There’s a weird meta thrill every time a film character says the title of the movie you’re currently watching. Sometimes things click into place in that moment; in others, it’s a cornier rush, a piece of branding that has been fussed over interminably. It’s as interesting as a new billboard on the way to work.
Title Drops from Roman Holiday on Vimeo.
Regardless, it’s always a moment focused on by the filmmakers, and so this supercut of 150 such examples provides the cascading thrill of title after title after title. Look: It’s Al Pacino tearing into the phrase “any given Sunday” like it’s a hoagie sandwich; it’s an adorable little girl intoning “we bought a zoo!”; it’s Sylvester Stallone grimacing as he warns, “Stop, or my mom will shoot.” James Bond movies get a particular focus. Perhaps the greatest film-title drop ever isn’t included—that is, the inimitable “Welcome to Jurassic Park”—but editor Roman Holiday says in the comments, “I wanted to avoid using titles that were simply character or location names that get said dozens of times in the film.”
Fair enough. Now let’s imagine what it’d be like if all of these movies ended right after they said the title.