If you haven’t noticed, Hollywood seems to love making movies about themselves. Just look at the Wikipedia page listing films about filmmaking. Spoiler alert: There are over 200 of them!
From “Babylon” to “The Fabelmans” to “La La Land,” Hollywood is obsessed with telling stories about itself — the glamour, the grind, the mythology. Lately, however, self-reflection has felt less like a celebration and more like an identity crisis. As the industry grapples with strikes, box office uncertainty, and the rise of AI and streaming, these films act as both love letters and elegies.
Don’t get me wrong, I love some of these movies about making movies. Movies like “Singin’ in the Rain” are classics and staples for any cinephile.
There’s something different about this new wave of filmmaking movies. They’re not just nostalgic tributes or behind-the-scenes peeks; they comment on deeper meanings. “Babylon” is a chaotic, drug-fueled fever dream that blurs the line between homage and horror. “The Fabelmans” strips Spielberg’s magic down to its raw, vulnerable roots. Even “La La Land,” with all its bright lights and dreamy sequences, ends on a note of bittersweet what-could-have-been, and many people regard it as one of the best romance movies! These aren’t just stories about making movies; they’re deeper stories about what you have to leave behind to chase a dream, about who gets left behind, and about whether the magic is still real.
And maybe that’s the point. In a time when the future of cinema feels increasingly uncertain, Hollywood is looking inward, trying to figure out who it is, what it stands for, and where it’s headed. These films become a kind of therapy session, a mirror held up not just to the industry but to the audience, too. They ask us: Do we still believe in movies?
Because of the lack of originality in Hollywood lately and the over-reliance on sequels and live-action remakes, I may just be optimistic, but I still believe in the impact and future of movies.
