“But the huddled masses were never welcomed with open arms.”
Why it's great
It takes the statue's famous promise and calmly turns it inside out.
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The newcomers were not welcomed with open arms.
00:00 / 05:04
00:00 / 05:04
Boris Rejects Melodie's Crush, Explained
Whatever Works · 2009
Chapter 5 of 16 · 5'04"
Melodie recites the Statue of Liberty poem with real feeling, and Boris answers with a history lesson about who was never welcomed. Later she confesses a crush on him, and he shuts it down cold: anything deeper between them is out of the question.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:07–0:44
Boris Rants About America
38s - 4:17–5:02
❝ Monologue · 4 lines Boris Rejects Melodie
45s
Boris Rejects Melodie's Crush, explained
What happens
Melodie finds the Statue of Liberty's promise moving, and Boris ruins the mood with a rant about how immigrants have always been hated. He also tries to push her out, but she announces she has a job as a dog walker and can pay rent. Then she admits she has a crush on him.
What's really going on
The chapter is the film's argument with itself. Melodie believes in the story of America, and Boris dismantles it line by line, insisting that "the huddled masses were never welcomed with open arms." He is not wrong, and he is also unbearable about it, which is the film's whole view of him. Then the same pattern repeats in miniature: Melodie reaches for something warm and human, and Boris answers with a verdict. His "out of the question" is meant to close the door on the relationship, but the audience can already see that the man who lectures everyone about isolation is the one who keeps letting her stay.
Key lines & what they mean
- “But the huddled masses were never welcomed with open arms.”
- Boris correcting the Statue of Liberty's promise, the line that starts the whole argument.
- “People always hated foreigners. It's the American way.”
- His bitter summary, turning a slogan about welcome into an accusation.
- “We can pretend there's a big orchestra of violins and they're playing just for us as we dance.”
- Melodie's romantic invention, offered as if the world could simply be imagined better.
- “Yeah, I shouldn't really. Sometimes a cliché is finally the best way to make one's point.”
- Boris conceding a point to Melodie, which for him is a rare act of respect.
- “Because anything deeper, more significant between us, is out of the question.”
- His flat rejection of her feelings, delivered like a mathematical result.
Theme
- Identity — The chapter argues over what America means, with Melodie's optimism against Boris's bitter history lesson.
- Loneliness — Boris claims he wants to be isolated, yet he keeps the person who wants connection close enough to reject.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level1/7
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Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“People always hated foreigners. It's the American way.”
Why it's great
Calling bigotry the American way turns a slogan into an indictment.
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Informal
Use it yourself
Queue jumping? That is just the local way.
“We can pretend there's a big orchestra of violins and they're playing just for us as we dance.”
Why it's great
A whole orchestra invented on the spot turns a crowded room into her private ball.
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Informal
Use it yourself
We can pretend there's a band playing just for us.
“Yeah, I shouldn't really. Sometimes a cliché is finally the best way to make one's point.”
Why it's great
The critic admits a cliché can be the truest way to say a thing, which softens him.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
Sometimes a cliché is the best way to make your point.
“Because anything deeper, more significant between us, is out of the question.”
Why it's great
It refuses without a shred of hope, and the blunt phrasing is the whole wall.
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Formal
Use it yourself
Anything deeper between us is out of the question.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Boris's rejection speech
Every single thing is against it. Our ages, our backgrounds, our brains, our interests. Not to mention, I have no desire to have a relationship with a woman, any woman, nor any urge to make love, nor any desire to be anything but isolated from the world.
He stacks reason on reason until refusal sounds less like cruelty than biology.
Up next · 06bark is worse than your biteThe scene: Boris Refuses to Marry MelodieTakeaways
What you walk away with- The statue's promise is dismantled in one calm line.
- A cliché can be the most honest thing said at dinner.
- Boris refuses love with the grammar of a verdict.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Boris attack the Statue of Liberty poem?
He thinks the poem hides the truth. He points out that every immigrant group was met with violence and hostility, so the welcome it describes never really happened.
Why does Boris want Melodie to leave?
He says he wants his life back and that she cannot stay forever. He also suggests she go home, finish high school, and maybe attend college.
What job does Melodie get?
She becomes a dog walker. She tells Boris about it while cooking him dinner, and offers to start paying rent with the money.
How does Boris respond to Melodie's confession?
He tells her not to feel that way and says anything deeper between them is out of the question, listing their ages, backgrounds, and interests as reasons.