Satire Screening Room

[BEING THERE] [THE GRADUATE] [MAS*H] [MOVIE LINKS]

"A lot of people see my films and say, `I don't get it.'"
- Robert Altman, Director of M*A*S*H

A satire done well is a film about truth. This makes it sometimes difficult to view, but when a satire is working right you'll find yourself laughing and saying, "It's funny because it's true!" It's easy to misinterpret a satirical movie as nothing but a series of put-downs, but really what the movie is doing is to ask: "Is this what we truly want?" A satire centered around truth is an affirmation of life, for in the end it is the truth that saves us.

I have chosen what I believe to be the three best American satires of all time. Each one is a masterpiece brimming with its own special insight. I get special satisfaction from these films and I hope you enjoy them, too.