Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- warm
- intimate
- theater night
- film history night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The three actors spend the production's central stretch trapped aboard the Orca while the mechanical shark repeatedly fails.
The film presents actors playing the real Jaws actors during the making of a famous film, in a filmed-theater format.
Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider clash over personality, insecurity, and artistic status during production delays.
The actors remain unaware that their troubled production will become a future classic, creating sustained dramatic irony.
Films like The Shark Is Broken, and why
The Disaster Artist
shared backstage filmmaking setting, actor egos, and affectionate show business satire
My Dinner with Andre
shared theatrical confinement, conversational character study, and intellectual interpersonal conflict
Birdman
shared performance anxiety, creative rivalry, and backstage theatrical comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Guy Masterson
- Release Date
- 2025-10-16
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (1)
Cast
- Ian Shaw
- Ashley Margolis
- Dan Fredenburgh
Common questions
- What is The Shark Is Broken about?
- Three Jaws performers turn a malfunctioning shark and a stranded boat into an unexpectedly warm backstage portrait of artistic friction.
- What is The Shark Is Broken like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Shark Is Broken as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Shark Is Broken violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Shark Is Broken.
- Which films are like The Shark Is Broken?
- Films with a similar feel include The Disaster Artist, My Dinner with Andre, and Birdman.
- How long is The Shark Is Broken?
- The Shark Is Broken runs 95 minutes.
