The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Sacha Baron Cohen: Abbie Hoffman

Photos 

Quotes 

• Judge Julius Hoffman : And the record should reflect, that defendant Hoffman and I are not related.

  Abbie Hoffman : [sarcastic]  Father, no!

  Judge Julius Hoffman : [bangs his gavel]  Mr. Hoffman, are you familiar with contempt of court?

  Abbie Hoffman : It's practically a religion for me, sir.

• William Kunstler : Do you know why you're on trial here?

  Abbie Hoffman : We carried certain ideas across state lines. Not machine guns or drugs or little girls. Ideas. When we crossed from New York to New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Ohio to Illinois, we had certain ideas. And for that, we were gassed, beaten, arrested, and put on trial.

• Abbie Hoffman : In 1861, Lincoln said in his inaugural address: 'When the people shall grow weary of their constitutional right to amend their government, they shall exert their revolutionary right to dismember and overthrow that government.' And if Lincoln had given that speech in Lincoln Park last summer, he'd be put on trial with the rest of us.

  William Kunstler : So, how do you overthrow or dismember, as you say, your government peacefully?

  Abbie Hoffman : In this country, we do it every four years.

• Richard Schultz : Do you have contempt for your government?

  Abbie Hoffman : I think the institutions of our democracy are wonderful things, that right now are populated by some terrible people.

  Richard Schultz : Please answer the question.

  Abbie Hoffman : Tell me again?

  Richard Schultz : Do you have contempt for your government?

  Abbie Hoffman : I'll tell you, Mr. Schultz, it's nothing compared to the contempt my government has for me.

• Reporter Jack : How much is it worth to you? What's your price?

  Abbie Hoffman : To call off the revolution?

  Reporter Jack : What's your price?

  Abbie Hoffman : My life.

• Abbie Hoffman : That's right, we're not goin' to jail because of what we did, we're goin' to jail because of who we are!

• Richard Schultz : When you came to Chicago, were you hoping for a confrontation with the police?

  [pause] 

  Richard Schultz : I'm concerned you have to think about it.

  Abbie Hoffman : Give me a moment, would you, friend? I've never been on trial for my thoughts before.

• Tom Hayden : Are we using the trial to defend ourselves against very serious charges that could land us in prison for ten years, or to say a pointless "fuck you" to the establishment?

  Jerry Rubin : Fuck you!

  Tom Hayden : That is what I was afraid... Wait, I don't know if you were saying "fuck you" or answering.

  Abbie Hoffman : ...I was also confused.

• Abbie Hoffman : Winning elections, that's the first thing on your wish list? Equality, justice, education, poverty and progress, they're second?

  Tom Hayden : If you don't win elections, it doesn't matter what's second. And it is astonishing to me that someone still has to explain that to you.

• Abbie Hoffman : This is a political trial that was already decided for us. Ignoring that reality is just weird to me.

  William Kunstler : There are civil trials, and there are criminal trials. There's no such thing as a political trial.

  Abbie Hoffman : [scoffs]  Okay...

• Abbie Hoffman : A guy once said, "I am come to set a man at variance with his father. And the daughter against her mother." You know who said it? It was Jesus Christ. Matthew 10:34"

• Abbie Hoffman : You think we were responsible?

  Richard Schultz : I think you got the result you were looking for.

  Abbie Hoffman : So did Nixon.

  Richard Schultz : How about that.

• Abbie Hoffman : [to Dave, Jerry , Rennie, Daphne and their supporters about the crowd behind them]  Keep 'em movin'. Dave and I are gonna to stay and make Tom's bail.

  Rennie Davis : [shouting to the crowd]  Back to the park.

  Abbie Hoffman : [quietly to Dave]  I don't carry money, do you?

  David Dellinger : I do. I'm a grown man.

• Rennie Davis : You don't send a woman to, to ensorcel me...

  Abbie Hoffman : What?

  Rennie Davis : It means "to enchant"!

  Abbie Hoffman : Oh.

  Rennie Davis : ...only to have her crush my soul!

  Richard Schultz : How long did you two know each other?

  Rennie Davis : Ninety-three hours. Could have been a lifetime.

  Richard Schultz : For a fruit fly. Enjoy your weekend.

  Rennie Davis : Is... is that even ethical? Aren't there ethics rules?

  Abbie Hoffman : Did she engage with you sexually?

  Rennie Davis : We were taking it slow.

• Tom Hayden : Is that Jerry?

  Rennie Davis : [on the phone]  Yeah.

  Tom Hayden : Tell him to tell Abbie we're going to Chicago to end the war and not to fuck around.

  Rennie Davis : [into the phone]  Tom says to tell Abbie that we're going to Chicago to end the war and not to fuck around.

  Jerry Rubin : Hayden says we're going to Chicago to end the war and not to fuck around.

  Abbie Hoffman : Tell Hayden that I went to Brandeis and I can do both.