Everyone knows IMDb, the Internet Movie Database, is a bastion of knowledge and random trivia. Of late, it’s turned into something of a game around the Hil-Billie non-residence–specifically, the glory of the plot keywords. The game goes something like this: find a random movie, read the plot keywords aloud, and attempt to stump your companion. When they relent, and you reveal the movie title, it is usually met with a collective laugh. Try it, it’s fun! Here are a few samples of well-known movie plot keywords (answers after the jump):
1. Sports Car/Alcoholic Mother/Gorilla/Nipple/Chimpanzee
2. Woman Taking off Pants/Singing in Car/Violence against Child/Blonde/Homophobic Violence
3. Loss of Daughter/Death of Daughter/Joke/Second Chance/Regret
4. Tastes Like Chicken Joke/Tragic Incident/Male Female Relationship/No Opening Credits/Talking Animal
5. Pessimist/Sex/Christmas Tree/Christmas/Double Date
1. The Graduate (It’s been a few years since I’ve seen this, but where were the primates? I can understand missing a chimpanzee, but gorillas are pretty big, and apparently this movie contains both.)
2. American Beauty
3. Finding Nemo (Wasn’t Nemo a boy, and therefore a son, anyway?)
4. The Lion King (Herein lies the beauty of plot keywords. Who in their right mind sits down one night and says, “You know, hon, Citizen Kane on DVD sounds okay, but what I’d REALLY love is to watch a movie that contains a ‘tastes like chicken’ joke. Let’s check IMDb!”)
5. When Harry Met Sally
Steve Wieland
fsford
timhilton
smahieu
Morgan N. Engling
maryiowa
jaimiesuzi
jarens
kevinjames
brieanne
lcm
Andrew
sandista
enwinfield
The scene from The Graduate with the primates is right after Benjamin follows Elaine up to Berkeley. She’s going to meet up with her new boyfriend in front of the primate area at the zoo. Benjamin and Elaine have some pretty quality lines in that scene.
Elaine: Benjamin, I would like to know
what you’re doing here?
Benjamin: Here? In Berkeley?
Elaine: Yes.
Benjamin: Well, I have this very pleasant room on Carter
Street, and I’ve been getting to some classes.
Elaine: But you’re not enrolled.
Benjamin: No, I just sit in. They don’t seem to mind. They’ve been very congenial about it.
There is also a nice little moment after Elaine walks off with her new beau and Benjamin is sitting there all alone. Scarborough Fair (great song) is playing and they get some shots of the primates (including a gorilla!). So there you have it: a long-winded answer to a rhetorical question (I may have seen The Graduate one, or a dozen, too many times… great movie).
Wow, good call. I’m thoroughly impressed. Still, though, all the iconic parts of that movie, and they choose “gorilla” and “chimpanzee”? Why not “leg in stockings” or “plastics”?
Fun game!! I’ll add it to my list with youtubing Scrubs and Harvey Birdman.