Classifying Holiday Films Trivia Quiz

Answer: Easter

This film starred Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. Based on a novel by Joanne Harris, it tells the story of Vianne who opens a shop selling chocolate in a village in France. The mayor is vehemently opposed to the shop, especially as it opens at the beginning of Lent when abstinence is expected in the run up to Easter. Depp plays Roux, leader of a group of Romani, who becomes Vianne's love interest.

After the mayor breaks into the shop, destroying the Easter display, he succumbs to the temptation of the chocolate around him and is forced to confront his own weakness. The film ends a few months later and shows that Vianne is now an accepted member of the community.

Answer: Easter

The film is about the very first Easter and stars Richard Burton as Marcellus Gallio, the Roman soldier in charge of the unit that crucifies Jesus. Having been sent to Jerusalem, Marcellus finds himself the owner of the robe worn by Jesus, which he has won in the casting of lots. Handling the garment causes him extreme pain which his servant, Demetrius (Victor Mature), tells him is due to his guilt in killing an innocent man.

Both Demetrius and Marcellus become Christians, with Peter (played by British actor Michael Rennie) recruiting them as missionaries. On returning to Rome, the men are arrested with Marcellus sacrificing himself to enable Demetrius to escape. Refusing to deny his beliefs, Marcellus is condemned to death along with Diana, his wife (Jean Simmons), thus becoming Christian martyrs.

Answer: Easter

Starring Thomas Michael and Paolo Mancini as the two title characters, the film follows the misadventures of the two men who have worked for several years as Easter bunnies, delivering Easter baskets for their employers. Following cutbacks by the company, the Easter holiday is not deemed important enough to keep on the calendar and the pair lose their jobs.

Their lives degenerate as they attempt to find other work, failing at whatever they take on. Their friendship suffers, too, with the film being described as owing something to 'The Odd Couple' as well as having elements of 'Bad Santa' and 'Office Space'. Other stars include Chris Klein and Joe Mantegna.

Answer: Summer

The film is set during the summer of 1963 when Frances Housman, known as 'Baby' and played by Jennifer Grey, is on holiday in the Catskills Mountains with her older sister and parents. She meets Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), a dance instructor who teaches her to dance.

Her upper class parents aren't happy about the time Baby spends with Johnny, with various misunderstandings and outright lies causing him even more problems. Eventually, matters resolve and Johnny and Baby perform the dance which they have been practising, including the famous leap and catch move.

The film is known for its music, including the theme song, performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes - '(I've Had) the Time of My Life'. Other songs from the soundtrack include 'Be My Baby' by the Ronettes, Eric Carmen singing 'Hungry Eyes' and Swayze singing 'She's Like the Wind'.

Answer: Summer

This remake of the 1961 film, which starred Hayley Mills, featured Lindsay Lohan as twins who were separated shortly after their birth. Their parents, played by Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson, had divorced with each parent keeping custody of one of the twins, who were unaware of the other's existence. Hallie lived with her father in California while Annie was being raised by her mother in London.

By a fortuitous coincidence, both girls (now aged eleven) find themselves at the same summer camp and, after some initial hostility, the girls work out that they are twins. They hatch a plot to switch places so each can spend time with the other parent with the ultimate goal of reuniting them. This being a film, the plan works and all ends happily.

Answer: Summer

The film is based on a Patricia Highsmith novel from 1955 and was both adapted from the book and directed by Anthony Minghella. Matt Damon plays Tom Ripley, who is mistaken for a former college associate of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), a wealthy young man. Greenleaf is living a life of leisure, and pleasure, in Italy, enjoying the summer.

Ripley is sent to Italy, travelling first class on the liner 'Queen Mary', and spends the voyage pretending to be Dickie. On his arrival, he ingratiates himself with Greenleaf and becomes ever more obsessed with the luxurious lifestyle. This leads to several murders which Ripley commits to enable him to continue masquerading as Dickie, and prevent his lies and deceptions unravelling.

Other stars include Philip Seymour Hoffman Jack Davenport, Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Answer: Thanksgiving

This comedy film was directed by John Hughes and starred Steve Martin and John Candy. Martin plays Neal, an introverted executive, while Candy portrays Del, an outgoing and talkative salesman. The pair meet up at LaGuardia Airport in New York where they discover their flight to Chicago has been delayed due to a blizzard. They travel together as far as Wichita - Del has reserved a hotel room while Neal hasn't so the pair have to share.

The journey continues to go wrong, with a broken down railway engine, an uncomfortable bus ride and issues over car rentals adding to their difficult attempts to reach home. After another awkward night spent together in a single hotel room, the pair arrive in Chicago. While travelling home, Neal comes to realise that Del has not mentioned his home at all and realises there is something not right. Returning to the station he finds Del alone and discovers he is a homeless widower - Neal takes him to his home for Thanksgiving, introducing him as his friend.

Answer: Thanksgiving

Woody Allen wrote and directed the film, with his then partner, Mia Farrow, playing the role of Hannah. Hannah's two sisters are Lee (Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Wiest). The film opens at Thanksgiving, where Hannah and her husband, Elliott (Michael Caine), are the hosts. Elliott finds himself attracted to Lee, beginning an affair with her which lasts a year, until she tires of his inability to leave Hannah, and breaks up with him at a second Thanksgiving event.

The film also introduces Hannah's former husband, Mickey (Woody Allen) as a hypochondriacal writer who dates and falls in love with Hannah's other sister, Holly, a recovering cocaine addict. The film ends with a third and final Thanksgiving dinner where we find that Hannah and Elliott are still together, Lee is married to a university professor and Mickey has married Holly.

The film won three Oscars with Allen winning Best Original Screenplay, while Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest won Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards.

Answer: Thanksgiving

The film stars Keanu Reeves as Nelson and Charlize Theron as Sara, the woman who persuades Nelson to spend the month of November with her. As the month progresses, the pair fall in love and Nelson proposes to Sara -she turns him down as she has an incurable cancer and doesn't want him to see her die.

Reluctantly accepting this, initially, Nelson returns at Thanksgiving in a last attempt to persuade Sara to change her mind. They spend one last night together before Sara leaves for good.

Answer: Christmas

This may well have been the first film you moved to its correct spot as the story, of eight year old Kevin McCallister being left behind as his family heads to Paris for Christmas, is so well known. John Hughes created the plot while Chris Columbus directed. It brought fame to Macauley Culkin, who portrayed the young hero.

Initially, Kevin is delighted by his freedom but later becomes frightened by his odd neighbour. Matters become worse when two burglars, played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, realise Kevin is alone and plan to break into the house. Kevin sets a series of booby traps, thwarts the thieves and gets them arrested. He also discovers his neighbour is not as fearsome as he believed. His mother, after an eventful journey, makes it back home for Christmas Day with the rest of the family turning up a bit later.

Answer: Christmas

Nora Ephron directed this comedy film which starred several well known actors of the genre, including Steve Martin, Adam Sandler, Rob Reiner, Rita Wilson and Madeline Kahn, among others. The plot involves Philip (Steve Martin) as the about to be evicted manager of a crisis centre whose path crosses with Felix, played by Anthony LaPaglia, a former convict. Felix's wife Gracie (Juliette Lewis) becomes involved along with Philip's office manager (Madeline Kahn) in a somewhat farcical plot which somehow brings in a serial killer.

Most of the cast become trapped in the office, but all the strands manage to resolve themselves. Two couples declare their love for each other, Gracie receives a reward for (accidentally) killing the murderer, part of which she donates to Philip for the centre, before she gives birth - on Christmas Day, of course.

Answer: Christmas

Chris Columbus created the story and Joe Dante directed the film about an ill-chosen Christmas gift and the mayhem that ensues. The film starred Hoyt Axton as Randall Peltzer who buys a creature called a mogwai as a Christmas gift for his adult son, Billy (Zach Galligan). The creature, which is named Gizmo, settles in but problems arise when the rules about caring for it are broken. The first is not to get it wet and when Gizmo accidentally has water splashed on him, more mowglai are spawned.

The new mowglai are led by Stripe, voiced by Frank Welker, who is an aggressive troublemaker and tricks Billy into breaking the second rule of not feeding the mowglai after midnight. This unleashes a group of reptilian gremlins who go on a killing spree. Billy, aided by his mother and girlfriend, manages to kill the gremlins with Stripe the only remaining mowglai. He is killed when Billy deliberately breaks the third rule of not exposing him to sunlight which will, and does, kill him.

Gizmo is returned to the Chinese shop from which he was bought, but with a hit that he might be returned to Billy in the future.