Christine (1983)

John Stockwell: Dennis

Photos 

Quotes 

• Arnie Cunningham : Let me tell you a little something about love, Dennis. It has a voracious appetite. It eats everything. Friendship. Family. It kills me how much it eats. But I'll tell you something else. You feed it right, and it can be a beautiful thing, and that's what we have.

  [voice rising in volume] 

  Arnie Cunningham : You know, when someone believes in you, man, you can do anything, any fucking thing in the entire universe. And when you believe right back in that someone, then watch out world, because nobody can stop you then, nobody! Ever!

  Dennis Guilder : You feel this way about Leigh?

  Arnie Cunningham : What? Fuck *no*, I'm talkin' about Christine, man! No shitter ever came between me and Christine...

• George LeBay : Her name's Christine.

  Arnie Cunningham : I like that.

  Dennis Guilder : Come on Arnie, we gotta get goin', huh?

  George LeBay : My asshole brother bought her back in September '57. That's when you got your new model year, in September. Brand-new, she was. She had the smell of a brand-new car. That's just about the finest smell in the world, 'cept maybe for pussy.

• George LeBay : What the hell do you want?

  Dennis Guilder : I know about your brother. I know he died choking on exhaust fumes.

  George LeBay : You don't know shit, kid. My brother died because he wanted to. He ran a rubber hose from the exhaust pipe.

  Dennis Guilder : Arnie would have never bought that car if he'd known somebody died in it.

  George LeBay : Either you're dumber than you look, or you don't know your friend very well. He had the same look in his eye that my brother always had. Probably the only thing my brother ever loved in his whole rotten life was that car. No shitter ever came between him and Christine, if they did... watch out! He had a five-year-old daughter choke to death in her... he wouldn't get rid of her. He just rode around with the radio blaring, not a care in the world except for Christine. Only time I ever interfered with it was when Rita killed herself.

  Dennis Guilder : Who's Rita?

  George LeBay : His wife! He didn't care a rat's ass about her! She died the same way he did... then I made him get rid of it... for decency, ya know? Of course, the car came back three weeks later.

  Dennis Guilder : What do you mean "came back"?

  [Lebay looks back as if to say, "You know what I mean"] 

• [Will and Dennis are approaching Arnie who has just parked Christine in Will's garage] 

  Will Darnell : [to Dennis]  I knew a guy had a car like that once. Fuckin' bastard killed himself in it. Son of a bitch was so mean, you could've poured boiling water down his throat and he would've pissed ice cubes!

  [to Arnie] 

  Will Darnell : Okay. That's the last time you run that mechanical asshole in here without an exhaust hose... I catch you doing it one time, and you're out, you understand? HUH?

  Arnie Cunningham : Yes, sir.

  Will Darnell : And I'm gonna tell you something else right now. I don't take any shit from you kids. This place is for working stiffs gotta keep their cars running so they can keep bread on the table, it's not for rich-assed, snot-nose kids who wanna go dragging around on the Orange Belt. I don't allow no smoking in here, neither! You wanna' butt, you go out in the junkyard!

  Arnie Cunningham : Oh, well I don't sm...

  Will Darnell : [interrupting]  Don't interrupt me, punk! Don't interrupt me, don't get smart!

  Dennis Guilder : Uhh, sir?

  Will Darnell : What?

  Dennis Guilder : [points at Darnell's own men who are smoking at a card table]  Those men over there smoking. You better tell then to stop.

  Will Darnell : You trying to help your buddy right out of here, jerk?

  Dennis Guilder : Nah.

  Will Darnell : Then shut your pie-hole. I know a creep when I see one. I think I'm looking at one right now.

  [turns back to Arnie] 

  Will Darnell : You're on probation... you get it? You screw around with me once, I don't care how much money you paid up in front, I'll throw you out on your ass! Now you got it? HUH?

  Arnie Cunningham : Yessir, yessir.

  Will Darnell : Good! Now, get the hell out of here, we're closed.

• [Arnie is pulling a worn out, smoking old Christine into Darnell's Do It Yourself garage as Darnell and Dennis look on] 

  Will Darnell : 'Kiddo, you sold him that piece of shit, you oughta be fuckin' ashamed of yourself.

  Dennis Guilder : I didn't sell it to him. I tried to talk him out of it.

  Will Darnell : You shoulda' tried harder.

• Regina Cunningham : How could you have let him do this?

  Dennis Guilder : I didn't let him. I mean he wanted the car and he bought it. I tried to talk him out of it, in fact.

  Regina Cunningham : Mm, I doubt that you tried very hard.

  Dennis Guilder : Yeah, well I'm going home.

  Regina Cunningham : I think you should.

  Arnie Cunningham : OK that's it, I'm getting the fuck out of here!

  Michael Cunningham : Oh, Arnie, now what kind of language is that?

  Regina Cunningham : WHAT did you say? What did you say?

  Arnie Cunningham : Look, you wanted me in college courses, I'm there. You wanted me in the chess club instead of the band, OK, I'm there too. Now I managed to get through seventeen years without embarrassing your bridge club or landing jail! Now I'm telling you, I'm gonna have this, this one thing!

  Regina Cunningham : You are not keeping any car at this house!

  Arnie Cunningham : Fine!

• Arnie Cunningham : [after taking hands off the steering wheel at high speed, realizing that Dennis is panicking]  Don't be scared.

  Dennis Guilder : [Voice begins to crack and mildly begins crying]  I'm scared for *you*, man, for what's happened to you. It's this fucking car!

  Arnie Cunningham : [coldly]  I know you're jealous.

  [Dennis gives a look as if he's saying "Why would you say that to me? I'm your best friend!"] 

• Dennis Guilder : Forget it Arnie. This baby's got 93-thousand miles on it. Probably 193.

  Arnie Cunningham : I don't care.

• Dennis Guilder : Do you like music?