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Wreck-It Ralph · 2012 — Chapter 1 of 19 · 1'40" · B2

Ralph's Opening Monologue, Explained: name of the game

On the surface a wrecking-game villain is just introducing himself: his job, his thirty years, and why the good guy gets the medal. Underneath runs a quieter ache—he admits "fixing is the name of the game," yet insists a steady arcade gig is nothing to sneeze at. Pride in the work only makes the loneliness sharper.

What happens

This opening monologue belongs to a video-game villain who wrecks buildings for a living. He explains that he is very good at what he does, that fixing is the name of the game, and that his rival, the good guy, collects medals while he gets none. He has done this for thirty years and calls his steady arcade job nothing to sneeze at.

MonologuesComplainingExplainingB2mediumamerican
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Listen for

nothing to sneeze atname of the gameas good guys gonot gonna lie

00:00 / 01:40
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Phrase of the scene

name of the game

关键所在；本质

拉尔夫向观众解释，在这款游戏里「会修理」才是决定谁当主角的规则。

Flexibility is the name of the game in this job.

Also in this scene

  • nothing to sneeze at

    不容小觑；不是小事

  • as good guys go

    就好人这一类而言

  • not gonna lie

    说实话；不骗你

  • how hard can it be

    能有多难呢

Everything marked in this scene

23 notes across 30 lines

Phrase · B2near the surfaceMy passion level's very near the surface, I guess, not gonna lie.
Phrase · B1not gonna lieMy passion level's very near the surface, I guess, not gonna lie.
Soundgonna

weak form

My passion level's very near the surface, I guess, not gonna lie.
Slang · B2AnyhooAnyhoo, what else, uh...
Phrase · B1good at what someone doesI'm very good at what I do. Probably the best I know.
Phrase · B2the name of the gameThe thing is, fixing is the name of the game.
Phrase · B2as something/someone goesHe's nice enough as good guys go.
Phrase · A2adjective + enoughHe's nice enough as good guys go.
Phrase · B1how hard can it beBut, if you've got a magic hammer from your father, how hard can it be?
Grammar · B1if you've got a magic hammer from your father

first conditional

But, if you've got a magic hammer from your father, how hard can it be?
Phrase · B1would not be able to do somethingI guarantee you, you would not be able to fix the damage that I do as quickly.
Grammar · B2would not be able to fix

hypothetical would

I guarantee you, you would not be able to fix the damage that I do as quickly.
Phrase · A2do a good jobAnd when Felix does a good job, he gets a medal.
Phrase · A2get a medalAnd when Felix does a good job, he gets a medal.
Phrase · B1come and goAnd I've seen a lot of other games come and go.
Soundcome and go

elision

And I've seen a lot of other games come and go.
Phrase · B2nothing to sneeze atLook, a steady arcade gig is nothing to sneeze at.
Phrase · B1a steady gigLook, a steady arcade gig is nothing to sneeze at.
Soundsneeze at

liaison

Look, a steady arcade gig is nothing to sneeze at.
Slang · B1gigLook, a steady arcade gig is nothing to sneeze at.
Phrase · B1hard to love somethingIt becomes kinda hard to love your job...
Phrase · A2no one else does somethingwhen no one else seems to like you for doing it.
Grammar · B1when no one else seems to like you

when-clause

when no one else seems to like you for doing it.

Ralph's Opening Monologue, explained

What's really going on

Under the jokes sits a confession about identity. The speaker keeps insisting he is good at wrecking—"I'm very good at what I do"—but the same speech quietly measures him against the fixing side of the game, where "fixing is the name of the game" and the good guy is the one who matters. He says a steady arcade job is nothing to sneeze at, and means it; thirty years of work have given him security but not respect. The sharpest turn is the admission that it is hard to love your job when no one likes you for doing it. It is not really a boast about wrecking. It is a man defending a job the world has decided to look down on, and half believing the world is right.

Theme

IdentityA wrecker defines himself by his job, then admits no one will admire him for it.
LonelinessHe has thirty years of steady work, but what stings is that no one likes him for doing it.

What you'll learn

  • Use nothing to sneeze at in the same situation
  • Hear name of the game as pressure, not small talk
  • Catch who the line is aimed at

Listen for

  • gonna — weak form
  • come and go — elision
  • sneeze at — liaison
I'm very good at what I do. Probably the best I know.

He is not being modest: he claims real skill at wrecking, and the boast is also the only status his job gives him.

The thing is, fixing is the name of the game.

In his game the point is fixing, not wrecking, so the good guy who fixes is the one the world rewards.

And I've seen a lot of other games come and go.

He has watched other arcade games shut down over the years, so his own steady job feels like luck.

Look, a steady arcade gig is nothing to sneeze at.

He tells himself his long-term arcade job is not something to dismiss, even if it comes with no praise.

Questions about this scene

Why does he say fixing is the name of the game?

In his arcade game the goal is to repair what he breaks, so the good guy who fixes is the one who gets the credit and the medals.

Does he really enjoy wrecking things?

He says he is very good at it, but the speech is defensive rather than joyful; he keeps measuring himself against the fixing side.

What does "nothing to sneeze at" mean here?

It means the job is not something to dismiss. He is telling himself a thirty-year arcade gig is genuinely worth something.

Why does he bring up other games closing down?

Watching other machines get shut down makes his own long run feel lucky, and underlines what he stands to lose.

Wreck-It Ralph · 19 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 2come to terms withRalph Shows Up to Bad-Anon
Watching · Chapter 1name of the gameRalph's Opening MonologueChapter 2come to terms withRalph Shows Up to Bad-AnonChapter 3the end of the worldRalph Crashes the Anniversary PartyChapter 4a four-letter wordCalhoun's Hero's Duty BriefingChapter 5out to pastureFix-It Felix Jr. Breaks DownChapter 6state your businessFelix Searches Hero's Duty for RalphChapter 7a ticket to a better lifeVanellope Outsmarts RalphChapter 8a smoking huskCalhoun Explains the Cy-Bug ThreatChapter 9wipe the slate cleanVanellope Crashes the Roster RaceChapter 10another thing comingKing Candy Threatens RalphChapter 11an accident waiting to happenVanellope Makes a DealChapter 12stole Turbo's thunderCalhoun Explains the Turbo WarningChapter 13outside your comfort zoneRalph Bakes a Kart in a MinuteChapter 14in the bagRalph Learns to Drive a KartChapter 15talk a little sense intoKing Candy Visits RalphChapter 16go down with the shipRalph Betrays VanellopeChapter 17take it to my graveRalph Licks Sour Bill for AnswersChapter 18pull yourself togetherRalph Pleads With Felix in the DungeonChapter 19a nice ring to itVanellope Rejects the Crown
Chapter 1 of 19 · about 47 min to go