The parody genre is one of the most niche genres in film, yet remains popular among cult-like fandoms which religiously watch these films yearly. While not as prevalent in film culture as it was between the 70s and 90s, there are still many beloved parody films (also known as "spoof" films) produced in modern times, for example 21 Jump Street, or the Scary Movie series. Parody movies as a genre are all about poking fun at an overused formula or popular culture, bringing light-hearted comedic entertainment to audiences while simultaneously delivering a veiled criticism of the film industry's tendency to milk formulas for all they're worth. By definition, parody movies are made by taking a renowned work, franchise, or genre, and exaggerating the tropes and formulas found in them to make fun of the subject in a satiric manner. This exaggeration of tropes is usually interpreted as bad acting, which is ironically a staple of spoof films.
The genre's own tropes are rather glaring and obvious, as it typically follows a copied plotline from whatever film or genre it is criticizing, weaving its own hilarious situations into the threads of the stolen story. The characters in these sorts of films are usually very foolish, to the point of harming themselves from their own ignorance or accidentally making jokes when they mean to be serious. Their idiocy propels the story forward, leading to more misadventures along the way, and somehow arriving at their end goal almost by accident. An infamous example of a parody movie that follows this general plotline is Monty Python's Life of Brian, which is a parody of the story of Jesus, and follows the life of Brian, a common villager who is mistaken for the Messiah, who's miracles are complete coincidences that get weaved into a narrative by crazed followers, eventually leading to his crucifixion through a series of accidental miracles. This movie is also a good example of another common characteristic of the genre, which is commentary on either society or politics. In Life of Brian, it criticizes Christianity through a cynical lens of "What if Jesus was just a guy with a lot of coincidences?". Another one of Monty Python's films, Monty Python and The Holy Grail, is full of scattered commentary, sometimes hidden under metaphorical comedy, and other times outright stated bluntly for comedic effect, such as when it randomly discussed the legitimacy of self-imposed governments in medieval times. The juxtaposition of the silly characters discussing elevated, intellectual subjects is a source of comedy in of itself, disregarding the likely silly language or arguments they present in the film.
Despite being a joke genre, spoof movies are not without their own unique production techniques. In parody movies, one can often find the use of sound effects to be overused, or overly cartoonish to highlight how ridiculous the scene is, similarly to how children's cartoons use sound effects. Audio in spoof movies is surprisingly important, as sometimes a solemn silence needs to be broken up with a goofy sound effect to relieve tension. Editing in spoof movies is essentially very similar to how most movies are edited, though certain productions decide to use unconventional techniques to further make fun of itself.
Parody movies typically didn't rely on big marketing campaigns- they would rely on the success of the source material, the notoriety of the actors in the film, or the cult-like fanbase that certain producers of these films would gather during their career. In modern times, parody movies are barely produced, they are regarded as a relic of the past, stored away with old big names like Mel Brooks and Monty Python. However, there are still movies nowadays that are produced that fit the parody genre, but they typically identify under other genres since the spoof genre is a largely unknown and unpopular field, especially with modern audiences. Films like Willy's Wonderland and Scary Movie register under more popular genres despite more closely fitting in with the spoof genre for marketing reasons.
Another example of a spoof movie is Airplane! (1980), which was directed by the Zucker brothers. Airplane! is also a parody of a known movie (Airport 1975) and follows the misadventures of one dumb ex-pilot on a doomed plane flight in which shenanigans ensue. Airplane! is known for its slapstick comedy, often heavily relying on wordplay or other gags to keep a sense of fast-paced humor about it. At its time of release, it was a smash success, raking in $171 million worldwide against its budget of #3.5 million, which is indicative of the different era that cinema was in, where parodies were massive successes and popular in media, harshly contrasting with today's media sphere. Airplane! also used sound effects heavily in conjunction with its constant pun-making and pop-culture referencing. However, there is no explicit commentary about society in this movie, which is a difference with other parody movies of the time.
