Magnolia (1999)

Jason Robards: Earl Partridge

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Quotes 

• Earl Partridge : I loved her so. And she knew what I did. She knew all the fucking stupid things I'd done. But the love... was stronger than anything you can think of. The goddamn regret. The goddamn regret! Oh, and I'll die. Now I'll die, and I'll tell you what... the biggest regret of my life... I let my love go. What did I do? I'm sixty-five years old. And I'm ashamed. A million years ago... the fucking regret and guilt, these things, don't ever let anyone ever say to you you shouldn't regret anything. Don't do that. Don't! You regret what you fucking want! Use that. Use that. Use that regret for anything, any way you want. You can use it, OK? Oh, God. This is a long way to go with no punch. A little moral story, I say... Love. Love. Love. This fucking life... oh, it's so fucking hard. So long. Life ain't short, it's long. It's long, goddamn it. Goddamn. What did I do? What did I do? What did I do? What did I do? Phil. Phil, help me. What did I do?

• [singing along to Aimee Mann's "Wise Up"] 

  Claudia Wilson Gator : It's not / What you thought / When you first began it / You got / What you want / Now you can hardly stand it though / By now you know / It's not going to stop

  Jim Kurring : It's not going to stop / It's not going to stop / 'Til you wise up

  Jimmy Gator : You're sure / There's a cure / And you have finally found it

  Quiz Kid Donnie Smith : You think / One drink / Will shrink you 'til you're underground / And living down / But it's not going to stop

  Phil Parma : It's not going to stop

  Earl Partridge : It's not going to stop / 'Til you wise up

  Linda Partridge : Prepare a list for what you need / Before you sign away the deed / 'Cause it's not going to stop

  Frank T.J. Mackey : It's not going to stop / It's not going to stop / 'Til you wise up / No, it's not going to stop / 'Til you wise up / No, it's not going to stop

  Stanley Spector : So just... give up

• Earl Partridge : I'll tell you the greatest regret of my life: I let my love go.

• Earl Partridge : Phil. Phil. Hey, come here. Come here. Uh... Phil. I'm... I'm gonna try... talk. I'm gonna try to say something-something. Do you know Lily, Phil? Do you know her? Lily?

  Phil Parma : No, I don't.

  Earl Partridge : Oh, she's my love, my life, love of it. Y'know. In school... I'm twelve years old, in school, in sixth grade. I saw her. I didn't go to that school, but... uh... we met. My friend knew her. I said, uh... "What's that girl? How's that Lily?" "Oh, she's bad. She sleeps with guys." Yeah, he said this, but then sometimes... I went to another school, you see. But then... when high school - at an end. What is that when it gets to the end?

  Phil Parma : Graduation.

  Earl Partridge : No, no, the grade. What grade are you in?

  Phil Parma : That's 12th.

  Earl Partridge : Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So I went to her school for that grade. Grade - that's grade twelve. And we meet. She was... fucking like a doll. A beautiful porcelain doll. And the hips, child-bearing hips, you know that? So, so beautiful. And I cheated on her... over and over and over again. Because I wanted to be a man. And I didn't want her to be a woman, you know? A smart, free person who was something! My fucking mind then. So stupid, that fucking mind! Stupid! Jesus Christ! What would I think, did I think for what I'd done? She was my wife for twenty-three years... and I went behind her over and over. Fucking asshole that I am. I'd go out and I'd fuck and I'd come home and get in her bed... and say... "I love you." This is Jack's mother. His mother, Lily. These two... that I had... and I lost. This is the regret that you make. This is the... regret that you make and the something you take and the blah, blah, blah, something, something. Gimme a cigarette. Mistakes like this... you don't make. Sometimes... you make some and OK. Not OK, sometimes, you make other ones. Know that you should do better. I loved Lily. I cheated on her. She was my wife for twenty-three years. And I have a son. And she has cancer. And I'm not there, and he's forced to take care of her. He's fourteen years old. To... to take care of his mother... and watch her die on him. A little kid, and I'm not there. And she does die.

• Earl Partridge : Don't ever let anyone ever say to you, 'You shouldn't regret anything.' Don't do that, don't! You regret what you fucking want! And use that, use that, use that regret for anything, any way you want. You can use it, okay?

• Earl Partridge : This fucking life... it's so fucking hard, so long! Life ain't short, it's long, it's long, God damn it!

• Earl Partridge : I loved her so. She knew what I did. She knew all the fucking stupid things I'd done. But the love... was stronger than anything you can think of. God damn regret!

• Phil Parma : When was the last time you talked to your son?

  Earl Partridge : ...I don't know. Ten, maybe... five... *moans*... that's another thing that goes...

  Phil Parma : Your memory?

  Earl Partridge : Time lines, you know? I remember things, but not... right there, you know?

  Phil Parma : Yeah.

  Earl Partridge : 'Yeah.' The fuck do you know?

  Phil Parma : I've seen it before.

  Earl Partridge : Yeah, other assholes like me.

  Phil Parma : Oh, there's no asshole like you.

  Earl Partridge : Cocksucker.

  Phil Parma : How come every other word you use is either 'cocksucker', 'shitballs' or 'fuck'?

  Earl Partridge : Do me a personal favor.

  Phil Parma : Go fuck myself?

  Earl Partridge : Yeah, you got it.

• Earl Partridge : What did I do? What did I do? What did I do? Phil, help me, what did I do?