Ranking ChatGPT Movie Plots

As someone who works in machine learning and who loves a good story, I asked ChatGPT to write the summaries of made-up movies that some A-list actors would star in. I then ranked the movies from best to worst based on the following criteria (Everything rated on a scale of 1–4):

Plot — Does the plot make sense? Would a movie with that plot feasibly be made by Hollywood?
Goodness of fit — Does the movie fit the actor?
Plagiarism — Is the movie clearly a slightly modified version of an existing movie that actor starred in? In technical terms, is the model overfitting?

So the score is Plot + Goodness of fit — Plagiarism. That makes the maximum score 8 and the minimum score -4.

The actors I picked were: Keanu Reeves, Jessica Chastain, Adam Sandler, and Eddie Murphy.

Jessica Chastain

“The Insider” is a political thriller movie about a investigative journalist who uncovers a vast conspiracy to cover-up a corrupt government operation. Jessica Chastain plays the lead role as Sarah, a tenacious and fearless journalist who stops at nothing to uncover the truth. As she delves deeper into the story, she discovers that the operation goes higher up than she ever imagined, and she finds herself in a race against time to expose the truth before it’s too late. Along the way, she teams up with a hacker, played by John Boyega, and together they navigate a web of lies, corruption and danger as they try to bring the truth to light. The movie is a tense and suspenseful story of corruption and the power of the press to hold those in power accountable. Jessica Chastain brings a perfect mix of intelligence, strength and vulnerability to her role as the lead character and her performance will keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Movie Plot: 4
This movie is totally the kind that Hollywood would make.
Goodness of Fit: 4
This is exactly the kind of character Jessica Chastain plays over and over again: A smart, driven, unafraid, confident, politically saavy women in movies in dramas that feel like they could devolve into senseless violence at any moment (but often don’t).
Plagiarism: 0.0
She’s never played a journalist. This feels pretty darn original, at least as far as Jessica Chastain movies go

Total Score: 8

Keanu Reeves

“The Lost City” is an action-adventure movie about a former soldier, John, who is on a mission to find a legendary lost city said to contain a powerful ancient artifact. Keanu Reeves plays the lead role as John, a rugged and skilled warrior who is haunted by his past and driven by a desire to redeem himself. Together with a team of experts, including a brilliant archaeologist and a skilled thief, John embarks on a dangerous journey through treacherous jungles, ancient ruins, and hidden caves in search of the lost city. Along the way, they must face deadly challenges, including rival treasure hunters, deadly creatures, and a powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to get the artifact for themselves. “The Lost City” is a thrilling movie with breathtaking action and stunning visuals, and Keanu Reeves brings a perfect mix of intensity and vulnerability to his role as the driven protagonist.

Movie Plot: 3
The plot seems to be a bit confused. It’s about a lost city, but the main character is a warrior haunted by his past? But he’s on a mission to find an ancient artifact? I know there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it feels a little bit like a fill-in-the-blank situation instead of a real plot.
Goodness of Fit: 3.5
Character named John? Check. Haunted by his past? Check. Action flick? Check. Can’t complain. I just have a hard time seeing a movie made like this that takes itself seriously, and I can’t picture Keanu Reeves in a movie with this kind of character that also has comedic overtones to it. Maybe you’ll disagree, but I’m docking half a point.
Plagiarism: 0
This plot feels too generic to be clearly a replica of one specific movie, but the basic plot certainly feels like something I’ve seen before. Still, not enough to be a total ripoff of any one movie.

Total Score: 7.5

Eddie Murphy

“The Stand-up” is a comedy movie about a retired stand-up comedian who returns to the stage to revive his career. Eddie Murphy plays the lead role as Mike, a once-famous comedian who had to retire due to personal problems. As he tries to get back on the stage, he faces a number of obstacles, including his own insecurities, a changing comedy scene, and a new generation of comedians who don’t remember him. Along the way, he teams up with a young comedian, played by Leslie Jones, and together they navigate the ups and downs of the comedy world. The movie is a hilarious and heartfelt story about redemption, friendship, and the power of laughter to heal. Eddie Murphy brings his signature comedic timing and energy to his role as the lead character and delivers a performance that will have audiences laughing from start to finish.

Score

Movie Plot: 4
This movie is totally the kind that Hollywood would make and might even win an Oscar.
Goodness of Fit: 3
ChatGPT nailed the fact that he was a comedian, but Eddie Murphy hasn’t made any movies about being a comedian, nor would they really fit his style . His comedy is wacky and over-the-top as opposed to self-reflective. Now, maybe he will one day make a movie about being a comedian, and maybe it’ll be great, but as of now, this isn’t a good fit.
Plagiarism: 0
There’s never been a movie even remotely similar to this one starring Eddie Murphy.

Total Score: 7

Adam Sandler

“The Family Man” is a comedy-drama movie about a successful businessman who gets a chance to relive his life and decides to make different choices. Adam Sandler plays the lead role as Jack, a wealthy and successful businessman who is unhappy with his life and regrets the choices he made. When he gets a chance to relive his life and make different choices, he decides to leave his job, reconnect with his family, and pursue his true passion of becoming a stand-up comedian. Along the way, he faces a number of challenges, including resistance from his family and friends and the pressure to return to his old life. The movie is a funny and heartwarming story about family, second chances, and following your dreams. Adam Sandler brings his signature comedic timing and likability to his role as the lead character and delivers a performance that will make audiences laugh and cry.

Movie Plot: 3.0
This movie would definitely be made. Because most of themes present are in the movie “Click”. Docking it a point because there’s one thing about the plot that makes no sense: if he’s reliving his life, how would his friends be able to “pressure [him] to return to his old life”? They don’t know he restarted his life. It’s easy to miss, but it feels like the ChatGPT model got confused there.
Goodness of Fit: 4.0
Classic Adam Sandler flick.
Plagiarism: 1.5
This feels very very similar to “Click,” an Adam Sandler movie.

Total Score: 5.5

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think the model did very well in constructing movie plot summaries for each of these actors. I think the model did a pretty decent job of generating plots that felt different enough to feel like movies that don’t yet exist (with the exception of the Adam Sandler movie). I also feel like it understood the essence of what makes these actors unique. I’d definitely be interested in running more experiments in the future. If you have any ideas, let me know! Or, better yet, run them yourself and tell me how it went.