The Walk tells the insane real life story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit, who, in 1974, snuck into New York's World Trade Center, strung a tight-rope between the Twin Towers, and performed a daring 45-minute routine 1,350 feet above Lower Manhattan with no safety precautions taken. Joseph Gordon-Levitt portrays Petit, and the actor spent a lot of time with the Frenchman both learning how to walk a tightrope and how to copy his Francophone speech patterns. One French expression that makes its way into the film repeatedly, and to humorous effect, is the saying, "The carrots are cooked", but is it a real expression?
Indeed it is, in French anyway. The French expression is actually, "les carrottes sont cuites," and while it translates literally as, "the carrots are cooked," it's an idiom that means something is done and there's no turning back. In his book, The Walk (previously published as To Reach the Clouds), Petit compares it to the English expression, "The die is cast." He also says that French sayings often revolve around cooking, which isn't that surprising. Hearing the expression in English is pretty funny, though, since it's so unfamiliar to American ears, and I really think it has the potential to become one of those movie quotes that enters into the pop culture lexicon. To see how "the carrots are cooked" from The Walk stacks up, here are some of the best common phrases that got their start in movies.
"We're Not In Kansas Anymore" — The Wizard Of Oz
Everybody has said this when they've found themselves somewhere unfamiliar and most are quick to point out that it originated from the lips of Dorothy when she first travels to Oz.
"Here's Looking At You, Kid" — Casablanca
In the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Movie Quotes, Casablanca has the most of any movie by far with six entries. I could have just as easily gone with: "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship", "We'll always have Paris", or "Play it again, Sam"; though the actual quote is, "Play is, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By'". Too many quotes!
"I'm Gonna Make Him An Offer He Can't Refuse" — The Godfather
More of a threat than an offer, really, this quote is only to be used in extreme cases.
"If You Can't Say Something Nice, Don't Say Nothing At All" — Bambi
Raise your hand if your mother scolded you with this if you were a kid. Kind of weird that she was quoting a cartoon rabbit, isn't it?
"Houston, We Have A Problem" — Apollo 13
The real life quote from the Apollo 13 mission was, "Houston, we've had a problem here," but the Hollywood version is the one that people go to when things aren't going well.
"I'll Have What She's Having" — When Harry Met Sally
Ever seen someone have an orgasm in a diner? If so, then you've probably used this line, made famous by director Rob Reiner's own mother.
"You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat" — Jaws
Look, sometimes your boat just isn't big enough. It's always good to be made aware of this fact, especially when giant sharks are involved.
"May The Force Be With You" — Star Wars
OK, there's no way anyone is using this line without knowing where it came from, but the quasi-religious sendoff has its own holiday (May 4, duh.), so that's gotta count for something.
"I'll Be Back" — The Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger still says this every chance he gets, and there's arguably no one on earth more associated with a single line of dialogue. Impossible to say without an Austrian accent. Try it.
"You Can't Handle The Truth" — A Few Good Men
Look, a lot of the time, people just can't handle the truth. In those situations, it's best to go all-Jack Nicholson on them.
"Say Hello To My Little Friend" — Scarface
Anyone who tells you Scarface is a good movie is straight up lying to your face, but the terrible film did deliver one oft-repeated (or parodied) line.
"You're Killing Me, Smalls" — The Sandlot
Any time your friend is letting you down, they are instantly transformed into Smalls. And you let them know it.
"Mama Always Said Life Was Like A Box Of Chocolates. You Never Know What You're Gonna Get" — Forrest Gump
If you were alive in the '90s, there wasn't a week that went by where you didn't quote Forrest Gump. "Stupid is as stupid does," and "Run, Forrest, run," were both very popular, but Forrest's philosophical take on life and sweets remains the most memorable.
"Show Me The Money" — Jerry Maguire
Speaking of the '90s, is there a more '90s quote than this? It's rarely used these days unless it's in a sports-related headline, but this thing used to be everywhere.
"I See Dead People" — The Sixth Sense
The rare creepy quote that made it into the zeitgeist, this one is infinitely memeable if you swap out dead with literally any other adjective.
"She Doesn't Even Go Here" — Mean Girls
Chock-full of great quotes thanks to Tina Fey's witty script, Mean Girls helped shape the American language in the 21st century. It was pretty fetch.
"Milk Was A Bad Choice" — Anchorman
From Anchorman, another endlessly quotable early '00s film, this quote has statistics that are through the roof: 60 percent of the time, it works every time.
"Bye Felicia" — Friday
An odd case for sure, since this saying didn't really even catch on until around two decades after the movie that spawned it. Now it's inescapable.
"The carrots are cooked" has a long way to go before it achieves the legendary status of these other quotes, but if The Walk ends up being successful, then it might just make the cut!
Image: Tri-Star Pictures
