Miming is the art form that takes center stage when playing charades. Players must use gestures, facial expressions and poses in order to sway others into guessing the movie or theme. If the other team guesses the scene, character or title being acted out, that team will score points, while the performing team can only score points if the correct answer is not given. Charades is played differently everywhere, and doesn't have to be played according to a specific set of rules. Speaking where miming is ineffective is looked down upon by die-hard charades enthusiasts. But if all of the players agree that scenes will be spoken to the best of each team's knowledge, then so be it! Have fun!
An easy way to get a movie charades game started is with lists of famous actors or characters, but even that could lead to confusion. For example, a player may write down "Johnny Depp," but miming "Johnny Depp" is not an easy task. A good substitute would be to write down a famous character played by Johnny Depp, like Captain Jack Sparrow or Donnie Brasco. Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone from "The Godfather" or Al Pacino as Tony Montana in the "Scarface" remake are both classic characters that are easily mime-able and recognizable.
Once the game gets going, the subject of movie charades can be changed to naming famous scenes, acted out by two or more players from each team. Horror and romance films work really well here. The larval alien bursting from John Hurt's Stomach in the "Alien" movie is a good suggestion. Another classic scene is the "shower" scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." Couples may want to mime the prelude to the famous love scene from "Body Heat" where William Hurt, frustrated by the pane of glass that separates him from Kathleen Turner, smashes through it rather than just going out the door.
Literally defining a title and them miming it will turn an everyday game into a hilarious one. Consider miming the title, "The Fast and the Furious." A picture of angry-looking players sprinting around immediately comes to mind. "Snakes on a Plane," "Gone with the Wind," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Lady and the Tramp " are all good titles for this version of movie charades.