Looking for books or movies with the same humor as Mike Judge's movies

April 10, 2011 11:11 AM

Looking for books or movies with the same humor as Mike Judge's movies.

I just had watched all of Mike Judge's movies last night, and I want to see more movies or read more books with the same brand of cynicism and humor.

Any suggestions?

posted by reenum to media & arts (11 answers total)

Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West comes to mind.
posted by Sticherbeast at 11:15 AM on April 10, 2011

A Confederacy of Dunces.
posted by Sticherbeast at 11:15 AM on April 10, 2011 [3 favorites]

Thank You For Smoking, both the book and the movie.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:27 AM on April 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

Terry Gilliam's Brazil.
Anything written by Jon Ronson.
posted by Quantum's Deadly Fist at 1:19 PM on April 10, 2011

The South Park Movie and Team America have a similar sensibility
posted by Mchelly at 1:23 PM on April 10, 2011

Something interesting about Mike Judge is that he has two main modes: affectionate, realistic parodies of modern American life, and contemptuous satire of idiots run amok.

Under the contemptuous satire banner, I'd recommend Warren Ellis' comic series Transmetropolitan. It's about a Hunter Thompson-style journalist who exposes wrongs in a dystopian near-future.

Under the realistic parody banner, I'd recommend the novel The Feud by Thomas Berger. It's set in the Depression, but the themes and satire are pretty enduring, especially with regard to American culture.

You might also enjoy P. J. O'Rourke. Non-fiction satirical reporting from the 80s and 90s with a conservative bend. Check out his older stuff: Holidays in Hell and All The Trouble In The World are both excellent. I would skip his newer stuff - it's not pretty, or even funny, watching him morph into a neocon.

A darker recommendation:

My Work Is Not Yet Done by Thomas Ligotti is a brilliant (and bleakly comic) short horror novel, set in the modern workplace. It's the flipside to Office Space.
posted by Sticherbeast at 2:21 PM on April 10, 2011

Try Jennifer Governmentt by Max Barry. Of any of his other stuff, for that matter.
posted by dortmunder at 3:44 PM on April 10, 2011

Jacques Tati's Mon Oncle.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:06 PM on April 10, 2011

Looking for books or movies
Or more TV? Because there are like 14 seasons of King of the Hill that should keep you pretty busy.

Christopher Buckley is a good author in Judge's vein as well.

Hell, if Kurt Vonnegut is even better.
posted by General Malaise at 10:45 AM on April 11, 2011

Ignore the "if" in my last sentence there.
posted by General Malaise at 10:46 AM on April 11, 2011

The Ask.
posted by getawaysticks at 1:59 PM on April 11, 2011