From Tristram Shandy to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, many of history's finest stories have been about the creation of stories themselves.
While the large majority of these tales-within-tales are best left unrealised (most notably, every show Troy McClure has ever starred in), you will occasionally stumble upon a hidden gem which - given half a chance in the real world - might well have outperformed the piece in which it was conceived.
Nowhere do these gems occur more frequently than on the big screen, so without further ado, let us pay tribute to the finest fictional films in genuine Hollywood movies...
Angels with Filthy Souls (as seen in Home Alone)
If the single snippet we see in Home Alone to is anything to go by, Angels with Filthy Souls would have been a masterpiece. Not only does it contain sparkingly unorthodox gangster dialogue ("Too bad Acey ain't in charge no more... He's upstairs takin' a bath"), but it's also the only film - real or otherwise - capable of helping a young child avoid paying for a pizza. Financiers, we're urging you to put some money behind a full-length version. And you can keep the change, you filthy animals.
Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season (as seen in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back)
Good Will Hunting ticked nearly every Oscar-courting box: a plucky underdog, a clever script and a good deal of tearful masculine hugging. What it was sadly lacking, however, was guns. Big massive guns. In Kevin Smith’s excellent fictional sequel, this glaring omission is gloriously rectified, as Matt Damon’s eponymous Will pins a mouthy acquaintance to a bar-room wall with one carefully placed bullet.
Fake Purse Ninjas (as seen in Bowfinger)
Bowfinger's main focus was the secretly-shot sci-fi thriller, Chubby Rain. Far more enjoyable, though, was the movie's curtain call, which came in the form of action-packed kung-fu vehicle, Fake Purse Ninjas. The film-within-film saw Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy's characters infiltrate a factory full of Chinese counterfeiters, who were also – stick with us - deadly ninjas. Borderline racist? Maybe. Extremely amusing? Definitely.
Home for Purim (as seen in For your Consideration)
The only fictional film on this list to receive a fictional Oscar nomination, Home for Purim was originally intended to be a touching tribute to a Jewish holiday. However, it was swiftly re-titled Home for Thanksgiving once the studio execs became concerned about isolating their Gentile audience. Regardless of its shift in theme, however, the acting on show in the clip below (particularly from Harry Shearer’s Victor Alan Miller) is undoubtedly powerful enough to have a warranted a real-life version.
Angels Live in my Town (as seen in Boogie Nights)
Dirk Diggler’s sole venture into the world of fully-clothed film-making looked absolutely superb. Angels was a high-kicking, quick-shooting thriller in which the generously-endowed thespian played be-mulleted antihero Brock Landers. A no-nonsense rebel with a taste for slap bass, Landers could always be relied upon to round up the bad guys with his unique brand of unbelievably unconvincing violence.
Simple Jack (as seen in Tropic Thunder)
Of all the excellent fake films that feature in Tropic Thunder - from heart-wrenching paternal drama, Satan’s Alley, to light-hearted study of the morbidly obese, The Fatties - our favourite was always Simple Jack. Ben Stiller’s Tugg Speedman starred as the titular Jack – a dim-witted farmhand with a stutter that made Colin Firth look like an amateur. Fictional critics labelled it ‘one of the worst movies of all time’. Despite that, however, we would have paid good money to see it in its entirety.
Re-Do (as seen in Funny People)
A quick glance over Adam Sandler’s occasionally woeful back catalogue - which includes Little Nicky, Grown Ups and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan - is enough to make you question why Re-Do has never been made for real. This wacky – but poignant – comedy sees Adam playing a character who is only 6 months old (coincidentally, the same age as Sandler’s sense of humour), yet trying desperately to shake off a wizard’s curse.
Hamlet (as seen in Last Action Hero)
Most big screen interpretations of Shakespeare plays seem to involve either an American high school or Kenneth Branagh. Consequently, it was enormously refreshing to see Jack Slater’s (played by Arnie) take on the Bard’s most famous tragedy in Last Action Hero. Ten seconds of Slater’s cigar-chewing, Uzi-blazing prince was approximately fourteen times more entertaining than the whole of Ten Things I Hate about You.
Mant! (as seen in Matinee)
We don’t know about you, but what scares us most about North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is not its potential to spark World War 3, but rather the chance that it might turn us all into grotestque human/ant crossbreeds. This entirely rational fear is explored sensitively and maturely in Mant!, the horror epic produced by John Goodman's Lawrence Woolsey in 1993 comedy Matinee. By the look of the trailer, this B-movie beauty had bags of ludicrous potential.
Which top films within films are we missing? Let us know in the comments box below...
If the single snippet we see in Home Alone to is anything to go by, Angels with Filthy Souls would have been a masterpiece. Not only does it contain sparkingly unorthodox gangster dialogue ("Too bad Acey ain't in charge no more... He's upstairs takin' a bath"), but it's also the only film - real or otherwise - capable of helping a young child avoid paying for a pizza. Financiers, we're urging you to put some money behind a full-length version. And you can keep the change, you filthy animals.
Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season (as seen in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back)
Good Will Hunting ticked nearly every Oscar-courting box: a plucky underdog, a clever script and a good deal of tearful masculine hugging. What it was sadly lacking, however, was guns. Big massive guns. In Kevin Smith’s excellent fictional sequel, this glaring omission is gloriously rectified, as Matt Damon’s eponymous Will pins a mouthy acquaintance to a bar-room wall with one carefully placed bullet.
Fake Purse Ninjas (as seen in Bowfinger)
Bowfinger's main focus was the secretly-shot sci-fi thriller, Chubby Rain. Far more enjoyable, though, was the movie's curtain call, which came in the form of action-packed kung-fu vehicle, Fake Purse Ninjas. The film-within-film saw Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy's characters infiltrate a factory full of Chinese counterfeiters, who were also – stick with us - deadly ninjas. Borderline racist? Maybe. Extremely amusing? Definitely.
Home for Purim (as seen in For your Consideration)
The only fictional film on this list to receive a fictional Oscar nomination, Home for Purim was originally intended to be a touching tribute to a Jewish holiday. However, it was swiftly re-titled Home for Thanksgiving once the studio execs became concerned about isolating their Gentile audience. Regardless of its shift in theme, however, the acting on show in the clip below (particularly from Harry Shearer’s Victor Alan Miller) is undoubtedly powerful enough to have a warranted a real-life version.
Angels Live in my Town (as seen in Boogie Nights)
Dirk Diggler’s sole venture into the world of fully-clothed film-making looked absolutely superb. Angels was a high-kicking, quick-shooting thriller in which the generously-endowed thespian played be-mulleted antihero Brock Landers. A no-nonsense rebel with a taste for slap bass, Landers could always be relied upon to round up the bad guys with his unique brand of unbelievably unconvincing violence.
Simple Jack (as seen in Tropic Thunder)
Of all the excellent fake films that feature in Tropic Thunder - from heart-wrenching paternal drama, Satan’s Alley, to light-hearted study of the morbidly obese, The Fatties - our favourite was always Simple Jack. Ben Stiller’s Tugg Speedman starred as the titular Jack – a dim-witted farmhand with a stutter that made Colin Firth look like an amateur. Fictional critics labelled it ‘one of the worst movies of all time’. Despite that, however, we would have paid good money to see it in its entirety.
Re-Do (as seen in Funny People)
A quick glance over Adam Sandler’s occasionally woeful back catalogue - which includes Little Nicky, Grown Ups and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan - is enough to make you question why Re-Do has never been made for real. This wacky – but poignant – comedy sees Adam playing a character who is only 6 months old (coincidentally, the same age as Sandler’s sense of humour), yet trying desperately to shake off a wizard’s curse.
Hamlet (as seen in Last Action Hero)
Most big screen interpretations of Shakespeare plays seem to involve either an American high school or Kenneth Branagh. Consequently, it was enormously refreshing to see Jack Slater’s (played by Arnie) take on the Bard’s most famous tragedy in Last Action Hero. Ten seconds of Slater’s cigar-chewing, Uzi-blazing prince was approximately fourteen times more entertaining than the whole of Ten Things I Hate about You.
Mant! (as seen in Matinee)
We don’t know about you, but what scares us most about North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is not its potential to spark World War 3, but rather the chance that it might turn us all into grotestque human/ant crossbreeds. This entirely rational fear is explored sensitively and maturely in Mant!, the horror epic produced by John Goodman's Lawrence Woolsey in 1993 comedy Matinee. By the look of the trailer, this B-movie beauty had bags of ludicrous potential.
Which top films within films are we missing? Let us know in the comments box below...
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