When satires are done well, they can provide incredibly powerful social commentary. The list of the best satire movies of all time gathered by TechTrends uses this technique quite subtly, not hitting over the head with it. However, they manage to sent the message one way or another.
Satires use a familiar tale or genre and through imitation or comedic spin on otherwise serious matters, tries to make it fun. These kinds of movies are able to provide political and social critique, whereas also entertaining the viewers with hilarious jokes and methods. Films can sometimes convey important messages through comedy, taking the form of satire. In other words, satire usually mocks various topics, which makes it different from other genres with strong messages. Some of the greatest movies that have come out over the years were satirical and sparked conversation regarding society intentionally. In addition, these types of movies have the power to inspire change or sometimes at least acknowledge that a society needs help. Here are the best must-see satire movies of all time.
Best Satire Movies of All Time
Satires do a wonderful job at showing societal, political and topical issues in various lens. There are a lot of issues that are shown in these movies, from political and social to climate change and global pandemics. Since satirical movies have gained a lot of attention and critical acclaim over the years, we have put together a list of the best satire movies of all time. let’s jump into the list that is ranked based on the movie’s ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
12. Don’t Look Up 2021
- Genre: Comedy/Disaster
- Director: Adam McKay
- Stars: Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, Cate Blanchett, Chris Evans, Jonah Hill, Ariana Grande
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 56%, IMDb 7.2
One of the best satire movies of all time is Don’t Look Up. This hilarious yet dark satire utilizes an existential climate crisis to show the ignorance and shortcomings of this modern society, particularly through the eyes of Americans. This movie has a star-studded cast and it is based on a real story. The director has shown a lot of ambition in his ensemble satire, with amazing performances across the board and many big laughs. When a dark comedy is handled well, it can have so much potential. Meryl Streep’s character is the president of the United States and is a narcissist, who is more worried about polling that the world coming to an end.
The story is about Lawrence and DiCaprio doing their best to alert the world that there is a comet coming to the Earth. However, no one believes them and doesn’t care about the clock ticking down.
Read more: Best Jennifer Lawrence Movies of All Time
11. American Psycho 2000
- Genre: Horror/Thriller
- Director: Mary Harron
- Stars: Christian Bale, Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 68%, IMDb 7.6
American Psycho is yet another one of the best satire movies of all time and it is an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s novel. The movie revolves around Patrick Bateman, portrayed by Bale. He is a banker who tries to lives a double life as a serial killer and wants to keep his identity hidden. This memorable film that gains popularity as time goes by shows how Harron, the director, and her collaborators made a satirical portrait of toxic masculinity. The movie is set in New York City in the 80s and it is a wonderful horror/thriller movie you can watch. Moreover, the character Christian Bale played became the best-known serial killer ever appeared in a movie.
Read more: Best Christian Bale Movies of All Time
10. Fight Club 1999
- Genre: Thriller/Drama
- Director: David Fincher
- Stars: Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 79%, IMDb 8.8
Fight Club is an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, in which some aggravated and young men think that the best way to solve a problem is to kick each other and not accept social standards. Pitt pulls off a charming, disgusting, sexy and terrifying performance all at once. This shows the social expectations and outlooks of young men in a very meta way. The movie is a satirical critique of consumer capitalism at its core. Pitt’s character is a situationist as well as a culture jammer. He tries his best to create a situation in his everyday life in order to get by more freely and challenge the society. We highly recommend this as one of the best satirical movies of all time. Don’t miss it.
Read more: Best Brad Pitt Movies of All Time
9. Tropic Thunder 2008
- Genre: Comedy/Action
- Director: Ben Stiller
- Stars: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Jay Baruchel
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 82%, IMDb 7.1
Tropic Thunder was one of the most ultimate satire movies as it attacked Hollywood’s preposterous pretentions and self-glorification in a way that some might say was risky. As far as ensemble pieces go, few can contend with this film’s lineup of hilarious heavyweights. It also features several dramatic actors who surprised us with their comedic job. While shooting a war film, the director aims to liven up proceedings when the actors find themselves in the middle of a real jungle. He claims that there are hidden cameras that will capture their performance. However, a series of unexpected and unfortunate events lead the group into a real war zone. This is yet another one of the best satire movies of all time.
Read more: Best Tom Cruise Movies of All Time
8. Nope 2022
- Genre: Horror/Sci-fi
- Director: Jordan Peele
- Stars: Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea, Barbie Ferreira
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 83%, IMDb 6.9
The movie Nope revolves around siblings OJ and Em Haywood. The two are doing their best to capture an alien with their camera as they find out that they exist on their horse ranch. The movie also follows other characters that figure out the alien’s existence. Director Jordan Peele is well-known for using social commentary in his movies and this one is no different. This satire film concentrates on the spectacle of dangerous traumatic events. All the characters decide to capture the alien rather than protecting themselves, which is about our time that people are always documenting everything even if it puts them in danger. Nope is one of the best satire movies of all time.
7. Ingrid Goes West 2017
- Genre: Drama/Comedy
- Director: Matt Spicer
- Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Aubrey Plaza, Billy Magnussen, Wyatt Russell, Pom Klementieff
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 85%, IMDb 6.6
Ingrid Goes West was directed masterfully in a way to test the affect of social media on mental health. The idea, which has not been picked up much by other screenwriters, is quite unique. Furthermore, Aubrey Plaza plays the role of the titular in Ingrid Goes West, who is a social media stalker obsessed with Olsen’s character Taylor Sloane. Moreover, Taylor is an influencer on Instagram who answers Ingrid’s comment about her food photo unwisely. What happens is a darkly funny story of a woman insinuating herself in another person’s life and the repercussions are tragic. Both actresses showcased their abilities in this movie that revolves around social media and how obsessed people are with it. Ingrid Goes West is yet another one of the best satire movies of all time.
Read more: Best Elizabeth Olsen Movies of All Time
6. Borat 2006
- Genre: Comedy/Mockumentary
- Director: Larry Charles
- Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, Pamela Anderson
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 90%, IMDb 7.3
In this 2006 comedy movie, Bort, portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen, comes to the United States from Kazakhstan as a reporter. He is there to film a documentary on why America is known as a great nation. During his journey, he comes to offend everyone he meets. After that, he starts to fall in love with Pamela Anderson, keen on making her his wife. There has recently been a sequel, which lived up to the expectations and brought many jokes to the table. However, the original movie’s cultural landmark was not quite reached with the sequel. Therefore, we recommend this as one of the best satire movies ever.
5. Sorry to Bother You 2018
- Genre: Comedy/Fantasy
- Director: Boots Riley
- Stars: Lekeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, Armie Hammer, Jermaine Fowler
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 93%, IMDb 6.9
Another one of the best satire movies of all time is fantasy comedy Sorry to Bother You, which follows the tale of a black telemarketer named Cassius Green. When he finds out that he has a hidden ability, he was able to climb up the corporate ladder. His ability is a white voice that assists him to sell, which puts him on top of the list of salesmen, despite his colleagues working together to strike against the company. The movie is satirical when it comes to corporate America and white privilege. In addition, it comments on capitalism and corporate greed. Don’t miss this wonderful film.
4. The Truman Show 1998
- Genre: Drama/Sci-fi
- Director: Peter Weir
- Stars: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Natascha McElhone, Noah Emmerich, Philip Glass, Paul Giamatti
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 95%, IMDb 8.2
The fourth one on the list of the best satire movies of all time is the Truman Show, which revolves around a man named Truman. He is not aware that his life is actually being recorded and shown as a reality TV show. When he understands that strange things happen around him, he escapes the fake reality of his existence in total. In addition, viewers can see the satire in the everyday life of the protagonist, which mocks the reality TV’s false nature. It also comments on the fact that reality TVs are usually controlled and that the media controls what the public finally sees and feels. However, the director does it in an exaggerated way as it is like that Truman is born and grown up for the show. In addition, the producers of the show have control on what affects him.
3. Wall-E 2008
- Genre: Family/Adventure
- Director: Andrew Stanton
- Stars: Andrew Stanton, Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 95%, IMDb 8.4
When Pixar released WALL-E, it showed gravitas as it is an epic romantic comedy that does not talk much for most parts of the movie. Many people relate and empathize with this big-eyed, kind-hearted, sensitive and romantic robot. In addition, it showed the environmental destruction of our planet in the year 2805, devoid of humans. One of the best satire movies of all time and one of Pixar’s greatest wonders, WALL-E, starts a journey through outer space for a female robot named Eve, whom he loves. The movie turns from a minimalist robot romance to a detailed satire of contemporary humankind when Eve arrives at where Wall-E is. We highly recommend this wonderful animated film.
2. The Player 1992
- Genre: Comedy/Crime
- Director: Robert Altman
- Stars: Tim Robbins, Bruce Wills, Susan Emshwiller, Jack Lemmon, Burt Reynolds
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 97%, IMDb 7.5
This is arguably the best satire movie ever in the history of Hollywood. Producer Griffin Mill, played by Tim Robbins is sure that the anonymous threats that he receives are done by David Kahane, played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Therefore, he tries to fix it over cocktails. However, it actually turns into an incident during which Griffin kills the screenwriter and courts the man’s girlfriend. While police are doing an investigation, the producer is focusing on a prestigious movie that might change his career. However, he realizes that David’s demise is not yet forgotten by those in Hollywood. The Player is not about the movie industry but it is rather about the corporatization of Hollywood. The movie’s director chose this industry as a metaphor.
1. Get Out 2017
- Genre: Horror/Thriller
- Director: Jordan Peele
- Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, Catherine Keener
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 98%, IMDb 7.7
Photographer Chris is about to meet his girlfriend’s parents, but he is pretty nervous as he asks Rose: “Do they know I’m black” but she ensures him that her father is a big fan. So, what could go wrong? Well, Everything. This modern horror masterpiece has profound social commentary and is layered with goosebumps as well as harsh humor. The director aims for the audience’s attention to go to the real terrifying truths in the identity politics of contemporary America. Moreover, the grand reveal is far more horrific than anything you would have imagined. This is yet another one of the best satire movies of all time that you do not want to miss.