“I've decided that it's your family that isn't good enough.”
Why it's great
She takes the Kirbys' own measuring stick and turns it back on them.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
If you ask me, it's their offer that isn't good enough.
00:00 / 02:26
00:00 / 02:26
Alice Tells Off the Kirbys, Explained
You Can't Take It with You · 1938
Chapter 22 of 27 · 2'26"
In night court, Alice stops covering for the Kirbys and says why they really came: "They're ashamed to admit they came to look my family over to see if I was good enough to marry their precious son." Grandpa then says the Kirbys are the ones who are not good enough.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:07–1:39
❝ Monologue · 4 lines Alice Tells the Truth in Court
32s - 1:40–2:09
Alice's Parting Shot
28s
Alice Tells Off the Kirbys, explained
What happens
In court, the Kirbys refuse to explain what they were doing at the Sycamore house, and their lawyer argues the charge is absurd. Alice loses patience and tells the truth, while Grandpa declares that it is the Kirbys who are not good enough. Their friends in the gallery cheer.
What's really going on
The chapter is the film's class conflict finally spoken aloud in a courtroom. The Kirbys are used to controlling what gets said, and their lawyer tries to make the whole thing disappear by calling it ridiculous. Alice breaks that by telling the simple truth: they came to inspect her family, as if she were applying for a position. Grandpa answers with the film's bluntest reversal, "I've decided that it's your family that isn't good enough." What makes it satisfying is that the reversal is not revenge; it is the same standard applied in the other direction. For once the Sycamores are not embarrassed, and the people who are is the family with the reputation.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I've decided that it's your family that isn't good enough.”
- Grandpa reversing the Kirbys' own judgment, the film's most satisfying line.
- “The next time you want to go slumming, stay away from our neighborhood.”
- Alice's parting shot, naming exactly what she thinks the visit was.
- “They're ashamed to admit they came to look my family over to see if I was good enough to marry their precious son.”
- The truth Alice tells in open court, which the Kirbys have been dodging.
- “Cinderella just told Prince Charming to go take a flying leap.”
- A spectator's summary of the moment, turning the romance into a fairy tale gone wrong.
Theme
- Class — The courtroom exposes the Kirbys' habit of inspecting people, and Grandpa turns the same judgment back on them.
- Justice — A false charge is answered with the plain truth, and for once the poor family holds the moral advantage.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level2/6
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
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“The next time you want to go slumming, stay away from our neighborhood.”
Why it's great
One word, slumming, strips the visitors of their polite cover.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
If you just want to go slumming, don't post about it.
“They're ashamed to admit they came to look my family over to see if I was good enough to marry their precious son.”
Why it's great
The quiet recital of the humiliating truth is sharper than any shout.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
They're ashamed to admit they only came for the free food.
“Cinderella just told Prince Charming to go take a flying leap.”
Why it's great
A fairy-tale image packed with the whole reversal in one stroke.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
She just told her perfect boyfriend to go take a flying leap.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Alice's courtroom outburst
Grandpa, I won't stand for it. I won't stand for our being humiliated like this. They're ashamed to tell you why they were there. They're ashamed to admit they came to look my family over to see if I was good enough to marry their precious son.
Four rising lines turn her patience into a quiet, devastating counterattack.
Up next · 23get over itThe scene: Grandpa Sells the HouseTakeaways
What you walk away with- Alice turns the Kirbys' judgment back on them.
- Standing up here costs her the engagement.
- Reputation worries the mother, not the daughter.
- The courtroom becomes a family battleground.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Alice speak up in court?
The Kirbys will not say why they were at her house, and she is tired of protecting them. She tells the judge they came to inspect her family and judge whether she was suitable.
What does Grandpa say about the Kirbys?
He says he has decided that it is the Kirbys who are not good enough, and that he would not be related to such snobs for anything in the world.
Why do the Kirbys want to hide the reason for the visit?
It is embarrassing. They went to look the family over before allowing a marriage, and admitting that in public would show how condescending they had been.
How do the spectators react?
The Sycamores' friends in the gallery cheer and joke that Cinderella has just told Prince Charming to go take a flying leap.