As Jaws celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary and we as fans wait for Spielberg to get off his assets and release a Bluray edition with the long sought and never found director’s commentary, there is still so much we can learn from one of the greatest movies committed to film. What can we learn you say? Really the question should be what couldn’t we learn!! From the engrossing novel The Jaws Log to the amazing documentary The Shark Is Still Working the breadth of what the movie offers us both on screen and off seems to never end.
If you’re a young director you can learn how to overcome impossible odds and hellish filming conditions and still make a great movie. As a producer you can learn how to navigate through an overextended shooting schedule and an overblown budget without getting the film shut down. An actor can learn that he should trust the material and not be so quick to judge before seeing the film (are you listening Richard Dreyfuss). An editor can learn pacing, a writer can learn character development and dialog, a special effects person can see how less is more though that idea seems to be dead these days.
I began to wonder what we could learn, us the average joe, the fan on the block who revels in his or her love of Jaws. Sure we learn that even monster movies can be good and we get to learn how best to memorize a film (usually by watching it a 1000 times as I have with Jaws) and we even get years of conversation between our friends as we analyze the movie into the ground. What else though I wanted to see if there was something we could learn from Jaws beyond enjoyment. As I delved deeper into the film I began to see how certain snippets of dialog have a deeper application. Wanting to share this idea (bizarre obsession) with all of you I’ve come up with The Ten Jaws Quotes That Can Apply To Real Life.
The Best Jaws Quotes
10. You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat
Said by Chief Martin Brody (Roy Schieder) during the shark hunt I started with this line because it is the most quoted from the film and I wanted to get it out of the way. This is a line that speaks to trying to finish a task you’re not prepared for or for when the task you have seems insurmountable. The line works so well because while it applies directly to the problem in Jaws you can use for any point you feel overwhelmed by an issue of if you’ve come to any task unprepared, you’ll need a bigger boat to accomplish it.
09. You’re Not Born Here, You’re Not An Islander
This semi put down is said to Ellen Brody (Lorraine Gary) when she asks when she gets to be referred to as an Islander now that she lives on Amity year round. This may seem like an odd line to choose and it isn’t one that fans use very much but if you think about it and apply it to another context where somebody wants to be something they’re not it works. The words may not exactly match but the deeper idea works for any of those situations. A new kid on a music scene asks when he gets to be seen as old school, the line applies.
Even in the abstract it applies. If somebody doesn’t read comic books and wants to be involved in a conversation about comic books you can use the line because it works as an idea as much as a direct statement. Try and think of how many different situations you can use this line.
08. He Can’t Go Down With Three Barrels On Him, Not With Three He Can’t
The semi-insane fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw) utters this gem while gazing amazedly as the great white shark dips below sea level with three floatation barrels harpooned into him. I want this line to become part of the American slang because it sounds cool and really can be used when you’re amazed at pretty much anything. Again because the line is so brilliant it works in the abstract. A car you don’t think can go very fast and then does, you can use it. A pitcher steps up to pitch in a desperate situation, you can use it, and the list goes on.
The line works because of the repeat and how it shows the incredulous nature of what Quint is seeing happen. He can’t believe it and if you run into a situation like that even not involving a shark, it works. Once again a simple quote from Jaws proves to have a deeper application to life itself.
07. Not Like Going Down The Pond Chasing Blue Gills Or Tommy Cats
Another classic Quint line this time speaking to the challenge of killing the shark. Quint wants the townspeople to understand that it will be no small chore to hunt a predator of this nature. This can be applied to any situation where a person doesn’t seem to understand what they’re asking. It could be a boss, a parent, a girlfriend/boyfriend, anybody. When they try to simplify a task that’s complex or strenuous say this to them because it’s the damn truth.
Oh you want me to move all our furniture myself? Well that’s not like going down the pond chasing blue gills or Tommy cats! See, doesn’t that just set up how ridiculous the other person is instantly. Boss wants you to re-write a fifty-page proposal by morning, use the line. Girlfriend wants you to demand a raise so you can buy a new car, use the line. It really is the perfect way to let people know that they’re asking is much.
06. Why Don’t We Start Leading The Shark To Shore Instead Of Him Leading Us Out To Sea?
Brody says this to Hooper while Quint continues to chase the shark in his damaged boat. Unable to figure out Quint’s motives Brody says this in a moment of desperation. You can apply that desperation to your own life when what somebody is doing makes no sense. How often do you see people doing things that baffle you and often leave you speechless? This line will help alleviate that tension.
At times you need to have the proper retort when a friend or loved on continues to make stupid decisions that are counter productive. This Jaws quote works for those situations, when you just can’t understand why somebody is doing what they’re doing. The next time a friend keeps trying over and over to get a girl who doesn’t return the feeling say this out loud and feel refreshed. Then start applying wherever you need to.
05. Well This Was Not A Boat Accident
Scientist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) bellows this one out after viewing the remains of Chrissy Watkins the first victim in the film. The lying city council has forced their local doctor to claim Boating Accident as cause of death and after seeing the remains Hooper knows their lying and utters this to let them know. Here’s another prime example of a line from Jaws we can apply to real life. Anytime somebody lies to you and you know just yell that out and feel the release of tension that follows.
Somebody breaks something and tells you some huge lie about how it happened; this line slides right in perfectly. Say you’re car gets side swiped while you’re asleep and you wake up to find it, the line still works though mainly in the abstract. Anytime a situation comes up that you know is untrue or you just need something cool to say when you’re put in a bad situation, this is a solid entry.
04. Smile You Sonofabitch
Right as Chief Brody shoots the diving tank the blows the shark up he utters this line that perfectly captures the moment. However outside of killing sharks this line captures any moment you get to best somebody you don’t like. A co-worker who always sluffs their work on you, once you get them caught and fired utter this line for extra satisfaction. If you catch your friends or girlfriends in a lie, ohhh this line works well to add an extra zing to what you’re saying.
I particularly want sports guys to start spewing these words during the big game. Kobe Bryant goes up for a dunk, he can scream it at the other team. Tom Brady launches a perfect pass; again he can use it to jab at his opponents. Think of a charging hockey player yelling it right as he shoots towards the goalie. See how much more fun sports could be if athletes used this as the new “In Your Face”.
03. You Yell Shark And We Have A Panic On Our Hands On The Fourth Of July
Spoken by the underhanded Larry Vaughn, the mayor of Amity Island, this piece of dialog is a response to Chief Brody wanting to alert the public of the shark problem. Again, brilliantly, the line can apply to things outside the specific intent. Any time somebody acts without thinking you can say this to quell the situation. Granted in the film Larry Vaughn is wrong when he uses it but that doesn’t affect the ability for us to apply it in a better way. When a person in your life decides to do something thoughtless than can have disastrous results this line is a peach to stall that person.
A friend wants to invest all your money in Flying Cars you can throw this out at him or her. Say somebody won’t listen to reason about something you know is going to end badly for them, let this little line hang in the air until they get the picture. Sometimes folks need a little pop culture jargon to wake them up from a bad idea.
02. You Go In The Cage; Cage Goes In The Water, Shark’s In The Water
When Quint sees that Hooper plans to use an anti-shark cage he says this in a mocking tone, believing it insane to get into the water with the shark. Outside of the direct meaning I see this as a warning we can give lady friends dressing too provocatively before going out on the town. In this instance the cage is the outfit, the water is wherever she’s going out and the sharks are the men trying to hook up. Women rarely want to be told they look slutty but using this with a bit of humor might just get her to listen.
A girl you know walks out of her bedroom in a tight and tiny outfit but you know she won’t listen to reason. Say this line, it works for the situation in the abstract and it’ll throw her off just long enough to maybe explain your position. It may seem too far out of the ballpark but it isn’t and it’s also a popular enough line that she might even know what you’re talking about. True this is a slice of dialog that is pertinent to only one situation but it works so well who cares.
01. I’ll Never Put On A Life Jacket Again
When Quint tells the story of how he and the crew of the sunken SS Indianapolis waited in the freezing ocean for the sharks to eat them it is the most gripping part of the entire movie. This line used towards the end of the story is something that can apply to living life in fear. Quint meant that he’d rather drown than wait again to be eaten but we as fans can use this as a way to approach life balls to the wall. Why worry about fear, why wear a life jacket when you can just take life by the horns and wrestle it to the ground.
If you’ve grown tired of being afraid, nervous or too cautious then say these words loud and proud and wait for a new life to dawn. In life if you don’t wear a life jacket it will force you to make smarter decisions while taking the risks life needs to be exciting. This to me is the most perfect example of how a Jaws Quote can awaken us to new ways of living plus it makes a pretty nifty catchphrase.
So that’s it, The Ten Jaws Quotes That Can Apply To Real Life. Now before anybody says anything yes I realize this is a bit tongue in cheek but these lines still work and using them can make life more fun if nothing else. My main point was to show how 35 years later and countless movies after Jaws still touches us and is a part of our lives. It isn’t just a film it’s an institution and one that can be used in whatever way our imagination can muster.
Seriously though Spielberg, get cracking on the Blu-Ray.
