The Search for John Gissing (2001)

Mike Binder: Matthew Barnes

Photos 

Quotes 

• John Gissing : Are they in Hannigan's office? Gwyneth and Fuller and that lot?

  Matthew Barnes : Yeah. Hannigan's office, yeah.

  John Gissing : And Fuller's office is empty?

  Matthew Barnes : Yeah.

  John Gissing : Good, because I have to go and urinate in that chair of his.

  Matthew Barnes : Good. Ok, you do that.

• Matthew Barnes : You know what's a word we don't use a lot, and it's a shame because it's a good word. Buggered.

  John Gissing : Really? You don't use that word?

  Matthew Barnes : Never caught on with the Americans. Too bad, cause it's a good word, a good multipurpose word. You guys use it to describe sex, right?

  John Gissing : One particular variation, yes.

  Matthew Barnes : And for getting screwed over? Like in this case here it would be correct for me to say John, you really buggered me.

• Matthew Barnes : Business is the new war. My generation - we didn't have a battle to fight. We were the fortunate ones. No World War II. Missed Vietnam. Too old for Desert Storm. So this - my career and what I make of my life - is the battle of my life. This is my war. And the enemy has a nun that's willing to "blow" me.

• [first lines] 

  Matthew Barnes : The fact that we weren't met at Heathrow was frustrating, I can't deny that. But when you work for one of these international conglomerates like I do you kind of expect that every now and then there'll be a paper jam that takes your life along with it.

• [last lines] 

  Matthew Barnes : The truth is I don't know what my war is, I don't know what's on the horizon. I just know that for this one moment here, for the first time in a long time, everything has worked out wonderfully.

• Matthew Barnes : This can go one of two ways. I can give you fifty pounds, or I can tell you a really good story about life and people and the hollow, hungry, heartless times that you and I are living in.

  Donny : I'll have to go with the fifty quid.

  Matthew Barnes : I could have phoned that one in from the couch.

• Linda Barnes : I don't like that guy.

  Matthew Barnes : Who, Fuller? He's just French. I'm sure normally he's a nice guy.

  Linda Barnes : Yeah, I'm sure he's a saint.

• Matthew Barnes : [on the phone]  Mother. We are fine!

  Linda Barnes : No! No! You cannot use the word "fine" until we get you a dictionary and you learn the meaning of "fine" 'cause you confuse it with the word "fucked." We are "fucked" my friend. Not "fine." Fucked.

• Linda Barnes : What did he say?

  Matthew Barnes : What did he say? He said your brother is a loser and a stoner.

• Linda Barnes : I've gotta ask you a question, and it's a simple question so don't get angry. Why would you come to another country with so little cash?

  Matthew Barnes : Why? A, Because the cash I do have doesn't work in this bizarro country, Ok? And B, because I was given information by a psycho asshole who basically said he was going to pick me up and ferret my dizzy ass around London. So I didn't need any cash. That's why. How about you, Travel dot com? What's your excuse? How come don't have any cash on you?

  Linda Barnes : Oh my God! What did I say before we left the house? I said Hey Mat, should I go to the bank and get some cash? And you said no, we won't need any cash because I've got a psycho asshole who's going to ferret my dizzy ass all around London. We don't need cash.

  Matthew Barnes : Ok. Fine. You said that. Ok.

• Linda Barnes : Why didn't you just say it was John Gissing? Because you don't want to look bad?

  Matthew Barnes : Honey, the man just got a toilet's eye view of my ass, how much worse could I look?