A movie's ability to be quoted by its fans is a surefire way for it to stay relevant for years and years to come. In the age of memes and quick, sketch-style comedy like TikTok and Vine, something that can be referenced quickly for a good laugh or inside joke is a great way to connect with people.
However, as time goes on, there can be a seemingly Mandela Effect-esque change to the movie lines that audiences know and love, and the quotes that fans have been repeating for years may not even be the way they were said in the films themselves.
"Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Who's The Fairest Of Them All?" = "Magic Mirror On The Wall, Who's The Fairest Of Them All?"
The evil stepmother trope in Snow White may not have aged well, but the Evil Queen's lines made a lasting impression on pop culture. Somewhere along the line, the "Magic Mirror" line was misspoken as "Mirror, Mirror," perhaps to mimic a spell or chant.
In almost every parody or joke, the phrase "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall" is used in reference to the famous Evil Queen scene. Even in Shrek, a major motion picture based on Disney and fairytale parody, Lord Farquaad speaks to his magic mirror saying, "Mirror, mirror, show her to me" when he wants to see Fiona.
"Luke, I Am Your Father" = "No, I Am Your Father."
It's easier to see why this piece of dialogue morphed into a singular line: it's much faster and more concise to make a Star Wars reference with one line as opposed to a call and response of "He told me you killed him" and "No, I am your father." Plus, with the addition of the character name, it's more recognizable as a Star Wars line.
Still, this The Empire Strikes Back revelation is painful to any dad with a son named Luke who has probably made this joke a staple in his repertoire. Seth McFarlane, notably, got this quote right in one of Family Guy's best movie parodies about the original Star Wars trilogy.
"Hello, Clarice" = "Good Evening, Clarice."
The Silence Of The Lambs has some of the best quotes, including this famous one from Hannibal and Clarice's meeting. Like the "Mirror, Mirror" line, it seems that quite a few major production companies misremembered the line as well, with Hoodwinked Too!, The Cable Guy, Superstore, and many other movies and TV shows misquoting that same line.
This could be a case of application: "Good evening" necessitates that it actually be evening time when someone quotes it, whereas "Hello" can be quoted at any time of day. Either way, misquoters shouldn't feel alone, as they're in good company.
"We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat" = "You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat."
Seeing something much larger or more complicated than was previously imagined may prompt a classic movie fan to say, "We're gonna need a bigger boat," but that quote wouldn't be quite right. Instead of camaraderie in the word "we're," the original quote places more responsibility on the listener.
This word choice, however, was actually on purpose. And according to an interview with Carl Gottlieb, the line stemmed from crew members repeatedly telling the production team, "You're going to need a bigger boat" for shooting supplies and craft services. It became the catchphrase on set anytime something went wrong, so they wrote it into the script.
"If You Build It, They Will Come" = "If You Build It, He Will Come."
Many movie lovers who misquote this line from Field of Dreams assume that the "they" that are coming are the ghosts of baseball players who eventually visit Ray's (Kevin Costner's) baseball diamond. In reality, the core of the movie is about Ray mending the relationship with his deceased father, and the "he" is in reference to his father's ghost.
The misquote has also been used as a business and lifestyle mantra, telling people that if they put time and energy into building their business or attitude, and this undoubtedly permeated the "they" vs "he" word choice.
"Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates" = "Life Was Like A Box Of Chocolates."
Forrest Gump is one of Tom Hank's most likable characters, and it's not hard to see why. Even just waiting at a bus stop, he strikes up a friendly conversation with a stranger, saying one of the most misquoted lines in movie history. The original quote makes sense, Forrest is talking about his mother, who passed away, and what she used to say, so the past tense "was" makes more sense than "is."
It would seem this is another case of application, like the Hannibal Lector quote; it makes much more sense to say what life "is" in practice than to talk about it like a quote from someone else. Fans wanting to let people know that "You never know what you're gonna get," are more likely to use the present tense.
"Houston, We Have A Problem" = "Houston, We've Had A Problem."
"Houston, we have a problem" is a go-to quote for movie fanatics, but the line from the historically accurate Apollo 13 film is the slightest bit different than the one used in most jokes and parodies. The past tense versus present tense problem seems to be fairly common in movie misquotes.
As far as misremembered movie lines go, this one isn't too far off the mark, so fans who've said it once or twice shouldn't feel too bad. After all, even Luke Combs titled one of his tracks after the misquote, calling it "Houston, We Got A Problem."
"Me, Tarzan. You, Jane" = "Tarzan. Jane. Tarzan. Jane."
Anyone asked to do an impression of Tarzan would likely beat their chest like a gorilla or say this famous misquote. Fans of classic cinema will know that Tarzan never said this line. Instead, he repeats the names back to Jane repeatedly, much like in Disney's animated Tarzan, which is one of Metacritic's best-ranked Disney Renaissance movies.
The famous Tarzan The Ape Man misquote is likely due to an interview with Photoplay that Johnny Weissmuller did while promoting the film in June of 1932. He had said, "I didn't have to act in Tarzan The Ape Man, just said 'Me Tarzan, you Jane.'" Although the line never appeared in any of the films, the quote stuck with the characters.
"Please, Sir, May I Have Some More?" = "Please, Sir. I Want Some More."
Many kids and teens (or even adults) have put on their best puppy dog eyes, batted their eyelashes, and asked, "Please, sir, may I have some more?" thinking that they were referencing the 1968 Oliver Twist film based on the Charles Dickens book. In reality, the line is much more assertive in the films. Oliver tells Mr. Bumble he'd like more gruel, instead of shyly asking.
All iterations include the correct line, including the musical and movies, so it's unclear where this misquote might have come from. It could be that those wanting to emulate a poor orphan boy want to appear timider, but in reality, Oliver had more confidence than people gave him credit for.
"Fasten Your Seatbelts, It's Going To Be A Bumpy Ride" = "Fasten Your Seatbelts, It's Going To Be A Bumpy Night."
Any good high-speed chase or adventure starts off with a quick homage to this All About Eve line. Shockingly enough, even the likes of Warner Brother's Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban have been misquoting the famous line. The switch is puzzling, as the actors aren't in a car when the line is said.
Presumably, the mention of "seatbelts" makes people think of cars, prompting them to sub "ride" in for the similar-sounding "night." It's surprising that the misquote completely changes the meaning of the line, where the original is implying that the night will be "bumpy" metaphorically, and the misremembered line references a literally, physically "bumpy" ride.