satirical backdrop

Movies with satirical vibe

The Perfect Dictatorship

361. The Perfect Dictatorship

Drama Comedy Political Drama Satire
7.2

20142h 23min

Mexico

Director: Luis Estrada

Overview

TV MX, the most powerful Mexican Television Corporation, discloses a scandalous story involving Governor Carmelo Vargas in serious crimes and illicit business. Governor Vargas worried about his political future, decides to clean his image and negotiates a billionaire secret agreement with the owners of the TV Corporation. Carlos Rojo, an ambitious young news producer, and Ricardo Diaz, TV network star reporter, are responsible for making a dirty campaign to change the image the public has of the corrupt Governor and make him, at any cost, a political star and a great presidential candidate. Mexican Television believes that democracy is a farce and has already placed one President... Will they do it again?

Themes

Image control through media, Media influence on politics, Corruption and broadcast power, Deception for political gain, Democracy as farce, Sensationalism over truth

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Stretch

362. Stretch

Action Comedy Thriller Vehicle-Driven Action Dark Comedy
6.5

20141h 34min

United States

Director: Joe Carnahan

Overview

A hard-luck limo driver struggling to go straight and pay off a debt to his bookie takes on a job with a crazed passenger whose sought-after ledger implicates some seriously dangerous criminals.

Themes

Deception and impersonation, Gambling debt pressure, Urban crime caper chaos, Addiction and downfall, Opportunistic improvisation, Fragile trust in strangers

Available on

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

Playing It Cool

363. Playing It Cool

Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Awkward Comedy
5.9

20141h 34min

United States

Director: Justin Reardon

Overview

A young man meets and instantly falls in love with an engaged woman.

Themes

Romcom expectations vs reality, Commitment anxiety, Lying about charities, Engaged woman obstacle, Friends vs romance, Screenwriter perspective on romance

Available on

Amazon Video
Hulu
The Roku Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Riot Club

364. The Riot Club

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
6.0

20141h 47min

United Kingdom

Director: Lone Scherfig

Overview

Two first-year students at Oxford University join a secret society and learn that their reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of one evening.

Themes

Class inequality, Elite social climbing, Initiation and belonging, Power through privilege, Deception and complicity, Alcohol and excess

Available on

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

Pride

365. Pride

Drama Comedy Political Drama Satire
7.8

20142h

France, United Kingdom

Director: Matthew Warchus

Overview

In 1984, a group of LGBT activists decide to raise money to support the National Union of Mineworkers during their lengthy strike. There is only one problem: the Union seems embarrassed to receive their support.

Themes

Miners' strike solidarity, Public exposure of bias, Harassment of unions, Activist community alliance, Police power scrutiny, Health and stigma

Available on

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

The Cobbler

366. The Cobbler

Fantasy Comedy Drama Supernatural Fantasy High-Concept Comedy
5.8

20141h 39min

United States

Director: Tom McCarthy

Overview

Max Simkin repairs shoes in the same New York shop that has been in his family for generations. Disenchanted with the grind of daily life, Max stumbles upon a magical heirloom that allows him to step into the lives of his customers and see the world in a new way. Sometimes walking in another man's shoes is the only way one can discover who they really are.

Themes

Urban redevelopment pressure, Gentrification and displacement, Family legacy and duty, Economic and social inequality, Heritage vs modernity, Craft identity and pride

Available on

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

This Is Where I Leave You

367. This Is Where I Leave You

Drama Comedy Family Drama Ensemble Comedy
6.6

20141h 43min

United States

Director: Shawn Levy

Overview

When their father passes away, four grown, world-weary siblings return to their childhood home and are requested -- with an admonition -- to stay there together for a week, along with their free-speaking mother and a collection of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. As the brothers and sisters re-examine their shared history and the status of each tattered relationship among those who know and love them best, they reconnect in hysterically funny and emotionally significant ways.

Themes

Dysfunctional family dynamics, Affair shadow over marriage, Sit shiva tradition, Funeral and mourning, Pregnant status tension

Available on

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

Wild Tales

368. Wild Tales

Drama Thriller Comedy Satire Revenge Thriller
8.1

20142h 2min

Argentina, Spain

Director: Damián Szifron

Overview

Injustice and the demands of the world can cause stress for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This includes a waitress serving a grouchy loan shark, an altercation between two motorists, an ill-fated wedding reception, and a wealthy businessman who tries to buy his family out of trouble.

Themes

Betrayal and deception, Scarcity and desperation, Social pressure and violence, Public spectacle and humiliation, Fragile justice systems, Revenge under stress

Available on

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

Hector and the Search for Happiness

369. Hector and the Search for Happiness

Adventure Drama Comedy Globetrotting Adventure Psychological Drama
6.9

20141h 54min

Canada, China

Director: Peter Chelsom

Overview

Hector is a quirky psychiatrist who has become increasingly tired of his humdrum life. As he tells his girlfriend, Clara, he feels like a fraud: he hasn’t really tasted life, and yet he’s offering advice to patients who are just not getting any happier. So Hector decides to break out of his deluded and routine driven life. Armed with buckets of courage and child-like curiosity, he embarks on a global quest in hopes of uncovering the elusive secret formula for true happiness. And so begins a larger than life adventure with riotously funny results.

Themes

Trust under pressure, Disruption of routine, Cross-cultural encounters, Brain science and emotion, Pursuit of happiness, Risk and survival in travel

Available on

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

Let's Be Cops

370. Let's Be Cops

Comedy Buddy Comedy
6.4

20141h 44min

United States

Director: Luke Greenfield

Overview

Best pals Ryan and Justin are stalled in their respective careers -- a fact that is painfully driven home when they go to a college reunion. Dressed as police in the mistaken belief that they were to attend a costume party, Ryan and Justin find that the uniforms earn them much respect and attention. Although Justin is uncomfortable with the idea, Ryan decides to continue with the charade, putting them both in increasingly dangerous situations. When these newly-minted “heroes” get tangled in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line.

Themes

Trust under pressure, Police impersonator, Deception through role play, Buddy cop tension, Corruption and mob violence, Ambition under danger

Available on

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