Movies open a window into many different worlds, and one of its favorite worlds to explore is its own. The entertainment industry loves telling stories about their business, which requires great actors to play roles that may hit very close to home.
Actors take on a variety of different roles and have the ability and skills to play almost anyone. However, one of their most interesting roles is when they play someone not unlike themselves: an actor. For this, they have to get in touch with their own experiences, whether it's their struggles as an actor or dealing with the fame that it brings. Sometimes these movies are meant to make fun of what they do and sometimes they spotlight their meaning and importance.
Notting Hill - 7.1
One of Julia Roberts' biggest hits is the classic romantic comedy Notting Hill, co-starring Hugh Grant. Grant plays a small bookshop owner, William, who gets a wonderful surprise when one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Anna, walks into his shop. What follows is a wonderful romantic comedy about a "nobody" attempting to have a relationship with one of the most famous people on the planet.
Being that Julia Roberts is an enormous star, the role probably wasn't that much of a stretch, however, it allowed her to delve into the harsher realities of her immense celebrity and struggles with relationships. Notting Hill opened the same weekend as Star Wars: Episode 1 and miraculously held its own, coming in strong at number two. Ultimately, it went on to become the highest-grossing British film of all time and a romantic comedy classic.
A Star Is Born (1937) - 7.3
The first of four times Hollywood has produced A Star Is Born, this original version stars Janet Gaynor as Esther, an aspiring actress who moves to Hollywood to pursue her impossible dream. While struggling, she meets Norman, an actor whose career is on a downward spiral due to alcoholism. They fall in love and Norman helps Esther with her career, but as her star rises, his fades, ultimately leading to tragedy.
One of the first successful films about Hollywood, A Star is Born was nominated for several Oscars and would be remade three more times. However, the next version starring Judy Garland became a musical and the two remakes that followed took place in the music business instead of the movie business.
Galaxy Quest - 7.3
Galaxy Quest acts as a spoof of Star Trek, featuring has-been actors, popular at fan conventions but not anywhere else. They get mistaken for their television counterparts by aliens, who enlist their help in preventing their destruction by an evil enemy. Tim Allen plays Jason Nesmith, an actor who loves being adored by his fans, however, the rest of the cast sees the reality in that they are has-beens.
Cleverly, the actors have to use their knowledge of their show to save the day, which leads to some hilarious situations. Initially only a modest box office success, the film ultimately became a cult favorite, with talks of a sequel being rumored for many years. However, the sad passing of Alan Rickman may make this unlikely.
Tootsie - 7.4
Dustin Hoffman plays Michael, an acting teacher who finds it hard to get work due to his difficult reputation. Out of desperation, he decides to audition for a female role in a soap opera by disguising himself as a woman. He gets the part, but now he has to keep up the ruse, which becomes complicated after he falls in love with his co-star.
Tootsie spotlights the lengths struggling actors will go to make ends meet, and, in this case, with hilarious and poignant results. Critics and audiences have lauded Tootsie as one of the greatest comedies of all time, receiving a Best Picture Oscar nomination and, recently, a musical based on the film opened on Broadway.
Waiting For Guffman - 7.5
After writing and starring in the classic film, This Is Spinal Tap, Christopher Guest wrote and directed Waiting For Guffman, a mockumentary that chronicles the production of a play put on by a small town. Guest portrays the play's director, Corky St. Clair, who rounds up the town's misfits citizens to appear in the production, hoping a good review from producer Mort Guffman will send the show to Broadway.
Unfortunately, for Corky and the cast and crew, it's one hilarious disaster after another in this classic comedy. Waiting For Guffman hilariously depicts the pitfalls of community theater and everyday people who try to get their piece of the spotlight. Guest would follow this up with more mockumentary classics like Best In Show and A Mighty Wind.
Birdman - 7.7
Winner of the Best Picture Oscar, Birdman focuses on an actor named Riggan, who formerly played an iconic movie superhero, just like the actor playing him, Batman star Michael Keaton. In the film, Riggan attempts a comeback by starring in a new play, however, things go wrong at every turn.
Interestingly, the film stars several actors from various superhero films, such as Edward Norton from The Incredible Hulk and Emma Stone from The Amazing Spider-Man. Birdman, photographed to simulate one continuous take, is a truly incredible, existential film about actors trying to make honest art in a world dominated by superhero movies.
The Artist - 7.9
The Artist took a unique approach in telling the story of a silent film star, having trouble transitioning to the new era of the "talkie," by making it in the style of the films produced during the silent era in which the film takes place.
The film stars French actor Jean Dujardin as a silent film star who falls in love with a star on the rise of the new talking pictures. Filmed in black and white and mostly speechless, The Artist won the Best Picture Oscar and was lauded for saying so much without saying anything at all.
La La Land - 8.0
La La Land is a throwback to musicals of yesteryear, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as two struggling artists in Los Angeles. Emma Stone plays Mia, an actor who hasn't gotten her due yet, who falls in love with a jazz pianist named Sebastian.
La La Land takes the old-fashioned musical format and applies it to modern-day Los Angeles. For example, the opening musical number ("Another Day Of Sun") features performers singing about their struggles, while on LA's infamously and highly trafficked freeway. Ultimately, the energetic songs and score contrast the sometimes harsh realities of trying to make it in Hollywood.
All About Eve - 8.2
Many films about acting look at the immense support there is for each other among its community. However, All About Eve looks at the conniving and backstabbing elements that exist within the industry. The film stars Hollywood legend Bette Davis as a famous but aging Broadway star, Margo, who befriends Eve, an aspiring actress, who maneuvers her way through aging Margo's life and threatens her career by stealing her parts, ultimately becoming a star.
Considered one of the greatest films of all time, All About Eve takes a darker look at the actor's quest for fame and success in the very difficult show business industry. The film was nominated for twelve Oscars, winning four, including one for Best Picture.
Sunset Boulevard - 8.4
A film that's consistently on "greatest films ever made" lists is director Billy Wilder's masterpiece, Sunset Blvd. In the classic film, down-and-out screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden) becomes tangled in a former silent film star's dangerous web (Gloria Swanson) when the unhinged celebrity has Joe help her achieve her deluded dream of a comeback.
Gloria Swanson gives a spellbinding performance as Norma Desmond in which every gesture is big and every line is grandiose. The noir film showcases the darker side of celebrity and the price of fame which, in this case, lead ultimately to tragedy, murder, and madness. Nominated for 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Sunset Blvd. also boasts one of cinema's most classic lines, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille."