- John Ford: When the horizon's at the bottom, it's interesting. When the horizon's at the top, it's interesting. When the horizon's in the middle, it's boring as shit. Now, good luck to you. And get the fuck out of my office!
- Mitzi Fabelman: [to Sammy] You do what your heart says you have to. 'Cause you don't owe anyone your life. Not even me.
- Uncle Boris: Art will give you crowns in heaven and laurels on Earth, but also, it will tear your heart out and leave you lonely. You'll be a shanda
- [disgrace in Yiddish]
- Uncle Boris: for your loved ones. An exile in the desert. A gypsy. Art is no game! Art is dangerous as a lion's mouth. It'll bite your head off.
- Logan Hall: Life's nothing like the movies, Fabelman.
- Sammy Fabelman: Maybe not. But hey, in the end, you got the girl.
- Sammy Fabelman: Putting your head in a lion's mouth is art?
- Uncle Boris: No, sticking your head in the mouth of lions was balls! Making sure that lion didn't eat my head? That is art!
- Mitzi Fabelman: In this family, it's the scientists versus the artists. Sammy's on my team, he takes after me, except he's got real talent.
- Uncle Boris: [to Sammy, about Mitzi] She could have been that concert piano player. What's she got in her heart is what you got.
- Sammy Fabelman: [about Bennie the Monkey] Why did you get a monkey?
- Mitzi Fabelman: Because I needed a laugh.
- Reggie Fabelman: [about Mitzi] Must have been hard for her, married to a genius.
- Sammy Fabelman: Dad worships mom.
- Reggie Fabelman: Okay. But maybe it's hard being worshipped by someone you know you'll never be as good as or ever do anything as good as.
- Sammy Fabelman: [to Logan] I wanted you to be nice to me for five minutes! Or, I did it to make my movie better. I don't know why. You are the biggest jerk I've ever met in my entire life. I have a monkey at home that's smarter than you! You dumb antisemitic asshole! I made you look like you could fly.
- Mitzi Fabelman: [to Burt, about Sammy] You dismiss what he does that's playful or imaginative. You could afford to be more encouraging.
- Sammy Fabelman: What's it like?
- [to smoke]
- Logan Hall: It kind of shows you how out of control everything is and how y-you're not in charge of anything.
- John Ford: They tell me you wanna be a picture maker.
- Sammy Fabelman: Uh... yes sir, I do.
- John Ford: Why? This business, it'll rip you apart.
- Sammy Fabelman: Well... Mr. Ford, I...
- John Ford: So, what do you know about art, kid?
- Sammy Fabelman: [struggles to think of an answer] I just- I love your movies so much...
- John Ford: [cuts him off] No, art.
- [points to a painting of two cowboys]
- John Ford: See that painting over there?
- Sammy Fabelman: [looks] Uh, yeah- I mean, yes... yes, I do see it.
- John Ford: Walk over to it.
- [Sammy approaches the painting and looks back at John]
- John Ford: Well? What's in it? Describe it.
- Sammy Fabelman: [feeling relieved] Oh, okay! So, there are two guys and they're on horseback... and they're looking for something, so maybe they're scouting...
- John Ford: No. No. Where's the horizon?
- Sammy Fabelman: The horizon?
- John Ford: Where is it?
- Sammy Fabelman: It's at the bottom.
- John Ford: That's right.
- [points to another painting]
- John Ford: Walk over to this painting.
- [Sammy does so]
- John Ford: Well?
- Sammy Fabelman: Right, okay, so there are five cowboys...
- John Ford: No no no no no! Where's the goddamn horizon?
- Sammy Fabelman: [pointing to the top] Um, it's- it's there!
- John Ford: Where?
- Sammy Fabelman: [panicked] At the top of the painting!
- John Ford: Alright, get over here!
- [Sammy walks back to the front of the desk]
- John Ford: Now, remember this. When the horizon's at the bottom, it's interesting. When the horizon's at the top, it's interesting. When the horizon's in the middle, it's boring as shit! Now, good luck to you... and get the fuck out of my office!
- Sammy Fabelman: [Sammy walks out the room; later, he pokes back in through the doorway] Thank you.
- John Ford: [smiling] My pleasure.
- Sammy Fabelman: You didn't come here to build houses, you didn't come here to work. You ran away.
- Burt Fabelman: *I think you have something to say to me, Sammy and if I'm right about that, then get it off your chest and say it to my face.*
- Mitzi Fabelman: [stands on a chair] I started therapy!
- Burt Fabelman: Happy things like light from a huge flashlight. But these photographs move past the light really fast. 24 photos in every second. Now, in your brain, each photograph stays for about a 15th of a second. That's called persistence of vision. The photographs move past faster than your brain can let go of them, and that's how the movie projector tricks us into believing that motionless pictures are moving. A motion picture.
- Mitzi Fabelman: I'm doing this thing. And I don't know if it's the right thing but it's a life or death thing for me, and I'm sorry, but everybody else is gonna have to hang on for dear life. And somehow, we will survive this, all of us. Even your father, who I adore with all my heart. He deserves so much better than what I'm doing, but... .but Benny needs me, dolly. And I need him. So much so that without him, I'm turning into someone I don't know, and none of you will know my anymore. I'll just be that hateful person who did that terrible thing to your back. And yes, this is the most selfish thing I have ever done. But I've gotta do this now because, Sammy, you do what your heart says you have to, because you don't owe anyone your life. Not even me.
- Hadassah Fabelman: My rabbi in New Jersey says a monkey in the house isn't kosher.
- Mitzi Fabelman: That's why we're not going to eat him.
- Sammy Fabelman: Is something about to happen?
- Logan Hall: You like living dangerously, Fabelman.
- Sammy Fabelman: No, I don't. I really, really don't.
- Logan Hall: Yes, you do. But you tell anybody about me getting, um... upset, that would be a mistake. Our secret. Okay?
- Sammy Fabelman: Definitely.
- [long pause]
- Sammy Fabelman: Unless I make a movie about it. Which I'm never, ever going to do.
- Sammy Fabelman: Do you always have to be the center of attention?
- Reggie Fabelman: Stop shouting at her!
- Mitzi Fabelman: There has been nothing but disrespect from you; I am your mother!
- Mitzi Fabelman: [about Burt] He kills with such kindness.
- [If]
- Mitzi Fabelman: I'm mean to him, he buys me a dress.
- Burt Fabelman: [driving on Christmas] The lights change how everything looks. It's hard to find our house.
- Younger Sammy Fabelman: Ours is the dark house with no lights.
- [Mitzi laughs]
- Younger Sammy Fabelman: That's what I want for Hanukkah.
- Mitzi Fabelman: What?
- Younger Sammy Fabelman: Christmas lights!
- Younger Sammy Fabelman: Is this safe?
- Mitzi Fabelman: Of course it's safe. I'm your mother.
- [Kids screaming]
- Reggie Fabelman: [to Sammy] I don't understand how you can sit here editing your film after what just happened.
- Logan Hall: Am I supposed to feel bad now about all that shit we did to you?
- Sammy Fabelman: Do you feel bad about it?
- Logan Hall: That's none of your goddam business!
- Sammy Fabelman: Because you should feel bad about it!
- Logan Hall: Alright that's why you did it. You wanted me to feel like crap!
- Sammy Fabelman: I wanted you to be nice to me for five minutes or I did it to make my movie better! I don't know why. You are the biggest jerk I have ever met in my entire life, I have a monkey at home that's smarter than you! You dumb anti-semitic asshole! I made you look like you could fly.
- [first lines]
- Burt Fabelman: Mommy and daddy will be right next to you. The lights will go down. There may be some organ music as the curtain open. Don't be scared.
- Younger Sammy Fabelman: It'll be dark in there, you said. I don't wanna go in.
- Burt Fabelman: But it's fun. All week you've been so excited. Your first ever movie!
- Younger Sammy Fabelman: And the people are gigantic.
- Burt Fabelman: What people?
- Younger Sammy Fabelman: You said the people in the movie are gigantic.
- Burt Fabelman: Oh, because of the big screen they're on. But they're not real though, right?
- Mitzi Fabelman: They're like dreams.
- Younger Sammy Fabelman: Dreams are scary.
- Mitzi Fabelman: Some dreams are, but this is gonna be a nice dream.
- Burt Fabelman: The new house will be ready faster than you can say Jack Robinson.
- Reggie Fabelman: Jack Robinson.
- Mitzi Fabelman: And we're still here.
- Burt Fabelman: You're behaving like your mother died, like you're in mourning but nobody's died.
- Mitzi Fabelman: Okay, so I'll call the monkey some other name.
- Sammy Fabelman: Probably shouldn't have asked her to marry me.
- Mitzi Fabelman: You did not!
- Sammy Fabelman: Oh, but...
- Mitzi Fabelman: Oh. You did!
- Sammy Fabelman: In so many words.
- Mitzi Fabelman: Poor girl!