The Sincerest Form of Flattery

The upcoming documentary American Teen examines the various cliques within the senior class of an Indiana high school. The theatrical poster pays tribute to the artwork for another film that dealt with teen cliques, the '80s teen classic The Breakfast Club.

They did a very good job on matching the poses, but my favorite nod to the John Hughes film remains the original poster for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2. Released just a year after Breakfast Club, it sent a clear message that the saw sequel would be much more fun than its brutal 1974 predecessor. It's a shame that MGM didn't keep this artwork when they released the film on DVD.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986)

Since it's April Fool's Day, I thought it would be appropriate to look back at a few other movie posters that spoofed an earlier film's artwork. Here's a handful of examples from the last couple of years.

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden (2008)	Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Fanboys (2008)	Return of the Jedi (1983)
Delta Farce (2007)	Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Epic Movie (2007)	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Scary Movie 4 (2006)	The Grudge (2004)

Tarsem Channels Dali

The Fall, Tarsem Singh's follow-up feature to The Cell, is finally hitting theaters after a two-year delay. The poster art features a pair of eyes peering through a rectangular mask, with a nose and mouth suggested in the combined imagery of a butterfly, flower petals and the Taj Mahal's silhouette. The layout reminds me of Salvador Dali's 1935 painting, "Face of Mae West (Usable as a Surrealist Apartment)."

Face of Mae West (1935)

The Fall (2008)

See also: Hidden Images in Horror Movie Art

Déjà View: Sex and Breakfast vs. Manchild

The DVD artwork for the recently released Sex and Breakfast features a cluster of naked male and female legs poking out from the end of a sofa. Such imagery is often used to convey the playful romps inherent in a modern day sex comedy (for example, the posters for Virgin Territory and Shortbus). It struck me as very typical, but I otherwise didn't give too much thought to the cover design.

A few weeks later I happened across the first season of the British TV series Manchild. The cover of the American DVD version features a very familiar jumble of naked legs poking out from the end of a sofa.

Manchild Season 1 (2004)

Sex and Breakfast (2008)

The designer of Sex and Breakfast's cover pitched the angle of the original couple's limbs to make room for a third person's leg. The latter completely ripped off the former, or they both employed the same stock photo source by chance.