This is a rather interesting and humorous quote from Jack Nicholson. The origin of the quote in unclear, whether he uttered it during an interview or said it in some sort of press release. In any case, the quote says a lot about Jack, his mother, and life in general.
First of all, with what we know about Jack Nicholson and his attitude and the types of characters he usually plays, can't you just see Jack Nicholson saying this quote, and see his mother calling him that from time to time? Just picturing in my mind his mother yelling at Jack on the phone "You don't call me often enough, you son of a bitch!" is enough to stir a giggle from me. It makes me wonder how many mothers of sons have insulted their offspring in such a manner without actually thinking about what the insult means.
It raises another question: has the insult lost all of its original meaning? Do people realize when he or she is spouting the insult at somebody it really means they're calling their mother a bitch? At one point in history did the slight lose its original context?
I would love for my mother to call me that just once so I could throw that back in her face!
toalight says: "It's from As Good As It Gets, and if you've seen that, it should be obvious why his mother used to call him that ;)"
Thanks, toalight! Now the mystery is solved!