“Can I Buy You a Fish Sandwich?” – The Iconic Pickup Line from The Ladies Man

In the 2000 comedy film The Ladies Man, comedian Tim Meadows plays the smooth-talking, sexually promiscuous radio host Leon Phelps. One of Leon’s most memorable lines in the movie is when he tries to pick up an attractive woman by asking “Can I buy you a fish sandwich?” This bizarre absurd pickup line has become an iconic and oft-quoted moment from the movie.

The Origin and Context of the Fish Sandwich Line

Early in the film, Leon is shown attempting to pick up various women using his questionable seduction skills. In one scene, he spots an attractive blonde woman walking down the street. Leon sidles up next to her and breaks the ice with his signature opening gambit: “Say, sweet thang, can I buy you a fish sandwich?”

The woman gives Leon an incredulous look and hurries away without responding. Leon then turns to his buddy Scrap Iron and boasts that he gave the woman “a little preview of the goods” by showing her his penis.

This short but memorable sequence establishes Leon’s outlandish, overconfident personality as a self-proclaimed expert at meeting women. The bizarre non-sequitur of offering to buy a random stranger a fish sandwich highlights Leon’s absurd, off-beat seduction style.

Why a Fish Sandwich? The Possible Meaning Behind Leon’s Pickup Line

So why did Leon Phelps choose to offer the purchase of a fish sandwich as an icebreaker with an attractive lady? There are a few possible layers of subtext and meaning behind this unorthodox pickup tactic:

• It acts as a non-threatening offer of food, indicating Leon wants to get to know the woman better over a meal.

• The absurdity and randomness of the request is meant to be disarming and humorous. Leon likely uses humor to catch women off guard.

• On a more vulgar level, “fish sandwich” could be interpreted as a sexual double entendre referring to the woman’s genitalia. Leon is essentially offering to perform oral sex on her.

• Ordering fish sandwiches together implies a casual intimacy, like Leon and the woman are already on a lunch date together. This presumptuous familiarity is part of Leon’s seduction strategy.

• The off-beat humor masks Leon’s lecherous intentions underneath an outward guise of just being friendly.

So while on the surface it’s just a silly, absurd line, the fish sandwich pickup attempt is actually Leon cleverly deploying various psychological and comedic tactics to hit on women.

Leon Phelps’ Character in The Ladies Man

As demonstrated by the fish sandwich line, Leon Phelps is portrayed in the movie as a satirical caricature of overt male bravado and hyper-sexualized masculinity.

Tim Meadows originally developed the character in a series of popular Saturday Night Live sketches during his tenure on the show in the 1990s. The sketches portrayed Leon as the host of a smooth-talking radio call-in show giving outrageous love advice and bragging about his sexual prowess.

In The Ladies Man movie, Leon is fired from his radio show after it is revealed that he had affairs with many of the wives of the show’s sponsors. Forced out of a job, Leon has to move in with his widow aunt and start seeking meaningful romantic connections for the first time, rather than just meaningless flings.

The over-confident, womanizing attitude Leon displays in the fish sandwich line represents his immature notion of romance at the start of the film before he evolves into a more sensitive, nuanced lover.

Why the Pickup Line Became So Popular and Memorable

A few key factors contributed to Leon telling a woman “Can I buy you a fish sandwich?” becoming one of the most iconic lines from the movie:

• Tim Meadows’ smooth, deadpan delivery makes the bizarre line unexpectedly funny.

• It’s such an odd, random thing to say that it takes audiences by surprise and sticks in their memory.

• The line so succinctly and humorously encapsulates Leon’s outlandish personality and seduction methods.

• Leon selling himself as a lothario by offering to buy a fish sandwich highlights the absurdity of typical male pickup artist attitudes.

• The combination of cocky bravado and silly non-sequitur creates an unforgettable comedy moment.

• Lines with sexual undertones often tend to gain traction in pop culture as provocative punchlines.

Thanks to this perfect storm, Leon telling women he wants to buy them fish sandwiches became an iconic film quote audiences couldn’t help but remember and repeat.

Legacy and Pop Culture Influence of the Fish Sandwich Line

Even though The Ladies Man was not a huge hit at the box office, Leon Phelps’ fish sandwich pickup line left a lasting impact:

• The line is still regularly referenced in lists of famous movie quotes years later.

• Other comedians and pop culture figures have kept the joke alive with their own interpretations and parodies of the line.

• It remains one of the most quoted lines from Tim Meadows’ career.

• The non-sequitur humor has inspired some dating app and social media users to try using bizarre food-based pickup lines.

• The fish sandwich scene encapsulates an entire comedic sensibility that resonated outside just the specific movie.

• Leon asking if he can buy women fish sandwiches is arguably the single most remembered joke from the entire Ladies Man franchise.

While Leon Phelps was not able to seduce any women with his fish sandwich line in the film, it succeeded in permanently seducing audiences and joining the pantheon of classic movie quotes. Nearly 25 years later, Leon’s bizarre food-based pickup gambit remains an iconic comedy moment that memorably established him as The Ladies Man.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Fish Sandwich Line

Here are some common questions people have about the iconic fish sandwich pickup line from The Ladies Man:

When did Leon first use the fish sandwich line?

Tim Meadows as Leon Phelps first debuted the fish sandwich line in a 1997 Saturday Night Live sketch. It was incorporated into The Ladies Man movie in 2000.

Is Leon’s line meant as a sexual metaphor?

It’s implied that Leon may be using the fish sandwich line as a euphemism for performing oral sex on a woman. But it’s purposefully left vague.

Does Leon ever successfully seduce women in the movie?

Leon largely strikes out with women through most of the film until he evolves into a more sensitive lover by the end. The fish sandwich line represents his earlier unsuccessful methods.

Is “fish sandwich” a common slang term?

Outside of The Ladies Man, “fish sandwich” does not have any widespread sexual connotation in slang. The line’s humor stems from this lack of any obvious metaphoric meaning.

How does the woman react to Leon in the scene?

The woman Leon propositions with the fish sandwich line looks puzzled and walks away without acknowledging him as Leon obliviously celebrates the exchange.

So in the brief but memorable fish sandwich scene, audiences get great insight into the overconfident yet bumbling pickup artist character of Leon Phelps that made him an enduring comedic icon.