18 Movies You Thought Were Stupid That Are Secretly Brilliant Satires (Ranker)

"Some of the most brilliant satirical films of the last five decades aren't the kind of pictures audiences view as intellectual think pieces, because any writer and director worth her salt knows satire is not broad comedy, like parody, but rather an act of becoming the thing you wish to critique and taking it apart from the inside. Many of these movies are couched in the language of tentpole productions, as a way to quietly communicate with the masses. Some of these films work better than others, but that's not to say any are bad; some were simply trying to do too much too soon. The best self-aware movie satires barely even acknowledge that they're satires, instead choosing to lean into their genre and let the audience figure it out. If you're confused about what all this means, take a look at this collection of movies you thought were stupid but are secretly brilliant, films that are trying to do something more than genre trappings will allow." - ranker.com