You know, you're acting like a real bad guy here!Ralph Breaks the Internet · 2018 — Chapter 20 of 21 · 3'01" · B1
Ralph Says Let Her Go, Explained: hold someone back
The clone holding Vanellope won't release her until Ralph faces it down and says the line the film has been building to: "You need to let her go!" He argues that holding a friend back from her dreams is wrong and that you cannot own a friend.
What happens
The clone of Ralph grabs Vanellope and refuses to let go, so she offers to stay with him forever if he puts the other Ralph down. The real Ralph tells the clone that holding a friend back from her dreams is wrong and that he has to let her go. In the end he does.
Listen for
hold someone backwho am I kidding?catch me if you candoofus
00:00 / 03:01Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
hold someone back
拖住某人；拦住某人让他无法前进
云妮洛普劝拉尔夫别因为舍不得就把她留在身边，说那样等于拖住朋友的梦想。
I won't hold you back if you want to leave.
Also in this scene
- who am I kidding?
a self-mocking admission that you don't believe your own words
- catch me if you can
a playful dare to someone chasing you
- doofus
a goofy or foolish person, said affectionately
Everything marked in this scene
29 notes across 45 lines
You know, you're acting like a real bad guy here!a playful dare to someone chasing you
Vanellope taunts the clones to draw them away so the real Ralph can escape.
Catch me if you can, you big dummy!Catch me if you can, you big dummy!Now go! Get out of here!flap
Now go! Get out of here!Stop it! You're squishing him!Just please put him down.flap
Just please put him down.Just let him go.and we'll be best friends forever.That's what you want, right?It's not right to hold a friend back from her dreams!It's not right to hold a friend back from her dreams!it is + adj + to do
It's not right to hold a friend back from her dreams!You don't own her!That's not how friendship works!how-clause
That's not how friendship works!You need to let her go!I know. It's gonna hurt a little bit when you do.elision
I know. It's gonna hurt a little bit when you do.a self-mocking admission that you don't believe your own words
Ralph admits his brave words about a little pain are not believable, even to him.
Oh, who am I kidding? It's gonna hurt a lot.But you're gonna be okay.See? No matter where she goes...no matter where
See? No matter where she goes...And we just gotta trust her.Because that's what best friends do.what-clause
Because that's what best friends do.Thanks, buddy.Ralph Says Let Her Go, explained
What's really going on
The scene is the climax of the film's argument about friendship. The clone is a monster made of Ralph's own insecurity, and it will not let Vanellope leave, because it believes love means keeping her. The real Ralph defeats it by saying the opposite out loud: "It's not right to hold a friend back from her dreams," and "You need to let her go." His confession right after is what makes it land — he admits the letting go will hurt a lot, not a little. The scene turns the earlier lesson from Shank into action, and it is the moment Ralph finally chooses Vanellope's happiness over his own fear, which is what actually ends the threat.
Theme
FriendshipRalph learns that real friendship means letting a friend go, not keeping her close.
TrustHe decides to trust Vanellope with her own life instead of controlling her choice.
What you'll learn
- Notice how "doofus" changes the exchange.
- Listen for the attitude carried by "doofus".
- Try the phrase in a comparable conversation.
Listen for
- out of here — flap
- put him down — flap
- gonna hurt — elision
You know, you're acting like a real bad guy here!Vanellope's accusation turns the film's premise against Ralph: the hero is acting like the villain.
It's not right to hold a friend back from her dreams!The core lesson of the film, said out loud to the part of Ralph that cannot let go.
and we'll be best friends forever.Her offer to the clone, a bargain meant to save the real Ralph rather than a promise to keep.
That's not how friendship works!The rebuke to the clone's idea that love means possession.
You need to let her go!The line the whole movie builds to, turning the lesson into an order.
Questions about this scene
Why does the clone refuse to let Vanellope go?
It is built from Ralph's own insecurity and believes keeping her close is love. It only releases her when the real Ralph tells it to let her go.
What does Ralph say friendship is?
He says it is not right to hold a friend back from her dreams, that you do not own her, and that this is not how friendship works.
What does Vanellope offer the clone?
She offers to go with it and be best friends forever, just the two of them, if it puts the real Ralph down first.
What does Ralph admit about letting her go?
He says it will hurt, corrects himself that it will hurt a lot, but insists they will both be okay and that she will always be their friend.
Ralph Breaks the Internet · 21 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 21don't be a strangerRalph and Vanellope Say Goodbye
Chapter 1riddle me thisRiddles on the Rooftop
Chapter 2agree to disagreeThe Arcade Gets Wi-Fi
Chapter 3go out of businessRalph Breaks Sugar Rush
Chapter 4That's the stuffVanellope Asks Who She Is
Chapter 5beggars can't be choosersFelix and Calhoun Adopt the Racers
Chapter 6on the houseRalph Mishears eBay
Chapter 7Not on my watchRalph and Vanellope Enter the Internet
Chapter 8put Humpty Dumpty together againKnowsMore Finishes Your Sentences
Chapter 9going once, going twiceRalph and Vanellope Win the Auction
Chapter 10I got a guySpamley Pitches Loot Hunting
Chapter 11mess with the bullStealing Shank's Car in Slaughter Race
Chapter 12go viralShank Offers to Make Them Viral
Chapter 13saturate the marketYesss Explains Hearts Are Money
Chapter 14like shoes and socksRalph and Vanellope Say Goodbye
Chapter 15the million-dollar questionThe Princesses Vet Vanellope
Chapter 16bring out the worst in someoneRalph Reads the Comments
Chapter 17a kick in the faceVanellope Wants a New Home
Chapter 18keep a low profileBuying a Virus in the Darknet
Chapter 19an empty gestureRalph's Clones Chase Vanellope
Watching · Chapter 20hold someone backRalph Says Let Her Go
Chapter 21don't be a strangerRalph and Vanellope Say GoodbyeChapter 20 of 21 · about 3 min to go