Badly described movies: a quiz round

Badly described movies are a pub quiz staple for good reason: they're funny to read out, satisfying to solve, and tend to get the whole room laughing. The format is simple: describe a film's plot in a technically accurate but deliberately misleading way, then watch teams argue about whether Wall-E really counts as a story about workplace theft.

These 14 questions work well as a standalone picture round alternative or mixed into a general entertainment round.

The questions

Q1: An older sister steals her little sister's place on live TV.

Ans: The Hunger Games (Katniss volunteers as tribute to take Prim's place)

Q2: A man is forced to participate in the rescue of a hostage by a government that has turned his residence into a refugee camp.

Ans: Shrek (Lord Farquaad dumps the fairy tale creatures in his swamp; the hostage is Princess Fiona) Credit

Q3: A man beats himself up over his midlife crisis.

Ans: Fight Club

Q4: A family road trip goes wrong when Dad refuses to ask for directions and everyone almost freezes to death.

Ans: The Shining (Jack Torrance takes a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel)

Q5: A young girl is kidnapped by a group of senior citizens and forced into domestic labour.

Ans: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Q6: A child befriends an illegal immigrant and helps him phone home.

Ans: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Q7: A little guy works overtime while also stealing body parts from his dead coworkers before ditching his job to go on a cruise with his unconscious girlfriend.

Ans: WALL-E Credit

Q8: A group of coworkers take a really long nap to save a business empire.

Ans: Inception

Q9: An old guy tries reclaiming his favourite piece of jewellery.

Ans: The Lord of the Rings (Sauron just wants his ring back) Credit

Q10: An elderly man avoids moving house by illegally transporting a minor across international borders.

Ans: Up (Carl Fredricksen kidnaps Russell and flies to Venezuela)

Q11: An employee visits his wife's workplace after hours and encounters unexpected resistance.

Ans: Die Hard (John McClane just wanted to see his wife at the office Christmas party)

Q12: A billionaire devotes his fortune to cosplay and beating up the mentally ill.

Ans: Batman (also accept The Dark Knight or any Batman film)

Q13: A mentally challenged woman helps a single father track down his abducted son.

Ans: Finding Nemo (Dory has short-term memory loss; Marlin is looking for Nemo)

Q14: A health code violation creates a culinary masterpiece.

Ans: Ratatouille

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