Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "play-within-a-play"

1. 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: 860,925 | Gross: $17.50M

2. Beau Is Afraid (2023)

R | 179 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror

Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.

Director: Ari Aster | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane

Votes: 60,834

3. Man of La Mancha (1972)

PG | 132 min | Drama, Fantasy, Musical

The funny story of mad but kind and chivalrous elderly nobleman Don Quixote who, aided by his squire Sancho Panza, fights windmills that are seen as dragons to save prostitute Dulcinea who is seen as a noblewoman.

Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco, Harry Andrews

Votes: 4,783 | Gross: $3.79M

4. Synecdoche, New York (2008)

R | 124 min | Drama

A theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

Director: Charlie Kaufman | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener

Votes: 98,282 | Gross: $3.08M

5. A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

Approved | 133 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.

Directors: William Dieterle, Max Reinhardt | Stars: James Cagney, Dick Powell, Ian Hunter, Verree Teasdale

Votes: 3,891

6. Yannick (2023)

67 min | Comedy, Drama

In the middle of a performance of the play "Le Cocu", a very bad boulevard comedy, Yannick gets up and interrupts the show to take the evening back in hand.

Director: Quentin Dupieux | Stars: Raphaël Quenard, Pio Marmaï, Blanche Gardin, Sébastien Chassagne

Votes: 4,416

7. Tender Cousins (1980)

R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

With Adolf Hitler threatening Europe, against the backdrop of the deceptively peaceful summer of 1939, 14-year-old Julien experiences the intoxicating effects of first love, smitten with his beautiful 16-year-old cousin Julia.

Director: David Hamilton | Stars: Thierry Tevini, Anja Schüte, Valérie Dumas, Évelyne Dandry

Votes: 2,168

8. Hamlet (1948)

Approved | 154 min | Drama

Prince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king.

Director: Laurence Olivier | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, John Laurie, Esmond Knight

Votes: 18,411 | Gross: $7.09M

9. Quills (2000)

R | 124 min | Biography, Drama

In a Napoleonic era insane asylum, an inmate, the irrepressible Marquis De Sade, fights a battle of wills against a tyrannically prudish doctor.

Director: Philip Kaufman | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine

Votes: 56,750 | Gross: $7.06M

10. Hamlet (1990)

PG | 135 min | Drama

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans revenge.

Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates, Paul Scofield

Votes: 23,625 | Gross: $20.71M

11. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)

PG | 117 min | Comedy, Drama

Two minor characters from the play 'Hamlet' stumble around unaware of their scripted lives and unable to deviate from them.

Director: Tom Stoppard | Stars: Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Richard Dreyfuss, Livio Badurina

Votes: 23,865 | Gross: $0.74M

12. Cutting Class (1989)

R | 91 min | Comedy, Crime, Horror

A murderer is loose in a high school in this 'whodunit' movie.

Director: Rospo Pallenberg | Stars: Donovan Leitch Jr., Jill Schoelen, Brad Pitt, Roddy McDowall

Votes: 5,918

13. Restoration (1995)

R | 117 min | Biography, Drama, History

The exiled royal doctor to King Charles II devotes himself to helping Londoners suffering from the plague, and in the process falls in love with an equally poor woman.

Director: Michael Hoffman | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, David Thewlis, Polly Walker

Votes: 9,923 | Gross: $4.10M

14. Salome's Last Dance (1988)

R | 89 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

On Guy Fawkes Day 1892m Oscar Wilde goes to a performance of his controversial, banned play 'Salome'. The 'theatre' is a brothel and the performers are prostitutes.

Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Glenda Jackson, Stratford Johns, Nickolas Grace, Douglas Hodge

Votes: 1,908 | Gross: $0.33M

15. Sawdust and Tinsel (1953)

Not Rated | 93 min | Drama

The complicated relationships between a circus ringmaster, his estranged wife and his lover.

Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Åke Grönberg, Harriet Andersson, Hasse Ekman, Anders Ek

Votes: 7,385

16. Tales of Manhattan (1942)

Passed | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

A formal tailcoat that gets passed from one owner to another affects each life in a significant way.

Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda

Votes: 2,515

17. The Theater (2020)

25 min | Short, Comedy, Drama

A writer and director in a theater company faces depression because his works are not well received and he has a poor relationship with others until he meets the university student Saki

Director: Wei Zhao | Stars: Zhi Wang, Sunny Sun, Kailang He, Zhengbin Ren

Votes: 72

18. Marat/Sade (1967)

Not Rated | 119 min | Drama, History, Music

In an insane asylum, Marquis de Sade directs Jean Paul Marat's last days through a theater play. The actors are the patients.

Director: Peter Brook | Stars: Patrick Magee, Clifford Rose, Glenda Jackson, Ian Richardson

Votes: 2,671

19. Lucy (2003 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 128 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

Life of Lucille Ball, focusing on the loving yet tumultuous relationship with Desi Arnaz.

Director: Glenn Jordan | Stars: Rachel York, Danny Pino, Ann Dowd, LaChanze

Votes: 959

20. It's Love I'm After (1937)

Approved | 90 min | Comedy

An actor of the stage finds himself pursued by a lovestruck fan while trying to patch up a tempestuous relationship with his actress lover.

Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Patric Knowles

Votes: 2,656

21. The Greeks (2016– )

163 min | Documentary, History

They were an extraordinary people born of white rock and blue sea. They invented democracy, distilled logic and reason, wrote plays to plumb the deepest recesses of the soul, and captured ... See full summary »

Stars: Toby Leonard Moore, Bettany Hughes, Edith Hall, Michael Cosmopoulos

Votes: 259

22. The Red Shoes (1985 TV Movie)

79 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy

The story of a little girl name Karen who was very poor and was given a pair of red shoes made of cloth to keep her feet warm in the winter. When her mother dies, she's adopted by a rich ... See full summary »

Directors: John Clark Donahue, John Driver | Stars: Rana Haugen, Stephen Boe, Molly Atwood, Sonja Kostich

Votes: 36

23. The Tyrant Father (1941)

114 min | Comedy

Francisco, salesman in a shoe store, is totally in love with Tatão, which sells perfume in the same street. But he is an amateur theater actor, as she hates theater and is a fan of cinema. Will this unlikely love endure?

Director: António Lopes Ribeiro | Stars: Vasco Santana, Francisco Ribeiro, Leonor Maia, Barroso Lopes

Votes: 861

24. Hollywood Fringe (2020)

90 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical

Two married, down-on-their-luck, actors decide to put on a site-specific play about their unsuccessful life in Hollywood.

Directors: Megan Huber, Wyatt McDill | Stars: Karine Bagoumian, Shaughn Buchholz, Frank Cappello, Helen Chhea

Votes: 32

25. Ximalaya wang zi (2006)

Not Rated | 108 min | Drama

An adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet set in ancient Tibet.

Director: Sherwood Hu | Stars: Purba Rgyal, Duobujie, Zomskyid, Sonam Dolgar

Votes: 109 | Gross: $0.01M

26. Alex (1991)

118 min | Drama

The story of a child who faces the emptiness that surrounds the figure of his parents, disappeared in Africa.

Director: Teresa Villaverde | Stars: Ricardo Colares, Teresa Roby, Joaquim de Almeida, Vincent Gallo

Votes: 119

27. Hamlet (II) (1910)

20 min | Short, Drama

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Directors: William Barker, Charles Raymond | Stars: Charles Raymond, Dorothy Fane, Constance Backner

Votes: 17

28. A Drunkard's Reformation (1909)

13 min | Drama, Short

A drinking man arrives home, late and sozzled as usual. His wife reminds him that he promised to take their child to a play. The play proves to be a morality tale about the evils of drink; ... See full summary »

Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Arthur V. Johnson, Linda Arvidson, Adele DeGarde, Charles Avery

Votes: 273

29. Transky, body, vteriny (2021 TV Movie)

94 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport

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Directors: Tomás Dianiska, Petra Vselichová | Stars: Jakub Burýsek, Pavla Gajdosíková, Markéta Matulová, Ondrej Brett

30. Hvezda (2020 TV Movie)

109 min | Comedy, Drama

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Directors: Vít Belohradský, Patrik Hartl | Stars: Eva Holubová, Jirí Bartoska, Zuzana Bydzovská, Marek Eben

Votes: 16

31. Vrazda ve varieté (1982 TV Movie)

Comedy, Crime, Musical

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Director: Milan Macku | Stars: Ladislava Kozderková, Ladislav Zupanic

32. Sucesos distantes (1996)

105 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

One couple (Carlos & Irene) are having troubles, because he suspects that Irene's hiding something about her past in Russia. To make things worst her ex-husband goes to Mexico and tells ... See full summary »

Director: Guita Schyfter | Stars: Angélica Aragón, Fernando Balzaretti, Lucila Balzaretti, Selma Beraud

Votes: 23

33. ShakespeaRe-Told (2005)
Episode: A Midsummer Night's Dream (2005)

TV-PG | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Mis-directed love potions complicate an already complicated set of relationships.

Director: Ed Fraiman | Stars: Bill Paterson, Imelda Staunton, Lennie James, Sharon Small

Votes: 398

34. Joey (2004–2006)
Episode: Joey and the Musical (2005)

TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Romance

Joey is trying to impress his girlfriend Candace, who he hired as interior decorator, but is instantly and intensely disliked by her grandmother Gloria, who says he resembles her hated ex ... See full summary »

Director: Gary Halvorson | Stars: Matt LeBlanc, Andrea Anders, Paulo Costanzo, Jennifer Coolidge

Votes: 295

35. Joey (2004–2006)
Episode: Joey and the Perfect Storm (2004)

TV-14 | 21 min | Comedy, Romance

Joey is an understudy in three different plays. The lead actor from each play, cannot go on, Joey has to figure a way to be in all three plays when they're all on at the same time, in different locations.

Director: David Schwimmer | Stars: Matt LeBlanc, Andrea Anders, Paulo Costanzo, Jennifer Coolidge

Votes: 374

36. Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)
Episode: Stage Struck (1986)

TV-PG | 47 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

The murder of the leading lady's understudy disrupts a play starring two previously married actors.

Director: John Astin | Stars: Angela Lansbury, Shea Farrell, Bob Hastings, Don Most

Votes: 422

37. Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996)
Episode: The Witch's Curse (1992)

TV-PG | 47 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Cabot Cove suspects a woman playing a witch in a community play is the real thing.

Director: Jerry Jameson | Stars: Angela Lansbury, David Ackroyd, Julie Adams, Mary Crosby

Votes: 371

38. Quintuplets (2004–2005)
Episode: Bob and Carol Save Christmas (2004)

TV-14 | Comedy

Bob and Carol find that the quints are really sick of 'Quintsmas', which means getting no Christmas presents until the Christmas sale, just pictures on the actual holiday, so they risk all ... See full summary »

Director: Andy Cadiff | Stars: Andy Richter, Rebecca Creskoff, Johnny Lewis, April Matson

Votes: 9

39. Step by Step (1991–1998)
Episode: Way-Off Broadway (1993)

TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Romance

To become closer to a new boyfriend, Dana auditions for - and wins - the role of Juliet in a local production of "Romeo and Juliet." However, her bid at stardom is placed in jeopardy when ... See full summary »

Director: Richard Correll | Stars: Patrick Duffy, Suzanne Somers, Staci Keanan, Sasha Mitchell

Votes: 72

40. Rosemary & Thyme (2003–2006)
Episode: Enter Two Gardeners (2006)

TV-14 | 47 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

The girls are contracted to do the landscaping for a traditional amateur theatrical, but when members of the cast are murdered, Laura is forced to don greasepaint.

Director: Simon Langton | Stars: Felicity Kendal, Pam Ferris, John Sackville, Rachel Pickup

Votes: 167

41. Poirot (1989–2013)
Episode: The Clocks (2009)

Not Rated | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Four clocks surround an unidentified corpse in a blind woman's house, and a young typist is summoned to the crime scene. However, Poirot is convinced that the complicated setup is merely hiding a simpler solution.

Director: Charlie Palmer | Stars: David Suchet, Olivia Grant, Anna Skellern, Tom Burke

Votes: 2,219

42. De kotmadam (1991–2024)
Episode: Pancreas (1993)

Comedy

Worried about her mother's latest health problem, the pancreas, Jeanne asks Billy to explain medically. Jef and the students help Odilon rehearse the part of Dingemans the Strangler for the... See full summary »

Directors: Ronnie Commissaris, Guy Helsen | Stars: Pieter-Jan De Smet, Aron Wade, Tom Van Landuyt, Odilon Mortier

43. Home and Away (1988– )
Episode: Episode #1.5062 (2010)

TV-14 | 28 min | Drama, Romance

Romeo and 'Romeo' have mixed feelings about the play finally being at hand. Xavier cutely helps Ruby over her nerves. Elijah tries to make Miles realize teaching is his vocation, not ... See full summary »

Director: Geoffrey Nottage | Stars: Esther Anderson, Bob Baines, Charlotte Best, Luke Bracey

44. Phineas and Ferb (2007–2024)
Episode: Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars (2014)

TV-G | 51 min | Animation, Short, Action

Phineas and Ferb travel to a galaxy far far away to help out some rebel heroes.

Directors: Robert Hughes, Sue Perrotto, George Elliott, Keith Oliver | Stars: Vincent Martella, Ashley Tisdale, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Caroline Rhea

Votes: 964