There’s something strange about actors, who have spent their entire lives playing somebody else, playing themselves in a movie, as it tends to be their most challenging but also most fascinating work.
The movies generally include fantastical elements and are almost always self-deprecating, and complete vanity projects. Between a portal into the mind of John Malkovich and Joaquin Phoenix’s strange mockumentary about becoming a gangster-rapper, movies following real-life people playing themselves is a strange, niche, and fascinating sub-genre.
Cold Souls (2009)
When it comes to versatile acting, Paul Giamatti is one of the best. He can easily go from playing a Russian mobster in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to a depressed wine obsessive in Sideways to a New York attorney hunting down crooked billionaires in Billions. However, one of his most challenging roles was as himself in the terribly overlooked Cold Souls.
Cold Souls is a surreal narrative surrounding the real-life actor, as Giamatti’s soul gets lost, which he then desperately tries to recover. The movie even features other famous actors including Emma Watson, but they play fictional characters, which is almost confusing considering Watson is much more famous than Giamatti.
My Name Is Bruce (2007)
Bruce Campbell’s career can be chalked up to mostly cameo appearances in his friends’ movies, whether it’s a wrestling host in Spider-Man or a theatre usher in Spider-Man 2. But Bruce Campbell is the king of cult movies, as he became a huge star after starring in a string of B-movies and Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series.
My Name Is Bruce is an ode to those very films. It’s in the same vein as the Evil Dead movies, and Campbell plays his typically goofy self. It might seem like something of a vanity project as Campbell also wrote and directed it, but there are a lot of laughs to be had, that’s providing that audiences know who Bruce Campbell is.
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
Coming a full 25 years after the original movie, Space Jam: A New Legacy is essentially the same format as the original, as the Looney Tunes recruit a famous basketball player to compete against the Goon Squad. However, it isn’t Michael Jordan who returns to the cartoon court, but LeBron James.
One of the many criticisms the movie has received is King James’ performance in the movie, as he’s fairly subdued compared to his outgoing personality on and off the court. But it’s still fun to see the baller react to all of the bizarre and outrageous events going on around him, especially when he’s a cartoon alongside the Looney Tunes.
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
In the 1960s, The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ (according to John Lennon himself,) as they weren’t just rockstars, but movie stars too. A Hard Day’s Night features much of the music from the album of the same name, and it sees the band prepare for a live television performance.
Though The Beatles became more and more experimental with their art in later years, A Hard Day’s Night comes off more like a nifty bit of cross-promotion than a fully developed movie. But the film still looks great, and it was a brilliant early gig for Richard Lester, who went on to direct Superman 2.
Private Parts (1997)
Just like My Name Is Bruce, Private Parts is very much a vanity project. The film is based on Howard Stern’s biography, and it sees the famous radio DJ play himself. But it isn’t just Stern who plays himself, as it sees his radio staff play themselves too.
Though Private Parts is very much a comedy, there are some serious dramatic moments. Despite being a vanity project, there was much care and effort that went into the movie. Whether it’s depicting Stern in his boyhood or when he’s verbally abused by his father, it’s a fantastic look at what makes one of the most famous radio hosts tick.
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011)
Though Neil Patrick Harris isn’t exactly the protagonist of the movie, as that title would go to the titular characters, the actor had become the main attraction of the series by the second movie. By the time the third film in the series, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, rolled around, NPH was the movie’s biggest selling point so much that he had top billing on the posters.
In the irreverent comedy, Neil Patrick Harris plays a villainized version of himself, a far cry from how he’s perceived in real life. In the movie, Harris is a drug-loving, prostitute obsessed, gun-toting mad man. There was even a Neil Patrick Harris spin-off that was considered by the directors because they loved the “fictional” character so much.
I’m Still Here (2010)
The fact that I’m Still Here turned out to be a mockumentary was the worst kept secret in Hollywood. The movie follows Joaquin Phoenix retire from acting and pursue a career in gangster rap. Nobody believed it was real, as it was obviously some kind of performance art, and the result is I’m Still Here.
The movie features some hilarious scenes from other actors and rappers who are clearly in on the act, such as when Phoenix attempts to play his terrible music to P Diddy, who looks exhausted from just listening to it. It also includes the full, unedited awkward interview with David Letterman, which has since become iconic.
Space Jam (1996)
Space Jam was one of the biggest events of the 90s, and it set so many precedents at the time despite seeming like an easy cash-in. First of all, Space Jam is one of the best movies to mix cartoons and live-action, but it also sees Michael Jordan in the main role, as he’s recruited by the Looney Tunes to join their basketball team.
Though Michael Jordan is a basketballer first and foremost, and he doesn’t exactly have a wide acting range, his performance in the movie is actually convincing. And as an added bonus, the movie also sees Bill Murray playing himself and on top form too. He’s in so much of the movie that it’s more than just a cameo.
This Is The End (2013)
There have been many comedy movies that seem like they were made just so the movie stars could spend some quality time together, and This Is The End is no exception.
Almost the entirety of the movie takes place in James Franco’s newly built house where Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and many others fight for survival during the apocalypse, and it’s one of the funniest movies of the 2010s. This Is The End is full of cameos too, and all the stars play exaggerated versions of themselves, whether it’s Michael Cera sniffing cocaine or Channing Tatum as Danny McBride’s gimp.
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Being John Malkovich is one of the most unique movies ever made, as it follows an office worker who finds a portal into the mind of John Malkovich behind a filing cabinet. John Malkovich plays himself throughout the whole movie, as people teleport directly into his mind, and the most surreal scene of the 90s happens when the actor enters the portal himself.
Though the movie was almost called Being Tom Cruise, as the Top Gun actor was the biggest star on the planet at the time, the movie was always written with Malkovich in mind. It’s a strange but amazing result that the real-life actor agreed to do it, as the movie is an unforgettable, fantastical melodrama.
