My Favorite Movie Speeches

A really good speech is one of my favorite little things in a movie. Part of the reason is how they most often highlight the screenwriting and the performance of the person delivering the speech and those two aspects are what interest me most when watching movies. 

While there's no hard and fast guideline for how I chose these ten entries, one thing I kept in the back of my mind is the length of the piece. Two of my absolute favorite speeches are the "My name is Maximus" part from Gladiator and the Mike Wallace diatribe in The Insider, but they each last less than a minute. All my other choices came in at more than two minutes, so I decided to omit Gladiator and The Insider from this list. Consider them honorable mentions! 

Since a lot of these moments reveal important plot points or even show the ending of the film, I feel like I have to stress - there be SPOILERS ahead! 

Don't forget to check out Kyle's list on his blog, Enter the Movies! Which list do you prefer?

1. JFK

JFK is a tremendous film for all sorts of reasons, even if it doesn't tell the "truth" of what actually happened to the president, but one of the very best parts of the whole film is this four-minute speech. Donald Sutherland's character, simply known as "X", lays bare his version of what happened: the far-reaching conspiracy that not only allowed JFK to be assassinated but then worked to cover it up afterward. Sutherland's performance in this scene is so beautifully done that I think he may be the MVP of the entire film, and that's high praise considering some of the other performances. He delivers each word and each mannerism with such detail that he creates a perfect little character. Oliver Stone and Zachary Sklar combined to write magnificent lines for Sutherland to perform and then the editing and music help to tie everything together in the end. It's just perfect, in my mind.

2. Any Given Sunday

The sports movie genre is a great place to find examples of really good speeches. A few more almost made this list - including Kurt Russell in Miracle, Kevin Costner in Bull Durham, and Will Patton or Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans - but my absolute favorite is Al Pacino's fiery and motivational speech in Oliver Stone's football epic Any Given Sunday. Pacino has long been ridiculed (undeservedly so in most cases, I think) for playing characters who too easily go over-the-top, but his passion and intensity here, as a head coach trying to pump his players up during halftime of an important game, is undeniably effective. I know for a fact that at least one (and I'm sure many, many more) high school football coach in my area has used this speech to motivate his own players and I understand why: the whole thing, from Pacino's performance to the writing to the music to the other characters' reactions, is just so well done. While Any Given Sunday, as a whole, is uneven and frustrating, this speech is superb.

3. Magnolia

Jason Robards delivers an absolutely wonderful performance as Earl Partridge in Magnolia and the highlight of it is this nine-minute testament of pure emotion. Robards made my list of Favorite Supporting Actor Performances based primarily on this section of the film, something I've rewatched several times. Partridge, dying of cancer and bedridden, confides in an aide - telling the aide all about his history of lying, adultery, and mistakes. It's a sermon on regret and lost love and missed opportunities and... life and death. Besides the incredible content of the speech and Robards' performance, I love how director Paul Thomas Anderson plays it over other scenes with the various, somewhat related characters. 

4. Network

There's no shortage of great speeches in Network, that's for sure. I could have chosen one of two or three other options and been almost as pleased. Almost. This particular speech isn't the much more famous and oft-cited "I'm as mad as Hell!" segment, which is great and deserving of its praise, but rather a different one that I rarely read about. Peter Finch's character, the erstwhile "mad" Howard Beale, has already quit his news anchor position and been rewarded with his very own show. The speech he unfurls at the audience is nothing short of an assault on them, but they eat it up and cheer him on. The points he makes about the power of media in society seem like they could have been written today, not 40 years ago. While the entire film seems quite prescient, this one particular scene struck me as scarily so. Finch received the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in Network and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky won for Best Screenplay and both were very, very deserving of those awards. This speech is just a small glimpse into their brilliance, but what a glorious little glimpse.

5. Jaws 

Jaws is a thrilling, exciting adventure film with some intense and memorable moments. Quint - the grizzled, blunt, and heroic shark expert - is responsible for one of those moments in this monologue where he tells the story of being aboard the USS Indianapolis when it was torpedoed and sank into shark infested waters.  Robert Shaw is magnificent in the role and this is the high point of his performance. He delivers each word of his speech in such an interesting fashion. At the outset, Quint is buzzed and slightly slurring his words, but as he goes, his words seem to sober him up. By the time he gets to the point describing the sharks' eyes - "lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes" - and how the screams of the men filled the night, I'm always completely absorbed. The camera cuts away only a couple of times, to show the reaction of his two listeners, but those are solid cuts - the look on Hooper and Brody's faces tells us that they've never heard anything so horrific or mesmerizing. It's a feeling that we, as the audience, can relate to.

6. The American President

Michael Douglas is an underrated actor, in my opinion - a man who has given some truly wonderful performances over the years. His portrayal of President Andrew Shepherd in Rob Reiner's political romantic dramedy isn't his best, but it's damn good. Shepherd is probably my favorite fictional president - oh, God, how I wish he was our real president now - and Douglas is a perfect fit as a politician. He can talk, charm, or bully (depending on the situation or need) his way out of any situation and this speech, near the end of the film, is a great example of what happens when a political rival tries to smear him and his new girlfriend. Douglas lets fly with gorgeously crafted lines written by Aaron Sorkin and the end result never fails to make me smile. It's a passionate, endearing, and powerful speech that addresses the important issues - just as relevant today as they were in the mid 90's - and what type of character is needed to lead. I'd vote for Shepherd in any election. 

7. Good Will Hunting

This is another speech from an actor/character who appeared on My Favorite Supporting Actor Performances list, and it may be the best scene of one of my favorite films. Robin Williams won an Oscar for his role as Sean Maguire and I'm sure this scene, where his therapist character pours his heart out to - and finally breaks through to - his patient, was a big reason why. It's full of raw emotion, both in the words and how Williams delivers them. Maguire is able to get through Will's tough exterior because he speaks so elegantly, yet plainly; so reassuringly, yet forcefully. There's a lot of nuance to the performance, something Williams never got enough credit for in most of his dramatic roles. A nice touch from director Gus Van Sant is how the scene is filmed. It starts with both characters in the frame, but as Maguire really gets into his speech, the camera focusses entirely on him. It's not until near the end that the camera finally goes back to Will and we the audience can see that Maguire's words have affected him the same way they've affected us. Brilliant work here. 

8. The Shawshank Redemption

It'd be hard to have a list of great movie speeches and not include something from Morgan Freeman, quite possibly the greatest speaker in recent film history. The Shawshank Redemption has been my favorite movie since the first time I saw it, nearly 20 years ago. Freeman, and his character Red, are among the several major reasons why. He imbues the character with such depth, intelligence, and charm that it's hard not to like him, despite the fact that he's a convicted murderer. In this scene, Red comes to the parole board and finally tells them what he really thinks, after having tried telling them what he thinks they want to hear during all his other meetings, and it pays off. The board hears the genuine regret and compassion in his voice, sees the look of sadness in his eyes, and grants him his parole. It's a quiet speech - especially compared to most of the ones on my list - but it's still full of emotion, and it's a perfect ending to Red's time at the prison, considering everything we've seen and heard that's happened there.

9. Glengarry Glen Ross

Glengarry Glen Ross is a horribly titled film filled with spectacular performances and razor-sharp writing. David Mamet, a singular talent in Hollywood who has unfortunately disappeared in recent years, adapted his own hit play and wrote a new, special part specifically for Alec Baldwin: Blake, a corporate "motivator" who is brought in to whip the salesmen into shape. Baldwin takes the role and completely destroys in his one scene, chewing up the other characters and spitting them out. Blake is intense, crude, vile, and funny and, in the process, almost steals the whole film. It is by far the most famous part of the film, which is a bit of a shame considering how great the whole thing is, but I understand why. Few scenes are as powerful or memorable.

10. Independence Day

The second US president on my list would represent a "guilty pleasure" for me if I believed in such things. I know Independence Day isn't a great film, but it is a lot of fun and Bill Pullman, as President Whitmore, is a big part of that fun. His speech to his troops just before their battle against the invading alien force is nothing short of exhilarating, even if it does come off as a little exaggerated or cheesy. Unlike the rest of my picks for this list, this scene doesn't include great writing or anything more than an average performance, but it's still deserving of the list. As Whitmore is pumping up his troops, the background music swells along with the intensity in his voice and we see the surrounding group react to his words. It all works together to make a memorable and inspiring scene - one that I first loved as a 14-year-old and one that I still love as a grown man. Even if I should probably know better. 

There are lots of other movie speeches that could have made this list - I've already mentioned a handful of them - but I'm pleased with the ten I've chosen here. Ask me again in six months or a year, though, and the list could change significantly. 

What are some of your favorites? Do you love or hate any of my choices? Do you think I forgot any "obvious" ones? Let me know in the comments below! 

Up next, my Favorite Films of the 1960's!