From political and social turmoil to climate change to an unprecedented global pandemic, there have been plenty of issues over the past 10 years ripe for observation. With satirical takes becoming some of the most critically-acclaimed films of our time, this has been the unofficial decade of creative satire.
Related:7 Movies Like ‘Don’t Look Up’ For More Apocalyptic Political Satire
Satire can include over-the-top comedies, subtle dramas, or anything in between, as long as they are trying to have a conversation with the audience. Perhaps why this style of scripting has become a favorite for directors likeTaika WaititiandJordan Peele- it’s a great way to convey greater meaning while reflecting on the absurdity of life.
I Care A Lot(2020)
Rosamund Pikeis one of the few actresses who can play a character who does awful things while still somehow winning the audience over. InI Care A Lot,she deliversone of her best performancesas Marla Grayson, a professional legal guardian. She manipulates the court system to get custody of the elderly only to steal all of their valuables and assets that she is now in charge of managing. However, when she sets her sight on the mother of crime boss Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage), Marla realizes she may have finally met her match.
I Care A Lotis a riveting and entertaining takedown of American greed and the ways people can manipulate the systems in place to protect us for their personal gain. What’s interesting about the way the movie frames it is how the movie doesn’t paint Marla as the villain, but as someone whose nefarious scheme for success is coming back to bite her.
Don’t Look Up(2021)
Don’t Look Upis a movietoo urgent to be subtle. After leaving the world of broad studio comedies, directorAdam McKay’smovies have been very pointed in their messaging. Here he continues that trend by being less direct thanThe Big ShortandVice, but somehow also less subtle. The film is about the immediate threat of global warming, told through the metaphor of a doomsday-level meteor threatening to destroy the Earth.
While the meteor plot is fiction,Don’t Look Upsatirizes the way that institutions like the government and the media react to global warming by talking it down, distracting from it, and using it for their own financial gain. It does this by going back to McKay’s comedy roots and blowing the characters up to outrageous proportions. While watchingDon’t Look Up, you won’t know whether to laugh or cry, but either way, you’re justified.
The Hunt(2020)
The Huntwas never meant to be as controversial as it ended up. The Blumhouse produced action-horror movie is a satirical take on the political and social divide in America, told through a violent game of liberals hunting conservatives.Betty Gilpinbecomes a certified action star, leading the movie as Crystal, one of the many trapped in this fight to the death.
Before the film was released, it was embroiled in controversy. First, the trailer was met with criticism from the political right, includingDonald Trump, for the absurd claim of promoting violence against them. In reality, the movie is critical of the political divide itself than it is of either side of the spectrum. The film was delayed for sensitivity after a series of mass shootings across America. Unfortunately, its new date was March 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the end, it is a fun, action-packed romp that may make you think about how we all treat each other.
The Death Of Stalin(2017)
InThe Death Of Stalin,Armando Iannuccitakes his brand of political satire that he perfected in shows likeVeepandThe Thick Of Itand applies it to the world of Soviet Russia. After Joseph Stalin becomes ill and passes away, a struggle for power begins between his underlings, all wanting to become the new leader of the Soviet Union.
The Death Of Stalinhighlights the absurdity of politics through wacky comedy. The film understands that these are important topics that carry massive weight, and so to see them presented as comedic stories allows the audience to find the ability to criticize them.
Jojo Rabbit(2019)
Making a comedy with Adolf Hitler is like walking on a tightrope. It requires lots of hard work, or it could be a complete disaster. Taika Waititi is one of the few filmmakers to successfully make it work with his Oscar-winning satire,Jojo Rabbit.The film focuses on a young German boy named Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), who is coming of age during World War II. Because of this, he has bought into Nazi propaganda to the point that his imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler, played by Waititi himself. After meeting a Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), Jojo learns to see the evil of the Nazi Party.
The film is self-described as “an anti-hate satire”, and it lives up to the title, making a farce of the Nazis and their beliefs. Waititi’s Hitler is an absurd caricature of hate and evil blown up to the point that he becomes a comedic character.Jojo Rabbitwill go down in film history as the textbook way to satirize a sensitive subject without sacrificing entertainment or meaningful content.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues(2013)
Comedy sequels tend to be a mixed bag. It’s hard to elevate each entry without overplaying the joke.Anchorman 2: The Legend Continuessucceeds by setting its sights on a logical next step for its characters: the 24/7 news cycle. Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News team hit the big time and become anchors for GNN, the first news channel that never goes off the air.
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Through the comedic misadventures of Ron Burgundy, including him inventing the idea of covering a car chase live, to having a battle to the death between various types of news anchors,Anchorman 2satirizes the manipulation of the news cycle for ratings and the infiltration of business into journalism. If anything, as people have become more and more fixed to the news, the movie has only become more relevant than when it was first released.
Assassination Nation(2018)
Before creating the hit HBO show and cultural phenomenonEuphoria,Sam Levinsonwrote and directed another take on the stresses and horrors of being young in modern-day America withAssassination Nation. The film takes place in a small town where a data hack causes the residents' darkest secrets to be revealed. In the wake of this, the town descends into chaos.
While you could argue Levinson’s understanding of Gen-Z culture is at its strongest inEuphoria, he infusesAssassination Nationwith an energy that’s both uniquely youthful and mature. The film is a satire of American society, mainly in how Americans are quick to turn to extreme acts of violence. It hones in on the taboos America holds, and the way we twist our morals for our own justification.
Nightcrawler(2014)
InNightcrawler,Jake Gyllenhaaltakes the phrase “if it bleeds, it leads” to an entirely new level. He plays Louis Bloom, a man known as a “nightcrawler,” someone who races to the scene of a crime to get the first footage and sell it to local news stations. Desperate for success, Louis begins to blur the line between observer and participant of the crimes he covers.
Nightcrawleris a genius satire because, even though it blows America’s thirst for violence to outrageous proportions, it’s still believable. Thanks to yet anotherincredible performance by Gyllenhaal, you could realistically buy that someone like Louis is out there in the real world and that someone likeRene Russo’snews producer is ready to package brutal violence for your consumption.
Get Out(2017)
By now, everyone knows aboutGet Out.Jordan Peele’s directorial debut shot him up immediately to auteur director status and won him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film starsDaniel Kaluuyaas Chris, a Black man going to meet his white girlfriend’s family for the first time. What follows has become an iconic depiction of the racism that exists beneath the kind talk and political grandstanding of many white Americans.Related:10 Must Watch Horror Movies From Black Directors
Not only is it a satire of the state of racial politics in America, but it’s also a satire of common horror movie tropes, even down to the title.Get Outwill stand the test of time as a prime example of how satire can be incredibly entertaining, while also offering sharp and effective criticism of society.
Sorry To Bother You(2018)
Sorry To Bother Youis the definition of a wild ride. The film starsLaKeith Stanfieldas Cassius Green, a Black man working as a telemarketer in Oakland, California, who discovers that he is more successful if he puts on a “white” sounding voice. What follows is a downward spiral into a bizarre satire of greed and the way corporations can break someone down for their own gain.
DirectorBoots Rileycreates a world that’s entirely absurd, but still feels relevant and impactful to the world we live in. That kind of disconnect between the world of the movie and the real world only highlights the points that Riley makes.Sorry To Bother Youis a movie that’s so frustrated with the way the real world is, that it has no other choice than to laugh.
