Lost in Love (2005)

Richard Griffiths: Tierney

Quotes 

• Tierrney : Have you discovered Ouzo, yeah?

  Eric : Actually, I don't drink...

  Tierrney : Aww... When God made the grape, He said, "Give it to the Greeks, they know what to do with it."

  Tierrney : [Holding a bottle of Ouzo]  Look at that: one hundred percent Greek - produced nowhere else on the planet. It's not just a drink, it's a way of life. It's a passport to life. Yes. It's the lubricant that smoothes out the rough patches on these roads. It's a smile, laddie. A laugh. A salute to the sun and the breeze and the color of the sea. Here, take a whiff.

  Eric : [Sniffs the glass, not showing much interest]  I'm sure it's...

  Tierrney : [Cutting him off]  Distilled, right? Right! And not a drop of sugar added, so, no awkward ghastly side effects, and no hangovers. It's a bloody miracle. What a pity your father never acquired a taste for it.

• Eric : [Curious about how the work is going at Tierney's current archeological dig site]  When's the last time you made a find?

  Tierrney : Last time I made one? Or last time I reported one? See, the sad truth is, old boy, we've been experiencing diminishing returns. The well went dry some time ago. Well, *almost* dry... We do find bits of moisture every now and then.

  Eric : I'm not following you...

  Tierrney : Well, the stuff we're producing these days - most of it, anyway - is "used goods": stuff we found two years ago. Three, even.

  Eric : You're telling me you didn't report it at the time you found it?

  Tierrney : Well, some of it, not all. By holding a few of the objects back from time to time, don't you see, we can "discover" them when we want to - or "need" to. So we keep the funds flowing in this direction.

  Eric : I see.

  Tierrney : Well, it's not just MY life I'm talking about. There's an industry here. It's nothing grand, but it's better than being unemployed. What would you have me do, chuck it? What, the equipment, the jobs, the welfare, the ouzo?