Misleading Expectations
Misleading Expectations
Twisting Film Summaries for Comedic Effect
Twisting Film Summaries for Comedic Effect
You’ll take a well-known movie and rewrite its summary in a completely different genre—without adding anything that isn’t already there. The key? Twist the tone, bend the framing, and reimagine the story in a way that’s hilariously misleading.
1. Pick a Movie You Know Very Well
You’ll need to remember scenes, characters, and emotional beats. Choose something you’ve seen multiple times, or at least understand deeply.
2. Find or Write a Simple Plot Summary
You can write your own or copy one from IMDb, Wikipedia, or a DVD cover. This is your “Original Summary.”
3. Now… Mislead Us.
Write a "Misleading Rewrite" of the same plot.
Change the tone, genre, and perspective—but not the facts.
You’re using what’s already there, just describing it differently.
Dory is a wide-eyed, blue tang fish who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds or so. The one thing she can remember is that she somehow became separated from her parents as a child. With help from her friends Nemo and Marlin, Dory embarks on an epic adventure to find them. Her journey brings her to the Marine Life Institute, a conservatory that houses diverse ocean species.
Dory is an isolated blue tang, burdened by memory loss and a single recurring obsession: the parents she lost long ago. Her companions, Nemo and Marlin, struggle to manage the emotional fallout as she drags them across the ocean in a desperate, delusional search. At the Marine Life Institute, Dory uncovers not answers, but the emotional limitations of others—and the cost of chasing a forgotten past.
The Amazing Spider-Man follows the origin story of Peter Parker's beginnings as the world-renowned wall-crawler. After being bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter acquires amazing abilities which help him protect New York from his friend-turned-enemy, the Lizard.
Peter Parker becomes obsessed with classmate Gwen Stacy. After gaining abilities through a spider bite, Peter creates a vigilante persona to follow Gwen from the rooftops, justifying his erratic behavior with self-imposed missions. As his delusion grows, Peter must confront his mentor-turned-monster—though the real monster might be the boy behind the mask.
Original Summary – 3–5 sentences (source it if using IMDb or similar)
Misleading Rewrite – 4–6 sentences in a different genre or tone
Your Name + Movie Title
Feeling brave? Download Blender, Kdenlive, or any free editing software and edit a trailer to match your new genre. Add suspenseful music, voiceover, or text overlays to turn your idea into a fake trailer.