Gene I gotta be meh! I gotta be meh!
2nd most-quoted character in The Emoji Movie (2017): in 16 of its 58 quotes
Most scenes with: Jailbreak / Princess Linda (5), Hi-5 (3), Mel (3)
Welcome to the world inside your phone where everyone is expected to act 1 way their whole life.
More lines from Gene
9 quotes Gene Gene Where am I?
Gene [to Hi -5]
This is all my fault! I'm so sorry, Hi-5!
Gene I’m an emoji, I’ve got to have some sort of purpose here.
Gene [to Mel Meh]
No, Dad, I'll make the right face, then I'll finally fit in!
Gene [to Smiler]
I’m not going to run away from this. I made a mistake, but I’m going to fix it.
Gene Maybe I’m meant to have more, than just one emotion.
Gene Everybody can dance.
Gene Hi-5, come on! Let's go!
Scenes with Gene
6 scenes[First lines]
Gene [narrating]: The world we live in... It's so wondrous, mysterious, even... magical. No. N-n-no, not that world. I meant... this one - the smartphone. Each system and program and app are its own little planet of perfect technology, all providing services so necessary, so crucial, so unbelievably profound.
[Scene zooms out of Alex's smartphone to the human world] [gasps]
Look who just sent me a text.
Travis
Addie McCallister? Must be a mistake... or a joke... or a scam! Don't send him your Social Security number!
Dude, shh!! [pushes Travis aside] She's right there! [pulls out his phone to text]
Gene [narrating]: That's our user, Alex. And, like every freshman in high school, his whole life, everything, revolves around his phone.
[Cuts to Alex's classroom] Gene [narrating]: And as the pace of life gets faster and faster...
Mr. Schnoebelen
Phones down in 5!
Gene [narrating]
...and attention spans get shorter and shorter and... You're probably not even listening to me right now. Who has the time to type out actual words? And that's where we come in, the most important invention in the history of communication...
[Zoom in on the texting app to Textopolis] Gene [narrating]: Emojis! That's my home, Textopolis. Here, each of us does one thing, and we have to nail it every time. The Christmas Tree just has to stand there all festive.
Christmas Tree
[hopping on a curb]
Merry Christmas!
Fortune Cookie
[slumps past]
It's still September, Tim!
Gene [Tim blows a raspberry at the fortune cookie; four princess emojis come out of the lingere store] [narrating]
The Princesses.
Oh, I am so ugly and hard!
Gene [narrating]: They just got to wear their crowns and keep their hair combed.
You guys, we are so pretty!
[Pans through showing more emojis doing their jobs] Gene [narrating]: Devil, Poop, Thumbs Up... They just show up, and they're good to go. But for the faces... the pressure is on. Crier always has to cry, even if he's just won the lottery.
Crier
[comes out of the bank in tears]
Hooray, I'm a billionare! [sobs more]
Gene [narrating]: The Laughter is always laughing, even if he's just broken his arm.
Laughter
[laughs loudly, being pushed on a hospital cart]
I bone! [laughs more as he is brought to the ambulance]
[Shows Gene in his apartment, facing a mirror and trying out different neckties] Gene [narrating]: Now, me? I'm Gene Meh. So, I got to be totally over it all the time, you know, like, "Meh, who cares?" Which is not as easy as it sounds... [singing, flips between happy and unamused or "meh" faces] I got to be meh...I got to be meh... [comes out of his apartment, inhales and puts on his meh face as he sees a donut emoji] Mornin', Mrs. D. I see you have the little minis with you. [sees her baby donuts in her pram] Oh, they're so... cute...! [so entranced by their cuteness that he struggles and puts on a hysterical laughter face] THAT IS SO ADORABLE, I CAN'T TAKE IT!!![gives a blowing kiss face, they start screaming loudly as Mrs. D takes them away in anger]
Mrs. D
Now I'll never get them to sleep! Stick to your one face, weirdo!
Flamenca
[Gene comes upon a Flamenco-dancing emoji and dances with her, with a heart eyes face] [dances]
Ole! Ole! Oh no! Oh no!
Gene [narrating]: And it's hard to always act blase, when living in Textopolis is just so exciting. [British accent, to 3 monkey emojis] Hello, good simians. Those are some sharp attaches.
Monkey 1
Yes, well, we have business to attend to.
Gene What kind of business?
Monkey 1
Monkey business.
Gene [They begin screeching and dancing around; Gene monkey noises as he sidles up to a shrimp emoji]
I sounded British! Haha! [puts on meh face] Meh... [normal] Oh, that was really good! [meh face, giggling] Meh...meh-heh-heh-heh... [normal] That was a great...
Shrimp
What'cha doing there, mate?
Gene Practicing! Today is my first day on the phone. Boy. I'm gonna be so "meh"! What are you gonna do?
Shrimp
Aw, me and the boys are gonna throw ourselves on the barbie! Here's my sauce now!
Gene [Shrimp jumps into a goblet full of soy sauce, joining other shrimp emojis]
G'day, mate!
Gene [Gene continues until he comes to Chinatown; he bows to two sushi emojis]
Hey! Konnichiwa!
Gene [They bow back; Gene bumps into three emoticons coming out of the retirement home, two of who lose their colons]
Sorry, emoticons! [helps the :P emoticon up] I hate knocking over the elderly. Here, let me help, let me help. [helps up the >:I emoticon]
Left Emoticon
Ohh...my colon...!
Gene [Gene comes to a clock emoji, whose time shows 8:20]
Is that the time?
Clock
Hey! My eyes are up here, pal?!
Gene [grabs onto a balloon]
Whoohoo!! Whoo!! Yeah! All right!
Gene [Gene flies over Textopolis until he gets to the texting center]
Whoo! [lands] Right on time. [breathes and puts on a meh face; other emojis run away until he approaches an elephant emoji while a hysterical laughter emoji cracks up]
Elephant
So, last week, Alex sends me next to this guy! [he is standing next to a gas emoji]
Gas
Huh? Huh?
Hysterical Laughter
Haha, that kid! Where does he get this stuff?!? [keeps laughing]
Hysterical Laughter
[Gene stares for a moment, then begins laughing hysterically; the other emojis stare at him and stomp away.]
Why are you laughing, freak?! [keeps laughing]
[Gene stops laughing and he frowns sadly as he heads for the doors] Gene [narrating]: Now, unlike me, my parents are total pros.
[The doors open to reveal Mel and Mary Meh, who, unlike Gene, sport meh faces 24/7]
Gene, please tell me you weren't laughing just now... In public?
Gene Uh...
Elephant
[stomping past]
Oh, he was. I remember.
Let's go somewhere more private.
I have some bad news, Gene, and I'm afraid you'll have the wrong reaction.
Gene Okay, what... what's the wrong reaction?
Anything other than "meh." [points at his unamused, blank face]
Mary
Hmm. [points at hers]
Gene Come on! I don't want to be late!
I'm not letting you go to work today.
Gene Wait, what?
You're just not ready, son.
Gene Come on! Working in the cube is an emoji's whole purpose in life! Everybody my age is working on the phone except for me!
Mary
Sweetie, that's not true.
[A toilet flushes; a stall opens and slams Gene in the face, giving him a dazed, x eyes face as Poop and his son Poop Jr. come out]
Yeah! I'm gonna work on the phone, and I'm only 10!
That's because I believe in you!
Should we wash our hands?
We're #2, we're #2! [exit the bathroom]
Gene [returns to normal]
See?! [Mel and Mary look away] I... I know I'm different, okay? But when I need to, I can be meh. [walks to the sink] I just... I want to be a working emoji, you know, like... like everybody else, and then... then I would finally fit in, you know?
Mary
Oh, you fit in, honey.
Gene No, I don't, Mom. I never have. But I can change all that if you'd just let me! Just give me a chance!
But what if you get sent out on the phone, making the wrong face?
Gene No, Dad, I'll make the right face! [looks in the mirror] Look! [makes a rather quizzical face]
Mary
You're so handsome when you make that face. I think he's ready, Mel.
Gene [drops head]
Come on, Dad. Let me prove it to you.
Gene [excitedly]
I am! Yes! Yes, I promise, I won't let you down!
Let's try this one.
[Gene fails over the yellow power eyes beam explodes. Jailbreak and Hi-5 shrieked.]
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!
Gene Jailbreak, hello? Hello, Jailbreak?
Oh. Uh, sorry.
Mary
YouTube?
OMG, this turned it on! [Jailbreak was annoyed] What? I’m a hand. It’s a big red button.
Gene Whoa?
No, no, no, no!
Gene What’s happening?
Akiko Glitter
Welcome to Just Dance! Follow my moves and get to move forward. Do the wrong moves and you get an “X.” Three strikes and you’re out.
Gene "Out"? What does she mean by “out”?
Digital death. Oh, thanks to you, Fingers. Now we're gonna have to dance our way out.
Which is all right with me, ‘cause But I can shake it like Michael. Or Michael’s glove, anyway.
Akiko Glitter
Are you ready to daaaaance?
This is bad, Gene. I can’t dance. I got no groove.
Gene Come on. Everybody can dance.
Gene Okay, stop. Stop.
Gene [to Jailbreak]
I see now what you are saying, just follow her moves.
Akiko Glitter
Ready to dance in three...
This I can’t do.
Akiko Glitter
...two...
Dude?
Oh, just shut up and...
Akiko Glitter
Dance!
I guess someone likes you!
Gene What are you talking about?
Well, she gave me just one peace sign. She gave me just one finger, and I knew she was in love with me.
[his stomach starts rumbling]
Ugh, I'm never eating another piece of candy ever again. [pukes a candy corn out of his mouth]
Gene Hi-5, don't do it. [pause] Don't you do it, it's already been in there once. [pause] Don't do it. [Hi-5 eats the candy corn anyway] Wow...
Move it!
Are my fingers getting fat? I’ll tell you what, this bandage wasn’t so tight before.
Gene [while being stuck in Candy Crush]
Jailbreak! Help me! Where am I?
Announcer
Candy Crush.
Gene What are we gonna do?
Stay very still. Don’t worry. We've got your back. Right, Hi-5? [notices Hi-5 eating candy]
Hey, Fingers! You wanna focus?
For your information, I happen to have a sugar addiction, and it’s a very serious...
Listen, Finger Head! We have to get Gene out of the game without blowing him up.
Gene I don’t want to blow up.
We have to match up the candies, so that Gene will drop to the bottom. And we can't match him with any yellows or else...
