The 13 Best Movies About Making Movies

This week "The Disaster Artist," starring James Franco, Dave Franco, and Seth Rogen, stomps into theaters everywhere. A nutty tale of a man with a dream and a bunch of other people who are along for the ride, it's one of the greatest movies about the making of a movie. The release is enough to make us think back on some of the other gems of this particular subgenre. Because if there's one thing we know about Hollywood, it's how much it loves celebrating itself.   

'Ed Wood' (1994)

Perhaps the greatest movie-about-the-making-of-a-movie ever, Tim Burton's soulful black-and-white tribute to the power of cheap B-movies is an absolute classic. (It also seems to be the clearest inspiration for "The Disaster Artist;" funnily enough one of the "Ed Wood" screenwriters, Larry Karaszewski, was at my screening of "The Disaster Artist.") Johnny Depp plays the title character, a real life, relentlessly optimistic schlock film director who gets a creative second wind thanks to his friendship with an ailing Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau) and wound up making what is largely considered the worst movie ever (at least until "The Room"). The Wood/Lugosi relationship closely mirrored Burton's closeness to Vincent Price in his twilight years, making this uniquely powerful amongst his filmography.

'Get Shorty' (1995)

Taking the conceit that Hollywood is full of actual criminals, Barry Sonnenfeld's whip-smart adaptation of Elmore Leonard's pulpy gem is terrifically funny and occasionally thrilling. John Travolta plays Chili Palmer, an east coast loan shark in Hollywood to collect, but finds himself involved in the glamorous art of moviemaking. ("Shorty" is the nickname for Danny DeVito's A-list star Martin Weir.) The best movies about movies have an unbridled enthusiasm about the craft and the inherent magic that goes along with it; "Get Shorty" has that and more (bursts of violence, jokes about how east coasters view California, cursing). Whatever you do, skip the lackluster sequel, "Be Cool".

'The Player' (1992)

Robert Altman was at his most playful and self-reflexive in "The Player," the tale of a studio bigwig (a pitch-perfect Tom Robbins) who murders a troublesome screenwriter (Vincent D'Onofrio). (Yes, this is for sure a fantasy that countless executives have had.) This is a movie where characters discuss famous long takes in movies while a famously long take is playing out -- and that's what makes "The Player" so fun. It's the rare movie that can deconstruct the ridiculousness that goes into making a movie, while also celebrating it at the same time. And it's got the A-list cameos to prove it.

'Wes Craven's New Nightmare' (1994)

A sort of trial run for the "Scream" films that would follow, "New Nightmare" saw Wes Craven returning to the "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise but with a unique spin -- Craven would play himself, with events from the original movie playing out in real life. It's incredibly meta and, as an exercise, doesn't entirely work. But what it brilliantly captures is the way that the trauma of horror filmmaking can impact those who produce the material. Plus, it's a hoot to see the charismatic Robert Englund playing both himself and Freddy Krueger.

'Adaptation' (2002)

Movies about movies are always going to be a meta prospect, but screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze turn a potentially simple adaptation into narrative taffy, stretching and pulling it this way and that. In "Adaptation" Nicolas Cage plays Kaufman, along with portraying his (fictional) brother Donald (also a screenwriter). Charlie is struggling with an adaptation of famed nonfiction book "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep), just as he did in real life, making that frustration the basis for the film, a loopy, hilarious meditation on authenticity, creativity and narrative drive. It may get somewhat lost along the way (and earlier incarnations were even weirder) but "Adaptation" winds up being profound and unforgettable.

'Hail, Caesar!' (2016)

The Coens' latest madcap romp is a kaleidoscopic trip through golden Hollywood. That's where Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a real-life fixer employed by the studio to cover up their dirty business, sets about dealing with a missing movie star (George Clooney), a pregnant starlet (Scarlett Johansson) and a cowboy trying to go legit (Alden Ehrenreich). Rarely do movies about making movies cover so many different types of movies, while falling into a very specific period of Hollywood history. But that's part of the ping-ponging fun of "Hail, Caesar!," with Brolin's finely calibrated performance adding some much-needed poignancy.

'Hooper' (1978)

There are too few movies made about Hollywood stunt men, especially given the complexity and danger associated with the profession. "Hooper," directed by real-life stunt man and frequent Burt Reynolds collaborator Hal Needham, is the rare film up to the task. In "Hooper," Reynolds plays the title character, an aging stunt man whose commitment to the profession is taking its toll. But don't worry, this isn't "The Wrestler;" Needham directs with a lightness of touch and there are a number of touching and hilarious moments. Overall, you'll come away with an appreciation of the unsung craft that's all to easy to ignore. (Bonus recommendation: Richard Rush's similarly underrated "The Stunt Man.")

'8 1/2' (1963)

Years before Kaufman and Jonze went there, Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini was exploring creative ennui with his highly influential "8 ½." The film follows a filmmaker (Marcello Mastroianni) who embarks on creating a science fiction classic, but ends up looking back on his life (in particular his relationship with women) instead. Intensely autobiographical (Fellini saw this as his "8 ½" film after a number of features and some shorts) and at times subversively surreal, it's the work of a filmmaker taking stock of his life and trying to push things forward, both personally and artistically. It might have begun as a work of intellectual frustration but ended up a classic.

'Bowfinger' (1999)

Somewhat underappreciated upon initial release, "Bowfinger" has aged into a cult classic. Written by Steve Martin and directed by Frank Oz, it follows a ragtag bunch of filmmakers who attempt to make a big budget movie by secretly filming a paranoid movie star (Eddie Murphy), eventually employing his lookalike brother. While the movie making stuff at its core is hilarious, there are a number of tangential storylines which serve to enrich the central narrative (and seem even funnier today), particularly one about Murphy's addiction to a Scientology-style cult led by Terence Stamp. We're still dying to see "Chubby Rain."

'Day for Night' (1973)

Named after the process of shooting daytime scenes and turning them into nighttime shots during a photochemical process, "Day for Night" is one of Francois Truffaut's most underrated and endearing works. While chiefly centered around a film shoot, Truffaut (who also plays the director in the film) takes snapshots of those who contribute most vitally towards it. Through vignettes and mini-scenes that bridge the larger dramatic arc, we are given slices of these characters lives, showing you the kind of real drama that can unfold while trying to artificially create it for the screen.  

'Singin' in the Rain' (1952)

What might be most remarkable to modern audiences is how liberally "The Artist" (a baffling Best Picture Oscar winner from a few years ago) steals from "Singin' in the Rain." Gene Kelly, who also contributed choreography to the movie's many musical numbers, is a silent film star on the cusp of talkie superstardom. This is one of those movies about movies that is absolutely lost in the transporting power of cinema; this is echoed by the fact that much of the music was utilized from previous movies and so serves as a kind of greatest hits. (Even then, it oozed nostalgia.) Still, it's hard not to swoon.

'Boogie Nights' (1997)

Listen, there are all types of movies about movies, including adult movies. In Paul Thomas Anderson's audacious breakthrough, Mark Wahlberg plays a kid who gets involved in the burgeoning porn scene of the 1970's San Fernando Valley. It's there that he is introduced to a colorful cast of performers and personnel, and it's here where the movie finds its heart -- in the beautiful metaphor of film crew as family. "Boogie Nights" is as much about the kind of lifelong bonds that can form through creative endeavors as it is an epic of sleazy greed in the ever-changing landscape of erotic entertainment.

'The Disaster Artist' (2017)

Even if you haven't seen "The Room," Tommy Wiseau's midnight movie sensation, "The Disaster Artist" is still a hoot. In James Franco's charming adaptation of Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's "The Disaster Artist," Franco finds a perfect foil for himself in Wiseau, a man driven by creative visions that only he can discern. There's a fair amount of ribbing to be had in the film, but it's Wiseau, whose inherent mysteriousness is a tantalizing narrative engine, who comes across as a fully dimensional oddball.