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.
10
The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
Scorsese’s Financial Satire Often Looks Like One Big Party
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10/10
6.5/10
The Wolf of Wall Street
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Release Date
December 25, 2013
Director
Martin Scorsese
Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio
, Jonah Hill
, Margot Robbie
, Kyle Chandler
, Matthew McConaughey
, Rob Reiner
, Jon Bernthal
, Jon Favreau
More so than almost any other movie, The Wolf of Wall Street has 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, Goodfellas can make the mob look glamorous, respectable, and even fun. The Wolf of Wall Street seems 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 Street tells the true story of 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 as The Wolf of Wall Street lampoons the “finance bro” culture of Wall Street, it also examines the systems that allowed Belfort to succeed for so long.
9
American Psycho (2000)
Christian Bale’s Slick Serial Killer Is Oddly Charming
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7/10
8.3/10
American Psycho
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Release Date
April 14, 2000
Director
Mary Harron
Cast
Jared Leto
, Reese Witherspoon
, Chloe Sevigny
, Willem Dafoe
, Justin Theroux
, Christian Bale
Luca Guadagnino is set to direct a new adaptation of American 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.
8
Scarface (1983)
Tony Montana Gets To Enjoy The High Life For A While
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7/10
9.7/10
Scarface
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Release Date
December 9, 1983
Director
Brian De Palma
Cast
Al Pacino
, Michelle Pfeiffer
, Robert Loggia
, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
, Miriam Colon
, F. Murray Abraham
Al Pacino delivers one of his greatest performances in Scarface, 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.
Scarface subtly 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.
7
Joker (2019)
Joker Questions Society’s Rigid Structures And Traditions
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5/10
21
8.2/10
Joker
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Release Date
October 2, 2019
Director
Todd Phillips
Cast
Joaquin Phoenix
, Robert De Niro
, Zazie Beetz
, Frances Conroy
, Brett Cullen
, Shea Whigham
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’s Joker presents 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. Joker asks the audience how willing they are to affect change, and what the process of change could realistically look like.
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The world of Joker seems 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. The ending of Joker makes him even more sympathetic. In some ways, Joker is a satire about the erroneous thinking of extremism and terrorism, but it’s also constructed to make the character’s motivations understandable.
6
Fight Club (1999)
Tyler Durden Is Extremely Charismatic
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9/10
40
8.8/10
Fight Club
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Release Date
October 15, 1999
Director
David Fincher
Cast
Brad Pitt
, Meat Loaf
, Edward Norton
, Jared Leto
, Helena Bonham Carter
Fight Club straddles a few different genres. It’s a psychological thriller, a crime movie and a social satire all at once. Fight Club looks 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 the ending of Fight 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.
5
Borat (2006)
Borat Has Often Been Accused Of Racism
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8/10
Borat
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Release Date
November 3, 2006
Director
Larry Charles
Cast
Ken Davitian
, Pamela Anderson
, Sacha Baron Cohen
, Luenell
Sacha Baron Cohen stirred controversy with Borat, 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, Borat reveals 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 with Borat is that many of its offensive jokes are often misinterpreted, with some viewers cheering on the racial stereotypes. Some of Borat‘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.
4
Zoolander
Zoolander’s Moronic Main Characters Are Still Affable
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7/10
8/10
Zoolander
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Release Date
September 28, 2001
Director
Ben Stiller
Cast
Owen Wilson
, Ben Stiller
, Milla Jovovich
, Christine Taylor
, Will Ferrell
Zoolander pokes 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.
Zoolander pokes fun at the fashion industry, but more broadly, it’s a satire of people who value appearances over substance.
While Zoolander spends 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, Zoolander seems to forgive them for their lack of intelligence or 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.
3
The Gentlemen
Guy Ritchie Makes Crime Seem Classy
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7/10
The Gentlemen
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Release Date
January 24, 2020
Director
Guy Ritchie
Cast
Henry Golding
, Jeremy Strong
, Matthew McConaughey
, Colin Farrell
, Hugh Grant
, Charlie Hunnam
, Michelle Dockery
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 Gentlemen could 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 of Guy Ritchie’s best movies, The Gentlemen features 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.
2
The Social Network
David Fincher Balances Social Satire With A Few Other Themes
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8/10
8.7/10
The Social Network
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Release Date
October 1, 2010
Director
David Fincher
Cast
Jesse Eisenberg
, Rooney Mara
, Andrew Garfield
, Justin Timberlake
, Armie Hammer
The Social Network examines 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 Network can’t change the fact that Zuckerberg becomes an enormous success by the end.
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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.
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The Social Network changes the true story of 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.
1
Superbad
Superbad Revels In Teen Rebellion
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11
8.1/10
Superbad
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Release Date
August 17, 2007
Director
Greg Mottola
Cast
Seth Rogen
, Bill Hader
, Jonah Hill
, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
, Michael Cera
, Emma Stone
Superbad is a great teen comedy, and it often makes fun of its immature, awkward characters. Even some of the adults in Superbad are 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.
Superbad is 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. Superbad manages to get away with all this because it doesn’t take anything too seriously.