A man in a wide-brimmed hat and a woman with a clipboard chat by a muddy jeep near a huge jungle gate.

Original artwork, not a still

Alan

Are you married?

— Jurassic Park • 1993

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

A small, funny character beat that sets up Ian Malcolm in two answers: a chaos theorist whose personal life is its own chaos. It also gives Grant, the man who scares kids at digs, a reason to be baffled. Fans quote the reply, 'Occasionally', far more than the question, and the question is what people ask when they want that reply back.

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In context

Spoilers for Jurassic ParkShow the scene

On the ride back to the visitor centre after the first tour of Jurassic Park (1993), Dr. Alan Grant, who dislikes children, learns that the mathematician Ian Malcolm has three kids and loves them. Grant, surprised, asks if Malcolm is married. Malcolm answers "Occasionally", adding that he is always on the lookout for a future ex-Mrs. Malcolm. He then asks whether Dr. Sattler is available, and when Grant's answer shows she is with him, apologises and backs off.

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