"Billy has a home with me. I've made it the best I could. It's not perfect. I'm not a perfect parent. Sometimes I don't have enough patience because I forget that he's a little kid. But I'm there. We get up in the morning and then we eat breakfast, and he talks to me and then we go to school. And at night, we have dinner together and we talk then and I read to him. And, and we built a life together and we love each other. If you destroy that, it may be irreparable. Joanna, don't do that, please. Don't do it twice to him."

"If I understand it correctly, what means the most here is what's best for our son. What's best for Billy. My wife used to always say to me: 'Why can't a woman have the same ambitions as a man?' I think you're right. And maybe I've learned that much. But by the same token, I'd like to know, what law is it that says that a woman is a better parent simply by virtue of her sex? You know, I've had a lot of time to think about what it is it that makes somebody a good parent? You know, it has to do with constancy, it has to do with patience, it has to do with listening to him. It has to do with pretending to listen to him when you can't even listen anymore. It has to do with love, like, like, like she was saying. And I don't know where it's written that it says that a woman has a corner on that market, that, that a man has any less of those emotions than a woman does."

"[in court] There's a lot of things I didn't understand, a lot of things I'd do different if I could. Just like I think there's a lot of things you wish you could change, but we can't. Some things once they're done can't be undone. My wife, my ex-wife, says that she loves Billy, and I believe she does, but I don't think that's the issue here."

"[having lunch with his boss] So the other morning, I'm at the refrigerator... you know, getting Billy ready for school. So I'm just in my underwear and he notices I've lost weight. And he comes in and pats me. He comes up to here... [touches his stomach]... and he says "Daddy, you've really lost a lot of weight", he looks up at me and he says "And it's all gone to your nose." [laughs] He was so cute. You know?"

"For the last six months I've been spitting blood to get this agency one of the biggest account it's ever had. And at five o'clock this afternoon, we got the account. At eight o'clock, I am walking home with the vice president and tells me I'll be the next creative director of this department. I come through this door to share with my wife one of the five best days of my life, and she looks at me and tells me she doesn't want to live with me anymore! Can't you understand what she's done to me?"

"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead."

"Charles Bukowski — Oldtimer"

"Fritz Feld — Bum"

"Pruitt Taylor Vince — Joe"

"Harry Cohn — Rick"

"Joe Unger — Ben"

"Gloria LeRoy — Grandma Moses"

"Roberta Bassin — Lilly"

"Sandy Martin — Janice"

"Frank Stallone — Eddie"

"J. C. Quinn — Jim"

"Jack Nance — Detective"

"Alice Krige — Tully Sorenson"

"Faye Dunaway — Wanda Wilcox"

"Mickey Rourke — Henry Chinaski"

"I'd hate to be you if I were me."

"[to his own bloody face as reflected in the bathroom mirror] Nothing but the dripping sink. Empty bottle. Euphoria. Youth fenced in, stabbed and shaved. Taut words propped up to die"

"[Voice over] And as my hands drop the last desperate pen, in some cheap room, they will find me there and never know my name, my meaning, nor the treasure of my escape."

"It's hatred. It's the only thing that lasts."

"So you hired a dick to find an asshole?"

"I remember ordering a draught, barkeep. What, are you out of brew, or has that lobotomy finally taken hold?"

"[to Eddie] Your mom's cunt smells like carpet cleaner."

"Louis Jean Heydt - Joe Brody"

"Elisha Cook Jr. - Harry Jones"

"Bob Steele - Lash Canino"

"Charles D. Brown - Norris (Sternwood's butler)"

"Charles Waldron - General Sternwood (final film role)"

"Regis Toomey - Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls"

"Peggy Knudsen - Mona Mars"

"Dorothy Malone - Acme Bookstore Clerk"

"Martha Vickers - Carmen Sternwood"

"John Ridgely - Eddie Mars"

"Lauren Bacall - Vivian Sternwood Rutledge"

"Humphrey Bogart - Philip Marlowe"

"The picture they were born for!"

"The type of man she hated . . . was the type she wanted !"

"The ship's company will remember that I am your captain, your judge, and your jury. You do your duty and we may get along. Whatever happens, you'll do your duty."

"Francis Lister - Capt. Nelson"

"Henry Stephenson - Sir Joseph Banks"

"Donald Crisp - Seaman Thomas Burkitt"

"Dudley Digges - Dr. Bacchus"

"Eddie Quillan - Seaman Thomas Ellison"