A great movie catchphrase doesn't have to come from some summer blockbuster -- in fact, it can spring from the most unlikeliest of sources, the awards season contender. Whether it's a line that sticks thanks to sheer audacity (like the campy, terrifying "I drink your milkshake!" from There Will Be Blood) or simply through its constant repetition in trailers and Oscar ads (such as "I wish I knew how to quit you!" from Brokeback Mountain), the run-up to the Academy Awards often produces some of cinema's most lasting quotes. How does this year's crop of contenders fare on that front? Let's see!
Inglourious Basterds
Brad Pitt provided the centerpiece line of the Inglourious Basterds ad campaign -- "We in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin'" -- and though it's certainly caught on, it's in danger of being eclipsed by a dark horse from the same movie. If you think the Weinsteins aren't trying to make Christoph Waltz's giddy "That's a bingo!" happen, just drive down the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, where the line adorns several billboards in a row.
Avatar
James Cameron is the man who's given us so many catchphrases ("I'll be back," "Hasta la vista, baby," "Get away from her, you bitch!") that it's a little puzzling that all Avatar's been able to manage is the comparatively weak-sauce "I see you." Then again, when you consider how many dated catchphrases Avatar was already using ("Who's bad?"), perhaps there simply wasn't any room to come up with something new.
Precious
In a movie where the lead character isn't exactly chatty, it's no surprise that it falls to the supporting characters to make their catchphrases sing. Sure, you could quote liberally from Precious's initial interior monologue ("My name is Clareece Precious Jones, I wish I had a light-skinned boyfriend with real nice hair, and I want to be on a cover of a magazine") or even her striking sum-up of Ms. Rain and her bougie girlfriend ("They talk like TV channels I don't watch") but why bother when the effervescent Joann enters the movie busting the instant classic, "Hi, I'm Joann...and my favorite color is fluorescent beige."
The Hurt Locker
Pop culture pundits have noted that Summit could have sold Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq thriller as an action movie if they wanted to grab more of an audience. When you have Jeremy Renner shrugging off his heavy equipment, then heading in to defuse a bomb with the line, "If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die comfortable," even Bruce Willis would be envious.
Up in the Air
Up in the Air has a tidy catchphrase that's already the speech-making slogan of its lead character Ryan Bingham (George Clooney): "What's in your backpack?" For that tidy line, credit Jason Reitman...and, potentially, a couple of other people.
Nine
Nine hasn't caught fire with critics or the general population, but in its attempt to grab some purchase before it's out of theaters, it's begun buttoning its ad barrage with Penelope Cruz's funniest line, delivered to exiting paramour Daniel Day-Lewis: "I'll be here waiting for you. With my legs open." Prediction: That line might have more staying power than the actual movie.
500 Days of Summer
There are a lot of things working in favor of this film's catchphrase potential, including an acclaimed screenplay and a hipster je nais se quoi that should ensure a whole lot of "voice of a generation" quoting. So why can't we really pick out anything from (500) Days that feels like a real money line? Do you go with something from the "No, I'm Sid" conversation, or the opening narration that solemnly pronounces, "This is not a love story"? In lieu of a definitive pick, we'll simply have to go with "She took a giant shit on my face. Literally" for now.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
It's not so much of a catchphrase as it is a "trademark," but Mr. Fox's whistle-click-click is an instant classic. Master it and drop it into conversation at a party, and you'll have all the perfectly corduroy-clad Wes Anderson acolytes in the room eating out of your stop-motion palm.