Good satire requires high intelligence on the part of the artist and the audience, and there are many satirical movies which have been accused of glorifying bad behavior. While this may sound like a deficiency on the part of the filmmakers, it’s sometimes the case that their work has merely been misinterpreted by some people. Satire is never as effective if it’s too blatant or preachy, so audiences often need to do some of the work.
Many great crime movie directors have been accused of glorifying their subjects, like Martin Scorsese, David Fincher and Guy Ritchie. This misunderstanding often comes from the fact that these directors find some redeemable qualities in their characters. Ultimately, this is meant to humanize and make crime seem like a human behavior rather than some abstract evil, but it’s difficult to strike the right balance between doing this and glorifying the criminal lifestyle.
More so than almost any other movie,The Wolf of Wall Streethas sparked a heated debate about whether it glorifies the bad behavior that it claims to satirize. Martin Scorsese has had to endure similar accusations levied against some of his other movies. For example,Goodfellascan make the mob look glamorous, respectable, and even fun.The Wolf of Wall Streetseems to take things to a new level.
Scorsese injects the story with a lot of comedy and an enjoyable soundtrack to make Belfort’s criminal scheme look like one never-ending party.
The Wolf of Wall Streettells the true storyof a con artist who raked up an enormous fortune by committing fraud and stock-market manipulation, with Leonardo DiCaprio playing Jordan Belfort. Scorsese injects the story with a lot of comedy and an enjoyable soundtrack to make Belfort’s criminal scheme look like one never-ending party.The fact that Belfort has a cameo in the movie has given fuel to the fire, but Scorsese has always said that people who see the story as an aspirational one are sorely missing the point. As much asThe Wolf of Wall Streetlampoons the “finance bro” culture of Wall Street, it also examines the systems that allowed Belfort to succeed for so long.
Luca Guadagnino is set to direct anew adaptation ofAmerican Psycho,and there are reports that Austin Butler will be playing Patrick Bateman. If these rumors turn out to be true, Butler will have a tough act to follow, since Christian Bale’s performance in Mary Harron’s original adaptation helped create one of the most interesting serial killers in film history. Bateman isn’t like other big-screen murderers. He can be strangely charming at times.
From his sex appeal to his high-powered job, Bateman often seems like an aspirational character.
As opposed to the sociopathic gaze of Norman Bates or Hannibal Lecter,Patrick Bateman spends most of his time as a slick young professional who people seem to like.Even as he chops Paul Allen into pieces, he can hold a conversation about pop music. From his sex appeal to his high-powered job, Bateman often seems like an aspirational character, and Bale plays him with enough charisma that audiences could fall for him easily.
Al Pacino delivers one of his greatest performances inScarface,bringing Tony Montana to life with a blend of charm and intensity. Tony is a Cuban immigrant who wants to taste the American dream, and he discovers that the easiest way to do this is to rise through the ranks of the drug trade. It all ends in a blood-soaked final showdown, with Tony left alone in his expansive mansion, but he has a lot of success and a lot of joy on his climb to the top.
Scarfacesubtly satirizes the falsehoods of the American dream and the racial inequality of the system, but Tony finds a way out of poverty through drugs.Like a Shakespearean tragedy, his downfall is largely self-imposed, which creates the temptation for the audience to think that his personal failures are the only thing holding him back from a life of quiet luxury. A different character might not be so paranoid and jealous.
There have been countless different portrayals of Joker in comics, TV shows, movies and more, with each bringing a slightly new interpretation of the character.2019’sJokerpresents him as a revolutionary fighting back against an unjust world.His methods are extreme, and his philosophy is slightly warped, but most people would agree with his grievances.Jokerasks the audience how willing they are to affect change, and what the process of change could realistically look like.
10 Movies To Watch If You Loved Joker (That Aren’t Folie à Deux)
Joker: Folie à Deux hasn’t lived up to many fan expectations. Luckily, there is a suite of excellent films that serve as better follow-ups to Joker.
The world ofJokerseems a little more violent and chaotic than our own, as if society’s ills have been exaggerated to aid Joker’s worldview. It doesn’t take a terrorist to sympathize with Arthur Fleck’s plight in these circumstances. Theending ofJokermakes him even more sympathetic. In some ways,Jokeris a satire about the erroneous thinking of extremism and terrorism, but it’s also constructed to make the character’s motivations understandable.
Fight Clubstraddles a few different genres. It’s a psychological thriller, a crime movie and a social satire all at once.Fight Clublooks at the absurdity that people accept as a part of everyday life, like office work culture, consumerism and certain views on masculinity. The Narrator finds an escape from these societal pressures in his peculiar relationship with Tyler Durden, and their response makes a strange amount of sense.
The philosophy behind Tyler Durden’s Fight Club is that people need to escape from the ludicrous structures of modern society.
The philosophy behind Tyler Durden’s Fight Club is that people need to escape from the ludicrous structures of modern society and return to a more natural and animalistic way of life. Early on, this means engaging in bareknuckle brawls as a cathartic release, but by theending ofFight Club,the group evolves into a cult that seeks to dismantle society through violent action. Tyler Durden is no hero, but his grievances are understandable, and some audiences could be brought on board to his revolutionary ethos.
Sacha Baron Cohen stirred controversy withBorat,a movie that follows an ignorant Kazakhstani journalist on his travels in the United States. It’s supposed to satirize Borat’s racist, sexist and antisemitic opinions, as well as those of the Americans he comes into contact with. Essentially, by portraying a cartoonishly offensive bigot,Boratreveals that the thin veneer of respectability in 21st century America barely conceals a lot of regressive and harmful views.
It’s hard to excuse some of the bizarre stereotypes that the movie propagates about Kazakhstan.
The problem withBoratis that many of its offensive jokes are often misinterpreted,with some viewers cheering on the racial stereotypes. Some ofBorat’s most ardent fans are the very people who the movie is supposed to be making fun of. It’s also hard to excuse some of the bizarre stereotypes that the movie propagates about Kazakhstan. The sequel,Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,was met with another wave of criticism.
4Zoolander
Zoolander’s Moronic Main Characters Are Still Affable
Zoolanderpokes fun at the fashion industry, but more broadly, it’s a satire of people who value appearances over substance. Derek Zoolander and Hansel are two unbelievably stupid characters - the kind who get into petrol fights at gas stations and break open computers to access the files inside - and the script constantly finds new ways of insulting their intelligence. However, they’re also very easy to like.
Zoolanderpokes fun at the fashion industry, but more broadly, it’s a satire of people who value appearances over substance.
WhileZoolanderspends a lot of time making fun of Derek and Hansel, they still manage to save the day, and they get the happy endings that they ultimately deserve. In this way,Zoolanderseems to forgive them for their lack of intelligenceor curiosity. They’re good people deep down, even if they are far too vain. The movie ultimately seems to suggest that there are more important things than someone’s intelligence.
From his first movie -Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels -Guy Ritchie has cultivated a reputation as a master of labyrinthine crime comedies, some of which have been accused of glamorizing organized crime.The Gentlemencould be Ritchie’s most charming deep dive into the criminal underworld, with Matthew McConaughey playing a suave drug kingpin who associates with the British aristocracy.
Like many ofGuy Ritchie’s best movies,The Gentlemenfeatures a large ensemble cast of criminal characters. Some of these characters are loathsome brutes and slimy villains, but there are some which could frankly be described as aspirational. McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam and Colin Farrell all play honest, hard-working people with hearts of gold, even if their business sometimes involves murder, extortion and blackmail.
The Social Networkexamines Mark Zuckerberg and the rapid rise of Facebook in the 2000s. In doing so, it satirizes the strange bubble of Silicon Valley and venture capitalists, as well as providing some broader social commentary on how power and money can change people. Despite painting an overall unflattering portrait of Zuckerberg,The Social Networkcan’t change the fact that Zuckerberg becomes an enormous success by the end.
Every David Fincher Movie, Ranked From Worst To Best
Over the course of his 28 year long career, David Fincher has crafted a distinct style that taps into humanity’s most sinister and primal urges.
The Social Networkchanges the true storyof the founding of Facebook in some ways, but the broad strokes are accurate. This means that the movie’s perceived glorification of bad behavior is even more important, since it directly affects real life. This side of the movie is no accident. Aaron Sorkin’s script and David Fincher’s direction both work to contrast the backstabbing and intellectual theft that helped create Facebook with the ultimate success of the founders,showing that such acts are often rewarded in society.
Superbadis a great teen comedy, and it often makes fun of its immature, awkward characters. Even some of the adults inSuperbadare in need of a reality check, especially Seth Rogen and Bill Hader’s two cop characters. Mostly, the story sticks with the high schoolers trying to have one last wild party before they head off to college, and there are some moments when the movie glorifies their immature behavior.
There’s no shying away from the fact that it makes petty crimes, reckless irresponsibility and downright stupidity look fun.
Superbadis filled with great quotes, some shocking slapstick and great comedic performances all round. It deserves its reputation as one of the funniest movies of its time, but there’s no shying away from the fact that it makes petty crimes, reckless irresponsibility and downright stupidity look fun.Superbadmanages to get away with all this because it doesn’t take anything too seriously.
