The Fractured Mirror: Nathan Rabin's Happy Place's Definitive Guide to American Movies About Filmmaking

by Nathan Rabin, Joe Dante (Foreword), Felipe Sobreiro (Illustrator)

548 pages, Paperback

Published November 19, 2025

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to admire the effort, Rabin covers over 500 movies about the movies, that is, films about filmmaking. Because his survey is so expansive he is not able to really delve into these films so he usually supplies a short paragraph introducing the film, a short synopsis of the plot along with a few concluding remarks - masterpieces and throwaway films are given the same amount of space.

Some things I noticed about the author. He REALLY isn't down with actors playing characters who are of different ethnic groups or races. The politics of the actors and filmmakers really matter to him. He seems to have sort of a Victorian outlook towards sex in the way he talks about these films.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forty years ago, this would have been printed on much finer paper, the type would have been so tiny, and it would fit in your back pocket. Now, it's a fine full sized book where pop culture analyst Nathan Rabin (the inventor of the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl who deserves to be remembered on the same level as Siskel, Maltin, and Shallit) goes through hundreds of US films about moviemaking.

I would have liked Galaxyquest in there too, but overall it's very interesting and useful.

[Shecky Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nathan Rabin is a man who knows movies, and who loves movies. I backed this book in 2022 and glad to see it finally come out. A book about every movie made about movies is quite an undertaking, and it’s taken four years and I received several hundred updates, but it was worth it. Special kudos for the heartfelt love he shows for some films like Matinee, the Muppet Movie, and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Congratulations Nathan!

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nathan Rabin is a treasure that I listened to on podcasts for years. I very much enjoyed his writing and will have to track down his other books. I know you’re not necessarily supposed to read a book of reviews from cover to cover but that’s exactly what I did. His reviews seem considered while still being fun. In fact, he made me snort out loud at least once while reading.