10 Best Quotes from Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club Movie

The following contains major spoilers for Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club is Netflix’s latest big streaming hit, and the new film contains some surprisingly effective dialogue. Anchored on the charisma of The Thursday Murder Club‘s excellent cast, the new movie tells a compelling story of murder filled with all kinds of exciting twists and turns.

With a number of sequels, including The Man Who Died Twice, there is great franchise potential from the new film. The story draws from the celebrated novels by Richard Osman, who has already released four novels about the titular quartet. A fifth volume arrives later this year.

With Stranger Things coming to an end, Netflix needs more original franchises on its service, and it seems they have worked hard to ensure that The Thursday Murder Club could start one. The film is a high-quality, enjoyable watch, and much of what works about it comes directly from the very strong lines and quotes from its excellent script.

“Don’t Wake The Dead”

In one of the more frightening moments of the film, Elizabeth is confronted on the street by a brute with a warning. He speaks these words to her, and leaves in mystery, casting a frightening shade over the mystery that it seems the group have found themselves caught up in.

This moment shows the larger ties and impacts of their organization. While mostly formed out of passion, the titular club has stumbled into something that could hurt them. With these simple words, the importance of these kinds of investigations is highlighted in an intense moment that traces back to Bobby Tanner.

By instilling real danger into the film, the tension becomes so much more effective. This line signals that intense machinations are still in play, and no one is truly safe.

“Let’s Just Say I Have A Wide Portfolio Of Skills”

Elizabeth is a complex character with a dark past. In the initial introductions, where Joyce is brought in as a trial member due to her nursing history, both Ron and Ibrahim explain how their past work helps them in their investigations. Elizabeth, however, is less forthcoming about her past.

It later becomes clear why she is so cagey around this subject. Elizabeth is a former MI6 agent, and she possesses great, relevant skills from her time working as a spy. While all of that work is behind her, it does help to inform how she confronts these investigations.

“I’d Welcome A Burglar. Be Nice To Have A Visitor”

During a conversation with the police, some of the dialogue is overheard about dangers going on, prompting this funny line of dialogue from one of the residents at Cooper’s Chase. Despite the darkness that runs through the film, lines like these remind viewers of the sweetness that runs beneath it all.

Staying in a retirement home can be difficult, and it is clear that some of the residents have grown bored of their routine lives. The movie does a great job of reflecting on mortality and aging in ways both subtle and direct, and moments like these help to center that around soft, relatable charm.

“Now We’ve Got A Real Case To Solve. Isn’t It Wonderful? Obviously RIP And All That.”

There are many true crime fans, and this line of dialogue from Joyce hints at what a twisted fascination that is. Death is a heavy subject, and murder is a horrible crime, and yet it provokes so much joy and passion from characters like the titular club here, when they find themselves caught up in Tony’s murder.

The parallel between these real tensions and the witty and charismatic group are made plain in lines like these. While a life has been lost, and there is real danger that confronts them, the group’s dedication to investigating these cases makes this into an exciting event for them.

It is a bit twisted and this outlook is certainly myopic, but that doesn’t change the fact that murder investigations are a compelling and curious endeavor. Fortunately, this also allows Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim to help do some good with their unique skills.

“I Feel Like We’re In One Of Those Sunday Night Dramas About Two Bright-Eyed, Feisty Old Lady Detectives Outsmarting The Police At Every Turn”

The Thursday Murder Club is not one of the most meta movies ever made, but it is charmingly self-aware. Lines of dialogue like this help to attest to that awareness when Joyce expresses her excitement for working alongside Elizabeth.

There is great joy and excitement in pursuing passions like the characters in the film do, and there is also a strangely cozy ambiance that has permeated certain kinds of detective stories throughout the years. In this dialogue, Joyce helps to contextualize The Thursday Murder Club to audiences, identifying exactly how the film is supposed to feel.

“Always Comes Down To Money In The End”

Ian Ventham and Tony Curran are seen fighting early in the film, and Ron watches from afar. In identifying the point of conflict, he is able to reduce it quite simply with these lines. In the end, the disagreement between the two characters was largely about money, but it was the particulars that mattered to their investigation.

So many mystery cases like this are concerned with finances, but exactly how they affect one another and what they mean are what concern the audiences and the detectives the most. With dialogue like this, Ron shows a general understanding that he later goes on to break down in much greater specificity in the film.

“What Are You Going To Do About The Llamas?”

Ian Ventham makes a presentation at Cooper’s Chase, outlining his plans for the retirement community. He is quick, to the point, and he does not seem to care much about how the residents feel about his plan to sell and redevelop the property. There will be buyouts of a sort, but his plan gives little thought to the smaller details.

A single voice in the crowd speaks up with this funny but important concern. The property has llamas taken care of on it, and Ian’s redevelopment plans do not give any consideration to them.

While this line of dialogue is funny, it also speaks to the smaller and more intimate elements of a place and how people navigate it. There are deeper elements, both human and otherwise, that are deeply affected by Ian’s pursuit of profit.

“Stop Pretending That You’re Not Pleased To See Us Because We Know That You Are”

It cannot be denied that the characters who lead the new film are irresistibly charming. Pierce Brosnan’s Ron brings a rough charm to the story alongside Ben Kingsley’s more demure Ibrahim, but it is Elizabeth, and especially Joyce, who come off as the most endearing.

In making their way into the police station to speak with Donna, the two prove that they are perfectly aware of how likable they are with this excellent line. Whether presenting freshly baked desserts, or lying their way into tense situations, the film’s main heroes are some of the sweetest and most likable characters seen on screen in recent years.

“Goodness Indeed, Joyce, What A Clever Daughter You Somehow Have!”

One of the most enjoyable relationships in The Thursday Murder Club is the one shared between Joyce and Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s disdain for Joyce, seeing her initially as a simpleton with little to offer besides some medical advice and slices of cake, is palpable throughout the runtime, where she drops condescending quips such as this one.

In the end, Joyce becomes an essential and accepted part of the group. However, seeing Elizabeth’s catty remarks, even in compliments like this one, adds to some of the film’s unique charm. It is clear that Elizabeth has been working with Ron and Ibrahim for some time, and she feels some insecurity around letting someone else in.

“It May Be Old, But It Still Works”

Much of the sharp dialogue in the new film reflects not just on the story, but on the larger themes as well. The Thursday Murder Club confronts mortality and aging in some surprising ways, including in showing how Elizabeth’s relationship with her husband and Penny alike has been hampered by their dementia.

This line is a funny one about a cell phone, but it also attests to Elizabeth’s character, and perhaps even some deep insecurities that she harbors. Like the phone, Elizabeth is old, and that will cause some people to see her as outdated. Despite this, she is surprisingly strong, both in will and in body.

The Thursday Murder Club uses the charisma of its stars in order to tell a rich story that engages with some difficult themes. Even the setting, at the retirement home Cooper’s Chase, speaks to the creeping inevitability of aging and death. With smart dialogue, the film earns laughs and thought alike from its difficult subjects.

The Thursday Murder Club

7/10

Release Date

August 28, 2025

Runtime

118 minutes

Director

Chris Columbus

Writers

Katy Brand, Suzanne Heathcote