The #1 Cracked Gist

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What is the Cracked Gist?

The focus of each Cheat Sheet is called The Gist. Think of the concise humor of the Craptions section crossed with our Pop Culture articles. Your goal here is to summarize everything anyone needs to know about the subject of your cheat sheet in one hilarious paragraph (500 character limit).

A few things to keep in mind:

  1. Don’t feel the need to rip every movie that you write a gist for. It’s perfectly fine to have a positive, passionate opinion about a film. OR: You don't have to love the movie, but you don't have to hate it either. Being negative does not mean you are being funny. We are never dismissive in our pop-culture articles.
  2. Focus on contributing to movies you have seen, and thought about.
  3. Avoid using the first joke that pops into your head. We're not looking for you to summarize the jokes other people would make. We're looking for you to make interesting and unique observations about the subject you're summarizing.
  4. Try to keep swearing to a minimum. Sometimes, well-placed profanity can help a joke land. Most of the time, a swear word makes your joke feel forced.
  5. There's no one correct way to write a Gist. If you can summarize everything we need to know about the movie in 10 words, that can be funny. It can also come off as glib. If you're having a tough time figuring out how to strike that balance, go to the movie section of Cracked, and study up.

Here are some samples that should give you a good idea of the wide variety of Gists that can work:
The Dark Knight
Independence Day

  • +3

Not sure whether its a Romantic Comedy or a PSA for autism, this horribly mismarketed movie manages some emotional depth thanks to Steve Carrell and his movie daughter. Everyone else is window dressing. Although 'Jokes' are present, you will be unsure whether you're supposed to laugh or not because the tone of the movie changes with the director's mood. This means a total of four genuine laughs and a whole lot of awkward pauses. Someone out there will like it, though, if only for masturbation.

qwertpoi
Add Your Gist

Dan in Real Life (2007)

Source: TMBDb.org

Information Not Available

Consensus: The fine performances elevate Dan in Real Life beyond its sentimental plot.

Overview
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (USA)
  • Theatrical Release:
    October 26, 2007
  • Budget:
    $25,000,000
  • Box Office:
    Not Available
  • Runtime:
    1 hrs 38 min
  • Produced by:
    Brad Epstein Jonathan Shestack
  • Screenplay by:
    Peter Hedges Pierce Garnder
Director
Peter Hedges
Cast
Dane Cook Mitch
Steve Carell Dan Burns
Juliette Binoche Marie
Emily Blunt Ruthie Draper
Dianne Wiest Nana
Freebase CC-BY
Source: Dan in Real Life on Freebase, licensed under CC-BY
Cracked Gists
500 characters left
  1. Not sure whether its a Romantic Comedy or a PSA for autism, this horribly mismarketed movie manages some emotional depth thanks to Steve Carrell and his movie daughter. Everyone else is window dressing. Although 'Jokes' are present, you will be unsure whether you're supposed to laugh or not because the tone of the movie changes with the director's mood. This means a total of four genuine laughs and a whole lot of awkward pauses. Someone out there will like it, though, if only for masturbation.

    qwertpoi
    • +3
  2. Dan is a single father, who when visiting his family meets an attractive woman at the bookstore. He soon finds out however, that the woman is his brothers girlfriend. Not deterred by his brothers feelings or any type of moral conscience, Dan continues to flirt with her and pursue his interest.

    armdnrdy
    • +1

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