10 Best Comedy Movies About Making Movies

Hollywood loves to make movies about Hollywood, including plenty of industry satires that poke fun at the peculiar way that the movie business works. It should come as no surprise that screenwriters and directors can make incredibly powerful movies when they’re working with what they know. Movies like Sunset Boulevard, 8 1/2 and The Fabelmans take audiences for a peek behind the curtain, resulting in reflective and personal works.

While many movies about making movies are dramas, there are also countless comedies that make fun of the strange business and the tumultuous process of bringing a movie to life. Even if these comedies aren’t the most relatable to most people, they can hit on universal truths about art, work and fulfillment. They can also allow directors and actors to poke fun at themselves.

10

Get Shorty (1995)

Get Shorty Likens Hollywood Studios To Organized Crime Syndicates

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Get Shorty

Release Date

October 20, 1995

Runtime

105 minutes

Director

Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers

Elmore Leonard, Scott Frank

Cast

  • Headshot Of John Travolta In The TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night

    John Travolta

  • HeaDSHOT oF Gene Hackman

    Gene Hackman

  • Headshot Of Rene Russo In The Relive Premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival

    Rene Russo

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Get Shorty came in the middle of Barry Sonnenfeld’s hot streak, after the Addams Family movies and just before Men in Black. It’s a hilarious movie industry satire about a violent gangster who finds the similarities between his usual business and the Hollywood studio system, so he pivots to making movies. John Travolta plays the criminal in question, while Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and Rene Russo all have memorable roles too.

Get Shorty is based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, who has always been a master at weaving comedy into his crime stories. More recently, Get Shorty was also adapted into a TV series starring The IT Crowd‘s Chris O’Dowd, but the movie version remains the more popular. The central premise offers up plenty of wry satire, and Get Shorty has enough entertaining performances to get laughs from elsewhere too.

9

The Disaster Artist (2017)

The Disaster Artist Is A Good Movie About Making A Terrible Movie

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The Disaster Artist

Release Date

December 8, 2017

Runtime

104 Minutes

Director

James Franco

Writers

Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber

Cast

  • Headshot Of Dave Franco

    Dave Franco

  • Headshot Of Dylan Minnette

    Dylan Minnette

  • hEADSHOT oF James Franco

    James Franco

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Since its release in 2003, Tommy Wiseau’s The Room has earned a cult following, with fans lauding it as one of the worst movies ever made. The Room is the quintessential “so-bad-it’s-good” movie, with clunky dialogue, overblown performances and shoddy production values. The Disaster Artist imagines the making of The Room, adapting a book by Greg Sestero, who plays Mark.

The Disaster Artist digs into the mystery behind The Room director and star Tommy Wiseau.

The Disaster Artist digs into the mystery behind The Room director and star Tommy Wiseau, played here by director and star James Franco. There have been conflicting reports about Wiseau’s age, birthplace and source of wealth, and his general demeanor and unique artistic proclivities have only raised more questions. The Disaster Artist contrasts this portrait of a man who thinks he’s a tortured genius with the reality of a cast and crew who are happy to get paid, knowing that they’re working on a sure-fire flop.

8

The Fall Guy (2024)

David Leitch Shines A Light On Stunt Performers

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The Fall Guy

Release Date

May 3, 2024

Runtime

126 Minutes

Director

David Leitch

Writers

Glen A. Larson, Drew Pearce

Producers

Glen A. Larson

Cast

  • Headshot Of Ryan Gosling In The Paris premiere of 'The Fall Guy'

    Ryan Gosling

    Howie Munson

  • Headshot Of Emily Blunt

    Emily Blunt

    Colt Seavers

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    Aaron Taylor-Johnson

    Jody Banks

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A brief montage at the beginning of The Fall Guy shows behind-the-scenes footage from several big Hollywood blockbusters of stunt performers putting their lives on the line. This encapsulates the mission of The Fall Guy, which finally gives credit to an underappreciated job within the movie industry, praising the people who crash cars, take punches and set themselves on fire to make movies.

It’s an interesting peek behind the curtain, but The Fall Guy is also a great action-comedy with a compelling mystery.

Naturally, The Fall Guy is packed with great stunts, as former stuntman David Leitch makes good use of his decades of experience. It’s an interesting peek behind the curtain, but The Fall Guy is also a great action-comedy with a compelling mystery. The movie is based on a TV show of the same name, but the mystery of the missing A-list star is original, and it’s enough to bounce Ryan Gosling – sometimes literally – from one hilarious conflict to another.

7

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

The Coen Brothers Showcase The Glamour Of Old Hollywood

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Hail, Caesar!

Release Date

February 5, 2016

Runtime

106minutes

Director

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Writers

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Cast

  • Headshot Of Josh Brolin In The 'Dune:Part 2' premiere

    Josh Brolin

  • Headshot Of Channing Tatum

    Channing Tatum

  • Headshot Of Tilda Swinton In The 20th Marrakech International Film Festival: 'Memory' Premiere

    Tilda Swinton

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Hail, Caesar! isn’t often ranked among the best Coen brothers movies, but it’s an underrated gem that deserves more love. The story takes place in Los Angeles in the 1950s, as a studio fixer tries to keep an array of eccentric stars under control and out of the tabloids. The ensemble cast features several great performances, with actors engaging in some subtle self-parody, like George Clooney playing a pampered megastar.

Imagery-from-BlacKkKlansman-and-Jojo-Rabbit

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Hail, Caesar! shows the constant state of chaos in Old Hollywood studios, which the Coen brothers contrast with the manicured image that is presented to the press. The directors revive the atmosphere of the era with some fun film pastiches, but the plot soon escalates into a madcap caper filled with kidnapping, espionage and celebrity scandals. As always, this chaos is where the Coens thrive.

6

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Eddie Murphy’s Comedy Biopic Looks At Blaxploitation Cinema

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Dolemite Is My Name

Release Date

October 25, 2019

Runtime

118 minutes

Director

Chelsea Gilson

Writers

Larry Karaszewski, Scott Alexander

Cast

  • headshot Of T.I.

    T.I.

  • Headshot Of Keegan-Michael Key

    Keegan-Michael Key

  • Headshot Of Tituss Burgess

    Tituss Burgess

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Eddie Murphy already made one great movie industry satire with 1999’s Bowfinger, but Dolemite Is My Name is a completely different prospect, since it’s based on a true story. Murphy plays Rudy Ray Moore, a comedian and filmmaker who decided to make his own movies back in the 1970s when he was met with a hostile industry. Dolemite and its sequels are still cult classics almost 50 years later, even though most critics at the time looked down on them.

It’s easily one of Eddie Murphy’s best movies, even if it’s more emotional than most of his other comedies.

Dolemite Is My Name is an unorthodox success story, proving that people can enjoy movies made with low budgets and little experience. It’s a loving tribute to Moore and countless other underappreciated artists who bring people joy without the backing of studios or recognition from the cultural class. It’s easily one of Eddie Murphy’s best movies, even if it’s more emotional than most of his other comedies.

5

Son Of Rambow (2007)

The Hidden Gem Evokes The Childlike Fasincation That Cinema Can Produce

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Son of Rambow

Release Date

January 22, 2007

Runtime

96 minutes

Director

Garth Jennings

Writers

Garth Jennings

Producers

Hengameh Panahi, Trevor Evans, Benjamin Goldhirsh, Bristol Baughan

Cast

  • Headshot Of Bill Milner

    Bill Milner

    Will Proudfoot

  • Headshot OF Will Poulter

    Will Poulter

    Lee Carter

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    Jessica Hynes

    Mary Proudfoot

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Most children, at one point or another, dream about making their own movies, and Son of Rambow shows how this fantasy can actually play out. The British comedy follows two children in the 1980s who decide to make their own version of First Blood for a local competition, complete with a litany of dangerous stunts. It’s fun to look back and see a young Will Poulter, and Asa Butterfield has a minor role too.

Son of Rambow distills the magic of cinema to its purest form, with two children who are unburdened by practical considerations or anxieties about the finished product. It’s an upbeat reminder of how movies should be a collaborative art form and a collective public experience, as the enthusiasm of the two young filmmakers is infectious. Son of Rambow‘s shocking slapstick is another big positive.

4

Ed Wood (1994)

Tim Burton Pays Tribute To A Terrible Director

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Ed Wood

Release Date

October 7, 1994

Runtime

127 minutes

Director

Tim Burton

Writers

Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski

Cast

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Ed Wood is often referred to as the worst director of all time, with Plan 9 From Outer Space representing the sum of his achievements. The ropey sci-fi spectacular has gone down in history as a notorious dud, and Tim Burton’s comedy looks back at its creation. Johnny Depp puts on a flamboyant front as the director, whose unbridled enthusiasm and love of women’s clothing make him a polarizing figure in 1950s Hollywood.

Characters from Don't Look Up and Mrs. Doubtfire are edited onto an image together.

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It would be easy to make fun of Ed Wood, but Tim Burton’s biopic clearly shows a lot of love for the director’s spirit of perseverance and unique vision. It seems as if Burton finds a kindred spirit in Wood, or his idea of Wood, since both men are directors who don’t often conform to what’s expected of them, and both are outliers in the movie industry. Ed Wood‘s cast inject the story with plenty of warmth, none more so than Martin Landau, who plays horror icon Bela Lugosi.

3

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

Quentin Tarantino’s Love Letter To Cinema Showcases His Quippy Humor

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Release Date

July 26, 2019

Runtime

159 minutes

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Writers

Quentin Tarantino

Cast

  • Headshot Of Tim Roth

    Tim Roth

  • Headshot Of Margot Robbie In The 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

    Margot Robbie

  • Headshot Of Mike Moh

    Mike Moh

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows a fading movie star as Hollywood shifts toward a new system in the late 1960s. The setting gives Quentin Tarantino the opportunity to remake some old classics, and he blends the historical with the fictional in his rose-tinted vision of Los Angeles. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt both play fictional characters, but Margot Robbie’s Sharon Tate ties the story to real-world history.

It’s an atmospheric, stylish comedy that shows Tarantino’s flair for dialogue.

As with most Tarantino movies, the story rises to a violent crescendo, but large portions of it are made up of mundane interactions. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood spends plenty of time following Sharon Tate to the movies and relaxing with Cliff Booth as he drives around the city. It’s an atmospheric, stylish comedy that shows Tarantino’s flair for dialogue, as well as his obvious love for making movies.

2

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Tropic Thunder Allows Big-Name Actors To Make Fun Of Themselves

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Tropic Thunder

Release Date

August 13, 2008

Runtime

107 minutes

Director

Ben Stiller

Writers

Justin Theroux, Etan Cohen, Ben Stiller

Cast

  • Headshot Of Ben Stiller

    Ben Stiller

  • Headshot Of Robert Downey Jr. In The 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

    Robert Downey Jr.

  • Headshot Of Matthew McConaughey In The 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party

    Matthew McConaughey

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Tropic Thunder starts with some fake movie trailers to introduce the characters, and these movies exaggerate some of the worst trends in Hollywood. The movies include a gross-out comedy about farting, a self-serious Oscar-bait drama and the latest installment in a big-budget action franchise that ran out of ideas long ago. This is just the set-up for Tropic Thunder‘s hilarious industry satire, as Ben Stiller’s comedy highlights the gulf between how actors see themselves and who they really are.

The Interview Borat Tropic Thunder

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Tropic Thunder benefits from some great performances, including Robert Downey Jr.’s role as an actor so self-absorbed that he doesn’t see any issue with doing blackface for a movie, and a rare comedic turn from Tom Cruise. There’s no shortage of laugh-out-loud moments, both from the witty dialogue and the explosive physical comedy. Putting a group of pampered war movie actors in an actual warzone seems like a simple premise, but Tropic Thunder is smart enough to keep finding new punchlines.

1

Singin’ In The Rain (1952)

The Classic Musical Is Still Hilarious

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Singin’ in the Rain

Release Date

April 11, 1952

Runtime

103 Minutes

Director

Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly

Writers

Adolph Green, Betty Comden

Cast

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Gene Kelly

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Donald O’Connor

  • Headshot Of Debbie Reynolds

    Debbie Reynolds

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Singin’ in the Rain is set during the transition from silent films to talkies, as a group of actors struggle to make a movie that can compete with the new way of doing things. Although Singin’ in the Rain is the most lavish and extravagant kind of musical, it also gets surprisingly technical in its depiction of Old Hollywood. The major conflict of the third act revolves around contract disputes over billing and defamation.

Singin’ in the Rain deserves its reputation as one of the best movies ever, and it’s arguably the quintessential movie about making movies. Even though the setting has lost all relevance, it’s a surprisingly relatable story about artists working together and creating the kind of ephemeral magic that only seems possible in movies. One for the true movie-lovers, Singin’ in the Rain is an endlessly entertaining film, with outstanding musical performances, charming comedy and a romance worth rooting for.