# One sentence summaries that miss the point. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2003, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774 "2003-03-16T09:15:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_the\_CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_the\_CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_the_CC)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/21 "2003-03-16T19:04:08Z")
Drug Addicted Slackers. I heard they’re awesome live. ::runs away:: ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/22 "2003-03-16T19:44:29Z")
Third Man: A writer meets an old friend at off-beat Vienna locations. Princess Mononoke: Young man tries to remove scar from his arm. Lawrence of Arabia: Eccentric Englishman travels around the Middle-East with his Arab friends. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/23 "2003-03-16T20:09:07Z")
_Hamlet_: College kid comes to terms with father’s death, mother’s remarriage. _King Lear_: Old man’s retirement plan causes no end of headaches for his daughters. _Richard III_: Deformed, embittered man takes it out on others. ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/24 "2003-03-17T00:12:18Z")
Another **TV Guide** gem. Star Trek (TOS) episode “_Amok Time_”: Spock gets the mating urge and attacks Captain Kirk ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/25 "2003-03-17T01:02:37Z")
A Christmas Carol: Insomniac business owner buys X-mas gifts 2001: Apes fight, astronauts go to space with talking computer Titanic: Elderly woman recalls maiden voyage, shows breasts Dr. Strangelove: Air Force general campaigns for clean water. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/26 "2003-03-17T02:06:27Z")
**LA Confidential** : The lives of three policemen intersect. **Raiders of the Lost Ark** : An archeologist searches for an ancient relic. **Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan** : Kirk meets an old girlfriend. **Planet of the Apes** : An astronaut discovers a planet where the humans can’t talk. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/27 "2003-03-17T02:15:39Z")
These actually appeared in a local paper’s TV listings: _The Stepford Wives_: two women wonder why the other housewives are behaving like robots. _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea_: Captain Nemo shows everyone his giant submarine. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/28 "2003-03-17T02:31:56Z")
“Deliverance”- Four Atlanta men go on a canoe trip, meet interesting backwoods people, play some music, and learn something about themselves in the process. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/29 "2003-03-17T02:38:00Z")
This is a real one, too: The Flintstones (1994): Fred, Barney, Wilma and Betty live in Bedrock. And even though it’s two sentences, you’ve always got to love this well-known (and most likely apocryphal) movie description: The Wizard of Oz (1939): A young girl enters a strange land and kills the first person she meets. She then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/30 "2003-03-17T03:25:53Z")
_The Manchurian Candidate_: A soldier has bad dreams and helps a friend play solitaire. _The African Queen_: Bogart and Hepburn take a cruise downriver. _The Bridge on the River Kwai_: British soldiers encounter difficulties building a bridge. ---
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/31 "2003-03-17T03:39:23Z")
_Dude, Where’s my car?_: Two young gentelmen misplace their vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/32 "2003-03-17T03:49:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjk \* > \*\* > _The African Queen_: Bogart and Hepburn take a cruise downriver. > \*\* _Apocalypse Now_: Sheen takes a trip upriver to visit Brando. It was Sheen that played the main character, right? It’s been a long time since I saw the movie. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/33 "2003-03-17T04:33:46Z")
_Brave New World_: Lost son of government official is rescued and returned to civilization. _1984_: Profoundly alienated individual is given therapy and becomes well adjusted to society. - The Story of O\*: Young woman dumps lover for older man who gives her jewelry. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/34 "2003-03-17T05:15:07Z")
Clerks: A young man goes to work, although he was not scheduled to work that day. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/35 "2003-03-17T05:17:32Z")
Snatch: Two young men attemt to get a fair deal on a mobile home. One of them likes dogs. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/36 "2003-03-17T05:19:36Z")
A young woman pretends she knows how to spell “attempt” ---
**Author:** ![SnugTheJoiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@SnugTheJoiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnugTheJoiner)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/37 "2003-03-17T05:29:13Z")
This one is absolutely true, from a local newspaper’s TV listings many years ago. I’ve always remembered it. EQUUS (Movie: Richard Burton, Peter Firth) A stablehand’s infatuation with horses interferes with his sex life. ---
**Author:** ![Fibber\_McGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Fibber\_McGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibber_McGee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/38 "2003-03-17T06:02:00Z")
Being John Malkovitch: An actor receives some unwanted visitors. The Shining: A man seeks solitude in which to write the Great American Novel. Dog Day Afternoon: A man goes to the bank to make a withdrawal. Fatal Attraction: A man has an extramarital affair. Three Men and a Baby: See Title. Vampire in Brooklyn: See Title. ---
**Author:** ![Fibber\_McGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Fibber\_McGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibber_McGee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/39 "2003-03-17T06:13:56Z")
Gremlins: A man buys his son an unusual Christmas present. A Nightmare on Elm Street: Several teenagers have bad dreams. Hellraiser: A puzzle box is opened. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Some people get lost while driving through Texas. Willard: A man raises rats as pets. Halloween: A young man returns to his childhood home. Scream: The story of two young men who take movies way too seriously. The Ring: A woman watches a videotape. The Bad Seed: A young girl is very naughty. Natural Born Killers: Two young lovers go on a cross-country road trip. Resevoir Dogs: Unforseen complications mar a trip to the jewelry store. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/40 "2003-03-17T11:45:41Z")
Existenz : man and video game inventor avoid people who dislike the game. Playing God: former doctor offered new clients. The Money Pit: couple invest in a fixer-upper. Shindler’s List: man operates factory during WWII. Session 9: men remodel former mental hospital. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774.md?page=3)