Oscar Games For Those Who Haven't Seen The Movies

The year 2016 was such a chaotic blur, I somehow managed to miss out on seeing a single movie I wanted to see. Usually by the time the Oscars roll around, I've seen at least 90 percent of the films that are nominated. I have really strong idea of what's on the table, who might win, what movies I think deserve some recognition, and I look forward to Oscar night to see it all play out. But this year, I have no idea what's going on — I haven't seen a single movie. I have no idea what's at stake. And there's no way that, by Sunday, I'll have had a chance to make a dent in my viewing queue. Which is a little bit awkward considering the fact that I have invited all my of my friends over for an Oscar-viewing party.

But what I find most interesting is that after checking in with some of my fellow movie-lovers, I learned that I'm not the only one who didn't make movies a priority in this last year. Apparently, lots of people are really behind on their movies and don't have a strong sense of the films nominated this year. For this reason, I've put together a list of games to play that don't involve having any knowledge about whats gong on and what these movies are actually about. If you too are having an Oscars party and haven't seen any of these movies, these are the games for you. They involve zero movie knowledge — only creativity.

Celebrity

Look up the nominees of this year's awards and write down the names on sticky notes. Put all of the notes in a bowl and have your guests each pick one out with their eyes closed. Without looking, have each guest place their sticky note on their forehead so that the group can see the name, but they can not. The guest must then ask the group questions to figure out who the nominee is.

Heads Up

If you didn't have time to prepare a game, just simply download the game app Head's Up. There are tons of movie and celebrity trivia options and they're all hilarious to play. Plus, the app records the game session so you can watch it back together.

Superlatives

Just because you have no idea what's going on with the Oscars, doesn't mean you can't cast a confident vote at your party. Brainstorm a few nominations ahead of time that are specific to your attending guests. Whether it's Best Hair or Most Likely To Accidentally Like An Ex's Photo, your guests will be thrilled to cast their votes.

Blind Voting

OK, so you have no idea what any of the nominated movies are about. That makes guessing the winners a lot more interesting. Using only the clips that they show before announcing the winner as a guide, guess which movie will win. Whoever makes the most accurate guesses, wins.

Red Carpet Bingo

You don't have to know anything about the actors or the movies to understand what's happening on the red carpet. Make your own bingo boards and play with the pre-show footage. Consider squares like, "high slit" or "new hair" or "brought mom as date."

Guess The Plot

Make sure each guest has a piece of paper. Based on the clips of the nominated movies that are shown at the awards, have everyone write down what they think the movies are about. Whoever guesses the closest to the actual plot, wins. Obviously only people who haven't seen the movies are allowed to participate.

DIY Oscar Making

Stop by a value store and get a few Ken dolls and some gold paint. Set up a craft station and have your guests decorate their own Oscar statues to take home. You can use these for superlatives, too.

Six Degrees Of Separation

This is a great game to play to fill the awkward lulls of commercial breaks. Have one guest shout out a random celebrity and then with only six connections, try to determine their degrees of separation from the last person to have won an award.