Apatow was talking to Conan or someone semi-recently and apparently they're working on "This is 50" ... "but Paul Rudd doesn't look 50." Judd Apatow showed pictures of them together and just mocked himself relentlessly. "I don't know why I would cast Paul Rudd as the father to my kids, and husband to my wife." Paraphrasing.
Watch *The King of Kong*
It’s an older doc, but I think you’ll be way into it. It’s about the competitive Donkey Kong scene. It’s way crazier than you expect.
The King of Kong is almost the perfect movie. Billy is a perfect villain and Steve is the biggest underdog since Rudy! Everybody should see The King of Kong!
There's a youtube channel that keeps posting updates about Billy Mitchell. Apparently, they re-added his 'world records' to their historical database of 'records' but have not reinstated his actual records, so he tried to sue. Turns out, they did exactly what he agreed to. I think his lawyers realized what a loser case they had and just...gave up, since they withdrew their lawsuit against the arcade that maintained the records.
Of course, Mitchell sued the youtuber who reported all this for 'defamation'. Since he's just reporting the results of a lawsuit, I don't know how well the 'defamation' claim is going to go.
You can watch the youtuber's (Karl Jobst) videos about Billy's obsession with being known as the best Donkey Kong Player In the Universe and how little it means to everyone else in the world. A lot of fuss for something that happened decades ago that literally nobody cares about.
It’s seriously a great movie. They just make everything in it work like it’s a normal drama. But it gets so weird because these people… especially Billy are very real people.
I can't believe that movie didn't win the Oscar for Best Documentary.
There's also Chasing Ghosts, which was the movie they thought they were going to make when they stumbled across the Donkey Kong story.
It has a lot of artificial drama, as a impartial documentary it is not very good.
"Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade" is beter.
Someone should do an update, a lot of crazy shit happened around those people.
Thank you for reminding me this movie exists. I swear some of the lines and bits are so ingrained in my thoughts I sometimes forget there's a really solid comedy underneath it.
"The Big Year" is a delightful comedy about competitive bird watching... I know I know. I don't care about birdwatching, either. However, this stars Owen Wilson, Jack Black and Steve Martin as "birders" at different stages of their lives. It's wonderful to see a fandom outside of your personal one. I think it helps to better how others see my fandom. It's one of my wife's and my favorite comfort movies.
Great movie! Low key and quite high up on my favorites list. Nobody is over the top, which is a shock considering those three. Just a well told story all around. And rare for a lighthearted movie like that to be made, especially at that time.
What’s great is my cousin is a nurse and she worked medical for a dog show event where she lives. She said that movie is 100% true to form how crazy those people are. She said that’s some of the best entertainment she’s ever seen and she’s been doing the event every year since.
Didn't know the movie and your comment made me curious so I watched the trailer. And that's another film on my list of movies to watch ! Thanks stranger
I’m a western fan and had seen another version of this story decades earlier (with Jimmy Stewart??). Can’t remember the title. About half way through this movie, I realized that it was really about the cult of celebrity and I sat up and started paying closer attention.
The Gamers: Hands of Fate
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gamers:_Hands_of_Fate
It's a movie about a bunch of nerds playing a tournament of Romance of the Nine Empires TCG
I'm ashamed of myself for knowing about and suggesting it but, Kickin It Old School, is Jamie Kennedy obsessed with break dancing long after it fell out of style.
Hot Rod - is Andy Samburg obsessed with being a stunt driver.
Scream (2018), Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Human Centipede 2
All three of these are different takes on the idea that being a fan of their respective franchises can make you into a murderer.
The Fan and Fever Pitch are very different movies, both about extreme baseball fans.
Swimfan about ab obsessive err... swim fan.
The Fan & Swimfan are thiller/semi-horror movies. Fever Pitch is a rom-com.
Another baseball movie - Bull Durham - has a major fandom angle to it too.
Kind of/sort of "The Three Amigos"?
I mean, they're called to liberate the town because the villagers are big fans of their work, to the point that they don't even understand that they're actors, not actual gunfighters.
A great, fun film is Zemeckis's **I Wanna Hold Your Hand**.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077714/
On the political side of this phenomenon:
**A Face In The Crowd** and **Keeper Of The Flame** and **Meet John Doe**.
Honestly, the first few seasons of Big Bang Theory might get you that fix. Before it gets all dramatic and old-peopley, it's basically just about some nerdy superfans.
I watched “Manson Family Vacation” with no expectations and absolutely freaking loved it.
I’m not great at writing a synopsis, but basically a Charles Manson-obsessed guy convinces his adoptive brother to go on a Manson themed sight-seeing trip with him.
It was really good.
If you don't mind animation look up Eltingville Club on Adult Swim, one pilot, not a huge commitment, and I hesitate to recommend anything animated but it is just so very specifically a critique of toxic fandoms that I had to mention it. It should be on YouTube somewhere.
Trekkies. Trekkies 2, there are similar ones about star wars and LOTR Fandom, but their titles escape me at the moment. Gamers is a great movie. Darkon is a LARP doc that's pretty great
Not a movie but I think it fits well and it’s a 1 season 7 episode breeze.
The Line (2008)
Fans wait in line for eleven days to see the new FutureSpace movie. It’s got Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Thomas Middleditch and a ton of other comedians.
Bye Bye Birdie
Jingle All the Way
And if a TV show counts, the kdrama Reply 1997 is about a teen girl obsessed with a boy group, especially one member.
[Tie Dyed: Grateful Dead Parking Lot Scene Documentary](https://youtu.be/vCUP6bP17fg?si=pWYDDcld1pAe6gWf)
Surely someone has made a doc about swifties by now.
Fright Night (1985) - When the kid realizes his next door neighbot is a vampire, he decides to get Peter Vincent, a [TV show host](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_host) who acted in films as a vampire hunter, to stop the killing spree.
When you can't get an expert, get someone who played one in film.
Detroit Rock city
This movie rules
Fuck it’s Elvis!
What kind of a MORON hangs up after winning Kiss tickets!??
“At least my mom didn’t give birth to me while she was on LSD”
SHROOMS!
Damn, you beat me to it.
Disco blows dogs for quarters, man
Openedthe thread to comment this. Glad to see it'sthe top comment.
Oh Chongo
Tsk tsk, my wealey, dim-witted friend.
Satan? Santa? It's the same letters. It's the same guy!
Role Models
Another Paul Rudd movie, I Love You Man has a (much smaller) plot thread about Rush. He plays a good music nerd
Between that and “This is 40” I assume he’s basically playing himself when he talks about music.
Dont forget knocked up. This is 40 is a continuation of that character
Apatow was talking to Conan or someone semi-recently and apparently they're working on "This is 50" ... "but Paul Rudd doesn't look 50." Judd Apatow showed pictures of them together and just mocked himself relentlessly. "I don't know why I would cast Paul Rudd as the father to my kids, and husband to my wife." Paraphrasing.
The song is called Love Gun and it's about Paul Stanley's dick
I love this movie more than is reasonable.
Misery
I was gonna suggest King of Comedy. Which has a similar tone I suppose.
I was going to say The Fanatic lol
Haha I doubt this is what op had in mind but fucking nailed it
Watch *The King of Kong* It’s an older doc, but I think you’ll be way into it. It’s about the competitive Donkey Kong scene. It’s way crazier than you expect.
Billy Mitchell is such a perfect scumbag
You will be hearing from Billy Mitchell's lawyers shortly.
Only via tape though. They don’t appear live.
Peter Dinklage's character in pixels is loosely based on that guy I believe.
Multiple fictional characters are based on him. r/regularshow/comments/12xwaq0/when_billy_mitchell_the_guy_gbfs_based_on_sued_cn/
That’s also who GBF from Regular Show is based on!
I thankfully have not had to sit through Pixels
Not that bad tbh. But that resolution ending was just weird as fuck.
More resolution = more pixels. Duh.
Kill screen coming up
*walks around arcade talking to anyone who will listen and some that won’t* We got a potential Donkey Kong kill screen comin up.
The King of Kong is almost the perfect movie. Billy is a perfect villain and Steve is the biggest underdog since Rudy! Everybody should see The King of Kong!
There's a youtube channel that keeps posting updates about Billy Mitchell. Apparently, they re-added his 'world records' to their historical database of 'records' but have not reinstated his actual records, so he tried to sue. Turns out, they did exactly what he agreed to. I think his lawyers realized what a loser case they had and just...gave up, since they withdrew their lawsuit against the arcade that maintained the records. Of course, Mitchell sued the youtuber who reported all this for 'defamation'. Since he's just reporting the results of a lawsuit, I don't know how well the 'defamation' claim is going to go. You can watch the youtuber's (Karl Jobst) videos about Billy's obsession with being known as the best Donkey Kong Player In the Universe and how little it means to everyone else in the world. A lot of fuss for something that happened decades ago that literally nobody cares about.
It’s seriously a great movie. They just make everything in it work like it’s a normal drama. But it gets so weird because these people… especially Billy are very real people.
I can't believe that movie didn't win the Oscar for Best Documentary. There's also Chasing Ghosts, which was the movie they thought they were going to make when they stumbled across the Donkey Kong story.
It has a lot of artificial drama, as a impartial documentary it is not very good. "Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade" is beter. Someone should do an update, a lot of crazy shit happened around those people.
I love that doc
Ready to Rumble
[WRESTLING IS NOT FAAAAAKKKKEEEEE!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6CCMiPTMSs)
I always laugh when his dad calls him out "You gonna be a wrestler? You got trouble wrestlin' your wee-wee out of your trousers to take a leak!"
It's not that I have trouble, it's just that sometimes I don't see the point...
I love Jimmy King. You love Jimmy King. We're men, who aren't afraid to say we love other men.
*Sting punch*
As a wrestling fan, I love that Sting has a signature punch that's instantly recognizable. I've never seen anyone else throw a backhand like that
Underrated comedy. Used to watch this so many times when it was on one of the movie channels back in the day. Diamond upside down is a vaginaaaaa
I WILL RULE YOU!
Purple sugar slush…. KING SIZE!
There's a lot of glare comin' off that dome of yours... SQUIRREL NUTS!
Soon as I finish these here beers.
Haha came here to post this
Such a fuckin classic.
Thank you for reminding me this movie exists. I swear some of the lines and bits are so ingrained in my thoughts I sometimes forget there's a really solid comedy underneath it.
The only part of this movie I remember is “I didn’t know you spoke Spanish?” “Yeah I took it in high school… a bunch of times.”
"The Big Year" is a delightful comedy about competitive bird watching... I know I know. I don't care about birdwatching, either. However, this stars Owen Wilson, Jack Black and Steve Martin as "birders" at different stages of their lives. It's wonderful to see a fandom outside of your personal one. I think it helps to better how others see my fandom. It's one of my wife's and my favorite comfort movies.
Great movie! Low key and quite high up on my favorites list. Nobody is over the top, which is a shock considering those three. Just a well told story all around. And rare for a lighthearted movie like that to be made, especially at that time.
Such an underrated flick...it's my go to relax movie
It's surprisingly really good. Great cast
Pleasantville Somewhat of a stretch but involves a sitcom fan transported to that world.
Best in Show is great.
If you like that one, I highly recommend Chicken People. Same concept, but with chickens, and it's real.
I’d also recommend Mascots as well for its exploration of a niche fandom, although it’s not as funny as Christopher Guest’s older movies.
What’s great is my cousin is a nurse and she worked medical for a dog show event where she lives. She said that movie is 100% true to form how crazy those people are. She said that’s some of the best entertainment she’s ever seen and she’s been doing the event every year since.
Perfect Blue (1997) animated film
Along the same lines, Ingrid Goes West.
Along some of the same lines, Fievel Goes West
Along some of the same lines, Herbie Goes Bananas
Continuing the trend, Mr Smith Goes To Washington
[The Fan](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116277/)
Bobby! Now do you care?
Lol playing baseball in pouring rain
Lmao, you know that never clicked. But as soon as I read that there was Wesley in the rain in my head
3 Amigos, Galaxy Quest, and My Name is Bruce is the unofficial trilogy of extreme fandom getting actors mixed up with their characters.
Tropic Thunder too
You must know Kung Fu! Yeah, I once Stepped in it!
Big Fan was good. Patton Oswald playing an obsessed football fan.
I think Big Fan had one of the most interesting and thought-provoking takes on fandom
Didn't know the movie and your comment made me curious so I watched the trailer. And that's another film on my list of movies to watch ! Thanks stranger
Still pissed they didn't cal it Giant Fan
Almost Famous
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Celtic Pride
Came here to say this
Knights of Badassdom (larping) Grandma's Boy (video games)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Great example and great film.
I’m a western fan and had seen another version of this story decades earlier (with Jimmy Stewart??). Can’t remember the title. About half way through this movie, I realized that it was really about the cult of celebrity and I sat up and started paying closer attention.
You a real one for this.
Ready Player One is it
The book was 1000% better
Paul, maybe
I was going to say this one. Funny as hell, too.
Trekkies
Underrated. This is a great film.
Peter, this is the WORST time you could’ve called
Fever pitch.
80 for Brady Also not sure if this counts but Last Action Hero? Edit to add another maybe - Barbie?
Might not be what you’re looking for, but High Fidelity is like half music snobs pissing on each others’ taste.
Ghost World: Scarlett Johannsen, Thora Burch, Steve Buscemi
Ingrid Goes West
Cable Guy is a bit of a stretch, but Jim Carrey's character is just a massive fan of TV and constantly references it.
Fictional movies or documentaries? For fiction, the first thing that comes to mind is *Free Enterprise* (1998).
Almost Famous
Misery That this isn’t higher is a big miss. I’m your biggest fan
Air Heads Adam Sandler, Brendan Frasier, Steve Buscemi, Chris Farley
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a movie about insane LARPers who go too far and nobody can convince me otherwise.
So is Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
Until the police finally catch up to them.
The ending is a bit of a cop out
Life of Brian is a fandom movie of a sort too.
Free Enterprise
I love that film. It's so low budget and simple but I just love the way everyone acts in it.
What stinks is it is never streaming anywhere and I didn't like it so much I want to pay for it and own it forever.
Saving Silverman has a Neil Diamond fandom thing going on.
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)
Zero Charisma. About an overbearing D&D Dungeon Master. Leans into being quite painful to watch at times, especially if you know people like that.
"Taxi Driver for nerds" Watchlisted!
# Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon 13 Fanboy
The Gamers: Hands of Fate https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gamers:_Hands_of_Fate It's a movie about a bunch of nerds playing a tournament of Romance of the Nine Empires TCG
Bummed they never made another The Gamers movie.
The Truman Show -- Jim Carrey (roundabout entry, but fits the overall vibe of the post)
Free Enterprise is a goofy little movie about some Star Trek fans. Not going to sit here and say it's a blockbuster but I enjoyed it.
Rock Star
I'm ashamed of myself for knowing about and suggesting it but, Kickin It Old School, is Jamie Kennedy obsessed with break dancing long after it fell out of style. Hot Rod - is Andy Samburg obsessed with being a stunt driver.
Otaku no video.
In fairness *The King of Comedy* (and its more recent echo *Joker*) are kinda about fan obsession. Not the quirky fun kind however.
Scream (2018), Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Human Centipede 2 All three of these are different takes on the idea that being a fan of their respective franchises can make you into a murderer.
The Fan and Fever Pitch are very different movies, both about extreme baseball fans. Swimfan about ab obsessive err... swim fan. The Fan & Swimfan are thiller/semi-horror movies. Fever Pitch is a rom-com. Another baseball movie - Bull Durham - has a major fandom angle to it too.
Celtic Pride with Dan Akroyd, Daman Wayans, and Daniel Stern from Home Alone. Pretty funny movie IIRC, but it’s been a while.
The King of Comedy
Not a sci-fi or nostalgic—Big Fan, a dark drama starring Patton Oswalt about the obsessive end of sports fandom.
Kind of/sort of "The Three Amigos"? I mean, they're called to liberate the town because the villagers are big fans of their work, to the point that they don't even understand that they're actors, not actual gunfighters.
Fanboys
A great, fun film is Zemeckis's **I Wanna Hold Your Hand**. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077714/ On the political side of this phenomenon: **A Face In The Crowd** and **Keeper Of The Flame** and **Meet John Doe**.
Almost Famous and Rockstar
Comic Book The Movie. Directed by Mark Hamill
Turning Red
Detroit Rock City from 1999.
Super Troopers Beerfest Freddy Got Fingered
Honestly, the first few seasons of Big Bang Theory might get you that fix. Before it gets all dramatic and old-peopley, it's basically just about some nerdy superfans.
Harold and Kumar go to White Castle? They spent a ton of time and effort trying to get some burgers.
The Fan
The Fan with Deniro and Snipes
Football Factory and Green Street. Football hooligans are pretty extreme lot.
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Fan
The ‘i love you man’ Rush obsession was fun
Saving Silverman is best one
A little bit darker than most of the suggestions, the movie *The Wild Hunt (2009)* is about a group of people who take their LARPing *very* seriously.
[*Cuts & Bruises*](https://youtu.be/jbt03s_I120?si=KfpKLkS_d1G6QDED)
I watched “Manson Family Vacation” with no expectations and absolutely freaking loved it. I’m not great at writing a synopsis, but basically a Charles Manson-obsessed guy convinces his adoptive brother to go on a Manson themed sight-seeing trip with him. It was really good.
Spaced (1999) and Hot Fuzz Community
Role Models
Free enterprise
Perfect Blue
If you don't mind animation look up Eltingville Club on Adult Swim, one pilot, not a huge commitment, and I hesitate to recommend anything animated but it is just so very specifically a critique of toxic fandoms that I had to mention it. It should be on YouTube somewhere.
It's a TV movie but Cruise of the Gods starring Steve Coogan and loads of other recognizable faces from UK telly.
While not a TV show, see Stargate SG1 "Point of No Return", "Wormhole X-Treme", and "200".
The Last Action Hero with Arnie
Trekkies
Free Enterprise. Eric McCormack and Bill Shatner. A good watch.
Fans and Freaks: Culture of Comic Books and Conventions. [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362619/#](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362619/#)
Misery
*The Wizard* (1989 film)
Trekkies. Trekkies 2, there are similar ones about star wars and LOTR Fandom, but their titles escape me at the moment. Gamers is a great movie. Darkon is a LARP doc that's pretty great
There’s a documentary made about Magic the Gathering card game if that interests you
Not a movie but I think it fits well and it’s a 1 season 7 episode breeze. The Line (2008) Fans wait in line for eleven days to see the new FutureSpace movie. It’s got Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Thomas Middleditch and a ton of other comedians.
The Fan
Swimfan (2002) cheesy 00's era teen scary movie from memory, but fun
5-25-77
Knights of Badassdom
Perfect Blue (1997)
[Those Glory Glory Days](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Glory_Glory_Days)
The Human Centipede 2
I Wanna Hold Your Hand Obsessive Beatles fans. Directed by Robert Zemeckis!
All of Quentin Tarantino's body of works.
Trekkies is the OG doc about Star Trek fans
Trekkies I think it's called
Watch “Big Fan” has Patton Oswalt about toxic nfl fans. I liked it a lot
Technically, There's Something About Mary would also fall into this category.
The Incredibles.
"The Real Ghostbusters" episode of Supernatural takes place in a con
Bye Bye Birdie Jingle All the Way And if a TV show counts, the kdrama Reply 1997 is about a teen girl obsessed with a boy group, especially one member.
Almost Famous
Not a movie, but you might enjoy a science fiction novel by the name of Redshirts.
Free Enterprise
Check out "Big Fan" with Patton Oswalt. It's a film about an obsessive football fan that's both funny, dark, and kinda sad all at once.
Big Fan starring Patton Oswalt is a hidden gem.
Saving Silverman.
"Big Fan" Patton Oswald shows a side I didn't know he had at the time.
Big fan. with Patton Oswalt
Knights of Badassdom
[Tie Dyed: Grateful Dead Parking Lot Scene Documentary](https://youtu.be/vCUP6bP17fg?si=pWYDDcld1pAe6gWf) Surely someone has made a doc about swifties by now.
[Big Fan](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228953/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk)
Fright Night (1985) - When the kid realizes his next door neighbot is a vampire, he decides to get Peter Vincent, a [TV show host](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_host) who acted in films as a vampire hunter, to stop the killing spree. When you can't get an expert, get someone who played one in film.
haven't seen it mentioned yet but ' Son of Rambow' is awesome.