20 Greatest Insults in Film History

When "your mom" jokes just don't cut it.

By Audrey Fox /

Sure, everybody€™s mother taught them that if you don€™t have anything nice to say, you shouldn€™t say anything at all. But where€™s the fun in that? Here's the secret of the universe: mean is always more memorable than nice. You probably don't remember every person who has complimented your hair or sense of humour, but you'll go to your grave still knowing the name of that kid who was a jerk to you when you were in the seventh grade. Similarly, there aren't too many people out there cataloging all the times movie characters were kind to each other. Viewers are interested in the outrageously nasty, cruel comments characters make, living vicariously through those fictional people who are able to say the things that everyone wishes they could get away with. Imagine how great your comebacks would be if you had a highly paid screenwriter letting you know exactly how to put that jerk from HR firmly in their place. Unfortunately, that€™s not a reality (yet), but the next best thing is memorising some of the best movie burns and saving them for later. Sure, some of these are sort of situation specific and might seem a little foolish to keep in your back pocket, but as Benjamin Disraeli once said, "The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes."

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