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| - Old and often used stock phrase with several different variations. The first and most commonly used variant is someone telling another person that the other person reminds them of themselves, especially if they add "When I was younger" onto the end of it. In particular The Hero may say it to a character like a Sidekick, a Hero Worshipper or a Non-Action Guy who just showed some pluck and Got Dangerous, an Innocent Bystander who actually helped out, etc. Most commonly used to show that even if a character is outside the Competence Zone currently, they have potential they may yet fulfill, or that they may grow up to be just like the hero and take up the call. If said by an Anti-Villain, Worthy Opponent, Fallen Hero or Noble Demon, it may be a sign of respect, or wistfulness, since the character saying it may find themselves longing to be that way again. A great way of setting up a Not So Different moment or the possibility for redemption. It's worth noting that this variant often tends to be parodied or subverted. For example an Anti-Hero or Deadpan Snarker may wind up telling someone that it's the bad parts of themselves or the bits about themselves that they loathe that the person is bringing to mind. There are also times when it's said with the implication that the person they're saying it to is a Naive Newcomer who is overly idealistic just like they were at that age, but will have to learn cynicism, just like the person speaking. Many a Broken Pedestal has said it this way. The other variant is the speaker saying that someone reminds them of X, with X possibly being anything from their father or mother, their mentor, a legendary hero, etc. A frequently response to Tell Me About My Father, which is practically guaranteed to provoke a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming. A nastier, more villainish version may include pushing the Relative Button with this. A character with a deceased Love Interest runs into someone who causes a Flashback Echo of his/her former love. The character will often look startled, then say "Sorry, for a moment you reminded me of someone I once knew". The two easily form a connection, foreshadowing a possible future relationship, though one haunted by the tragic end of the previous romance. In the last two variants, you get extra points if you do a Wrong Name Outburst. Examples (Variant 1)
* Miranda Priestly tells this to Andy at the end of The Devil Wears Prada, which only reinforces Andy's decision to quit.
* Michael implies this to a teenage client he helped on an episode of Burn Notice, complete with the show ending with the two of them leaning against his car in the exact same pose.
* Doc Holiday did the Anti-Hero version in Tombstone, saying that Johnny Ringo reminds me him of him, which just means that now Doc really hates Ringo.
* Parodied/subverted in an episode of I'm a Marvel And I'm a DC, when Wolverine tells the Comedian how the Comedian reminds him of himself, then immediately remembers all the things that are different about them.
* Sarevok in Baldur's Gate:
* When Green Lantern, Black Canary and Arsenal teamed up in the events leading to the post-Infinite Crisis. pre-New 52 JLA, Green Lantern thinks how Black Canary thinks it's because Arsenal reminds him of a younger Green Arrow — and that, the reality of it is, that Arsenal reminds him of his own younger self.
* Real Genius:
* An inversion of the trope shows up in Road to Perdition, when Sullivan admits to one of his sons that it was the son that didn't remind him of himself that he loved more.
* In Chris Roberson's Warhammer 40000 Blood Ravens novel Dawn of War II, the two boys they find in the hive remind Thaddeus of himself at that age — partly because he came from the same sort of hive, and partly because they fit the aspirant profile. (When he suggests that they might become Blood Ravens and kill xenos such as killed their mother, they are quite eager to be like him.)
* In the Ciaphas Cain novel Cain's Last Stand, one of Cain's students reminds him of himself. Amusingly (and not at all surprisingly, given his own character), this leads him to view absolutely everything Donal says and does with considerable suspicion.
* Interestingly enough, said student turns out to be quite the model commissar, offering to stay behind (and certainly die) in order to buy time for the others to escape. When he does survive, (but is brain washed) he prefers to commit suicide after being temporarily freed rather than lose his free will again. Should Cain's assessment be on the mark, it would seem to shine a light on Cain's own character.
* The G-Man to Adrian Shepard at the end of Half Life: Opposing Force.
* In Futurama, Zapp Brannigan, king of Metaphorgotten, says this of Fry: "You remind me of a younger me. Not much younger, mind you. Perhaps even a little older."
* The Three Musketeers 1993. "You, boy, are arrogant, hot-tempered, and entirely too bold. I like that, you remind me of me."
* In the first episode of Community, Pierce means it as a compliment when he tells Jeff that Jeff reminds him of younger version of himself, but since Pierce is, putting it gently, a complete tool, Jeff doesn't take it as one.
* Subverted on The Simpsons when Homer gets a job writing fortune cookie fortunes and presents his work to the other writers, one of whom is (for some reason) Woody Allen
* In Next to Normal, Natalie tells Henry "you remind me of me...and how fucked up I can be" to explain why their relationship is struggling.
* Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Tapestry")
* Wall Street
* In Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising, Flak of Black Hole says to Max of Orange Star:
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