Our Favorite 'Fake It Till You Make It' Comedies

By Harrison Pierce

In this week’s We're The Millers, a pot dealer (Jason Sudeikis) hires a stripper (Jennifer Aniston), a geeky teen (Will Poulter) and a runaway (Emma Roberts) to pose as his family. Of course, it isn’t long before real familial bonds kick in. To celebrate the film’s release, here are some of our favorite comedies about characters who faked their way to something real.

Tootsie (1982)

Dustin Hoffman stars in this classic gender-bending comedy as Michael Dorsey, an unemployed actor who disguises himself as a woman in order to book a job on a soap opera. Only by posing as a woman does Michael gain a better understanding of what it really means to be a man.

Trading Places (1983)

Eddie Murphy plays a con man tricked into switching places with a successful commodities broker (Dan Aykroyd) by two rich men (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) who bet on human lives for fun. Although he doesn’t know the first thing about legitimate business, Eddie quickly learns how to combine old-school hustling and newfound business savvy to get rich...and even.

Just One of the Guys (1985)

When student reporter Terry (Joyce Hyser) suspects she’s been denied the opportunity to work at a local paper because she’s too pretty, she switches schools and genders in order to reapply. Although her ruse fails, the article she writes about living life as a guy ultimately helps win her the internship.

Working Girl (1988)

Melanie Griffith stars in this crowd-pleasing comedy as Tess, a secretary whose bitchy boss Katherine (Sigourney Weaver) steals her idea and tries to pass it off as her own. When Katherine is hospitalized following a ski accident, Tess gets revenge by pretending to be Katherine and ends up a successful businesswoman in her own right.

Overboard (1987)

Real-life couple Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell star in this ‘80s classic about a carpenter (Russell) who gets revenge on a cruel, amnesiac client (Hawn) by pretending to be her husband. By the time Hawn’s memory returns, it’s too late: Russell has already charmed her.

Can’t Buy Me Love (1987)

Long before he was McDreamy, Patrick Dempsey was McNerdy in this ‘80s teen classic about a high school misfit named Ronald who pays a popular cheerleader Cindy (Amanda Peterson) to pretend to be his girlfriend. It isn’t long before Cindy comes to see Ronald’s real worth and the two become the real deal.

Pretty Woman (1990)

Wealthy businessman Edward (Richard Gere), hires streetwise prostitute Vivian (Julia Roberts) to pose as his companion during a week-long trip to Los Angeles. A few shopping montages and love scenes later and the partnership shifts from professional to personal.

Sister Act (1992)

Whoopi Goldberg plays an unhappy Vegas lounge singer playing to dead crowds who is forced to hide in a convent after witnessing a mob hit. Only by assuming a nun’s habit does she discover true happiness and the joy of playing to a packed house…er, church.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Robin Williams stars as a ne’er-do-well father who loses custody of his kids after a bitter divorce from his wife (Sally Field). In order to regain access to them, he disguises himself as British housekeeper Euphegenia Doubtfire, a ruse that teaches him how to act like a woman and be a better father.

The Birdcage (1996)

Williams also stars in this hit comedy about a gay couple putting on a straight front in order to impress their deeply conservative future in-laws. Although they don’t quite pull off the act, their capacity for disguise earns the in-laws respect during the film’s final scene, when a club getaway requires drag for all!

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)

All of the best scenes in this Julia Roberts-starring romantic comedy feature Rupert Everett as the gay friend Roberts tries to pass off as her straight fiancé. By the end of the movie, Julia realizes Rupert is the only man she needs to help get over the loss of her best male friend to marriage.

The Proposal (2009)

Sandra Bullock plays a no-nonsense Canadian businesswoman living in New York who forces her young assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her in order to keep her Visa. When the two are required to act like newlyweds around Ryan’s family, their relationship slowly blossoms into unforced romance.

Date Night (2010)

Steve Carell and Tina Fey play a happy, if slightly bored, married couple who assume the false identities of a blackmailing, drug-dealing couple (James Franco and Mila Kunis) in order to secure a table at a trendy Manhattan restaurant. After the wild night that follows, the two realize just how good their mellow, suburban lives really are.