Summary
FromAirplane!toBlazing SaddlestoThe Rocky Horror Picture Show, some parodies are so great and iconic that they outshine the movies they originally set out to spoof. Usually, a parody movie only gets made because the film it’s targeting is a cultural staple. As hilarious asSpaceballsis, it was never going to outdo theStar Warssaga.But some parodies go for more obscure targets;not a lot of people know thatAirplane!is practically a shot-for-shot remake of a ridiculous disaster movie calledZero Hour!, or thatThe Naked Gunborrows its premise fromTelefon.
The spoofs tend to be more accessible (and, obviously, a lot funnier) than the originals, so audiences gravitate towards them.This is Spinal Tapis more iconic than any of the “rockumentaries” it riffs on.Singin’ in the Rainis more iconic than the glitzy Golden Age musicals it homages.Top Secret!is more iconic than the Elvis musicals and World War II thrillers it curiously amalgamates. The very best spoof movies are so great that they transcend the parody genre and become more well-known as classics in their own right than the movies they’re mocking.
The Simpsons' Most Underrated Movie Parody Came From This 1994 Quentin Tarantino Film
The Simpsons has parodied a variety of movies for decades, and the most underrated parody is one of the darkest scenes in a Tarantino classic.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Cast
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a comedic reimagining of the classic Robin Hood legend, directed by Mel Brooks. Cary Elwes stars as Robin Hood, leading a group of merry men in a fight against the tyrannical Prince John and the Sheriff of Rottingham. This parody film combines humor and satire, featuring memorable performances and musical numbers that poke fun at the genre and various pop culture elements.
Mel Brooks took satirical aim at every cinematic incarnation of the Robin Hood legend with his absurdist parodyRobin Hood: Men in Tights. But it was primarily a spoof of the then-recent Kevin Costner-starringblockbusterRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The plot ofMen in Tightsis loosely based on the plot ofPrinces of Thieves, and the poster forMen in Tightsis a direct homage to the poster forPrince of Thieves(with a few extra arrows added).
Although it received mixed reviews from critics,Robin Hood: Men in Tightswas a box office success and remains a cult comedy classic to this day.Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, on the other hand, hasn’t really stood the test of time. It was a huge commercial success on its original release, but now, it’s better remembered for Bryan Adams’ theme song, “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” than the film itself.
After the success of their first movieAirplane!, the comedy team of Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers had the clout to make whatever movie they wanted – and they took full advantage of that opportunity to make one of the zaniest movies ever made.Top Secret!is a hybrid spoof of World War II-era espionage thrillersand Elvis Presley-starring musicals. It was well-received by critics, but not everyone got the joke.
These days,Top Secret!is much more iconic than any of the ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll movies, ‘60s beach movies, or WWII spy movies it parodies.
In the years since it underperformed at the box office,Top Secret!has been reappraised as a classic comedy.There’s a sharply scripted one-liner or masterfully constructed sight gag every few seconds, and Val Kilmer does a terrific job of skewering Elvis’ on-screen persona. These days,Top Secret!is much more iconic than any of the ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll movies, ‘60s beach movies, or WWII spy movies it parodies.
After hearing a regular at the record store where he worked talking about a man named Dolemite, struggling standup comedian Rudy Ray Moore decided to incorporate the character into his act as a charismatic alter ego. The Dolemite character took on a life of his own and catapulted Moore to cult stardom. In 1975,Moore adapted the character into a feature film,Dolemite, parodying the blaxploitation films that were popular at the time.
Dolemite Is My Name– which chronicles the beginning of Moore’s career
Apart from bona fide classics likeCoffy,Foxy Brown, andBlack Caesar, not a lot of those ‘70s blaxploitation movies still hold up today.ButDolemiteremains a cult indie comedy hit.Eddie Murphy’s acclaimed 2019 biopic,Dolemite Is My Name– which chronicles the beginning of Moore’s career and the making ofDolemite– immortalized Moore’s comedic legacy and the influence ofDolemite.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is the first film in Mike Myers' James Bond parody series. Myers plays both Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, arch-enemies who are frozen in time and brought back in the ’90s. The film was followed by two sequels in 1999 and 2002, with a fourth film stuck in development hell.
Broadly,Austin Powersis a spoof of James Bond movies– Dr. Evil is a spoof of Blofeld, Basil Exposition is a spoof of M, and Random Task is a spoof of Oddjob – and no one could argue thatAustin Powersis bigger than Bond.However, it is bigger than the very specific Bond movie it chose to parody.Mike Myers set out to recapture the tongue-in-cheek humor and spy movie satire of the comedic 1967 version ofCasino Royale.
Although 1967’sCasino Royalefeatures an all-star ensemble of legendary actors like Peter Sellers, David Niven, Woody Allen, and Orson Welles,it’s been slated as one of the unfunniest comediesever made. Suffice to say, it’s not very well-remembered today.Austin Powersis more well-known thanCasino Royalebecause it’s a much more successful spoof of the Bond mythos.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a comedic crime film starring Leslie Nielsen as the clueless Lieutenant Frank Drebin. Released in 1988, the plot follows Drebin as he inadvertently uncovers a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II while investigating his partner’s shooting.
After his tragically short-lived police procedural spoofPolice Squad!was canceled, David Zucker adapted the series for the big screen under the titleThe Naked Gun. The title was designed to emulate old-school police noirs likeThe Naked City,The Big Combo, andThe Asphalt Jungle.But the plot was ripped from a more recent effort: Don Siegel’s 1977 spy thrillerTelefon.LikeThe Naked Gun,Telefonrevolves around sleeper agents being unwittingly activated by phone calls.
Panned by critics and dismissed by audiences,Telefonis best known today as a low point for both Siegel and his lead actor Charles Bronson.The Naked Gunis much more beloved thanTelefonever was. WhereasTelefongets unintentional laughs with its ridiculous plot,The Naked Gungets intentional laughs with a knowing riff on that plot.
Blazing Saddles
Written and directed by Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles stars Cleavon Little as Bart, a black sheriff appointed in a small frontier town by Hedley Lamarr, a railroad man who believes Bart’s appointment will destabilize the town enough to drive everyone out and allow him to build a new railroad line through it. Instead, with the help of gunslinger Jim the Waco Kid, Bart works to thwart Lamarr’s schemes. Gene Wilder and Harvey Korman star alongside Little.
Mel Brooks satirized the western genre’s longstanding tradition of whitewashing American history withhis parody masterpieceBlazing Saddles. While it’s not a spoof of any particular western movie and instead acts as a lampoon of the entire genre,Blazing Saddlesis full of references to western classics.It has nods toStagecoach,Rio Bravo,High Noon,Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, andThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre.These are all great movies that are still well-regarded today, but they’ve got nothing onBlazing Saddles.
All these years later,Blazing Saddlesstill holds up as a timeless comedy masterpiece. Its tale of a crooked politician hiring a Black sheriff to sabotage a town, then getting foiled when the sheriff turns out to be amazing at his job, is the perfect satire of the absurdity of racism.Blazing Saddles’ upending of the western genre’s myths is still just as incisive and razor-sharp today.
Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 romantic-comedy musical by directors Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. Centering on the 1920s era of Hollywood, Singin' in the Rain follows two movie stars forced to adjust to the talking pictures era of films. When the film’s leading man realizes his on-screen partner’s voice is less than pleasing, a young singer is brought in to dub her lines - including her singing, causing a mix of joy and chaos behind the scenes.
Set during Hollywood’s transition into the talkie era,Singin’ in the Rainis a loving homage to the glitzy, beautifully choreographed musicals of the Golden Age.It recreates the colorful wonder of those movies so spectacularly that it’s now become more iconic than any of them.Singin’ in the Rainhas been praised as both a great homage to the musical genre and arguably the greatest movie musical ever made.
A lot of people don’t even realize thatmost of the songs ontheSingin’ in the Rainsoundtrackare taken from other movies.“Temptation” is taken fromGoing Hollywood, “All I Do is Dream of You” is taken fromSadie McKee, and “Singin’ in the Rain” itself is taken fromThe Hollywood Revue of 1929. Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds made these numbers so iconic that they seem like the originators.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Originally based on a stage play, The Rocky Horror Picture show is considered one of the most significant countercultural films of all time and maintains a wide cult following to this day. The film stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick, and follows Brad and Janet, a young couple who, after experiencing car trouble on a stormy night, are taken in by scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, an alien transvestite who lives in a nearby castle with his equally colorful servants.
Jim Sharman and Richard O’Brien’sThe Rocky Horror Picture Showis one of the cornerstones of cult cinema. Half a century after its initial release, it’s still in limited release and being shown on a big screen somewhere in the world, with diehard fans attending in costume and singing along with the musical numbers.There are very few films as beloved or iconic asRocky Horror.
The Rocky Horror Picture Showis arguably more iconic than any one of them.
The Rocky Horror Picture Showisn’t a spoof of any one movie in particular; it’s a blanket homage to the sci-fi and horror B-movies of the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s.It has references toFrankenstein,Bride of Frankenstein,King Kong,Flash Gordon,Tarzan the Ape Man,The Day of the Triffids,Tarantula,When Worlds Collide, andIt Came from Outer Space. They’re all fan-favorite B-movie classics, butThe Rocky Horror Picture Showis arguably more iconic than any one of them.
This is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is a mockumentary film directed by Rob Reiner, focusing on a fictional British heavy metal band. Released in 1984, the film humorously details the band’s attempts to regain popularity amidst tumultuous history, featuring behind-the-scenes moments with groupies, promoters, and concert tours.
Rob Reiner’s classic mockumentary about England’s loudest band,This is Spinal Tap, was conceived as a take-off of the rock documentaries (or “rockumentaries”) that were popular in the 1970s.These movies include the Led Zeppelin concert filmThe Song Remains the Sameand Martin Scorsese’s documentary about The Band’s farewell performance,The Last Waltz. While these films remain popular and revered among fans of the rock genre, they’re nowhere near as iconic as Reiner’s laugh-a-minute satire.
It would become more famous than any straightforward documentary about the same subject matter
Like all the best comedies,This is Spinal Taphas adeep understanding of its satirical target. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer’s spontaneous improvisations, paired with the authenticity of Reiner’s portrayal of the music industry, had some viewers convinced thatThis is Spinal Tapwas a straightforward documentary. And ironically, it would become more famous than any straightforward documentary about the same subject matter.
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 comedy film directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. It parodies disaster films, centering on Ted Striker, a former fighter pilot dealing with a fear of flying. When an in-flight emergency strikes, Striker must confront his fears to save the passengers and crew. The film stars Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, and Leslie Nielsen, employing a mix of slapstick humor and rapid-fire jokes.
David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker’sAirplane!is widely regarded to be one of the funniest movies ever made.But most of its fans aren’t even aware that it’s a spoof of the 1957 disaster filmZero Hour!. ZAZ’sAirplane!script ripped so many plot points, characters, and lines of dialogue fromZero Hour!that they had to secure the remake rights just to protect themselves from legal action. The story of a flight being doomed by dodgy fish seemed inherently hilarious to ZAZ, so they made very little changes in the parody process.
These days,Zero Hour!has been almost completely forgotten, whileAirplane!endures as a timeless comedy classic.Airplane!also spoofs theAirportseries, which was the closest thing to the MCU in the 1970s. But even theAirportseries can’t match how iconicAirplane!has become.
