Useless Movie Trivia For
Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com

Memorable Movie Quotes

Mia: I do believe Marsellus Wallace, my husband, your boss, told you to take ME out and do WHATEVER I WANTED. Now I wanna dance, I wanna win. I want that trophy, so dance good.

Jules: Whether or not what we experienced was an According to Hoyle miracle is insignificant. What is significant is that I felt the touch of God. God got involved.

Jimmie: I'm gonna get fuckin' divorced. No marriage counselling, no trial separation, I'm gonna get fuckin' divorced.

Marsellus: You see, this profession is filled to the brim with unrealistic motherfuckers. Motherfuckers who thought their ass would age like wine. If you mean it turns to vinegar, it does. If you mean it gets better with age, it don't.

Butch: [beating up Marsellus] You feel that sting, big boy, huh? That's pride FUCKIN' with you! You gotta fight through that shit!

Vincent: [to Marvin] Why the fuck didn't you tell us somebody was in the bathroom? Slipped your mind? Did you forget that somebody was in there with a goddamn hand cannon?

Jules: Oh, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?

Vincent: That's a pretty fucking good milkshake. I don't know if it's worth five dollars but it's pretty fucking good.

Marsellus: The night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting. That's pride fucking with you. Fuck pride. Pride only hurts, it never helps.

Jules: The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Marsellus: I'm prepared to scour the the Earth for that motherfucker. If Butch goes to Indochina, I want a nigger waiting in a bowl of rice ready to pop a cap in his ass.

Lance: Are you calling me on the cellular phone? I don't know you. Who is this? Don't come here, I'm hanging up the phone! Prank caller, prank caller!

Lance: Look, you brought her here, and that means that you're giving her the shot. The day that I bring an OD-ing bitch over to your house, then I'll give her the shot. Give her the shot.

Esmeralda: So what does it feel like to kill a man with your bare hands? It's a topic I'm very interested in.

Jules: Uuummmm, this is a tasty burger

Waitress: Garon means boy.

Vincent: Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and have a heart attack.

Vincent: That's the Marilyn Monroe section that's Mamie Van Doren... I don't see Jayne Mansfield, she must have the night off or something.

Trivia

Quentin Tarantino hesitated over the choice between the character he was going to play: Jimmie or Lance. He ended up choosing Jimmie's role because he wanted to be behind the camera in Mia's overdose scene.

Quentin Tarantino originally wrote the role of Jules specifically for Samuel L. Jackson, however it was almost given to 'Paul Calderon' after a great audition. When Jackson heard this, he flew to LA and re-auditioned, getting back the part he was supposed to play. Calderon ended up with a cameo as Paul, the bartender.

The passage from the Bible that Jules has memorized was mostly made up by Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson. The only part that's similar to what the Bible says is the part where he says, "And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee." However, the parts about the righteous man and the shepherd are not real.

The parts of "Honey Bunny" and "Pumpkin" were written specifically for Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth.

Jules's character was originally written to have a gigantic afro, but a crewmember obtained a variety of afro wigs and one jheri curl wig. Quentin Tarantino had never thought about a jheri curl wig, but Samuel L. Jackson tried it on, Tarantino liked it, and it was kept.

The shot of Vincent plunging the syringe into Mia's chest was filmed by having John Travolta pull the needle out, then running the film backwards.

When Captain Koons visits the young Butch to give him his father's watch, his recollections refer to an airman named "Wynocki" who transports the watch back to safety. "Wynocki" is the name of John Garfield's character in Howard Hawks' film Air Force (1943). Hawks is one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite directors.

Wilson is the name of the fighter to whom Butch is instructed to lose. Wilson was also the name of the fighter against whom Terry Malloy took a dive in On the Waterfront.

The marquee where Butch boxes advertises the following fights: "Coolidge vs Wilson" and "Vossler vs Martinez". The first is a reference to United States Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Woodrow Wilson, the second is a reference to Russell Vossler and Jerry Martinez, who are two friends of Tarantino's from when he worked in a video store.

The book that Vincent reads is "Modesty Blaise", by 'Peter O'Donnell (I)' . In that book, a killer indulges in a Biblical rant very similar to that of Samuel L. Jackson's character.

When Vincent calls Lance on his cell phone, Lance is eating a bowl of Fruit Brute, a cereal from the older monster cereal family. Fruit Brute (which, along with Yummy Mummy, Frankenberry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula, make up the monster cereals) was later discontinued, along with "Yummy Mummy." Quentin Tarantino has held onto a box and drops it into scenes from time to time. It appeared in Reservoir Dogs (1992), too.

Mia calls Vincent "cowboy" - John Travolta starred in Urban Cowboy (1980). Vincent calls Mia "cowgirl" in return; Uma Thurman starred in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993).

The Big Kahuna burger was also eaten in the movie From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and first appeared in Reservoir Dogs (1992).

Knoxville, Tennessee, where Butch was meeting his connection and where his great-grandfather bought the gold watch, is also Quentin Tarantino's birthplace.

The innocent bystander shot by Marsellus Wallace is the same actress pulled out of her car by Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs (1992).

When Butch is approaching his apartment, there is an advertisement for Jack Rabbit Slim's on the radio. An ad for "Jack Rabbit Slim's" can also be heard during the torture scene in Reservoir Dogs (1992).

In a cut scene Vincent tells Mia he's been fantasizing about being beaten up by Emma Peel of the Avengers. Later, in 1998, Uma Thurman did star as Emma Peel in the movie The Avengers (1998).

In the screenplay, Butch is a featherweight boxer but in the film, Butch's opponent Wilson has his weight announced as "210 pounds" - inferring that Butch is a heavyweight.

Uma Thurman originally turned down the role of Mia Wallace. Quentin Tarantino was so desperate to have her as Mia, he ended up reading her the script over the phone, finally convincing her to take on the role.

John Travolta's character, "Vincent Vega", is the brother of "Vic Vega", aka "Mr. Blonde" from Reservoir Dogs (1992).

The role of Vincent Vega was written for Michael Madsen, who played the character's brother, Vic Vega, in Reservoir Dogs (1992), but he couldn't do the film due to scheduling conflicts for another film.

The song that Butch listens to in the car, "Counting Flowers on the Wall" contains the line "Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangeroo". Bruce Willis says this line in Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995).

The Ezekiel bible quote was taken from any early draft of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Harvey Keitel's character was supposed to say it; while walking backwards down the hallway facing the vampires.

The movie's line "You know what they call a Quater Pounder with Cheese in Paris?... They call it a Royale with cheese." was voted as the #81 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

Upon the films UK video rental release, some video stores gave away a pack of limited edition Pulp Fiction matches. On the back of the packet was a quote from the film "you play with matches, you get burned".

Mia Wallace's comment "An Elvis man should love this" is a reference to an earlier cut scene where Mia claims that everyone can be classified as either an "Elvis" person or a "Beatles" person. She bets Vincent that he is an "Elvis", and he confirms it.

The word "fuck" is used 265 times.

In the opening sequence with Honey Bunny and Pumpkin, Jules can be heard talking about quitting "the life".

John Travolta has said that some of the dance moves between himself and Uma Thurman in the Jack Rabbit Slim's scene were based on Adam West's Batusi from Batman (1966).

Uma Thurman based her dancing in the Jack Rabbit Slim's dance scene on the character Duchess in The AristoCats (1970).

Samuel L. Jackson auditioned for the part of Mr. Orange in Reservoir Dogs (1992), but it went to Tim Roth. Tarantino enjoyed Jackson's work so much that he wrote the part of Jules specifically for him.

The "motorcycle movie" Fabienne is watching when Butch is waking up (before he discovers that his watch is missing) is called Nam's Angels (1970). It's about the Hell's Angels fighting the Viet Cong.

The "motorcycle movie" Fabienne is watching when Butch is waking up (before he discovers that his watch is missing) is called Nam's Angels (1970). It's about the Hell's Angels fighting the Viet Cong.

Sylvester Stallone was briefly considered for the role of Butch.

Jules' "Bad Mother Fucker" wallet actually belongs to Quentin Tarantino. The inscription on the wallet is a reference to the theme song of Shaft (1971).

Butch (Bruce Willis) taunts Zed (Peter Greene) with the samurai sword and says, "You want that gun, don't you Zed? Go ahead and pick it up. I want you to pick it up." This is also said by Sheriff Chance (John Wayne) in Rio Bravo (1959), which, according to interviews, is one of Tarantino's favorite films.

The movie cost $8 million to make. $5 million of which went to pay the actors' salaries.

The restaurant scene was filmed at the Hawthorne Grille, originally Holly's, located at 13763 Hawthorne Blvd., however the building was demolished soon after filming.

When Vincent first walks into Mia's house, one of the back doors is slightly open. This was done so the camera wouldn't be seen in the reflection.

Tarantino originally wanted Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love to play Lance and Jody.

In the diner when Mia orders her $5 shake, "Buddy Holly" (the waiter) asks her if she wants it "Martin and Lewis or Amos and Andy?" He is referring to two comedy duos - Martin and Lewis, two white men; Amos and Andy, two black men. Basically, he is asking her if she wants a vanilla shake or a chocolate shake. She has vanilla.

2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #94 Greatest Movie of All Time.

You can see Vincent entering the bathroom at the beginning of the film, when Pumpkin and Honey Bunny are talking about robbery.

Goofs

Several errors showing differences in the two times we see Jules and Vincent retrieving the suitcase from the apartment, including: bullet holes in the walls, Jules' speech, Jules' gun.

In the pawn shop scene, the owner racks his shotgun, thus loading it. Later as Butch comes to Mr Wallace’s rescue, he racks the already loaded shotgun. Since it was already loaded, he would have had to press the slide release button, allowing the slide to be worked, and the previously loaded round would then be ejected. That didn't happen either.

During the Big Kahuna Burger scene, after Brett is shot by Jules in the chest, he covers the bullet-wound with his hand. When Jules lifts his gun again to kill him, he momentarily lifts up his arms in fear and there is no bullet-wound of any kind visible.

When Butch is in the backseat of Esmerelda's taxi, he rolls down the window in order to throw his boxing clothes out. However, a moment later when he smokes a cigarette, the smoke just hangs in the air instead of being pulled out the open window, as it would be if the car were moving.

Vincent unzips a case to reveal an old-fashioned glass syringe, yet the extreme close-ups of the syringe show it is made of plastic.

As Vincent is about to inject Mia with adrenaline, he holds up the syringe, showing the plunger at the bottom of the syringe barrel, meaning the syringe is empty.

Winston Wolf drives an Acura NSX, which is a two-seat sports car. After stating that he is taking Raquel to breakfast, he offers to give Jules and Vincent a ride home. But this was never a serious offer.

When Mia and Vincent go to Jack Rabbit Slim's, Mia is wearing black dress shoes. But when she and Vincent return to her home, she's wearing gold ballet slippers.

The scene where Vincent and Jules are talking to Jimmie during the "Bonnie Situation" lasts for over two minutes, but the clock behind Jimmie doesn't move.

When the fourth man in Brett's apartment fires at Jules and Vincent, the wheel on his revolver does not spin.

Captain Koons holds up the watch and it clearly reads 4:35. In the subsequent close-up it reads 11:45 and then 12:00.

After being shot in the face, Marvin's face and head is intact when shown in the trunk of the tainted car.

When Vince and Mia come through the door of Mia's house after going to Jack Rabbit Slims, it is quite clearly daylight, as if they have been out all night. The same when Vince is in the Bathroom, the light from the window suggests it is day. However, for the rest of the scene it is still night.

Box Office Info USA

Budget: $8,000,000

Opening Weekend: $9,311,882

Gross: $107,928,762

Filming Dats: September 1993 - November 1993

Filming Locations