History Main / VanityProject

* The musical ''Put That Thing Back Where It Came From or So Help Me'' from the end credits of ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', written, produced, directed by, and starring Mike Wazowski. Not bad for something that started out as a [[WeWereRehearsingAPlay hastily-conceived lie]].

* The film ''Film/BirdmanOrTheUnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance'' revolves around an attempt from a has-been actor (played by Creator/MichaelKeaton) to create and act on a vanity Broadway show (with the hope of this being a CareerResurrection), and the increasing nightmare of dealing with multiple issues, including prima-donna supporting cast, his own sanity slipping away, and a StrawCritic that has sworn to hate and destroy the show ''[[ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch even though it hasn't even opened yet]]''.

* The 2005 film ''Film/TheKidAndI'' starring [[Series/{{Roseanne}} Tom]] [[Film/TrueLies Arnold]] is a variation: The StylisticSuck SpyFiction [[ShowWithinAShow movie within a movie]] "Two Spies" is a project funded by a millionaire (and starring his son with cerebral palsy) as a kind of home movie. It's not meant to be seen by other people -- it's just something that the man decided to do for his son.

* A positive example occurs in an episode of ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'' where Earl helps a dying boy whose wish is to write & star in a James Bond-esqe spy action thriller film. Earl produces the film. When they screen it at the end it looks horribly cheesy - but everyone had fun while making it including the kid, which was the production's main purpose.
* This trope can be seen at work in ''Series/TheSpoilsOfBabylon'', a TV mini-series parody created by the fictional hack author-director-actor Eric Jonrosh (Creator/WillFerrell) whose pretentious ramblings open and close each episode.
* ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'': During a HollywoodMidlifeCrisis, Les decides to leave Cincinnati and audition for the big boys: CBS News New York. He goes to a local video production studio to create a demo reel, where Les (as anchor) reads the headlines, then throws it over to Les (as roving reporter) standing in front of [a GreenScreen version of] the White House reporting on a breaking news story. All the news is clunkily written and delivered in a stilted manner. Les doesn't see the video until he screens it for his friends during a going-away party, at which point he realizes that he doesn't have what it takes to go to CBS News.

* ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkPlace'' has the eponymous ShowWithinAShow, a vanity project for the pompous schlock horror writer Garth Marenghi. He wrote and stars in the show, and even credits himself as whistling the original melodies used by the soundtrack.
* ''Series/ManToManWithDeanLearner'', the spin-off of ''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'', is another example. Dean Learner portrays himself as a stylish millionaire playboy with lots of famous friends. In reality, he's a crooked businessman who exploits a pack of clueless C-rate celebrities.

* The musical ''Put That Thing Back Where It Came From or So Help Me'' from ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', written, produced, directed by, and starring Mike Wazowski. Not bad for something that started out as a [[WeWereRehearsingAPlay hastily-conceived lie]].

* A positive example occurs in an episode of ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'' where Earl helps a dying boy whose wish is to write & star in a James Bond-esqe spy action thriller film. Earl produces the film. When they screen it at the end it looks horribly cheesy - but everyone had fun while making it including the kid, which was, like the example mentioned in ''The Kid & I'', the production's main purpose.

* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersRobotsInDisguise'' story "JustForFun/StarscreamTheMovie" revolved around {{Starscream}} hiring Thundercracker to make a biopic about his life which Thundercracker writes, directs, and stars in himself. The final product is... less than impressive and after seeing it Starscream politely suggests that Thundercracker forget the whole thing before trying to have him killed to prevent it from getting out. Thundercracker manages to get a screening of it on Earth anyway and it predictably bombs, but he manages to get hired by a Creator/JJAbrams CaptainErsatz for another project.

* ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'' has the eponymous ShowWithinAShow, a vanity project for the pompous schlock horror writer Garth Marenghi. He wrote and stars in the show, and even credits himself as whistling the original melodies used by the soundtrack.

[[folder:Film]]

!Examples