Print out this 10-question quiz to test your friends and family today. PLUS, as you do the quiz, you’ll pick up great tips for holiday viewing!
Remember: You can CLICK ON on any book or DVD cover in our articles to read our reviews and jump to our store, where you can buy copies, if you wish.
TODAY’s quiz is pretty easy, because there aren’t many Thanksgiving movies. You’ve probably seen them all, right?
So this should be a cinch!
Just MATCH the 10 movie titles with the 10 plot descriptions.
Once you’re sure your answers are correct, click on the link at the
end — and the correct answers will pop up. If you’re a daily subscriber by
Email (you can sign up for free on the right-hand side of our site),
we’re sorry that you don’t get this Click-to-See-the-Answers feature in
your Email versions — so, please don’t read too far ahead today, if
you’re an email reader.
THE 10 TITLES:
1.) Pieces of April.
2.) Home for the Holidays.
3.) American Gangster.
4.) Hannah and Her Sisters.
5.) Dan in Real Life.
6.) Miracle on 34th Street.
7.) Planes, Trains, Automobiles.
8.) Holiday Inn.
9.) The Ice Storm.
10.) What’s Cooking?
THE 10 PLOTS:
A.) Relationships between men and women take sophisticated comic turns in this famous New York City Thanksgiving celebration.
B.) The attractive new woman at the traditional family Thanksgiving reunion
turns out to be the romantic focus of two brothers, both of whom have
been single for too long in the family’s estimation. But who will wind
up with her?
C.) The late John Candy was never funnier than in this story of two very
different businessmen and the way they approach Thanksgiving one year.
D.) Four seemingly very different families celebrate Thanksgiving amid the
typical holiday-movie craziness — and discover they’re not quite as
different as we might expect.
E.) You can’t beat the musical rendition of “I’ve Got Plenty to Be Thankful For” that’s part of this movie.
F.) A daughter, who has infuriated her family by moving into a run-down
urban neighborhood with her boyfriend, invites her folks to come for
what looks like it might be a disastrously ill-fated Thanksgiving
dinner.
G.) This dramatic critique on Americans’ tendency toward selfishness by
director Ang Lee comes crashing down around the characters at
Thanksgiving.
H.) Usually associated with a different holiday, but its entire opening storyline
depends on traditions associated with the Thanksgiving holiday.
I.) Norman Rockwell-style Thanksgiving scenes counterpoint the violence in a drama about a family led tragically astray.
J.) A museum curator loses her job in a humiliating confrontation with her
boss and slinks back to her family Thanksgiving celebration resigned to
further indignities, until her family surprises her with more
compassion than she expects.
When you think you’ve got all the answers, CLICK on the link below in the online version of this
quiz, and the ANSWERS will pop up!
Ready? CLICK for the ANSWERS below …
1.) F. Katie Holmes plays the wayward daughter. The film is wonderful! CLICK ON the cover of the DVD to jump to our review — and order a copy of the film, if you wish to do so.
2.) J. Holly Hunter plays the misfit daughter in this holiday wrestling match — which, of course, winds up with a warm glow.
3.) I. “American Gangster” is not exactly heart warming. It’s a violent examination of urban crime — and those deliberate echoes of Norman Rockwell are played for ironic effect.
4.) A. It’s definitely a “famous” and a “sophisticated” film, because critics always rank “Hannah” as one of Woody Allen’s all-time best ensemble films about adult relationships.
5.) B. This one is still in theaters — and it is a delightful take on the classic tale of a romantic triangle. The writing is refreshing, but it’s the cast who really make this movie come alive. Go see it!
6.) H. Now there are two versions of the “34th Street” story — and, if you haven’t seen both of them, we can tell you — without spoiling the movies — that they wind up with some different plot twists near the end, so it’s actually worth watching the original and the remake, as well.
7.) C. Both John Candy and Steve Martin are at their comic best in this warm-hearted comedy about a couple of bumbling businessmen. It’s funny enough that some folks actually laugh out loud as they watch it.
8.) E. Here’s another one usually associated with Christmas, but all the holidays are saluted by the stellar combination of Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Irving Berlin. Yes, we know that many people prefer the full-color remake, “White Christmas,” but we’ll stick with this black-and-white slice of vintage Americana.
9.) G. It’s hard to call “The Ice Storm” a “heartwarming film,” although it is a terrific drama in which viewers walk away feeling as though they’ve learned some powerful truths. But, before the film ends, you’re likely to squirm in your seat as you watch this cool-as-ice deconstruction of the self-centered flaws in American culture.
10.) D. This film hasn’t received nearly the critical promotion that it needs to become a widely beloved holiday film — but we really like this movie and we think you will, too.
How’d you do?
Remember — if
you enjoyed this week’s
quiz, you can print it or email the entire text it to a friend. We
only ask that you credit the quiz to “David Crumm” and
“readthespirit.com”
(If you’re new to ReadTheSpirit, we often run
quizzes on Tuesdays. They’ve become very popular and people, already, are sharing them widely. You can quickly find our past quizzes by locating the “Categories” area on our Web site and clicking on the
“Tuesday Quiz” category!)
Tell us what you think. Click Here to email me, David Crumm, or leave a Comment for other readers on our site.
AND: COME BACK TOMORROW FOR GREAT HOLIDAY IDEAS!
In fact, AVOID the after-Thanksgiving holiday rush altogether, and buy some of your gifts through our online bookstore! Books and movies in our bookstore are priced at the normal Amazon discounts — but, by purchasing through ReadTheSpirit, a small portion comes back to help support our work.