5. True Romance

Maybe it’s that flattering, rosy neon glow, or the head rush from a sticky sweet milkshake chugged too fast, but the air of romantic possibility often lingers at a late-night greasy spoon. It was hard to pick a scene where two characters first fall in love, but I’m happy with the first date between Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) and Alabama Whitman (Patricia Arquette) in Tony Scott’s romantic crime caper True Romance.

4. Seven

Amidst the horrific violence and terrifying gloom of David Fincher's psychological thriller, the more nuanced moments providing a glimpse into the characters’ motivations get forgotten. This heart wrenching, frank excerpt, mostly spoken by Morgan Freeman’s William R. Somerset, should have garnered him some kind of award.

3. The Sopranos

Obviously, the ending to the seminal series has been hotly debated, some calling it brilliant, while others called it a cop-out. What can’t be argued is that for Tony Soprano and his family, it’s a very rare moment of normalcy. To an outside observer, this could be just any old family getting together for a meal in a completely mundane looking diner, and that is what makes this scene especially memorable.

2. Hudsucker Proxy

When it comes to people watching, it’s even more fun when you make up stories about the strangers surrounding you. This scene from Coen Brothers’ underrated Hudsucker Proxy is all about the clever banter between two cabbies, narrating the encounter between sly reporter Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her mark, the hapless business man Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins.) “Enter the dame...”

1. Mulholland Drive

Were I completely lacking in self-restraint, this list would be comprised entirely of clips from David Lynch’s movies and Twin Peaks. The director has consistently managed to take run-of-the-mill moments and fill them with a mesmerizing unease. In this scene from Mulholland Drive, the tension builds to a scary crescendo as one friend recounts a nightmare that has brought him to Winkie’s to face his demons, maybe quite literally.

Some other honorable mentions: The “Delirium” segment from Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee & Cigarettes; the “Hold the chicken” bit from Five Easy Pieces; the discussion of tipping from Reservoir Dogs; and dozens others, which I’ve been sporadically documenting in a Tumblr blog.

What are some of your favorite diner scenes?

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I'll Have What She's Having: 5 of the Best Diner Scenes Ever