Happiness (1998) - Quotes

Misunderstanding in a Moment of Humor

Helen: I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you.

Joy: But I'm not laughing.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

A Conversation About Past Actions

Billy: Dad, did you, um... with Johnny Grasso and Ronald Farber?

Bill: [long, pained pause] Yes.

Billy: What did you do?

Bill: I touched them.

Billy: What do you mean, "touched"?

Bill: I fondled them.

Billy: What for?

Bill: I couldn't help myself.

Billy: What...what else?

Bill: I unzipped myself.

Billy: You mean, masturbated?

Bill: No.

Billy: Then, what?

Bill: I... made love...

Billy: What do you mean?

Bill: I... fucked them.

Billy: What was it like?

Bill: It was... it was great.

Billy: Would you... would you do it again?

Bill: [choking up] Yes.

Billy: [fighting tears] Would you ever fuck me?

Bill: No. I'd jerk off instead.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Conflicted Feelings About Home and Identity

Vlad: I love New Jersey.

Joy: Don't you miss Russia?

Vlad: Fuck the cunt of Russia.

Joy: Well, I guess it's best to feel that way.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Questioning Past Hurts and Denials

Detective Berman: Johnny, was there anyone in the last day or two who..."hurt" you?

Johnny Grasso: No. I... I... I don't think so.

Detective Berman: But someone did hurt you... no, Johnny?

Johnny Grasso: No. No one hurt me.

Joe: What do ya mean no? You've been FUCKING RAPED! ... Sorry.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Questioning the appropriateness of early experiences

Joe: What do you think would happen if I got him a professional... you know...?

Bill: A professional...?

Joe: Hooker. You know, the kind that can teach him things... first-timers, you know... break him in.

Bill: But Joe, he's 11.

Joe: [sighs] Yeah, you're right, you're right. It's too late.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Baggies and Shared Experiences in Crime

Helen Jordan: Anyway, so the police came and looked in her freezer and found baggies filled with the doorman's genitals.

Mona Jordan: I use baggies.

Joy Jordan: Me too.

Helen Jordan: Everyone uses baggies, that's why we can all relate to this crime. Don't you see?

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Struggles with Self-Perception and Daily Life

Allen: I don't know I could ever really begin to talk to her. I mean what can I talk about? I have nothing to talk about, I'm boring. And I know, I've been told before so don't tell me it's not true, cause it's a fact. I bore people. People look at me and they get bored, people listen to me and they zone out... bored. Who is that boring person?', they think. I've never before met anyone so boring'. And I'm for her to see how boring I am.

Bill Maplewood: [to self, while pretending to listen] Gallon of skim milk. Dozen eggs. One of those disposable cameras for this weekend. I gotta stop at the 7-11 on the way home. I gotta get the dry cleaning for Trish. I gotta check Billy's homework, and call Mrs. Mitchell about her appointment on Tuesday. I gotta reschedule the dentist, get the dog cleaned...

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Contrasting Happiness and Reality in Life

Bill Maplewood: I wake up happy, feeling good... but then I get very depressed, because I'm living in reality.

Unconditional Love Despite Mistreatment

Trish Jordan: How come no matter how much you treat me like shit, I can't help loving you even more?

A Desire for Authenticity Through Trauma

Helen Jordan: If only I had been raped as a child! Then I would know authenticity!

Embracing Irony in Everyday Life

Helen Jordan: [[New Jersey] Y'know, people are always putting ] down. None of my friends can believe I live here. But that's because they don't get it: I'm living in a state of irony.

The Burden of Constant Admiration

Helen Jordan: It's just I'm... I'm so tired of being admired all the time. All these men I mean... they're all beautiful, artistic minds, great sex, the whole package, but hollow, you know what I mean? I feel nobody's really honest with me. Nobody wants me for me.

Desire for Love in Parenting

Diane: I want kids that love me as much as I hated my mother.

Self-Assertion Against Misjudgment

Andy: You think I don't appreciate art? You think I don't understand fashion? You think I'm not hip? You think I'm pathetic? A nerd? A lard-ass fatso? You think I'm shit? Well, you're wrong, cause I'm champagne, and you're shit. Until the day you die, you, not me, will always be shit!