“Everybody steals from everybody. That's movies.”
Por qué es buena
Two short sentences shrug off the whole plagiarism fight and land like an ending.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Everybody copies everybody. That's music.
00:00 / 02:25
00:00 / 02:25
Debating Goodfellas and Reservoir Dogs, Explained
Swingers · 1996
Capítulo 10 de 17 · 2'25"
Two friends at the bar turn a night out into a film-school argument. Is the Steadicam shot through the Copa in Goodfellas the greatest shot ever — "that was the money" — or is the slow-motion walk in Reservoir Dogs just as good? Someone insists Tarantino "bites everything from Scorsese," and nobody can agree.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:54–1:26
Trading Failed Audition Stories
32s - 1:34–2:23
The Great Movie Shot Debate
49s
Debating Goodfellas and Reservoir Dogs, explained
What happens
At the bar, Mike, Rob, and Charles catch up on auditions, parents, and the pilot nobody booked. Then the talk turns to movies: the long Steadicam shot in Goodfellas versus the slow-motion opening of Reservoir Dogs. One side calls the Goodfellas shot 'the money'; the other argues Tarantino steals from Scorsese. They leave to make the party.
What's really going on
The bar scene is a portrait of a certain kind of Los Angeles friendship. The men trade failure stories as jokes — pilots they did not get, a part as Goofy — and the ease of it shows how common disappointment is in their world. Then the conversation becomes a competition about taste, complete with arguments over lighting costs and shot counts. Nobody is really fighting; this is how they spend time. The one line that lands as a thesis is "Everybody steals from everybody. That's movies," which shrugs off the Tarantino-versus-Scorsese quarrel in a single sentence. The scene also quietly sets up the night's plan: a party in the hills with 'beautiful babies,' which is what actually matters to them.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Everybody steals from everybody. That's movies.”
- The line that ends the argument: influence is normal in filmmaking, so the Tarantino-versus-Scorsese dispute is pointless.
- “You know what? You gotta admit that did look money.”
- 'Money' here means excellent, worth the hype; the speaker concedes the rival's shot actually looked great.
- “You figure they'd figure it out by now, right?”
- A joke about parents still waiting for news of a role; the children assume the silence should have given the truth away by now.
- “How can you even compare the two, man?”
- The heart of the argument: the two shots are treated as so different in quality that comparing them is, to one fan, absurd.
Theme
- Friendship — The scene shows friends passing time the way they know: trading failed-audition stories, arguing about movies, and heading out together.
- Dreams — Every conversation keeps brushing against stalled acting careers, from pilots that went nowhere to considering a role as Goofy.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel4/8
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“You know what? You gotta admit that did look money.”
Por qué es buena
He concedes the point and still gets the last word, with money doing all the praising.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
You gotta admit that trick did look money.
“You figure they'd figure it out by now, right?”
Por qué es buena
The same verb twice turns a weak hope into a joke about lying to your parents.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
You figure they'd figure it out from the photos, right?
“How can you even compare the two, man?”
Por qué es buena
One indignant question sums up a film-buff argument: these two are not even in the same league.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
How can you even compare those two teams, man?
Siguiente · 11cry on cueLa escena: The 'What Do You Drive' Pickup LineIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- Film talk here is really a contest over who has better taste.
- 'That did look money' praises a shot without one technical term.
- 'Everybody steals from everybody' shrugs off the whole plagiarism fight.
- A low budget becomes the proof that style beats money.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhat are Mike, Rob, and Charles talking about?
First their acting careers — pilots that did not get picked up, whether to tell their parents, and a possible role as Goofy. Then the talk turns into an argument about great movie shots.
Why do they argue about Goodfellas and Reservoir Dogs?
Both sides are showing off their taste. One calls the long Steadicam shot in Goodfellas 'the money,' while the other prefers the slow-motion walk in Reservoir Dogs and accuses Tarantino of copying Scorsese.
What does "the money" mean in this scene?
It is slang for the best or most impressive part — here, the shot everyone agrees is worth the hype. It is praise, not about actual cash.
Where are they going at the end?
To a party in the hills, thrown by what sounds like a modeling agency. The last line rushes them out so they will not miss it.