Original artwork, not a still
E-mail is for geeks and pedophiles.
— Cruel Intentions · 1999
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A throwaway late-1990s sneer, funny now because it is so confidently wrong: it dates the film to the years when e-mail still felt nerdy, and Sebastian's idea of romance is the handwritten letter, which he uses as a weapon. The line sums up the film's arrogance, and survives as a meme about how fast technology scorn ages.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Cruel IntentionsShow the scene
Cruel Intentions (1999), in the stretch of the film where Sebastian and his stepsister Kathryn are manipulating Cecile Caldwell's circle. Kathryn has just exposed the romance between Cecile and her cello teacher Ronald, and Cecile's mother has fired him. Ronald comes to the pair worried that he cannot get near Cecile and does not even have her e-mail address. The line is the cool reply, followed straight away by advice to write another love letter. Sebastian and Kathryn promise to see it gets delivered, and the letter becomes the lure Sebastian uses against Cecile.
Sources (2)
- Cruel Intentions, fan transcript (Springfield! Springfield!)scene with Ronald, after the confrontation with Mrs CaldwellReference checked
- Wikipedia: Cruel Intentions, plotPlot sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
