high-concept

From high (adjective) +‎ concept (noun).^[1][2]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌhaɪˈkɒnsɛpt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌhaɪˈkɑnˌsɛpt/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: high-con‧cept

high-concept

1. (film, literature, television, sometimes derogatory) Of a work such as a book, film, or television programme: based on an appealing and easily communicable idea; also, of or relating to such a work.

   Antonym: low-concept

   • 1979 October 2, Joan Hanauer, quoting Paul L. Klein, “Exec sees ‘concepts’ as key to ratings battle”, in Mort Pye, editor, The Star-Ledger, volume 66, number 218, Newark, N.J.: S[amuel] I[rving] Newhouse [Sr.], →OCLC, page C [between 35 and 36], columns 2–3:

     A high concept show has something that somebody could recognize in the title and would want to see. […] Elvis Presley and pills are the highest concept you could get. There are three people who are so high concept that you can live off them – Elvis, Jackie Onassis and Liz Taylor.

   • 1999, Kristin Thompson, “Groundhog Day”, in Storytelling in the New Hollywood: Understanding Classical Narrative Technique, Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press, →ISBN, page 153:

     One might argue that Groundhog Day is a "high-concept" film. […] For many, a high-concept film is distinguished by its ease of summary. As Steven Spielberg puts it, "If a person can tell me the idea in 25 words or less, it's going to make a pretty good movie. I like ideas, especially movie ideas, that you can hold in your hand."

   • 2021 August 6, A. A. Dowd, “The Ryan Reynolds Action-comedy Free Guy is a Truman Show for the Fortnite Age”, in The A.V. Club‎^[1], archived from the original on 19 April 2023:

     Yet for all its casual mayhem, Free Guy turns out to be a rather cuddly crowdpleaser, a high-concept blockbuster trifle with bubblegum ice cream clogging its circuits.

3. (by extension, sometimes proscribed) Based on an idea or theme, especially one regarded as highly artistic or intellectual.

   I’m not too sure about that new molecular gastronomy restaurant. It seems too high-concept and snooty for me.

   • 1987 October, Rachel Urquhart, “Naked City: Buzzwords of the Stars”, in Spy: The New York Monthly, New York, N.Y.: Spy Publishing Partners, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 28, column 2:

     We've heard of high-concept books and high-concept plays and high-concept television shows and high-concept record albums and high-concept paintings and high-concept advertising campaigns and, of course, high-concept motion pictures. This is a high-concept magazine article. Why? Because it can be satisfactorily described in a single, simple sentence. Here it is: Ask people who work in the glamour business that invented high concept to define high concept.

   • 2004 December 13, Jennifer Armstrong, “Are ‘Lost’ and ‘Housewives’ too high-concept?”, in Entertainment Weekly‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: Entertainment Weekly, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 May 2025:

     Are “Lost” and “[Desperate] Housewives” too high-concept? [article title]—ABC's hit shows are eager to avoid the Twin Peaks curse […] Forget the predictable crime procedurals. Serialized, slow-burning mysteries are back.

   • 2015 October 1, Adam Charles, “Zoom is Too Ambitiously High-concept for Its Own Good”, in Film School Rejects‎^[3], archived from the original on 25 May 2024:

     I don't need another movie that's too high-concept for its own good. I get it, meaningless movies are unoriginal and worthless, we care too much about the way we look to other people, and yes, it could be cool if a movie was made about a character who drew another character who directed another character who wrote the first character. Zoom just isn't quite as good as it wants to be de facto originality.

   • 2020 September 4, Andrew Martin, “Why Christopher Nolan Needs to Calm Down”, in UnHerd‎^[4], London, archived from the original on 24 March 2025:

     The director, Christopher Nolan, favours complicated high-concept plots. His Inception (2010) is about dreams; Memento (2000) plays about with chronology.

Sense 2 (“based on an idea or theme, especially one regarded as highly artistic or intellectual”) is sometimes considered incorrect as it can confuse readers who expect the meaning conveyed by sense 1.^[3]

• high concept (noun) (attested slightly later than the adjective)

• high concept on Wikipedia.Wikipedia