Oppenheimer is the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man who helped create the first atomic bomb. While he may have been the brains behind the operation, he was not alone in his quest to push the limits of science. The movie is all over the place in the timeline although it tries to focus on the era within World War 2 where this bomb was being built.
Does it do a good job of exploring the consequences of power? Does it paint J. Robert Oppenheimer's life in a positive, or negative light? Is Oppenheimer Christopher Nolan's best movie? These are all great questions, but for now, here's a look at some of the best Oppenheimer quotes.
WARNING! Spoilers ahead for the Oppenheimer movie.
8 “Can You Hear The Music, Robert?”
Niels Bohr asks this line of Robert while he is still a student. It is referencing how science is like music which is better explained visually. The scene is an intense one because Robert runs back to class realizing he made a mistake.
For some reason, he tried to poison his teacher with cyanide. As Bohr is conversing with Robert about physics, he can’t help but eye the apple in Bohr’s hand. Thankfully, Robert gets it away from his hands with no one realizing what had happened.
7 “Now I Am Become Death, The Destroyer Of Worlds.”
This line was made famous by apparently the real-life Robert Oppenheimer who said this. Whether he actually says the line or not is debatable as records and accounts contradict each other. In the movie, he says it while making love to his girlfriend at the time, Jean Tatlock.
She makes him read a novel in Sanskrit and the first line he translates is “Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds.” It’s typical for a biopic to reference quotes from history even if they can be cheesy or awkward like in this movie’s case.
6 “You’re Not Self-Important, You’re Actually Important.”
Robert Oppenheimer is without a doubt a complicated man. His first love is to science and everything else is secondary in his life with no concrete order. He is, as his coworker Ernest Lawrence puts it, self-important. Ernest also realized that Robert is truly important through all of his dry personality.
Ernest realizes that his methods can change the world which Robert indeed did thanks to his efforts to help build the first Atomic Bomb. Was it a good achievement in history? That’s the debatable part.
5 “Selfish Awful People Don’t Know They’re Selfish Awful People.”
Again, Robert Oppenheimer was a brilliant scientist. He was not exactly a faithful husband or partner or a dedicated father though. This is made apparent when Robert brings his child to his friend Haakon Chevalier.
His wife, Kitty, cannot stand raising the baby alone and Robert knows he can’t be around more to help either. It’s a moment of weakness for him, but Haakon reassures Robert that he isn’t a bad person. Robert at least did the right thing by going to a friend first instead of abandoning his kid at an orphanage.
4 “Why Won’t You Fight?”
The movie is split into multiple sections of Robert’s life. One of them involves a mock trial that tears through his life like he was an insignificant person. He chooses to not complicate things by fighting back but Kitty doesn’t understand why.
Why is he allowing people to break down his character? It is embarrassing for her for Robert and she doesn’t understand his unwillingness to speak up. Kitty has a few great scenes where she puts up a fight for her husband even though it’s more for her than him.
3 “Zero Would Be Nice.”
Science is not perfect. It is instead the study of the unknown and these studies can change as new things are learned. For example, in the Middle Ages, it was believed that leeches and bloodletting were good for healing which is a wild idea to hear now.
These are more examples of medicine practices but science is tied into medical research too. So, the idea of building an Atomic Bomb without knowing the outcome is scary. Robert tried to assure his commanding officer, Leslie Groves, that the percentage of the bomb destroying the world was near zero. Leslie then replies with this line about a true zero outcome being better.
2 “What Stops The Glass?”
The movie builds up to the atomic bomb test in the desert and when the bomb drops it is indeed a site to behold. The fact that Christopher Nolan and his team built a real bomb, not an atomic one, is mesmerizing. It adds to his craft as both a storyteller and a director.
During this test, Edward Teller is putting on sunscreen to avoid radiation burns just in case. When Edward tries to pass the lotion to Ernest, he says the glass will protect him instead because it is UV resistant. That’s when Edward asks what protects him from the glass which is one of the few funny lines in the movie.
1 “Don’t Let That Crybaby Back In Here.”
Harry S. Truman, like many officials in the movie, is portrayed as a villain. Robert comes in to meet with him about real concerns about atomic weaponry and how this will affect the world. Truman gives him a speech about how Robert didn’t drop the bomb as it was instead Truman. He is the history maker at play here which paints him in an egotistical light.
As Robert leaves, Truman can be heard saying this line about Robert being a crybaby. For a movie filled with dark moments, this has to be one of the most cringe-worthy moments and Gary Oldman delivers this uncomfortable situation brilliantly.