In-jokes are probably things most people will miss or be indifferent to, so fixating on them may be counterproductive. Being forced to give a serious response to satire is usually a losing conversation, because it looks petty, humorless, and negative.

The parallels you suggest ('this movie features a person with a funny name, features a woman with long brown hair, and features an on-stage speech') don't sound especially telling or nonrandom to me, though. We'll have to wait and see.