40 Hollywood & Acting Jokes: The 2010 “Inception, Social Networks & Toy Incinerators” Edition

In 2010, Hollywood decided that if a movie didn’t have at least four layers of reality, it wasn’t trying hard enough. It was the year we learned that Facebook was founded on spite, that a king’s stutter could be more dramatic than an alien invasion, and that Pixar was capable of giving millions of adults a collective panic attack involving a giant trash incinerator. If you weren’t busy squinting at Leonardo DiCaprio’s spinning top, you were probably wondering if Jeff Bridges was CGI or just really well-moisturized.

The 2010 Industry Top 10: “Dreams, Dislikes & Trash Can Tears”

1. The Inception “BRAAAM”: Why was everyone so confused? Because Christopher Nolan spent $160 million to explain that if you die in a dream within a dream, you just wake up in a first-class airplane cabin looking like Leonardo DiCaprio.
2. The Social Network “Friend Request”: Why was Jesse Eisenberg so fast? For proving that you can build a billion-dollar empire just by being faster at typing and meaner at talking than everyone else in the room.
3. The Toy Story 3 Trauma: Why were grown men sobbing? Because Pixar decided that the perfect ending for a trilogy about childhood was to have our favorite toys hold hands while staring into the literal fires of hell.
4. The King’s Speech Silence: Why was a stutter so expensive? Because Colin Firth proved that a man trying to say “P-P-People” is more Oscar-worthy than a dozen CGI explosions.
5. The Black Swan Toes: Why was Natalie Portman so stressed? For a performance that proved ballet is 10% dancing and 90% hallucinating that you’re turning into a bird while Mila Kunis judges you.
6. The Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1: Why the camping trip? For the year we paid full price to watch three teenagers walk through the woods and argue in a tent for two hours while waiting for the actual finale.
7. The Iron Man 2 “Hammer”: Why the suitcase? For a sequel that proved Tony Stark is the only person who can fight a Russian guy with electric whips while suffering from heavy metal poisoning and a massive ego.
8. The Tangled Hair: Why the name change? Because Disney was terrified that boys wouldn’t see a movie called “Rapunzel,” so they renamed it “Tangled” to make 70 feet of magical hair sound like an action-packed survival thriller.
9. The Expendables Muscles: Why so much leather? For a movie that gathered every action star from the 80s just to prove that their collective age was higher than the movie’s actual box office earnings.
10. The Shutter Island Twist: Why the lighthouse? For proving that if Leonardo DiCaprio is on an island, he’s either dreaming, hallucinating, or about to sink with a large ship.

The Full 2010 Acting & Industry Archive

11. The Despicable Me Minions: Why the yellow pills? For the birth of a marketing phenomenon that would eventually occupy every square inch of every toy store on the planet.
12. The Tron: Legacy Glow: Why the young Jeff Bridges? For proving that CGI “de-aging” in 2010 still looked a bit like a haunted wax figure that had spent too much time in a microwave.
13. The Kick-Ass “Hit-Girl”: Why the controversy? For a 13-year-old Chloe Grace Moretz proving that she was more dangerous with a butterfly knife than the entire superhero cast combined.
14. The True Grit Stare: Why Jeff Bridges’ eye patch? For a remake that proved if you mumble enough in a Western, people will assume you’re being incredibly authentic.
15. The 127 Hours Arm: Why James Franco? For a movie that made everyone in 2010 promise to always, always tell someone where they were going before going for a walk.
16. The How to Train Your Dragon Flight: Why the cat? For a dragon that moved exactly like a giant black house cat, making every pet owner in 2007 feel like they had a mythical beast in their living room.
17. The Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Why the “Level Up”? For a movie that was 10 years ahead of its time, proving that fighting your girlfriend’s seven evil exes is a great way to use a bass guitar.
18. The Clash of the Titans “Release the Kraken”: Why the 3D? For a “post-conversion” so bad it made the audience feel like they were watching the movie through a dirty fish tank.
19. The Fighter Lean: Why Christian Bale? For a performance so dedicated he actually looked like he hadn’t eaten since the set of The Machinist.
20. The Easy A “A”: Why Emma Stone? For proving that a fake reputation and a pocketful of “Pocketful of Sunshine” is all you need to rule a high school.
21. The Salt Running: Why Angelina Jolie? For a movie that proved she could outrun an entire government agency while wearing a series of increasingly suspicious wigs.
22. The Winter’s Bone Grit: Why Jennifer Lawrence? For a breakout performance that proved you could be a star by looking for your dad in the Ozarks and chopping wood.
23. The Megamind Blue: Why Will Ferrell? For a movie that asked: “What happens when the villain actually wins?” and then realized the answer involves a lot of AC/DC music.
24. The Alice in Wonderland Tea: Why Johnny Depp? For a Tim Burton movie that proved $1 billion can be made just by having bright colors and a “Mad Hatter” who looks like he’s made of neon candy.
25. The Machete Blade: Why Danny Trejo? For a fake trailer that became a real movie, proving that you can kill a man with a surgical scalpel if you’re cool enough.
26. The Unstoppable Train: Why Denzel and Chris Pine? For a movie that suggested the only way to stop a runaway train is for Denzel Washington to look at it very sternly.
27. The Prince of Persia Hair: Why Jake Gyllenhaal? For a video game movie that proved that even “Parkour” and a “Dagger of Time” couldn’t save a bad script.
28. The Tourist Mystery: Why Depp and Jolie? For a movie that was essentially a 2-hour commercial for a Venetian vacation that neither actor seemed to want to be on.
29. The Red “Retired”: Why Helen Mirren with a sniper rifle? For proving that being over 60 in Hollywood just means you get bigger guns and cooler catchphrases.
30. The Last Airbender “Air”: Why the anger? For a M. Night Shyamalan adaptation so bad it actually made fans of the cartoon want to “bend” their own eyes shut.
31. The Other Guys “Aim for the Bushes”: Why the jump? For a comedy that gave us the most unexpected and hilarious character exits in the history of buddy-cop movies.
32. The Shrek Forever After: Why the “Final” Chapter? For a sequel that proved that even ogres have mid-life crises, usually involving a shady deal with Rumpelstiltskin.
33. The Town Masks: Why the nuns? For Ben Affleck proving that a heist movie is 50% tactical planning and 50% very thick Boston accents.
34. The Buried Box: Why Ryan Reynolds? For a movie that made everyone in 2010 realize that being trapped in a coffin with a Blackberry is the ultimate modern nightmare.
35. The A-Team Van: Why the tank? For a scene where they “fly” a tank by shooting its main cannon, officially declaring war on the laws of physics.
36. The Book of Eli Sunglasses: Why Denzel? For a post-apocalyptic movie that proved that even in the wasteland, a good pair of shades and a leather-bound book are the ultimate accessories.
37. The Skyline Blue Light: Why the vacuum? For a sci-fi movie that proved that humans are essentially just dust bunnies for giant alien hoovers.
38. The Devil Elevator: Why the toast? For an M. Night Shyamalan production that suggested the Devil’s primary hobby is messing with people in a confined space.
39. The Saw 3D “Final” Trap: Why the pink blood? For the “final” chapter that proved the franchise had finally run out of steam (and believable color palettes).
40. The 2010 Final Industry Vibe: Why the “Layered” year? Because it was the year of the “Crossover”—between dreams, between social statuses, and between our digital and real lives.