Most movies want the audience to forget theyre watching a movie.
Self-aware movies dont have to be comedies.
Self-awareness can be used for any number of artistic reasons.
With a hard-R rating,Deadpoolwas free to captureits title characters every NSFW eccentricity.
This includes his constant fourth wall breaks.
In the comics, Pool breaks the fourth wall to deconstruct the comic book medium.
Theres a self-aware irony in the casting ofex-Batman Michael Keatonin the lead role.
Ironically,Birdmanproved Keatons own prowess as a dramatic actor and scored him a Best Actor nomination.
In addition tobreaking down the Arthurian legend, the movie breaks down the medium of film itself.
From the characters in other scenes waiting for their moment in the spotlight saying, Get on with it!
to the hilariously anticlimactic final scene,Monty Python and the Holy Grailisa meta masterpiece.
A lot of Fellinis films are self-reflexive, but this one is the most overt about it.
It cuts between lyrical dream sequences and sobering reality.
NEXT:10 Great Directors Who Deserve To Be In IMDb’s Top 250 (But Aren’t)
