Book / film titles that have become common phrases

[mwude]

'Groundhog Day' - it wasn't used as a phrase meaning repetition / deja vu before the film came out, was it?  It was used during a recent bit of football commentary / analysis & I thought that everyone must immediately know what it means even if they haven't seen the film.  It also reminded me of what a cracking film it is - never seems to do well on these 'biggest list of 100 greatest movies ever (vol 2)' things, but it was a cracking film.  Great idea & played out beautifully.

So what else is there?  I know exactly what people mean by a 'Catch 22' situation despite having not read the book.  Or do people use it incorrectly and I'm assuming I know the meaning but not actually quite getting it?

And on a 'Groundhog Day' tangent - I fucking hate Andi McDowell.


Is it still raining?  I hadn't noticed

She's like Johnny Depp in reverse.  Whilst Depp can be thouroughly entertaining in a film that isn't quite brilliant I've never seen Andi McDowell be anything other than shite.  Unconvincing, not attractive, l'oreal advertising bint.  How does she keep getting parts?  Are there some good early performances of hers that I'm unaware of or something?

[fanny splendid]

Aww, come on!

She brought the best out of Gerard Depardieu in Green Card...

[The Boston Crab]

Yeah, good point mwude. I've never seen/read Catch 22 but I know exactly what it means, although, funnily, some people don't but continue to misuse it:

'Mars or Snickers? What a Catch 22?!'

Ditto Groundhog Day, I've never seen it and thought it looked well boring innit.
But it's probably good, if you say so. But yeah, I know just what it's about and I recognise the phrase quite often/.


My fave slightly- related thing is in Curb Your Enthusiasm, where Cheryl David goes, 'Is it too Remington Steele?' (or something) and Larry says, 'yeah, I know it's a TV show, but I don't get the reference.'

[Sulphagne]

A good idea for a thread, which is why I'm sorry that the only example I can think of is a vile one: Something Wicked This Way Comes. I suppose it counts, in a way: Groundhog Day is synonymous with deja vu, a Catch-22 is a paradox, and Something Wicked This Way Comes (completely aside from the novel, which I know nothing about) quite clearly means "we're  trying to evoke a sense of comical terror, in a wacky, danceable sort of way".

In the last couple of months I've seen it used once in a newspaper headline, several times in the chorus of the worst song I've heard all year (called "Something Wicked", naturally), and as the tagline in the promo for an episode of Neighbours that introduced some troublemaker or other to the cast. The latter in particular got me all riled up and muttering curse words, as the way it was presented (inexplicably divided into three portions, printed in large blue-on-black capital letters, accompanied by the voiceover strumpet gasping "Something wickeeeeed... this waaaay... cooooomes..." proves that it's now utterly meaningless.

Crumbs, I don't even know if I'm defending the sanctity of the novel which I've never read or just plain old hating electroclash. But I'll contribute some better examples if I can think of any.

[Uncle_Z]

Doesn't "Something WIcked this way comes" come from that scottish play thingy?  Preceeded by "by the pricking of my thumbs" or summat like that...

Not seen it / heard it used in common parlance though

[Sam]

Sting says it on a song on "The Soul Cages". Can't remember which one. Brilliant album, though, easily in my top 10.

[elderford]

It'll never catch on, but me and my homeys use the phrase:

he/it's a bit Thomas Crown

When describing anything a bit suarve, sophiscated, urbane, etc. After the film Thomas Crown Affair following the adventures of the eponymous thrill-seeking playboy billionaire.

[thomasina]

Don't know how common a usage it is, but my mates say 'Dead Man Walking' if anyone gets called into the boss's office.  And 'The Green Mile' seems to be getting to be common parlance too.

[butnut]

My fave slightly- related thing is in Curb Your Enthusiasm, where Cheryl David goes, 'Is it too Remington Steele?' (or something) and Larry says, 'yeah, I know it's a TV show, but I don't get the reference.'

[geek]Knott's Landing[/geek]

But I agree, it's a great moment!

[Ambient Sheep]

I know exactly what people mean by a 'Catch 22' situation despite having not read the book.  Or do people use it incorrectly and I'm assuming I know the meaning but not actually quite getting it?

You said it.  Obviously I don't know in your case, but there are loads of people who think they know what it means when they don't.

The original bit from the book - set in an American Air Force base on an island off the coast of Italy during WW2 - was as follows (my paraphrasing): any pilot could be excused from flying dangerous missions on the grounds of insanity - he only had to ask the doctor to be certified as insane.  However the very act of asking to be excused from danger proved he was sane, and therefore he couldn't be excused from flying missions.  This was Catch 22.

Wikipedia arguably puts it better, and certainly has more detail.

And on a 'Groundhog Day' tangent - I fucking hate Andi McDowell....I've never seen Andi McDowell be anything other than shite...How does she keep getting parts?  Are there some good early performances of hers that I'm unaware of or something?

sex, lies, and videotape gets my vote.

[falafel]

My fave slightly- related thing is in Curb Your Enthusiasm, where Cheryl David goes, 'Is it too Remington Steele?' (or something) and Larry says, 'yeah, I know it's a TV show, but I don't get the reference.'

[geek]Knott's Landing[/geek]

But I agree, it's a great moment!

Heh - that used to be on when I was a kid, and I always thought it was "Knots Landing" - like, you know, actually landing. Knots landing. But landing where? I always wondered why it had such a weird name.

Problem solved.

[elderford]

Oh, another one we use, is to describe anyone in black shades and floor dragging full length black leather coat as being:

A bit of a Johnny Matrix

I caught something in the media about the phrase "we're going to need a bigger boat" from Jaws as being a popular description of anything that is going to be difficult to achieve with available resources.

Not a film reference as such, but my clique also use the name Jackie Chan as a verb when describing alcohol fueled stunt work, as in Carl broke his ankle whilst Jackie Channing from the tree.

To be honest, we watch too many films, as there is also the phrase when describing munted colleagues as having a Christopher Walken 1000 yard stare.

[gazzyk1ns]

Doesn't "Something WIcked this way comes" come from that scottish play thingy?  Preceeded by "by the pricking of my thumbs" or summat like that...

Yeah one of the witches says it, with reference to Macbeth.

[Johnny Yesno]

How about "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"? I know people don't use the whole title when talking about this kind of character but it's kind of close to what you were asking.

[Brinx]

"Life is like a box of chocolates" ? Bit of an obvious one but not sure if the full quote was around pre-gump.