# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/41 "2003-03-17T12:07:09Z")
Hansl & Gretl Brother & sister get lost in the forest. The little mermaid lovestory about a prince and princess. Tom thumb: a little guy finds, to his great delight, a shoe that fits him. Sleeping beauty: A story about a succession of truly persistent gardeners who did unjustly not get rewarded. ---
**Author:** ![RobuSensei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@RobuSensei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobuSensei)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/42 "2003-03-17T12:23:01Z")
Romeo & Juliet: They’re dead. ---
**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, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/43 "2003-03-17T12:41:47Z")
**Gladiator** : An army general deals with the ramifications of being demoted. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/44 "2003-03-17T12:58:03Z")
wait, I can do better then my last post… Tom Thumb: a man of short stature finds a perfect running shoe. The little mermaid: a girl overcomes a severe handicap and finds true love. Hansl & Gretl: Two youths abuse an elderly woman who lives alone in the forest. Sleeping beauty: Gardeners-horror about a enchanted giant thorny hedge. Beauty and the beast: A girl is held hostage by a monster, but is rescued by a prince. The ugly duckling: A young bird tries to fit in in avian society. Jack and the beanstalk: A boy discovers he has a talent for gardening and wins a prize growing a giant beanstalk. ---
**Author:** ![WonTon\_Sean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WonTon\_Sean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WonTon_Sean)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/45 "2003-03-17T13:09:35Z")
Seven: Detectives search for killer. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Teen is sick, stays home from school. Ghostbusters: See title. Spinal Tap: Documentary of a rock band. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/46 "2003-03-17T13:22:13Z")
CATS: Many cats in a junkyard. Sunset Boulevard: Younger man discovers relationships with older women don’t work. The Beautiful Game: Tale of Irish soceer teams. Aspects of Love: Yes, we, we sleep with everyone one-by-one and two-by-two and if you’re in the audience then you’ll sleep too. (with thanks to Gerard Alessandrini and Forbidden Broadway). ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/47 "2003-03-17T16:36:38Z")
_Falling Down_- A man who is having a really bad day takes out his frustrations on society. _Planes, Trains and Automobiles_- A well-meaning but annoying stranger tries to help a man get back home to his family in time for Thanksgiving. _Home Alone_- A boy accidentally left behind by his vacationing family thwarts two bungling burglars from entering his house. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/48 "2003-03-17T17:04:32Z")
The Catcher in the Rye: A kid wanders around New York for a few days. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/49 "2003-03-17T17:51:21Z")
_Oedipus Rex_ - A young man receives some unexpected news about a family reunion. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/50 "2003-03-17T18:25:27Z")
Sadly, some of these _don’t_ miss the point of certain movies… _Signs_ - Aliens attack. _Independence Day_ - Aliens attack. _Mars Attacks!_ - you get the idea. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/51 "2003-03-17T19:51:11Z")
_Deep Throat_. Woman seeks treatment for embarassing medical condition. _Debbie Does Dallas_. High-schoolers raise funds to afford a trip. _Star Wars_. Gay robots have adventures. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/52 "2003-03-17T20:50:03Z")
_City of Lost Children_: An old man meets the boy of his dreams. _Donny Darko_ A young boy learns an important lesson about life from his imaginary rabbit friend. _Gattaca_: Two men work together to get the wimpy one into space. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Fiat\_Lux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Fiat\_Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiat_Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/53 "2003-03-17T22:28:54Z")
_Terminator_: A son carries out an elaborate scheme to set up his mother and a friend _Highlander_: An elderly Scottish immigrant has a series of reunions with old acquaintances ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/54 "2003-03-17T22:54:43Z")
_The Scarlet Letter_: A woman’s bad fashion sense causes difficulty in a small New England town… ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/55 "2003-03-17T23:45:25Z")
_The Sixth Sense_: Boy has trouble with his vision. _Se7en_: Some sinners are caught out. _Dude, where’s my car?_: Where’s his car? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/56 "2003-03-18T00:21:21Z")
**UHF** : An unemployed young man and his friend take control of a failing television station. **Animal Farm** : Animals hate humans and revolt, but the pigs have different ideas. **The Lion in Winter** : King Henry II has trouble picking a successor. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/57 "2003-03-18T00:48:22Z")
- The Stranger \*: Man commits murder because of heatstroke. - The Fountainhead \*: Unsuccessful architect engages in a sadomasochistic relationship with frigid rich girl. - Rushmore \*: Boy enjoys school. - National Lampoon’s Vacation \*: Family drives to amusement park. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/58 "2003-03-18T01:22:51Z")
_Superman: The Movie_. Real estate can be a good investment if you know when to buy. _Batman_. Wealthy industrialist economizes by driving Plymouth Valiant, gives reporter a grant. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/59 "2003-03-18T02:55:16Z")
Hmmm, I thought I’d covered the whole trilogy before. Let me try again: **Star Wars** : A young man travels to a large space station to pick up his sister. **The Empire Strikes Back** : A young man travels to a refinery to talk to his father. **Return of the Jedi** : A young man travels to a large space station to talk to his father’s boss. **The Shining** : A boy meets many interesting new people while staying with his family in a Colorado hotel. **Miller’s Crossing** : A Chicago man struggles to keep control over his hat. **The Exorcist** : An actress has trouble controlling her teenaged daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774/60 "2003-03-18T04:47:12Z")
**The Count of Monte Cristo** - A man escapes from prison and seeks revenge. **Frequency** - A son saves his father’s life, and they talk about baseball. **Star Trek IV** - The crew of the Enterprise take an interest in marine life. **Robocop** - A police officer gets some new equipment and goes after a gang. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-sentence-summaries-that-miss-the-point/161774.md?page=4)