Questionable One Liners

MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
in Bond Movies Posts: 7,999
Title is fairly self explanatory. I was watching A VIEW TO A KILL recently and have always found the scene with Bond and Aubergine... odd, from start to finish. Right off the bat, the actor playing Aubergine seems to be playing him as a comically French stereotype. Bond isn’t noticing the commotion with May Day taking out the butterfly puppet master. Right before he dies, Aubergine refers to himself in a third person like he’s in some parody. Then of course May Day kills him with a poison coated fish hook butterfly to the face. All this is perplexing, but the strangest is what Bond says “there’s a fly in his soup”. Sure, Bond isn’t one to let an opportunity of spouting a one liner pass, but why over Aubergine’s expense? Usually that’s reserved for the bad guys, and it probably would have been funny with Bond killing a henchman at the table and cracking the line. Here it just seems like Bond’s being a dick.

My theory: Aubergine’s presence just makes people say and do weird things. Even M has a weird line like “what did you learn from Aubergine before his untimely demise?” which always struck me as an odd way of phrasing things, and rather something I’d hear on a satire. Then again, this is A VIEW TO A KILL, that indulges in weird touches like focusing on a street bum when Bond rescues Stacey.

I’m sure you all can share some one-liners you find off putting. Take for instance: every single one-liner Lazenby delivered in OHMSS. Every. Single. One.
«13

Comments

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Like he had a lot of guts? I loved that line.

    Personally, I found the "waste of scotch" line in SF rather offensive and in poor taste.
  • Posts: 19,339
    Aubergine was a scumbag investigator,he wouldn’t have been popular,just after money and to be fair Bond does glance at the butterfly as it gets more aggressive but needs the information.
    Another reason why my philosophy on here is it’s Bonds last mission,he is not as ‘savvy’ as he used to be and couldn’t react.
    The quip is just Roger’s Bond...his defence mechanism.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 7,999
    Like he had a lot of guts? I loved that line.

    In that instance it's Lazenby's delivery I'm not crazy about. A ton of the one-liners do feel like they were written with Connery in mind though.
    Personally, I found the "waste of scotch" line in SF rather offensive and in poor taste.

    I like it not as a one-liner per se but as a way of Bond throwing off the guards as he's about to attack, and that his sudden attack was his real answer to Silva's question of how he felt about Severine's murder.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I did not feel it gave Bond any advance psychologically, as opposed to his quips in CR and QOS, if he shut up the outcome wouldn t be any different. Maybe it is the execution or editing.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 7,999
    The only bit I'm bothered by is Mendes trying to cap it as a "victory", when it should have felt bitter given the major damage and lives taken by Silva.
  • Poor old Broz has a ton of these, especially in DAD. I think by that point it was more bad writing than bad delivery - there's only so much you can do with the material.
    There was a notion that any line deliered with a cocked eyebrow and pithy phrasing automatically became an innuendo. But more often than not it was just nonsensical or, at best, adolescent. I remember watching many of those lines and thinking "what does that even mean?"
  • Posts: 1,879
    Talked about this in another thread recently: Bond's awful series of one-liners in the repair van with Amasova as Jaws tears it apart is an all-time low for the series.

    Also agree with Octofinger's comment above. I don't know if Brosnan was underserved by the scripts or it was him or both.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 7,999
    When it comes to cringe one-liners, the Brosnan era is almost TOO easy to pick on. It’s like criticizing a six year old’s drawing as the craziest piece of art ever conceived.

    “I am Mr. Kil.”
    “Now there’s a name to die for.”

    I feel bad just for typing that!
  • Posts: 19,339
    BT3366 wrote: »
    Talked about this in another thread recently: Bond's awful series of one-liners in the repair van with Amasova as Jaws tears it apart is an all-time low for the series.

    Also agree with Octofinger's comment above. I don't know if Brosnan was underserved by the scripts or it was him or both.

    I can’t think of a bad one liner from Sir Roger,with his natural delivery.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 7,999
    Anya’s handling of the situation does take the sting out of “women drivers” as she’s essentially putting his money where his mouth is.
  • Posts: 17,241
    I generally enjoy most one-liners; they were part of the appeal with Bond for me when I first started watching the films. Of course they're a bit hit-and-miss. The worst one I can think of right now is "I thought Christmas only comes once a year.", but I must admit if I'm in the right mood, I can get a little chuckle even from that one.
  • When it comes to cringe one-liners, the Brosnan era is almost TOO easy to pick on. It’s like criticizing a six year old’s drawing as the craziest piece of art ever conceived.

    “I am Mr. Kil.”
    “Now there’s a name to die for.”

    I feel bad just for typing that!
    I remember cringing in the theater when that one was given. Like the sole purpose of the character was to set up Bond for that quip. Hardly clever. And is Kil even a real last name?!!!
  • Posts: 226
    Personally, I found the "waste of scotch" line in SF rather offensive and in poor taste.

    I love that line. Like the song goes "the coldest blood runs through my veins". Admittedly it might have been more in character for Connery or Dalton as CraigBond is a bit more sentimental.

  • Posts: 226
    AVTAK pretty much does sneak into Bond parody territory so that's par for the course for that one.

    The infamous "Christmas only comes once a year" line has to take the cake here. It's only funny as anti-humor (laughing at what a unfunny joke it is) and becomes even more lane when you realize the only reason they named a character Christmas was so they could do that line.
  • RoadphillRoadphill United Kingdom
    Posts: 984
    TWINE had some risible ones "I'm sure your figures are perfectly rounded" and "I thought Christmas only came once a year" are the worst of the lot. Not Brozza's fault, even peak Moore would have struggled to sell those lines.

    Whilst on the subject of Sir Roger "That ought to keep him in Curry" was a pretty ropey one. For different reasons to the above, mind you.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Roadphill wrote: »

    Whilst on the subject of Sir Roger "That ought to keep him in Curry" was a pretty ropey one. For different reasons to the above, mind you.

    Was it racist?
  • Posts: 19,339
    Roadphill wrote: »

    Whilst on the subject of Sir Roger "That ought to keep him in Curry" was a pretty ropey one. For different reasons to the above, mind you.

    Was it racist?

    Not in 1983 for sure,otherwise they wouldn't have used it.
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,664
    I just watched From Russia With Love, and at the end, when the helicopter crashes, Bond says something like "I guess you can say one of their aircraft is missing." It's the dumbest one-liner in the series, unless I suppose it's maybe a reference to something? Help?
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 7,999
    I just watched From Russia With Love, and at the end, when the helicopter crashes, Bond says something like "I guess you can say one of their aircraft is missing." It's the dumbest one-liner in the series, unless I suppose it's maybe a reference to something? Help?

    It does strike me as something that might be a reference to an event that took place in the 1960s that audiences would have immediately understood, but 50 years later doesn’t really ring a bell for today’s audiences. I hope someone here can help with that.

    DR. NO also had similar bit where Bond recognizes a famous painting at Dr. No’s living room, a painting that was at the time stolen and reported all over the press. Audiences in 1962 would have recognized it and understood the gag, whereas today it just comes off as a strange moment of Bond being fixated by a painting.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited October 2019 Posts: 17,727
    I just watched From Russia With Love, and at the end, when the helicopter crashes, Bond says something like "I guess you can say one of their aircraft is missing." It's the dumbest one-liner in the series, unless I suppose it's maybe a reference to something? Help?

    I believe it was just an (inverted) reference to this successful 1942 war film. The phrase had presumably entered into the lexicon by the time FRWL was released:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_of_Our_Aircraft_Is_Missing
  • Posts: 19,339
    You beat me to it @Dragonpol ,you scoundrel !!
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,664
    Well, it may be a worse contemporary reference than even the Beatles quip in Goldfinger!

    If Bond had made a Sex and the City reference in QoS, we fans would have freaked out! It's fascinating how timelessness was an absolute non-issue in the early films.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited October 2019 Posts: 17,727
    barryt007 wrote: »
    You beat me to it @Dragonpol ,you scoundrel !!

    Sorry, @barryt007! I always thought that was what out was from. It's either that, or One of our Dinosaurs is Missing... ;)
  • BondStuBondStu Moonraker 6
    Posts: 373
    Roadphill wrote: »
    "I thought Christmas only came once a year"

    *shudder*

    I HATE that one!

  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    BondStu wrote: »
    Roadphill wrote: »
    "I thought Christmas only came once a year"

    *shudder*

    I HATE that one!

    I think Pierce does a great job of delivering one liners, but even he sounds like he’s disgusted with himself when he delivers that line!

  • matt_umatt_u better known as Mr. Roark
    Posts: 4,343
    Bond: "I always enjoyed learning a new tongue."
    Moneypenny: "You always were a cunning linguist, James."

    Jeez...
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,727
    matt_u wrote: »
    Bond: "I always enjoyed learning a new tongue."
    Moneypenny: "You always were a cunning linguist, James."

    Jeez...

    Now that one is pretty near the knuckle! I have to say that that one went totally over my head though when I saw the film in the cinema as a thirteen year old in January 1998! It was my first Bond film in the cinema. ;))
  • matt_umatt_u better known as Mr. Roark
    Posts: 4,343
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    matt_u wrote: »
    Bond: "I always enjoyed learning a new tongue."
    Moneypenny: "You always were a cunning linguist, James."

    Jeez...

    Now that one is pretty near the knuckle! I have to say that that one went totally over my head though when I saw the film in the cinema as a thirteen year old in January 1998! It was my first Bond film in the cinema. ;))

    Makes sense! :D

    I don't know the general perspective about this one inhere, but I always HATED the “This never happened to the other fella” line. I can understand why they did it at the time, but watching it now, I don't think breaking the fourth wall was a good idea.
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    matt_u wrote: »
    Bond: "I always enjoyed learning a new tongue."
    Moneypenny: "You always were a cunning linguist, James."

    Jeez...

    Definitely a little below the belt!😉
  • MinionMinion Don't Hassle the Bond
    edited October 2019 Posts: 1,165
    matt_u wrote: »
    Bond: "I always enjoyed learning a new tongue."
    Moneypenny: "You always were a cunning linguist, James."

    Jeez...
    cA2GD.jpg
Sign In or Register to comment.