The 10 Best Wes Anderson Movie Spoofs for His 54th Birthday
When attempting to create a Wes Anderson spoof, there are three crucial elements one should pay absolute attention to. The famed auteur’s love for symmetry in composition is one. Another must-have involves having a character stand as still as a lamp post, ideally dressed in a vintage outfit that looks like it was sewn together using grandma’s drapes. Lastly, it should be edited as if it were a music video, preferably to a version of one of Alexandre Desplat’s instrumentals — Anderson’s favorite film composer whose “Obituary” pops up in many of his films.
Add a dash of melancholy, half a dozen tiny weird props and some vibrant earthy tones, and you got an Anderson spoof that can stand among the best of them, like the 10 examples we’ve gathered below, which we are sharing on the highest of Anderson holy days — i.e., the date of his birth...
‘ The Anderson Guide to Surviving a Global Pandemic’
Before every other TikToker was filming themselves brushing their teeth to the sound of strings (we’ll get to those), Madelaine Turner went viral with her Anderson survival spoof while we were all stuck in COVID purgatory. The video showcased the power and simplicity of short-form video and how even the worst of times will never stop humans from creating practically anything, boredom be damned.
@madelaineturner
‘ Forrest Gump’ As Told Through a Wes Anderson Intro
Here we have a spoof of both Anderson and that movie where Jenny doesn’t die of AIDS. The level of care presented is what we’re used to seeing in the many movies the famed director has churned out. The video uses Anderson’s classic title sequences to relay the main segments and important beats of Forrest Gump — from his time in the army to his stint as a ping-pong champion. Naturally, shrimp and feathers also make an appearance.
TikTokers’ Morning Routines
The latest trend on TikTok has seen users jump on a meme called “You better not act like you’re in a Wes Anderson movie,” and then film themselves doing every mundane activity imaginable (again, more on this later). An offshoot of this meme is “My Morning Routine,” where TikTokers make coffee and feed their pets while imagining themselves living in Anderson’s world. Extra points for the one featuring bunnies.
@peruseproject
@ronnietheminilop
‘ Star Wars’ If Wes Anderson Directed It
Leading up to the Star Wars sequel trilogy that was announced in October 2012, everyone kept themselves busy speculating and throwing names into the hat of who they thought would best direct some Wookiees, Stormtroopers and a bunch of talking robots. CONAN decided to spoof the conversation with a supposed audition tape made by Anderson titled “A Life Galactic.” The parody features Han Solo as someone who carries around buttons and a whistle and a Wookiee riding a rig with Solo in the sidecar.
‘ Midsommar’ If Wes Anderson Directed It
This spoof cuts certain scenes from Ari Aster’s 2019 horror movie to Anderson’s folksy music, and it shows just how much symmetry Aster ended up using in his movie about bad tourists/boyfriends. It’s a relatively easy edit because there’s also a lot of dark humor to be found in Midsommar that translates well when framed using an upbeat perspective, and everyone in this movie is already dressed pretty funny.
‘ You Better Not Act Like You’re in a Wes Anderson Movie’
Made popular by a TikToker — who was inspired while on holiday with her parents, only to find herself on a train as one does — this trend uses a variation of its meme title, always features Desplat’s “Obituary” and varies in content from “Man in Woodshop” to “If Anderson Did a Scene in Honest Burgers.”
‘ The Shining’ If It Was ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’
It’s one thing to come up with an entirely original story or scene sequence to play out in the style of the idiosyncratic director. It’s another to take a movie and then cut it into an existing Anderson movie to create a crossover absolutely none of us deserve. Here, we have The Shining meets The Grand Budapest Hotel, which works as well as you’d think it would since, you know, both movies are set in a hotel.
The best bits include Ralph Fiennes saying his line, “She was shaking like a shitting dog,” after showing us Shelley Duvall scared shitless, and there’s a great joke about the lady in the bathtub in her decomposing state. Truly, the only criticism we can really give here is that the spoof trailer should’ve been longer.
‘ SNL’ Does a Horror Movie If Wes Anderson Directed It
Anderson doesn’t do horror, but honestly, what if he did? That’s clearly the question Saturday Night Live asked and then promptly decided to spoof in a segment called “The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders.” The parody juxtaposes the horror of a masked slasher with some cheery Anderson tunes and has the killer look like he’s dressed and ready to pick up his prom date, who most definitely only said yes to prank him.
Making an appearance is Owen Wilson talking like he’s got a bug stuck up his nose and a bunch of slasher killers with a love for knives that can only be matched by their love for record players and owls. It’s SNL, so the production’s pretty great, and it hits all the Anderson classics — from title cards to the appearance of a stop-motion animated furry.
‘ Halloween’ If Wes Anderson Directed It
It’s both shocking and hilarious how easily Michael Myers from Halloween fame fits into the many Anderson plots and locations we’ve seen throughout the years. This YouTube spoof posits that Myers was one of “the youngest of the Myers children” — only the Myers family is also the Tenenbaums, and Myers drifts through every Anderson movie like he’s finally conquered the Anderson multiverse. The short recreates the classic Halloween theme by making it sound very Anderson, and it’s probably the only time we’ll ever get to see Myers doing a jig on the beach.
‘X-Men’ If Wes Anderson Directed It
Masks made of paper and way too many orange jumpsuits aside, this might be the best fan-made X-Men spoof we’ve seen to date. It probably shouldn’t be too surprising that Anderson’s quirks and deadpan jokes fit nicely into the world of a bunch of nerds who also have superpowers. There are some decent special effects, great use of pop music (Anderson’s other favorite film scoring style) and a joke about Wolverine that will have you spit out your morning routine cup of coffee.
