Films within Films
by J_Frank_Parnell | created - 21 Oct 2022 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicMovies about movies, containing films within films.
(Asterisk* denotes a real, pre-existant movie)
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1. S.O.B. (1981)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Drama
A successful movie director makes the most expensive film in his career and it becomes a huge flop. He tries to salvage his career by reshooting the film as an erotic production, where its family-friendly star takes her top off.
Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Julie Andrews, William Holden, Marisa Berenson, Larry Hagman
Votes: 6,477 | Gross: $14.87M
'Night Wind'
2. Hail, Caesar! (2016)
PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes
Votes: 143,146 | Gross: $30.50M
'Hail Caesar'
3. Bowfinger (1999)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy
When a desperate movie producer fails to get a major star for his bargain-basement film, he decides to shoot the film secretly around him.
Director: Frank Oz | Stars: Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham, Christine Baranski
Votes: 73,932 | Gross: $66.38M
'Chubby Rain'
4. The Producers (1967)
PG | 88 min | Comedy, Music
A stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop.
Director: Mel Brooks | Stars: Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn, Kenneth Mars
Votes: 59,820 | Gross: $0.11M
'Springtime for Hitler'
5. Tropic Thunder (2008)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, War
Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.
Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Kahn
Votes: 447,980 | Gross: $110.52M
'Tropic Thunder'
6. The Exorcist (1973)
R | 122 min | Horror
When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb
Votes: 454,886 | Gross: $232.91M
'Crash Course'
7. Ed Wood (1994)
R | 127 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Ambitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette
Votes: 183,958 | Gross: $5.89M
'Plan 9 From Outer Space'*
8. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
R | 153 min | Adventure, Drama, War
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, Mélanie Laurent
Votes: 1,583,778 | Gross: $120.54M
'Stoiz der Nation' ('Nation's Pride')
9. The Aviator (2004)
PG-13 | 170 min | Biography, Drama
A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career from the late 1920s to the mid 1940s.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly
Votes: 384,045 | Gross: $102.61M
'Hells Angels'*
10. Blow Out (1981)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A movie sound recordist accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually murder and consequently finds himself in danger.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz
Votes: 63,255 | Gross: $13.75M
'Co-Ed Frenzy'
11. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,614 | Gross: $8.82M
'The Dancing Cavalier'
12. The Player (1992)
R | 124 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected, but which one?
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg
Votes: 65,788 | Gross: $21.71M
'Habeas Corpus'
13. The Big Lebowski (1998)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Crime
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi
Votes: 860,230 | Gross: $17.50M
'Log-Jammin'
14. Argo (2012)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin
Votes: 639,065 | Gross: $136.03M
'Argo'
15. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
PG | 82 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
In 1935 New Jersey, a movie character walks off the screen and into the real world.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Irving Metzman
Votes: 55,264 | Gross: $10.63M
'The Purple Rose of Cairo'
16. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)
R | 161 min | Comedy, Drama
A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch
Votes: 847,624 | Gross: $142.50M
'The 14 Fists of McLuskey'
17. Baadasssss! (2003)
R | 109 min | Biography, Drama
Mario Van Peebles' half-documentary/half-homage to his father Melvin Van Peebles' movie Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971).
Director: Mario Van Peebles | Stars: Mario Van Peebles, Nia Long, Joy Bryant, Ossie Davis
Votes: 5,163 | Gross: $0.37M
'Sweet Sweetback's Baadaaassss Song'*
18. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
R | 96 min | Documentary
Documentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems--nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.
Directors: Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, Eleanor Coppola | Stars: Dennis Hopper, Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, George Lucas
Votes: 23,225 | Gross: $1.32M
'Apocalypse Now'*
19. Boogie Nights (1997)
R | 155 min | Drama
Back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, an idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Luis Guzmán
Votes: 282,014 | Gross: $26.40M
'Brock Landers: Angels Live In My Town'
20. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
R | 81 min | Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
When Stan Marsh and his friends go see an R-rated movie, they start cursing and their parents think that Canada is to blame.
Director: Trey Parker | Stars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Mary Kay Bergman, Isaac Hayes
Votes: 214,948 | Gross: $52.04M
'Terrance and Philip: Asses of Fire'
21. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
PG | 104 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
Votes: 216,801 | Gross: $156.45M
'Roger Baby Buggy Blunder'
22. The Disaster Artist (2017)
R | 104 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
When aspiring actor Greg Sestero meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.
Director: James Franco | Stars: James Franco, Dave Franco, Ari Graynor, Seth Rogen
Votes: 164,235 | Gross: $21.12M
'The Room'*
23. The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
R | 83 min | Comedy
The daily programming of a fictional local TV channel presented as a series of highly irreverent skits.
Director: John Landis | Stars: Evan C. Kim, Bong Soo Han, Bill Bixby, George Lazenby
Votes: 20,260
'A Fistful of Yen'
24. Schlock (1973)
PG | 80 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
A small town is terrorized by "The Banana Killer", which turns out to be the missing link between man and ape.
Director: John Landis | Stars: John Landis, Saul Kahan, Joseph Piantadosi, Richard Gillis
Votes: 1,980
'See You Next Wednesday'
25. Cecil B. Demented (2000)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
An insane independent film director and his renegade group of teenage filmmakers kidnap an A-list Hollywood actress and force her to star in their underground film.
Director: John Waters | Stars: Melanie Griffith, Stephen Dorff, Alicia Witt, Adrian Grenier
Votes: 16,644 | Gross: $1.28M
'Forced Entry'
26. The Hard Way (1991)
R | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
An action movie star researching a role is allowed to tag along with a hardboiled New York City policeman, who finds him superficial and irritating.
Director: John Badham | Stars: Michael J. Fox, James Woods, Stephen Lang, Annabella Sciorra
Votes: 22,289 | Gross: $25.90M
'Smoking Gunn II'
27. Three Amigos! (1986)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Western
Three actors accept an invitation to a Mexican village to perform their onscreen bandit fighter roles, unaware that it is the real thing.
Director: John Landis | Stars: Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Alfonso Arau
Votes: 83,650 | Gross: $39.25M
'Little Neddy Goes to War'
28. Evil Ed (1995)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Horror
A mild-mannered film editor is assigned to cut a series of infamous slasher films and is driven murderously insane by the miles of extremely violent footage he edits.
Director: Anders Jacobsson | Stars: Michael Kallaanvaara, Olof Rhodin, Hans Wilhelmsson, Anders Ek
Votes: 4,008
'Loose Limbs: pt V'
29. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Passed | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Hollywood director John L. Sullivan sets out to experience life as a homeless person in order to gain relevant life experience for his next movie.
Director: Preston Sturges | Stars: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, William Demarest
Votes: 28,515
'O Brother Where Art Thou'
30. Bamboozled (2000)
R | 135 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A frustrated African-American TV writer proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin, it becomes a hit.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael Rapaport
Votes: 12,352 | Gross: $2.27M
'The New Millenium Minstrel Show'
31. History of the World: Part I (1981)
R | 92 min | Comedy, History, Musical
Mel Brooks brings his one-of-a-kind comic touch to the history of mankind covering events from the Old Testament to the French Revolution in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.
Director: Mel Brooks | Stars: Mel Brooks, Gregory Hines, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn
Votes: 55,222 | Gross: $31.67M
'Jews in Space'
32. UHF (1989)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
An unemployed visionary becomes the manager of a local television station. The station becomes a success, with all sorts of hilarious sight gags and wacky humor.
Director: Jay Levey | Stars: 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards
Votes: 31,518 | Gross: $6.16M
'Ghandi II'
33. What a Way to Go! (1964)
Approved | 111 min | Comedy, Romance
A four-time widow discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be rich.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin
Votes: 5,713 | Gross: $13.30M
Pinky Benson in 'Flaming Lips'
34. Postcards from the Edge (1990)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama
A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she is forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman
Votes: 19,324 | Gross: $37.96M
'L.A Beat'
35. Home Alone (1990)
PG | 103 min | Comedy, Family
An eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard
Votes: 652,778 | Gross: $285.76M
'Angels With Filthy Souls'
36. Planet Terror (2007)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
After an experimental bio-weapon is released, turning thousands into zombie-like creatures, it's up to a rag-tag group of survivors to stop the infected and those behind its release.
Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodríguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton
Votes: 223,235
'Machete'
37. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
R | 119 min | Comedy, Drama
A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough
Votes: 666,498 | Gross: $42.34M
'Birdman'
38. Back to the Future Part II (1989)
PG | 108 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
After visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Tom Wilson
Votes: 572,495 | Gross: $118.50M
'Jaws 19'
39. Idiocracy (2006)
R | 84 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Corporal Joe Bauers, a decidedly average American, is selected for a top-secret hibernation program but is forgotten and left to awaken to a future so incredibly moronic that he's easily the most intelligent person alive.
Director: Mike Judge | Stars: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews
Votes: 182,257 | Gross: $0.44M
'Ass: The Movie'
40. I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)
R | 103 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Valerie Solanas, a '60s radical who preached misandry in her "Scum" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to produce, but after he repeatedly ignored her, she shot him.
Director: Mary Harron | Stars: Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Martha Plimpton, Lothaire Bluteau
Votes: 7,117 | Gross: $1.81M
'The SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto'
41. Last Action Hero (1993)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
With the help of a magic ticket, a young movie fan is transported into the fictional world of his favorite action movie character.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Charles Dance
Votes: 163,790 | Gross: $50.02M
'Hamlet: Part V'
42. Be Kind Rewind (2008)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy
Two bumbling store clerks inadvertently erase the footage from all of the tapes in their video rental store. In order to keep the business running, they re-shoot every film in the store with their own camera, with a budget of zero dollars.
Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Jack Black, Yasiin Bey, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow
Votes: 94,267 | Gross: $11.17M
just everything, but 'Sweded'
43. Super 8 (2011)
PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.
Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney
Votes: 367,505 | Gross: $127.00M
44. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
R | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
With a plan to exact revenge on a legendary shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett
Votes: 210,921 | Gross: $24.01M
45. Hugo (2011)
PG | 126 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
In 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 336,816 | Gross: $73.86M
46. F/X (1986)
R | 109 min | Action, Thriller
A movie special effects man is hired to fake a real-life mob killing for a witness protection plan, but finds his own life in danger.
Director: Robert Mandel | Stars: Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora, Cliff De Young
Votes: 22,212 | Gross: $20.60M
47. Millennium Actress (2001)
PG | 87 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
A TV interviewer and his cameraman meet a former actress and travel through her memories and career.
Directors: Satoshi Kon, Kô Matsuo | Stars: Miyoko Shôji, Shôzô Îzuka, Mami Koyama, Fumiko Orikasa
Votes: 32,049 | Gross: $0.19M
48. Perfect Blue (1997)
R | 81 min | Animation, Crime, Drama
A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
Director: Satoshi Kon | Stars: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura
Votes: 95,447 | Gross: $0.78M
49. C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004)
PG-13 | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, War
Through the eyes of a British "documentary", this film takes a satirically humorous, and sometimes frightening, look at the history of an America where the South won the Civil War.
Director: Kevin Willmott | Stars: Greg Kirsch, Renee Patrick, Molly Graham, William Willmott
Votes: 5,162 | Gross: $0.67M
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