Galaxy Quest (1999)

Galaxy Quest is the story of a bunch of out-of-work stars of a once popular sci-fi show who get plucked from their appearance at a convention to go on a real space adventure.  This adventure involves actual aliens who based their whole federation on transmissions of the "Galaxy Quest" broadcasts, and the actors must live out the roles they once played on TV. A lot of the humor comes from referencing the well-known tropes of "Star Trek: The Original Series". This film really succeeds in that it is more than a simple spoof of Star Trek; it is also a love letter to it. This really surprised me when it came out. It seemed we were starting to see films that were more self-aware of their subjects (Scream, Austin Powers), and were even deconstructing them as we approached the end of the 90's. 

By starting the film off with our heroes as down-on-their-luck losers, this film easily could have relied on cynical humor about how washed up the cast was. This film, however, set its sights a little higher as it has a huge love for not only the cast's roles within the show and what their lives are like off-screen, but how much they mean to the fans. Fandom itself is a funny and integral part of the story, with a group of Trekkie-type fanboys using their vast knowledge of the show to help the crew out on their journey. Though full of laughs, these scenes never succumb to condescension or simple "nerds-are-lame" shtick,  and instead we feel just as rewarded as these geeks do when they find out that their favorite sci-fi show is real. This sweetness is all the more impressive since this film predates the geek-chic movement in pop culture of the 21st century. It was a truly pleasant surprise upon release to experience a film that not only joyfully mocked its subject, but also had such an obvious fondness for it. The Celebratory Comedy's (a sub-sub-genre I sort of made up) spirit would later be found in films like Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead (and even Paul). This film certainly falls in line with what those modern classics did to their subjects: a little poke in the ribs, wrapped in a big reverent hug.