Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "story-within-the-story"

1. The Princess Bride (1987)

PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

A bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon

Votes: 452,062 | Gross: $30.86M

2. The Notebook (2004)

PG-13 | 123 min | Drama, Romance

An elderly man reads to a woman with dementia the story of two young lovers whose romance is threatened by the difference in their respective social classes.

Director: Nick Cassavetes | Stars: Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling

Votes: 623,020 | Gross: $81.00M

3. Stand by Me (1986)

R | 89 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

A writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.

Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell

Votes: 443,234 | Gross: $52.29M

4. The NeverEnding Story (1984)

PG | 102 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Gerald McRaney

Votes: 157,557 | Gross: $20.16M

5. Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

R | 120 min | Drama

A gay man and a political prisoner are together in a prison. The gay man narrates the stories of two fake movies and his own life.

Director: Hector Babenco | Stars: William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, José Lewgoy

Votes: 17,407 | Gross: $17.04M

6. Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)

Unrated | 193 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

A mysteriously linked pair of young women find their daily lives preempted by a strange boudoir melodrama that plays itself out in a hallucinatory parallel reality.

Director: Jacques Rivette | Stars: Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, Bulle Ogier, Marie-France Pisier

Votes: 6,392 | Gross: $0.03M

7. The Forbidden Room (2015)

Not Rated | 130 min | Comedy, Mystery

In this non-linear amalgamation, submarine crewmen and a woodsman wend their way through a voyage of odd experiences.

Directors: Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson | Stars: Roy Dupuis, Clara Furey, Louis Negin, Udo Kier

Votes: 3,430 | Gross: $0.03M

8. Strange Circus (2005)

Unrated | 108 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

The erotic novelist Taeko is writing a morbid story of a family destroyed by incest, murder and abuse. Her assistant, Yuji, sets on a mission to uncover the reality of this story, but the reality might be too much to bear.

Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Masumi Miyazaki, Issei Ishida, Rie Kuwana, Seiko Iwaidô

Votes: 6,281

9. Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1989)

PG-13 | 93 min | Adventure, Fantasy

Sinbad and his shipmates aid a young prince, who must battle an evil wizard to gain the hand of a beautiful princess.

Directors: Enzo G. Castellari, Luigi Cozzi | Stars: Lou Ferrigno, John Steiner, Roland Wybenga, Ennio Girolami

Votes: 1,859

10. Bluebeard (2009)

Not Rated | 80 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

An adaptation of the classic tale of a wealthy aristocrat with a blue beard.

Director: Catherine Breillat | Stars: Dominique Thomas, Lola Créton, Daphné Baiwir, Marilou Lopes-Benites

Votes: 1,543 | Gross: $0.04M

11. Inner Sanctum (1948)

Approved | 62 min | Film-Noir, Horror, Mystery

A man fleeing the police after having committed a murder hides out in a boarding house in a small town.

Director: Lew Landers | Stars: Charles Russell, Mary Beth Hughes, Billy House, Dale Belding

Votes: 1,179

12. Storybook (1994)

G | 88 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Eight-Year-Old Brandon Finds A Magical STORYBOOK That Leads Him To A Doorway In His Attic To The Enchanted Storyland. There He Meets Woody The Woodsman , Pouch The Boxing Kangaroo & Hoot ... See full summary »

Director: Lorenzo Doumani | Stars: Sean Fitzgerald, Swoosie Kurtz, Richard Moll, William McNamara

Votes: 261

13. The Legend of Doom House (1971)

125 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

A young sailor finds himself trapped in the labyrinthine mansion of his occultist uncle, along with a number of eccentric and mysterious relatives who all seem to be harboring a dark secret.

Director: Harry Kümel | Stars: Orson Welles, Susan Hampshire, Michel Bouquet, Mathieu Carrière

Votes: 1,599

14. The Nutcracker Prince (1990)

G | 75 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

An adaption of the classic tale of a girl's dreams turned reality when her new toy turns out to be a young man placed under a curse.

Director: Paul Schibli | Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Megan Follows, Peter O'Toole, Mike MacDonald

Votes: 2,665 | Gross: $1.78M

15. Ten Canoes (2006)

Unrated | 90 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

In Australia's Northern Territory, a man tells us a story of his people and his land. It's about an older man, Minygululu, who has three wives and realizes that his younger brother Dayindi may try to steal away the youngest wife.

Directors: Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr | Stars: Crusoe Kurddal, Jamie Gulpilil, Richard Birrinbirrin, Peter Minygululu

Votes: 5,119 | Gross: $0.28M

16. My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2010)

PG | 84 min | Comedy, Romance

Jesse meets Ethan, someone she could finally fall in love with, but then she meets Troy, and now she has a dilemma.

Director: Daryn Tufts | Stars: Christopher Gorham, Alyssa Milano, Michael Landes, Carol Kane

Votes: 5,999

17. Arabian Nights: Volume 2 - The Desolate One (2015)

Not Rated | 131 min | Drama, Romance

Continuation of the Arabian Nights stories by the structure were adapted to modern life in Portugal in three innings and the third chapter "The Owners of Dixie" has three chapters.

Director: Miguel Gomes | Stars: Crista Alfaiate, Chico Chapas, Luísa Cruz, Joana de Verona

Votes: 1,581 | Gross: $0.01M

18. Very Mean Men (2000)

93 min | Comedy, Crime

A bartender captivates a stingy customer with the tale of two rival mob families.

Director: Tony Vitale | Stars: Matthew Modine, Martin Landau, Ben Gazzara, Scott Baio

Votes: 299

19. F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'the Last of the Belles' (1974 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 98 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

A semi-fictional account of how writer F. Scott Fitzgerald met his wife while he was in the army and stationed in Alabama in 1919.

Director: George Schaefer | Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Blythe Danner, Susan Sarandon, David Huffman

Votes: 282

20. The Three Treasures (1959)

112 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

A prince, framed for murder and starved for affection from his father, is sent on a quest.

Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Akihiko Hirata, Kyôko Kagawa

Votes: 369

21. Easter (2023–2024)

Approved | Mystery

The mental illness of our sleuth, Pascha, pits him against his most formidable foe - himself.

Stars: Lnq, Reginald VelJohnson, Olkens Graham, Gina Martino

22. Eighteen (2005)

Not Rated | 106 min | Drama

On his eighteenth birthday, Pip receives his grandfather's Second World War memoirs on audio cassette, a gift that awakens the ghosts of the past.

Director: Richard Bell | Stars: Paul Anthony, Brendan Fletcher, Clarence Sponagle, Mark Hildreth

Votes: 664

23. The Rocket (2019)

98 min | Adventure, Comedy

A pathological liar goes to extreme lengths to prove to his friends that he is telling the truth.

Director: Stefanos Sitaras | Stars: Stathis Arfariotis, Aris Mavropoulos, Anne-Marie Lezineau, Mariety Papatheodorou

Votes: 61

24. Written By (2009)

85 min | Drama, Fantasy

A lawyer who is killed in a car accident finds himself resurrected as a character in his daughter's novel.

Director: Ka-Fai Wai | Stars: Ching Wan Lau, Kelly Lin, Mia Yam, Ying-Kit Chung

Votes: 411

25. The Land of Rain Trees (I) (2015)

Drama

Nobuyuki found a review website of his favorite book. He felt the same way as the website owner (Rika) about the book's story. Since then, he has interested in Rika with sensorineural hearingloss.

Director: Yoshishige Miyake | Stars: Mariya Nishiuchi, Yûta Tamamori, Jôji Abe, Yumi Asô

Votes: 84

26. Oh, What a Man! (1927)

16 min | Comedy, Short

A detective sets out to nab Notorious Nora, the tough female leader of a gang whose headquarters is in a dangerous speakeasy. He decides to infiltrate her gang in order to get the goods on ... See full summary »

Director: Larry Semon | Stars: Larry Semon, Gertrude Astor, John J. Richardson, S.D. Wilcox

Votes: 20

27. La fontaine des amours (1924)

84 min | Drama, History

A French film star visits Coimbra and it's old university, and breaks a poor local girl's heart, as her fiancee turns his attentions to the foreign girl. In a play within the story, one is ... See full summary »

Director: Roger Lion | Stars: Gil Clary, Jean Murat, Pauline Po, Janine Merrey

28. A Qualcuno Piace Aspettare (2023)

10 min | Short, Comedy, Romance

A young couple's love story unfolds alongside an old black-and-white movie, forcing them to confront doubts and fears as the girl navigates the delicate revelation. Will they overcome "on-screen tale" idealism and go by their path?

Director: Sergiy Pudich | Stars: Mattia Fiorentini, Michela Lusa, Federica Ombrato, Giovanni Serratore

29. In the Name of Art (2009)

12 min | Animation, Short

Follows two artists' creation of the ultimate work of art for an art competition. Told as an oscillation between two worlds, we discover that what it takes to win an art award, often involves deception.

Director: Mardo El-Noor | Stars: Amber-Rose Henshall, Andries Mentz, Andy Sophocleous

30. A Deadly Case of Writers Block (2015)

6 min | Short, Action, Comedy

As the night gets longer, a writer struggles against booze and sleep deprivation to keep his mystery novel on the rails but, sometimes, a story can take on a mind of its own with unintended but humorous results.

Director: Jay Spence | Stars: Martin Lopez, Claudia Kastellanos, Ashley Kalina, Paul Sieber

31. The Story of Ned (2007)

7 min | Animation, Short

Tells the story of a story called Ned, who has no ending and struggles to find one.

Director: Simon Weaving | Stars: John Doyle, Tony Turner

Votes: 14

32. South Park (1997– )
Episode: Woodland Critter Christmas (2004)

TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Comedy

Stan helps a group of woodland critters by killing a mountain lion, only to discover that he's helping them give birth to the Antichrist.

Director: Trey Parker | Stars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dante Alexander, Adrien Beard

Votes: 5,199

33. My Name Is Earl (2005–2009)
Episode: Creative Writing (2007)

TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy

While Earl struggles to write a paper for his prison creative writing class, Randy, Joy, Darnell, and Catalina have no trouble coming up with creative story ideas of their own.

Director: Chris Koch | Stars: Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Nadine Velazquez

Votes: 700

34. The Midnight Club (2022)
Episode: The Wicked Heart (2022)

TV-MA | 52 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

Family Day at Brightcliffe brings news from home - but not for everyone. A series of strange clues lead Ilonka down a path of startling discoveries.

Director: Michael Fimognari | Stars: Iman Benson, Igby Rigney, Ruth Codd, Annarah Cymone

Votes: 1,241

35. Festival of Family Classics (1972– )
Episode: Jack O'Lantern (1972)

Not Rated | Animation, Short, Adventure

A leprechaun, who had changed himself into a pumpkin seed to hibernate for the winter, comes to life as Mr. Jack O'Lantern, who then uses his pumpkin shell to help scare away Zelda the Witch and Archibald the Warlock.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr. | Stars: Carl Banas, Len Birman, Bernard Cowan, Peg Dixon

Votes: 45