When you need this

A friend asks, "What's it about?" You have about thirty seconds before they stop listening. A good short description has three parts: what it's about, where it happens, and whether it's worth seeing.

Americans tell movie stories in the present tense: "A woman finds a key and goes back to her old school." It makes the story feel alive, and it's simpler to keep straight than the past. Save your opinion for the end, so your friend hears the story first.

Phrases

the start of every movie description

where and when the story happens

the most important person in the story

the beginning is boring, the rest is better

how the story finishes

a surprise that changes the story

it's similar to another movie or story

praise for the soundtrack

it could lose twenty minutes

it's good enough to spend your time on

your score out of ten

I won't tell you the surprises

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Practice · 3 min

Describe the movie in one short line with the phrase in the cue.

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Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.