I got in a fight with an old friend about Lafawnduh in Napoleon Dynamite. To prove I was right, I pulled up IMDB. Bam!) and about which actors played what roles and the like.* Obviously, I've made mistakes too, but my point is that some women know movies. Just like some men know movies. We may know different movies (there are quite a few "classics" I haven't seen...but I'm fine never having watched all of Top Gun and Caddyshack...I will live...but even I know lines from those movies), but you can't say that I can't quote movie lines because have a vagina. Or that the movies I can quote aren't, say, The Godfather, and therefore don't count.

I would also like to point out to Mr. Sorkin that my mom and I can quote The American President and many of my friends with vaginas and I can quote The West Wing (tv show, but whatever!).

Women can't quote because there aren't as many quotable lines said by actresses.
First of all, as Shelby Knox points out, isn't that the fault of screenwriters? Like Aaron Sorkin? Also, as Feministing pointed out, pretty much anything said by CJ on The West Wing was quotable, so we know it is possible to write quotable women. Is it just too difficult to do for a movie?

Second, there are plenty of quotable lines said by actresses in movies. If you are on twitter, look at #LadiesInFilm for proof.

Also, while we are at it, what makes a line quotable? I say a ton of lines from movies like When Harry Met Sally ("I'll have what she's having"), Pretty Woman ("Big mistake. Big. Huge.") , A League of Their Own ("Evelyn, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to kill your son..."), The Mummy ("Patience is a virtue", "I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure seeker, or a gun fighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am!") and Steel Magnolias ("I love ya more than my luggage", "You got a reindeer up your butt?"). I use them in everyday conversation. Some people may not recognize it as a quote, but it is a quote nonetheless. And most of them are said by actresses. Also, I love older movies and there are some great lines said by women that are quoted often. For example: "You know you don't have to act with me, Steve. You don't have to say anything, and you don't have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and... blow. " -- Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not

And, another thing, I don't just quote female characters because I am female. "Do or do not. There is no try", "Life will find a way", "Mother pus bucket". I say these things pretty much everyday. They are said by male characters. I learned them too because I can learn lines said by men even though I am a woman.

We can only quote Jerry Maguire.
If we are going to pick on a particular movie, then lets get all of the quotes of that movie. For instance, "show me the money" and "shut up, just shut up. you had me at hello". That is three quotations from that movie, Aaron. Three.

Maybe Sorkin is right. Maybe quoting movies is more of a men thing. Maybe that is because of other things, like how women tend to spend their free time. I know a lot of women who can quote novels. I suck at quoting novels, but I can spout some A Midsummer Night's Dream without even thinking about it. Even still, there are plenty of women who can quote movies (just like there are plenty of men who can't). It drives me bonkers when men say women can't quote movies.

Also, it drives me bonkers that Sorkin chose "you complete me" as the only line we can quote. Seriously? Why not "nobody puts baby in a corner"? Or "I'll have what she's having"? Anything else, but "you complete me"...ugh.

*This may also be proof that I need a life.