satirical backdrop

Movies with satirical vibe

Along Came Polly

671. Along Came Polly

Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Awkward Comedy
6.0

20041h 30min

United States

Director: John Hamburg

Reuben Feffer is a guy who's spent his entire life playing it safe. Polly Prince is irresistible as a free-spirit who lives for the thrill of the moment. When these two comically mismatched souls collide, Reuben's world is turned upside down, as he makes an uproarious attempt to change his life from middle-of-the-road to totally-out-there.

Themes

Risk versus commitment, Opposites attract dynamics, Spontaneity versus security, Trust through testing, Neurotic restraint vs adventure, Risk management in romance

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Mona Lisa Smile

672. Mona Lisa Smile

Drama History Romance Historical Drama Passionate Romance
6.6

20031h 57min

United States

Director: Mike Newell

Katherine Watson is a recent UCLA graduate hired to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College, in 1953. Determined to confront the outdated mores of society and the institution that embraces them, Katherine inspires her traditional students, including Betty and Joan, to challenge the lives they are expected to lead.

Themes

Gendered expectations, Tradition vs modernity, Women's independence, Education as emancipation, Professional ambitions of women, Institutional conformity pressure

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Bad Santa

673. Bad Santa

Drama Comedy Crime Dark Comedy Con Artist Crime
7.0

20031h 32min

United States, Germany

Director: Terry Zwigoff

You'd better watch out - Santa Claus Willie T. Soke is coming to town, and he doesn't care if you've been naughty or nice. Wille's favorite holiday tradition is to fill his sacks with loot lifted from shopping malls across the country. But this year his plot gets derailed by a wisecracking store detective, a sexy bartender, and a kid who's convinced Willie is the real Santa Claus.

Themes

Deception and disguise, Crime under pressure, Blackmail and extortion, Addiction and self-destruction, Child vulnerability, Protective guardianship

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Ruby & Quentin

674. Ruby & Quentin

Comedy Crime Buddy Comedy Heist
7.1

20031h 25min

France, Italy

Director: Francis Veber

After hiding his loot and getting thrown in jail, brooding outlaw Ruby befriends Quentin, a dim-witted and garrulous giant. After Quentin botches a solo escape attempt, they make a break together. Unable to shake the clumsy Quentin, Ruby is forced to take him along as he pursues his former partners in crime to avenge the death of the woman he loved and get to the money.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Power dynamics in crime, Jealousy and rivalry, Deception and alliance, Survival in confinement, Trust versus exploitation, Identity through disguise

Available on

Amazon Video
blue TV
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Intolerable Cruelty

675. Intolerable Cruelty

Comedy Romance Crime Romantic Comedy Dark Comedy
6.3

20031h 40min

United States

Director: Joel Coen

A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.

Themes

Wealth as leverage in divorce, Court strategy in divorce, Predatory marriages and inheritance, Social climbing through marriage, Satire of romance and law, Gold digger dynamics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

School of Rock

676. School of Rock

Comedy Music Workplace Comedy Narrative Musical
7.2

20031h 50min

United States

Director: Richard Linklater

Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his students the finer points of rock 'n' roll. The school's hard-nosed principal is rightly suspicious of Finn's activities. But Finn's roommate remains in the dark about what he's doing.

Themes

Appearance vs reality, Private school pressure, Music as empowerment, Peer validation, Talent vs authority, Role expectations

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Barbarian Invasions

677. The Barbarian Invasions

Comedy Drama Family Drama Dark Comedy
7.5

20031h 39min

Canada, France

Director: Denys Arcand

In this belated sequel to 'The Decline of the American Empire', middle-aged Montreal college professor, Remy, learns that he is dying of liver cancer. His ex-wife, Louise, asks their estranged son, Sebastian, a successful businessman living in London, to come home. Sebastian makes the impossible happen, using his contacts and disrupting the Canadian healthcare system in every way possible to help his father fight his terminal illness to the bitter end, while reuniting some of Remy's old friends, including Pierre, Alain, Dominique, Diane, and Claude, who return to see their friend before he passes on.

Themes

Terminal illness and care access, Family conflict dynamics, Aging and vitality decline, Social democracy and nationalism, Money and influence, University setting and professor

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Matchstick Men

678. Matchstick Men

Comedy Drama Crime Thriller Con Artist Crime
7.3

20031h 56min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Ridley Scott

A top-notch con artist and his partner are on the verge of a new big scam. But everything gets complicated when a daughter he never even knew existed suddenly shows up at his door.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Parent child relationship, Crime and consequences, Panic and anxiety, Desire for honest life, Fraud and ethics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Anything Else

679. Anything Else

Drama Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Awkward Comedy
6.3

20031h 48min

United States

Director: Woody Allen

Jerry Falk, an aspiring writer in New York, falls in love at first sight with a free-spirited young woman named Amanda. He has heard the phrase that life is like "anything else," but soon he finds that life with the unpredictable Amanda isn't like anything else at all.

Themes

Writer role, Anything else, Relationship problems, Advice dynamics, Infidelity impact, Psychoanalysis lens

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

American Splendor

680. American Splendor

Comedy Drama Satire Psychological Drama
7.4

20031h 41min

United States

Director: Robert Pulcini

An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.

Themes

Relationships under ambition, Creative work under constraint, Recognition versus financial reward, Health crisis and vulnerability, Public exposure and pressure, Identity through storytelling

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.