11 Meta Films Starring Actors Playing Extreme Versions Of Themselves

8. Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

50 Cent's starring role in the film of his life isn't really self-conscious, to be honest - it's just a bit self-absorbed. That's nothing to do with the quality of the film (although it's pretty damn awful), but is entirely related to the fact that 50 Cent deemed his life story to be so important that it had to be adapted into film immediately - as it had to star himself. Normally, musical biopics occur after a musician's career (say, after their death or in old age). Not with Get Rich Or Die Tryin', though. 50 Cent was basically at the height of his fame when this cash-in was released. It's not that the story is dull (and the direction isn't actually all that bad)... It's the fact that it simply felt like a darker and more aggressive "grown up" version of something like the S Club 7 films: a discomforting attempt to fictionalise the life of a star in order to amplify the narrative that surrounds their music career. Still, if you want to see 50 Cent stumble around set after set and remind you once again that he got shot, this is the film for you!