10 Vitriolic Films Built On Biting Satire

Last but not least, we come to 2004's I Heart Huckabees. This smaller scale indie production from David O. Russell bases its satirical nature in the realm of existentialism. Its narrative and characters are both very contained, allowing the film to get across its deconstruction of life.

We follow the detectives Bernard and Vivian Jeffe (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) as they delve into the lives of their various clients and all the problems they bring to the surface. What follows is a series of random, often humorous events with the two leads clashing with rival investigator Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert).

With all the choices we make, much of them are mere bumps in the road on the grand game of life, or so the film wants us to believe. This fallacy emerges with the cast of characters attempting to control their personal and professional lives, only to be swept up in all the unpredictable occurrences around them.

When compared with other entries on this list, I Heart Huckabees is the most zany and oddball of the bunch with its colourful writing and less extravagant setting. Yet it also occupies its own niche in satire at large, tackling a topic that's far broader than others.