Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "play-within-film"

1. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

PG-13 | 127 min | Drama, Musical, Romance

A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by a jealous duke.

Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent

Votes: 299,607 | Gross: $57.39M

2. Shakespeare in Love (1998)

R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, History

The world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.

Director: John Madden | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson

Votes: 234,503 | Gross: $100.32M

3. Noises Off... (1992)

PG-13 | 101 min | Comedy

A travelling theater group find so much action going on behind-the-scenes, they almost ruin the performances.

Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, Denholm Elliott, Julie Hagerty

Votes: 12,265 | Gross: $2.28M

4. The Baby of Mâcon (1993)

Not Rated | 122 min | Drama, History

Plagued with infertility, the inhabitants of Mâcon are naturally involved in the spectacle that is a masque about the miracle child born to a virgin mother.

Director: Peter Greenaway | Stars: Julia Ormond, Ralph Fiennes, Philip Stone, Jonathan Lacey

Votes: 4,993

5. Room at the Top (2012)

120 min | Drama, Romance

An adaption of John Braine's novel.

Stars: Matthew McNulty, Maxine Peake, Jenna Coleman, Tom Brooke

Votes: 372

6. Being Julia (2004)

R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Set in 1930s London, this movie involves stage actors and actresses and their experiences with love and revenge.

Director: István Szabó | Stars: Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, Maury Chaykin, Jeremy Irons

Votes: 12,934 | Gross: $7.74M

7. Impromptu (1991)

PG-13 | 107 min | Biography, Comedy, Music

In 1830s France, pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin is pursued romantically by the determined, individualistic woman who uses the name George Sand.

Director: James Lapine | Stars: Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters

Votes: 5,524 | Gross: $4.08M

8. Stage Fright (I) (2014)

R | 89 min | Comedy, Horror, Musical

A snobby musical theater camp is terrorized by a blood-thirsty killer who hates musical theater.

Director: Jerome Sable | Stars: Minnie Driver, Meat Loaf, Allie MacDonald, Douglas Smith

Votes: 5,071 | Gross: $0.01M

9. P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang (1982 TV Movie)

PG | 85 min | Comedy

Alan Duckworth (known as 'Quack Quack' to his friends) is a socially awkward fourteen-year-old who is obsessed with cricket and Ann Lawton, a girl in his class. Alan daydreams throughout ... See full summary »

Director: Michael Apted | Stars: John Albasiny, Alison Steadman, Abigail Cruttenden, Maurice Dee

Votes: 1,009

10. Chuck & Buck (2000)

R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama

An oddly naive man-child stalks his childhood best friend and tries to reconnect with their past.

Director: Miguel Arteta | Stars: Mike White, Chris Weitz, Lupe Ontiveros, Beth Colt

Votes: 5,893 | Gross: $1.05M

11. If I Were You (2012)

R | 115 min | Comedy, Drama

When a woman tries to outwit her husband's sexy young mistress, the unexpected consequences include starring as King Lear in a very amateur production--with the mistress, an aspiring actress, playing The Fool.

Director: Joan Carr-Wiggin | Stars: Marcia Gay Harden, Leonor Watling, Joseph Kell, Daniela Saioni

Votes: 2,403 | Gross: $0.01M

12. Trust the Man (2005)

R | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

After much drama, cheating, and trial separations, two men fight to save their respective relationships.

Director: Bart Freundlich | Stars: David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Votes: 8,842 | Gross: $1.53M

13. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)

Not Rated | 132 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

Two photographers, who are employed by a magazine editor to expose the scandalous activities of the rich, come across corruption by a builder and accidentally photograph a murder.

Director: Kundan Shah | Stars: Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Bhakti Barve, Satish Shah

Votes: 14,737

14. The King of Masks (1995)

91 min | Drama

In a remote area of China, in the 1930s, a street performer named Wang practices the change-mask opera art of bian lian. Seeking to pass his art, Wang buys what he believes to be an orphan boy, but quickly learns his new disciple's secret.

Director: Tian-Ming Wu | Stars: Xu Zhu, Renying Zhou, Zhigang Zhao, Li Chen

Votes: 3,476 | Gross: $1.10M

15. Catch a Falling Star (2000 TV Movie)

TV-PG | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Sydney Clarke is a spoiled famous actress who is shooting a film when she suddenly gets angry and storms off. She wakes up in the middle of nowhere and gets a ride to a small New England ... See full summary »

Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Sela Ward, Rebecca Jenkins, Andrew Jackson, Jane Curtin

Votes: 558

16. The Arbor (2010)

Unrated | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama

Portrayal of the late Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar.

Director: Clio Barnard | Stars: Manjinder Virk, Christine Bottomley, Natalie Gavin, Parvani Lingiah

Votes: 2,135 | Gross: $0.02M

17. Over Your Dead Body (2014)

Not Rated | 93 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller

Fiction begins to bleed into reality for actors (Ebizo Ichikawa, Ko Shibasaki, Hideaki Ito) as they rehearse a stage production of a classic Japanese ghost story.

Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kô Shibasaki, Hideaki Itô, Ebizô Ichikawa, Toshie Negishi

Votes: 1,597

18. Alchemy (I) (2005)

PG-13 | 86 min | Comedy, Romance

Absent-minded professor Malcolm Downey has just invented the sure thing that will lead to the academic easy street of tenure: a computer that can register human emotions.

Director: Evan Oppenheimer | Stars: Michael Ian Black, Tom Cavanagh, Sarah Chalke, James Barbour

Votes: 591

19. Bigger Than the Sky (2005)

PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

A recently-dumped man with a boring personality, job, and life auditions at the community theater and gets the lead role as Cyrano despite no acting experience. It changes his life forever.

Director: Al Corley | Stars: Marcus Thomas, Amy Smart, John Corbett, Sean Astin

Votes: 1,596 | Gross: $0.02M

20. Here Come the Girls (1953)

Approved | 78 min | Comedy, Musical

A clumsy, full-of-himself chorus boy gets a chance at Broadway stardom when he's a stand-in for a leading actor threatened by an infamous killer.

Director: Claude Binyon | Stars: Bob Hope, Tony Martin, Arlene Dahl, Rosemary Clooney

Votes: 435

21. Little White Lie (2008 TV Movie)

70 min | Drama

Little White Lie follows the story of a luckless actor named Barry who has recently split from his girlfriend. He is seen wallowing at home in his pyjamas, where he becomes fixated on a ... See full summary »

Director: Nicholas Renton | Stars: Andrew Scott, Anthony Morris, David Murray, David Pearse

Votes: 135

22. A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994 TV Movie)

G | 69 min | Animation, Comedy, Family

Fred is cast as Ebenezer Scrooge in a stage adaptation of the story, but is acting a bit stingy in real-life.

Director: Joanna Romersa | Stars: Henry Corden, Jean Vander Pyl, Frank Welker, B.J. Ward

Votes: 1,631

23. O Cerco (1970)

111 min | Drama

A look at the urban society of the seventies. The story of Marta a young and pretty girl, who leaves her husband to search for her true identity. She doesn't quite know what she wants, but ... See full summary »

Director: António da Cunha Telles | Stars: Maria Cabral, Miguel Franco, Ruy de Carvalho, Mário Jacques

Votes: 134

24. Murder Commited in a Sly and Cruel Manner and from Low Motives (1969)

88 min | Crime, Thriller

Eminent Belgrade physician gets murdered. The investigation is revealing dark side of his character - illegal abortions and abuse of his wife. Wife's lover is becoming the prime suspect. ... See full summary »

Director: Zivorad 'Zika' Mitrovic | Stars: Mihailo 'Misa' Janketic, Irena Prosen, Zoran Milosavljevic, Petar Kralj

Votes: 103

25. Ham & Cheese (2004)

TV-MA | 88 min | Comedy

Two talentless actors attempt to make it in the cruel world of showbiz. Without an ounce of talent between the two of them and their only strength being persistence, they'll do almost anything to attain their dream. Except let it go.

Director: Warren P. Sonoda | Stars: Mike Beaver, Jason Jones, Samantha Bee, David Foley

Votes: 452

26. Mød mig paa Cassiopeia (1951)

101 min | Romance, Comedy, Musical

A stage writer desperate for inspiration acquires a muse straight out of Greek mythology. She bedazzles everyone she meets, but will the play be done in time, and will earthly life win the muse over?

Director: Torben Anton Svendsen | Stars: Bodil Kjer, Lily Broberg, Hans Kurt, Poul Reichhardt

Votes: 314

27. England, My England (1995)

153 min | Biography, Drama, History

In 1960s, a British playwright attempts to reconstruct the life of real life 17th century English composer Henry Purcell even though little is known about him. Purcell's life is reenacted and his music performed.

Director: Tony Palmer | Stars: Simon Callow, Michael Ball, Rebecca Front, Lucy Speed

Votes: 193

28. Gandharvam (1993)

155 min | Drama, Romance

Sam Alex falls in love with Sridevi, but her family will stop at nothing to make sure to keep the couples apart.

Director: Sangeeth Sivan | Stars: Mohanlal, Kanchan, Paravoor Bharathan, Devan

Votes: 297

29. Naked Frailties (1998)

91 min | Drama

Add a Plot

Director: Larry Reese | Stars: Travis Woloshyn, Reagan Dale Neis, Terry Ladd, Terence Cross

Votes: 25

30. Scorn (2000 TV Movie)

96 min | Crime, Drama

Darren Huenemann, a spoiled 18-year old plots to have two classmates murder his mother and grandmother so he can inherit their fortunes. His worship of Caligula leads him to treat all like ... See full summary »

Director: Sturla Gunnarsson | Stars: Eric Johnson, Brendan Fletcher, Bill Switzer, Emily Hampshire

Votes: 228

31. Enchantment (1921)

Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy

The frothy experiences of a vain little flapper. Her father induces an actor friend to become a gentlemanly cave man and the film becomes another variation of the 'Taming of the Shrew' theme.

Director: Robert G. Vignola | Stars: Marion Davies, Forrest Stanley, Edith Shayne, Tom Lewis

Votes: 320

32. Nô (1998)

85 min | Comedy, Drama

This Canadian comedy, filmed in black and white and color and adapted from Lepage's play The Seven Branches of the River Ota. In October 1970, Montreal actress Sophie (Anne-Marie Cadieux) ... See full summary »

Director: Robert Lepage | Stars: Anne-Marie Cadieux, Alexis Martin, Marie Gignac, Richard Fréchette

Votes: 449 | Gross: $0.00M

33. Romeo's Kiss (I) (2007)

Not Rated | 12 min | Short, Drama, Romance

Cécile must go to rehearse Romeo & Juliet, but boyfriend Thomas wants to come watch. When Cécile is called away to a school interview, the play director asks Thomas to step in as Juliet to ... See full summary »

Director: Julien Eger | Stars: Florent Arnoult, Matila Malliarakis, Héloïse Adam, Didier Tournan

Votes: 168

34. Carmen (1943)

96 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance

An employee and an actress start an argument that ends in a strong fight during Carmen's performance. In it, Niní receives a very strong blow and from then on she dreams that she is Carmen, the famous cigarette maker from Seville.

Director: Luis César Amadori | Stars: Niní Marshall, Juan José Padilla, Adrián Cuneo, Manuel Perales

Votes: 25

35. The Ellen and Ted Show

Comedy, Romance | Announced

A fringe theatre actress living hand-to-mouth is suddenly thrust into the national media spotlight when she becomes an unlikely hit on a vacuous reality show.

Stars: Sandra Bernhard, Michael Urie, Jeff Bryan Davis, William Miller

36. Uma Abelha na Chuva (1972)

75 min | Drama

A married couple of rich and depressed noblemen destroy the lives of their servants out of spite.

Director: Fernando Lopes | Stars: Laura Soveral, João Guedes, Zita Duarte, Ruy Furtado

Votes: 280

37. She'll Be Alright (2009)

36 min | Short, Comedy, Drama

When his newest play becomes a critical and commercial success, an obsessive, manic playwright begins having hallucinations.

Directors: Vera Drew, Eric Slager | Stars: Vera Drew, Diana Nowicki, Calliope Tsoukalas, Christina Clark

38. Da wo es noch Treue gibt (2006 TV Movie)

90 min | Drama, Romance

Christl Huber and Hansi Sandgruber have returned from their vacation in Australia and are preparing for the 30th anniversary of the wildlife park.

Director: Heidi Kranz | Stars: Hansi Hinterseer, Anja Kruse, Simone Heher, Ingrid Burkhard

Votes: 27

39. The Flemish Vampire (2007)

100 min | Horror

Frank, a vet, discovers that his daughter has a lesbian relationship. When he tries to confront her rehearsal of a play named "The Flemish Vampire" something unexpected happens.

Director: R. Kan Albay | Stars: Chahid Abdessalami, Nele Allaert, Jamal Boujouh, Yuri D. Brown

Votes: 46

40. The War Against Terror: The Musical (2004)

15 min | Comedy, Short, Music

This mock-documentary follows the cast and crew of 'The War Against Terror: The Musical!' as they struggle towards the opening night.

Director: Chris Lightwing | Stars: Jamie Bower, Michael Jeffries, Elliot Hill, Daniel Higley

Votes: 62

41. Intimacies (1996)

77 min | Documentary

After coming out as gay and HIV positive Michael Kearns hollywood career dried up. He then developed a one man play, Intimacies wherein he plays twelve PWA's (persons with AIDS) of various ... See full summary »

Directors: Nikki Cole, Sarah Kerruish | Star: Michael Kearns

42. South Park (1997– )
Episode: Helen Keller! The Musical (2000)

TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Comedy

Cartman goes overboard directing a Thanksgiving production of "The Miracle Worker." Meanwhile, Timmy develops a bond with a runt turkey named Gobbles.

Director: Trey Parker | Stars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Isaac Hayes, Nico Agnone

Votes: 2,616

43. Robson Arms (2005–2008)
Episode: Lizard of Doubt (2007)

Comedy, Drama

Andrew wants to have a baby, and wants to make the process as scientific as possible for conception. This direction is different than what he and Chris had previously discussed, which was ... See full summary »

Director: Gary Harvey | Stars: Laura Bertram, Gabriel Hogan, Kevin McNulty, A.J. McKenzie

Votes: 34

44. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–1966)
Episode: An Evening with Hamlet (1954)

TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Family

Ozzie and Thorny stage their version of "Hamlet" in the Nelson's living room.

Director: Ozzie Nelson | Stars: Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Nelson, David Nelson, Ricky Nelson

Votes: 41