An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn (1998)

What makes An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn worth a look is its deliciously self-cannibalizing premise: a director whose actual name is the industry’s famous “I disown this” pseudonym gets trapped in the very machine it was invented to escape. Shot in a mock-documentary style that keeps the pace snappy, it turns Hollywood’s ego, spin, and corporate panic into a parade of sharp jabs and well-timed absurdity, with celebrity cameos that feel like drive-by confessions. Eric Idle’s dry, exasperated presence gives the chaos a comic spine, while the film’s best laughs come from how casually everyone reveals their vanity when the spotlight swings their way. It’s not for viewers craving a polished, story-first comedy—this is more insider spoof than crowd-pleaser—but if you enjoy showbiz satire and the gag of watching the town roast itself, it’s an oddly satisfying time capsule.

An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn wants to be a sharp, inside-baseball mockumentary about studio meddling and the absurdity of “disowned” movies, and the premise is genuinely clever on paper. The problem is the execution: the satire is broad and obvious, the jokes land with a thud far more often than they zing, and the whole thing feels like a rough draft padded with celebrity cameos instead of real comedic momentum. If you’re expecting a tight, biting Hollywood takedown or even a consistently funny farce, this will likely test your patience. Still, if you enjoy messy, meta industry in-jokes and can treat it as a curiosity about how a production can go sideways, there are a few moments of amusement buried in the chaos.