The MacGuffin

What precisely is a MacGuffin? Jake Cunningham on the piece of storytelling jargon that refers to something that motivates a film's characters and plot but is, it could be argued, ultimately insignificant. From the Maltese Falcon to the elusive Rabbit's Foot in Mission: Impossible III, to The Dude's rug in The Big Lebowski, these objects really tie a film together.