Top 10 Meta Movies

#10: “Being John Malkovich” (1999)

One of the strangest, most inventive, and funniest satires of the past two decades, “Being John Malkovich” tells the story of a has-been puppeteer who is able to enter John Malkovich’s subconscious via a portal. What makes it all the more awesome is that the filmmakers nabbed John Malkovich to play himself! The result is one of his best performances as a respected actor slowly losing his mind. Nobody can save Malkovich from the forces taking over his body and soul – not even Charlie Sheen.

#9: “This Is the End” (2013)

The next generation of the Frat Pack stars in this comedy as they attempt to survive the apocalypse and each other. Much of the humor in “This Is the End” is derived from how these actors willingly poke fun at their egos. James Franco is the self-appointed leader, Jonah Hill is a conceited narcissist, and Michael Cera is a coked out pervert. Along the way, Seth Rogen takes a shot at himself for botching “The Green Hornet” and delivers the closest thing we’ve had so far to a “Pineapple Express” sequel.

#8: “Funny Games” (2007)

“Funny Games” might seem like a conventional home invasion thriller about two sadistic young men that take a family hostage. What distinguishes the film is that one of the ruthless captors is fully aware that he’s in a movie. Thus, he spends much of the film making commentary on the state of violence in American cinema, asking the audience if they wish to bet on the family’s lives, purposely dragging matters out to reach a feature-length running time, and even using a remote control to manipulate the plot’s outcome.

#7: “Tropic Thunder” (2008)

“Tropic Thunder” isn’t just a marvelous sendup of war movies, but of everything Hollywood. At the center of the film are the Sylvester Stallone-like Tugg Speedman, the Chris Farley-like Jeff Portnoy, and the Russell Crowe-like Kirk Lazarus. Through these three, the film touches base on the lengths actors will go to win an Oscar, the poor film choices that derail an actor’s career, and the fatal mistake of going full retard. Oh, and let’s not forget the funniest and most convincing fake movie trailers in the history of comedy.

#6: “The Cabin in the Woods” (2012)

What if the events of every slasher movie ever made were all run by a central underground facility? That’s the premise of “The Cabin in the Woods” – well, sorta. This horror comedy places five people who represent horror movie archetypes in a remote cabin where they accidentally raise the dead – although they just as easily could’ve summoned vampires, giant snakes, or a merman. As carnage ensues in the woods, two office facility workers casually observe, control, and make commentary on the teenagers’ actions. If you’re wondering why, we won’t dare spoil that here.

#5: “22 Jump Street” (2014)

This follow-up to “21 Jump Street” bombards the audience with meta humor from its opening scenes to its end credits, exhausting every conceivable idea for further sequels. Schmidt and Jenko are back to solve another case, which they promise themselves is going to be different. To their dismay, however, the two start to hit the same exact beats as before. “22 Jump Street” is fully aware that it’s a retread, making it a genius satire of sequels, the first film, and even the TV series that inspired this franchise.

#4: “Spaceballs” (1987)

“Blazing Saddles” has too many uproarious fourth wall jokes to count. Pulling off the unthinkable though, Mel Brooks took his meta humor to new heights in “Spaceballs.” The characters in this “Star Wars” parody constantly reference the audience, asking them it they caught all of the expositional dialog and selling them merchandise. The funniest bit involves the villains watching a videotape of “Spaceballs,” even though the film isn’t finished yet. As they catch up to the movie’s current point, Dark Helmet and Colonel Sandurz engage in a hilariously philosophical discussion about then, now, and when.

#3: “Adaptation.” (2002)

Charlie Kaufman writes himself and his non-existent brother Donald Kaufman into “Adaptation.” While the film might have started off as an adaptation of Susan Orlean’s book “The Orchid Thief,” it turned into a wild commentary about the hardships of being a creative writer. Kaufman challenges all the screenwriting conventions that are enforced by instructors like Robert McKee, while also making fun of the film’s own storytelling tropes like voiceover narration. The real star in this movie is its screenplay, which earned Kaufman – and his fictional twin brother – an Oscar nomination.

#2: “Last Action Hero” (1993)

Everyone in the ‘80s and ‘90s grew up on Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. In “Last Action Hero,” young film buff Danny gets to live out his dream of taking on bad guys alongside Schwarzenegger’s Jack Slater. Being an action movie junkie, Danny knows that Slater’s world is governed by clichés. Unattractive woman are nonexistent, villains always monologue for too long, and our masculine hero can never resist a bad pun or blowing something up. The only thing he can’t do? Drop the f-bomb in a PG13 movie.

Before we reference our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Ocean’s Twelve” (2004)
- “Fight Club” (1999)
- “Wayne’s World” (1992)
- “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975)

#1: “Scream” (1996)

While Wes Craven adores the clichés that make up the horror genre, he’s also willing to make fun of them. Craven portrayed himself in the feature-length in-joke “New Nightmare” and provided a love letter to the horror movie formula in “Scream.” While the characters in the 1996 film have seen their fair share of slasher flicks, they’re still prone to the same obvious mistakes that every horror character seems to make – like running up the stairs from a masked killer for example. Regardless, “Scream” remains the ultimate guide to surviving a horror film, reminding us to never say, “I’ll be right back.”

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