''The Movies'' is a 2005 computer game created by game designer [[VideoGame/{{Fable}} Peter]] [[VideoGame/BlackAndWhite Molyneux]].

''The Movies'' puts the player in control of his own movie studio, which he must run from 1920 to the present day. Along the way, the player researches new technologies, such as sound, color and special effects. You hire actors, directors, writers and crew members, assemble sets and produce movies. As history progresses, new events change the movie going public's appetite for films: gangster movies in the 1930s, sci-fi films in the 1950s, etc. Making good movies allows you to make more movies, unlocks new sets and can even win you awards.

The real draw of ''The Movies'' is the powerful but intuitive {{Machinima}} tools. The player can create a custom script, drop actors into roles, and control their emotions and actions. When you're done shooting, you can drop the film into post-production, where you can edit the footage with a drag-and-drop interface similar to professional tools. You can add sound effects, music and dialogue (which the program lip-syncs). Then, you can export your movies to a WMV file and share it with the world.

Some criticisms of ''The Movies'' are that the simulation and tycoon elements never come together, that the simulation has too many responsibilities for the player, and that there aren't enough scenes and costumes to make varied movies. Recently, the online component has been dropped, and Lionhead will no longer be hosting movies on its Web site. Fortunately, there are plenty of fan sites where you can still upload movies, such as [[http://www.tmunderground.com/index.php The Movies Underground]], as well as Website/YouTube.

There is also an ExpansionPack called ''Stunts and Effects'', which adds new special effects, scenes, costumes and sets to use in your movies. The biggest reason to get it, though, is that it allows you to control the camera angles in your movie, which greatly adds to the variety of shots you can get in your film. Sadly, said expansion pack was only released in several markets, notably the Asia-Pacific region, due to Microsoft buying out Lionhead Studios before it can be released elsewhere.

!!This game provides examples of:

* TheAlcoholic: Actors and directors have the annoying tendency to become this.
* AmbiguouslyGay: William [=McDuff=], the [[AllGaysLoveTheater thespian]]-turned-radio announcer from the 1920s. [[CampGay He speaks in an effeminate, posh-sounding accent]], [[{{Keet}} gets excited about]] [[IncrediblyLameFun the most trivial of things]], and says that [[HoYay a guy named Ralph is taking him out for a meal]]. He also [[NewMediaAreEvil openly resents Hollywood]] [[AllGaysLoveTheater for causing the decline of theater]].
* BuxomIsBetter: And the bigger the chest of your actress, the bigger the payday... heck, you can ''force them to plastic surgery'' to get their jugs bigger. For profit.
* CommandAndConquerEconomy
* DancePartyEnding: If you let the computer AI generate the scripts for you when your writers are still inexperienced, you'd almost inevitably end up with a script with this.
* GameMod: There's a fairly large and devoted modding community.
* HollywoodCalifornia: The setting of the game.
* HollywoodHistory: Literally, in this case. You move from TheRoaringTwenties to NextSundayAD.
* ItsAlwaysSpring: Given the setting, perfectly justified.
* {{Machinima}}: The whole point of the game.
* ObviousStuntDouble: In ''The Movies: Stunts and Effects'' your films are penalized by critics if you use a stunt double who is of a different race or gender than the actor they are representing.
* OneHandedShotgunPump: An option during scenes featuring a shotgun.
* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: Women and People of Color can have the same positions (and expect to be paid the same) as White Men despite this being historically incorrect until the Women's and Civil Rights Movements.
** And no one ever gives an eye about two actors with the same gender kissing passionately on the silver screen.
* PrimaDonnaDirector: Your directors can turn into these if you aren't careful.
* ProductPlacement: Not really for the product, but for the brands. There's a billboard outside your movie lot that shows period-correct ads for products from Motorola and Chrysler, among others.
* RealTimeWithPause: Only mildly useful, unfortunately. It doesn't allow picking anything up, so at best you can have a look at your actors' stats and maybe interact with your buildings. It would really have helped, given that game-time goes by so fast.
* SimulationGame: Most of the game is a business sim, but is also contains elements of the RaisingSim genre. You have to keep your actors and directors happy if you want to make them into big stars.
* SpeakingSimlish: A kind of half-assed version that sounds like mumbling. Fortunately, you can turn it off.
** Which leads to GameplayAndStorySegregation, as your movie lot staff and cast speaks this simlish-like tongue, but the radio announcer and the award announcers, as well as the narrators, will always speak proper English (or a proper version of whatever language the copy of your game is localized to)
* SummerBlockbuster[=/=]OscarBait: In this case, they're one and the same. The most popular movies will win the most awards.
* VirtualPaperDoll: You'll have to keep your actor's fashions up to date.
* WideOpenSandbox: There is a mode that lets you start in any era with an unlimited budget.