The 10 greatest movie arguments of all time
No matter how much you say that you love your parents, partner or sibling, there is undoubtedly one part of their character that has grated on you ever since you’ve had the pleasure of knowing them. Maybe your dad never properly cleans his mug of tea (leading to inevitable brown stains), or your sister is guilty of taking ages browsing Netflix to find a movie, only to stick on The Office and simultaneously fall asleep.
They might be nitpicks, but these niggling annoyances are enough to fester in our minds, becoming major annoyances after germinating over many years in our minds. Soon enough, you find yourself having a full-blown row with said father or sister about the bins, or indeed the browned mug, with the disagreement swelling into a massive argument where, suddenly, you’re insulting their mannerisms, personality and appearance.
The source of comedy, pain and torment, arguments are a basis of human existence, and therefore, they are a key ingredient in cinema, with countless classics incorporating an impassioned row into their runtime. Focusing on funny, passionate and emotional arguments, this list will explore the best scenes from across movie history involving two people verbally having it out.
Including the likes of Martin Scorsese, Noah Baumbach, Spike Lee and Paul Thomas Anderson, this is a pretty comprehensive list, so if you don’t like our picks, feel free to scream at your screen and have a little personal row.
The 10 greatest movie arguments:
10. “You’re an inanimate fucking object!” – In Bruges (Martin McDonagh, 2008)
We start with arguably one of the most authentic arguments on this entire list. Perfectly capturing the absurdity of arguing with your loved one, when Ralph Fiennes’ Harry screams, “You’re an inanimate fucking object” to his wife, movie magic blossoms. The boss of hitman Ken, who has just disobeyed his command to kill his partner, Harry begins raging at his phone, smashing it against his desk.
One of the best moments in Martin McDonagh’s comedy-drama hybrid, perhaps the best part about the whole scene, comes moments later when he apologises, telling his wife: “I’m sorry for calling you an inanimate object. I was upset”.
9. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” – Sexy Beast (Jonathan Glazer, 2000)
In the tense crime drama Sexy Beast, directed by Jonathan Glazer, almost each and every character seems capable of erupting into anger or violence at any given moment. But, once Ben Kingsley’s Don Logan arrives in the picture, the film is given an excuse to go wild, with the terrifying figure pressuring Ray Winstone’s retired gangster character, Gary Dove, into taking one last heist.
An insane sociopath played with alarming dedication by Kingsley, who was Oscar-nominated for his part in the film, the moment when he barks, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” at Garry has every viewer cowering in fear.
8. “Call me Lady Bird” – Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig, 2017)
Before Greta Gerwig directed the biggest cinematic phenomenon of 2023, Barbie, she made her directorial debut with a much more understated – but even more beautiful – movie, Lady Bird. The film follows a teenage girl, expertly performed by Saoirse Ronan, who rejects her real name, Christine, and calls herself Lady Bird. As she searches for a sense of self, she navigates ‘first times’, popularity and a complex relationship with her mother, Marion, played by Laurie Metcalf.
The pair argue a lot during the film, but one of the most poignant examples occurs when they’re in the car. After listening to an audio version of The Grapes of Wrath while driving home from viewing colleges, Lady Bird and her mother wipe tears from their eyes, sharing an emotional moment. Yet, within seconds, they’re butting heads, with Marion criticising her daughter for being selfish. The argument ends rather comically, with Lady Bird opening the car door and throwing herself onto the road. It’s one of cinema’s most realistic portrayals of a strained mother/daughter relationship.
7. I don’t give a fuck about jail!” – Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995)
Of all the movies in the remarkable filmography of Martin Scorsese, his 1995 movie Casino is certainly up there as one of the most underrated of the bunch. Featuring some of Scorsese’s greatest collaborators, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, the story follows two best friends competing for a gambling empire in Las Vegas, with the pair constantly tussling for control.
One of the film’s greatest moments, and indeed, one of the finest scenes of De Niro and Pesci’s career, comes when the duo erupt in an impassioned argument that never boils over but is infused with anger. With decades of history between their friendship, the argument is painfully authentic, with each jab they take at each other coming charged with meaning unbeknownst to the viewer.
6. “I’m admiring my gallantry” – Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2017)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread is easily one of his greatest films. With stunning performances from both Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps, the pair engage in a tumultuous relationship as Reynolds Woodcock, a designer dressmaker, and Alma, his girlfriend. After meeting in a cafe, Reynolds rescues Alma from her seemingly dull life as a waitress and uses her as his muse. Her life transforms as she is suddenly surrounded by luxury and the elite, but her personal relationship with her new lover is much more complex.
The power dynamics between the two shift as Alma gets more confident and determined to have Reynolds under her control despite his demanding and perfectionist personality that makes him aggressively rude and dismissive. In one scene, he lambasts her for the way she’s cooked his asparagus, and a tense argument ensues, with Reynolds appearing fed up with Alma. The latter acts pleadingly before gaining more strength as she confronts Reynold’s unbearable behaviour.
5. “This is music, my music!” – Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
Spike Lee’s 1989 meditation on race relations in Brooklyn, Do the Right Thing, is widely regarded as one of his best films. With performances from Lee, Bill Nun, Giancarlo Esposito, Ossie Davis and Danny Aiello, the movie is set on a painfully hot day with tension thick in the air and constant arguments and confrontations occurring between local African-American residents and the Italian-American owners of a pizzeria.
In one dramatic scene, Esposito’s Buggin’ Out starts an argument with Sal, the pizzeria owner, with Radio Raheem joining in, too. There’s plenty of shouting as Buggin’ Out complains that there are no black people on the restaurant’s ‘Hall of Fame’, and the exchange turns violent as Sal then smashes Raheem’s beloved boombox. The camera often lingers low, making everything feel slightly off and subsequently increasing the feeling of uneasiness that plays out in the scene.
4. “You think you’re winning?” – Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, 2013)
If you were to ask someone their favourite instalment in the Before trilogy, it’s rare you’d get the answer ‘Before Midnight’. While it’s a great film, it’s hard to watch the beloved couple, who we’ve rooted for since Before Sunrise, argue and teeter on the brink of divorce as they holiday in Greece. We were first introduced to the pair in 1995 and reunited with them (as they also reunited) nine years later with Before Sunset. The end of the 2004 film teased the start of their romantic relationship, and in Before Midnight, it was delightful to see that in the nine years that passed, they’d had two daughters and become a proper family.
Yet, we then see many breakdowns in conversation, the most memorable being when they’re in their hotel room. Jesse is accepting of Celine and all her flaws, but Celine is biting and confrontational. She accuses him of infidelity, which leads him to accuse her, too, and she storms out. Neither of them denies these cheating accusations, leaving us with bated breath as we wait to see if their relationship lasts the movie’s runtime.
3. “There’s nothing there” – Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016)
Some might say that the emotionally-wrought conversation between Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck in Kenneth Lonergan’s Oscar winner Manchester by the Sea isn’t a proper ‘argument’, but regardless of semantics, the scene is simply too good to ignore. Featuring two acting titans going head to head, the scene depicts past lovers whose grief has entirely transformed their lives trying to reconnect during a chance encounter.
While Williams’ Randi asks for forgiveness in regards to how he treated her former husband, Lee is insistent that he never deserved an apology, being despondent in his approach towards life after a tragic incident in his past. “There’s nothing there,” he tells her as the pair struggle to keep their emotions together. It’s, quite simply, one of the finest scenes in modern cinema.
2. “I wake up and hope you’re dead!” – Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach, 2019)
Marriage Story was one of the most coveted movies of 2019, receiving high praise for its screenplay and performances, even winning Laura Dern her first Oscar. The movie revolves around the disintegrating marriage of Scarlett Johansson’s Nicole and Adam Driver’s Charlie, with the couple’s divorce process resulting in an incredible amount of arguing. Driver’s performance was particularly talked-about, with the actor pushing himself to his limit as he conveyed pure hatred, anger and disgust.
In the movie’s most recognisable scene – it has been transformed into various memes over the years – Driver’s character lashes out at Johansson, going as far as to say, “Everyday I wake up and hope you’re dead”. It’s horrible to watch, and both characters get more and more frustrated as the scene progresses, resulting in Driver punching a hole in the wall before breaking down in tears.
1. “I swear if you existed, I’d divorce you!” – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols, 1966)
Anyone who has attended an office Christmas party or ten will know that alcohol simply fuels any potential argument that might have been festering underneath the surface, with Mike Nichols’ 1966 classic Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? perfectly capturing this. With Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton at the forefront, the film tells the story of a couple with an alcohol problem who use the arrival of friends to spark conflict between each other.
A remarkably well-written drama, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? undoubtedly contains some of the most realistic arguing ever seen in cinema, with the perfect blend of tragedy and farce being penned by screenwriter Ernest Lehman. Spitting vitriol at one another while managing to be genuinely funny at the same time, Nichols’ film was highly deserving of its Oscar success.