Manchester by the Sea Movie Quotes

Movie and TV Quotes

Updated April 22, 2024 7 items

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391 votes

278 voters

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Vote for your favorite Manchester by the Sea movie quotes!

Manchester by the Sea movie quotes help tell the story of the film about a man forced to return to his hometown to take care of his orphaned nephew and deal with other unresolved issues. The drama movie was written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan. After premiering at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Manchester by the Sea opened in theaters in the United States on November 18, 2016.

In Manchester by the Sea, Lee (Casey Affleck) is a janitor living in Quincy, Massachusetts. He receives news that his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler), has died and that Joe has named Lee guardian of Joe's teenage son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges). All of this comes as quite a shock to Lee, who returns to his hometown of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, Patrick's home.

But when Lee arrives in Manchester-by-the-Sea, he has more to deal with than trying to take care of his teenage nephew. Bad blood remains between Lee and his ex-wife, Randi (Michelle Williams), and the rest of the community, who isn't exactly welcoming to Lee's return. In order to move forward with Patrick, Lee must take care of things from the past, and lots of them.

Manchester by the Sea movie quotes provide the dialogue to the movie, just as other movie quotes do for their respective movies like for Bleed for This, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Edge of Seventeen, and Shut In.

Photo: Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios
1
136 VOTES
I Said a Lot of Terrible Things
Randi: I said a lot of terrible things to you. My heart was broken and now yours is broken too.
Lee: No, you don't understand. There's nothing...
Randi: That's not true.
Ex spouses Randi and Lee try to work through unresolved issues in these Manchester by the Sea movie quotes. They've gone through a lot together, and a lot of it rough stuff, and now try to come to a happier place.
136 votes
Photo: Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios
2
45 VOTES
If You Could Take One Guy to an Island
Lee: If you could take one guy to an island with you and you knew you'd be safe cause he is the best man, he's going to keep you happy, if it was between me and your father, who would you take?
Patrick: My daddy!
Lee: I think you're wrong about that.
In a flashback to when Patrick was younger in these Manchester by the Sea movie quotes, Lee asks Patrick who he's take to an island with him. It is clear that Lee was close with brother Joe and nephew Patrick back then, something Joe remembered.
45 votes
Video: YouTube
3
21 VOTES
What the Hell Do You Care Where You Live?
Patrick: You don't want to be my guardian, that's fine with me.
Lee: It's not that. It's just the logistics.
Patrick: All my friends are here. I got two girlfriends and I'm in a band. You're a janitor in Quincy. What the hell do you care where you live?
Patrick and Lee argue about where they will live. Lee wants to move them back to the Boston area but Patrick reminds Lee that there's not much up there for him to go back to.
21 votes
Video: YouTube
4
22 VOTES
I Can't Be His Guardian
Lee: I don't understand.
Dr. Muller: Which part are you having trouble with?
Lee: Well, I can't be his guardian.
Dr. Muller: Well, your brother provided for your nephew's upbringing. I think the idea was that you would relocate.
Lee: Relocate to where? Here?
Dr. Muller: Well, it was my impression that you had spent a lot of time here.
Lee: I'm just a back up.
Dr. Muller: Lee, nobody can appreciate what you've been through and if you really feel you can't take this on, that's your right.
Dr. Muller explains to Lee that his recently deceased brother, Joe, named Lee the guardian of Joe's teenage son, Patrick in these Manchester by the Sea movie quotes. Going from a divorced janitor to taking care of a teen boy is quite shocking to Lee, to say the least.
22 votes
Video: YouTube
5
22 VOTES
Do You Want to Be His Guardian?
Patrick: Where we going? The orphanage?
Lee: Shut up. Get in the car.
Patrick: I can't obey your orders until you unlock the car.
...
George: Whatever you decide, he can always stay with us, if he wants to come up weekends.
Lee: Do you want to be his guardian?
George: Well
Patrick: He doesn't want to be my guardian, for christ sakes. He's got four kids. Have you seen his house?
George: We're trying to lose kids at this point.
In these Manchester by the Sea movie quotes, Lee doesn't seem too eager to take over Patrick's care and even tries to pawn it off on George. It seems George, and others, have their own things going on which would prevent that.
22 votes
Photo: Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios
6
30 VOTES
How's Patrick Doing?
Lee: Hello
Randi: Hello, Lee, I just wanted to call and say I'm sorry. How's Patrick doing?
Lee: He doesn't really open up with me.
Randi, Lee's ex-wife, calls Lee to express her sympathy. She inquires about Patrick, to which Lee explains that things are not going well to start.
30 votes
Photo: Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios
7
19 VOTES
Strictly Basement Business
Lee: Do you actually have sex with these girls?
Patrick: It's strictly basement business.
Lee: What's that mean?
Patrick: It means I'm working on it.
Lee tries to relate to what Patrick is doing in life in these Manchester by the Sea movie quotes. His comprehension of the latest teen lingo, however, could use some improvement.
19 votes