Get ready for the game
sensation that is sweeping the nation!*
(*Please note, this game has
yet to sweep this or any nation. But when it does, I would like full copyright
benefits. Also, I would like it to be called Ken’s Movie Game. Catchy, right? Well, I got my degree in
advertising – so yep, I know some things.)
Back in 1996, my friend Steve
and I were coerced by our wives into attending some sort of “party.” (Some
multi-level-marketing shtick, featuring beauty products.) I don’t remember the
entire theme, but I do remember at one point both of us soaking our fingers in
adjoining bowls, in preparation for manicures. I can’t say it was my proudest
moment, but Steve and I had been friends since before puberty, so it wasn’t the
first time we’d found ourselves in a situation that would never be discussed
afterwards. (Like the time we decidedly kicked a fellow Scouter out of our tentat Scout Camp, so a younger Scouter with a much more attractive sister could
stay in our tent and tell us what she might be looking for in a rugged,
almost-Eagle Scout. That was probably the least talked about incident, pre-manicure.)
Anyway, we started talking
about movie previews. And then we started talking about how often you see a tag
line on a poster or preview that says:
If you liked _____, you’ll
love ______.
You’ve seen them.
“If you liked Rocky, you’ll
love Hoosiers…”
“If you liked Pretty Woman,
you’ll love Green Card…”
“If you liked The Godfather,
you’ll love Goodfellas…”
And so forth.
So out of an awkward moment
of pampering, and all in the name of comedy, a game was created where we would
try to come up with movie tag lines that connected two movies in name only (or a nebulous association),
but not really in any other similarities. In other words, the movies had to
have a similar word in the title, but would actually be almost polar opposite
in subject.
Steve had the first one:
If you liked Dirty Dancing,
you’ll love Dances with Wolves.
It took off from there.
If you liked Sleepless in
Seattle, you'll love Sleeping with the Enemy.
If you liked Fight Club,
you'll love The Joy Luck Club.
If you liked Lilo &
Stitch, you’ll love Thelma & Louise!
If you liked Polar Express,
you’ll love Pineapple Express!
Now, player beware. Sometimes
you will think of titles that actually are similar in name as well as subject, and I won’t be there to referee in person, but
you should know that that just doesn't work. Example: If you liked Superman Returns, you’ll love Batman Returns. (If you actually liked one of these movies, you would probably like the other.
So it’s true, not funny. Thus, no points. More appropriately would be: If you
liked Superman Returns, you’ll love Max Dugan Returns. I think we've all
learned a very valuable lesson here. Way to dodge that bullet!)
Now, once you are comfortable
at this level, you are ready to introduce a new rule. That of the connection
being more imprecise. Instead of just sharing a word in the title, it might be
a shared syllable only. Or a shared theme.
If you liked Dumbo, you’ll
love Rambo.
If you liked Philadelphia,
you'll love Fargo.
If you liked The Postman,
you'll love The Cable Guy.
If you liked The Lion, The
Witch, and The Wardrobe, you'll love The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
If you liked You've Got Mail,
you'll love You Got Served.
One final note, when you are
playing this verbally, you have to say it with as much conviction and
excitement as a movie announcer would. Like you are just SO SURE that If you
liked Mystic River, you’ll love Mystic Pizza!
So please enjoy this new
game! If you are playing with a fellow movie aficionado, the two of you will
have a great time. I've played this with many, many, many of my friends; none
of whom are as famous or easy to name drop as Chris Clark. And Chris is spectacular at it.
If you liked The Godfather,
you’ll love Father of the Bride!
If you liked Slumdog
Millionaire, you’ll love Brewster’s Millions!
If you liked Return to Witch
Mountain, you’ll love Brokeback Mountain!
If you liked Saving Private
Ryan, you’ll love Save the Last Dance!
If you liked Sense and
Sensibility, you’ll love Dumb and Dumber!
If you liked Schindler’s
List, you’ll love The Bucket List!
Play along, won’t you?
