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The 25 Best Business Movies Entrepreneurs Should Watch

CEO Plerdy — expert in SEO&CRO with over 14 years of experience.

• Post date May 10, 2024
• 6 Comments on The 25 Best Business Movies Entrepreneurs Should Watch

The best films about business

The wolf of wall street.

Director: Martin Scorsese, 2013 IMDb: 8.20 Film Search: 8.12

This black comedy crime drama is the memoir of Jordan Belfort, a famous American broker who made a considerable fortune but attracted the attention of the FBI and was convicted of fraud and money laundering. This film invariably leads the top lists of “the best films about business, success, and finance.” It has everything – ups and downs, sex and drugs, brilliant deals and financial fraud, luxurious lifestyles, and the most incredible ways to burn money. Add to that the inexpressible charisma of the protagonist (Leonardo DiCaprio), the crazy risks, the thirst for wealth, moral issues, and the trade secrets of stockbrokers, and you have one beautiful presentation.

Boiler Room

Director: Ben Younger, 2000 IMDb: 7.00 Film Search: 7.2

For those who wish to discover something new in the field of sales, this story of American brokerage schemers will be a real gem. Before you are not just another crime drama, but the answer to the question: “How do you earn big money from scratch?” The film does not forget about the price at which a million dollars, expensive cars, palaces, and mansions are achieved. The film’s characters (a brilliant cast – another thing this film has going for it) are young and aggressive, enterprising and risky, and they’re ready to do anything to succeed.

The Billionaire

Director: Songyos Sugmakanan, 2011 IMDb: 7.90 Film Search: 8.0

If it seems that your hard work is not paying off, money is not flowing to you, and you are close to despair, this film will be an excellent motivator and undoubtedly increase your morale. This story is based on true events and guides us through all the milestones of the hero’s difficult journey. The purposefulness, resourcefulness, and enterprise of young Tom do not always find support in the real world, where adults insist on him receiving the appropriate education and impose their values ​​on him. School, university, tedious work – all this does not attract Tom, his goal is business. Abandoned studies and mounting debts, successes and terrible troubles, intractable problems and struggles with the authorities – one can never give up on the path to real progress and billions in wealth if you believe in yourself.

The Corporation

Director: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, 2003 IMDb: 8.10 Film Search: 7.3

Do you know who rules the world? These giant corporations have absolute power. They can shape the way their customers think. A person’s circle of interests, dreams, opportunities, and very life, is only a package of resources for a corporation to profit. Business mastodons have reached great heights with their ability to manipulate consciousness, and only a few can resist them. So what is the role of business process leaders? What qualities should they have to avoid mistakes and achieve success?

Pirates of Silicon Valley

Director: Martyn Burke, 1999 IMDb: 7.30 Film Search: 7.5

Every entrepreneur and business owner will be touched by this story about two young computer geniuses, a visionary and an inventor – Bill Gates and Steve Jobs – who turned their utopian ideas into companies that conquered the world: Apple and Microsoft. They define the beginning of time. Their dreams come true. The rest of us have the opportunity to observe this exciting process and implement their results to our own goals, desires, and aspirations.

The best films for entrepreneurs

Director: Bennett Miller, 2011 IMDb: 7.6 Film Search: 7.7

This sports biopic featuring Brad Pitt can become a powerful motivator for many modern entrepreneurs. As the name implies, the plot deals with fundamental changes in life and the changing rules of the game. In the business world, as in sports, if you only have overcome fear and apathy, you can achieve brilliant results and find an effective solution to the problem with minimal resources.

Startup.com

Director: Chris Hegedus, Jehane Noujaim, 2001 IMDb: 7.1 Film Search: 6.7

This documentary by Start.com deserves the attention of entrepreneurs and businessmen, as it covers several topical issues in business at once. For example, it focuses on the consequences of incompetent management and incorrectly placed accents in the control of a promising company. The film also reveals the secrets of maintaining a healthy atmosphere and the effectiveness of the team in a crisis.

The Aviator

Director: Martin Scorsese, 2004 IMDb: 7.5 Film Search: 6.2

This biographical drama features an intriguing plot, a superstar cast, brilliant direction, unsurpassed cinematography, and elegant costumes.  It’s not without reason that Aviator received five Oscars and 11 nominations. Nevertheless, this film is more than mere evening entertainment. The story of a genius madman, a millionaire, and the owner of a casino and the largest film company is a movie that will be interesting to all entrepreneurs and especially useful to those who complain about their lack of motivation and a loss of a sense of purpose.

Director: David O. Russell, 2015 IMDb: 6.6 Film Search: 6.7

Here is another real story about Joy Mangano, the entrepreneur who invented the self-pressing mop and founded Ingenious Designs. What difficulties did she have to go through? Problems like finances, personal turmoil, a family crisis, betrayal of loved ones. If you lose almost everything except the irrepressible thirst for success and if you have nowhere to retreat, what’s left? Well, in the case of the film’s main character, building a multi-million dollar business.

The Social Network

Director: David Fincher, 2010 IMDb: 7.7 Film Search: 7.7

This film, which reveals the history of the creation of Facebook, is something of a textbook business case for the attentive viewer. “The Social Network” describes the psychology behind modern entrepreneurship and the relationship between businessmen and investors, partners, competitors, and creditors. What are your goals as an entrepreneur and as a person? Why are you so eager for success? Honest answers to these questions can dramatically change your life.

The best movies about success

Wall street.

Director: Oliver Stone, 1987 IMDb: 7.40 Film Search: 7.6

The basic principles of business do not have a statute of limitations. They are invariably relevant in our time when a substantial part of entrepreneurship moved to the Internet. A classic film starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen, Wall Street presents success stories and how they lead to prosperity. A bonus for the viewer will be the disclosure of some trading secrets.

Jerry Maguire

Director: Cameron Crowe, 1996 IMDb: 7.30 Film Search: 7.6

Real success is far beyond your comfort zone. To achieve it, you’ll have to get out of the usual rut, resist the provocations and attacks of detractors, overcome difficulties, and endure failures. With Tom Cruise in the title role, the feature film convinces us repeatedly that it is important to believe in yourself, recognize the target, and ignore the obstacles.

Director: Joshua Michael Stern, 2013 IMDb: 5.9 Film Search: 6.5

Although film critics nominated Ashton Kutcher for a Golden Raspberry for his role of Steve Jobs, it’s definitely worth watching. Here the viewer will find valuable information about achieving the pinnacle of business success. The most important rule is that “the best way to predict the future is to invent it!” Maybe money is not all that is worth striving for…

Breaking Bad

Director: Vince Gilligan, 2008 IMDb: 9.5 Film Search: 8.9

This exciting and unpredictable crime series about the transformation of an ordinary chemistry teacher into a thriving drug lord is a practical guide on how to competently build a business. It discloses all of the necessary features of all the constituent processes – from creating a product to getting it to the final consumer.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Gabriele Muccino, 2006 IMDb: 8.0 Film Search: 8.3

This is another drama based on a true story, but of the kind, positive, and inspiring variety. The main character, Will Smith, has trouble getting his start and pulling himself out of flagrant poverty. For the sake of his young son, he does the impossible – he goes through a difficult and long journey transforming himself from poverty to being a millionaire.

The best movies about sales

The goods: live hard, sell hard.

Neal Brennan, 2009 IMDb: 5.8 Film Search: 6.2

A bankrupt company selling a used car can be saved only by the work of a brilliant salesman. To pull the company out of crisis during Independence Day, they need to sell 211 cars. They will have to use everything – resourcefulness, ingenuity, cunning tricks, and subtle psychological techniques – to get the job done.

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year

Shimit Amin, 2009 IMDb: 7.5 Film Search: 7.5

This modern Indian film does not surprise you with its enchanting special effects, but it will surely entice you with its inspirational plot. For beginning entrepreneurs and managers, it will be quite useful to watch this film to become acquainted with the original methods of working with clients and study the subtleties of relationships between buyer and seller.

Glengarry Glen Ross 

James Foley, 1992 IMDb: 7.8 Film Search: 7.5

The film is fun to watch and will bring practical benefits to those who live off sales commissions. The whole film is, in fact, a collection of recommendations for increasing sales in extremely tough competition. You can successfully implement many of the methods and ideas from this movie in modern times.

Director: Roger Nygard, 1999 IMDb: 6.6 Film Search: 6.9

When making a list of the top business movies, this one is absolutely impossible to miss. This exciting comedy can serve as a real tool for working with constant objections, building sales funnels, skillful manipulation, and many other effective techniques.

Matthew Weiner, 2007 IMDb: 8.6 Film Search: 7.8

This drama series received high ratings from viewers and critics alike and a record four Emmy awards in a row alongside several other awards and nominations. The plot develops around the work of an advertising agency and the life of its creative director – a brilliant, charismatic, and reckless salesperson. An attentive viewer will gain invaluable lessons in this series.

The best movies about finance

Billionaire boys club.

James Cox, 2018 IMDb: 5.6 Film Search: 5.6

Cunning, irresistibility and the gift of persuasion are all qualities that the main characters of this film have in abundance. They use their talents and organized daring to create spectacular financial scams. Pretending to be billionaires to get to the pockets of real business tycoons seems like a great idea. Money makes money, the very essence of building a financial pyramid. But how long will the colossus stand on clay feet?

Margin Call

J.C. Chandor, 2011 IMDb: 7.1 Film Search: 6.7

The financial apocalypse is approaching – the world economic crisis of 2008. Forecasts are frightening – a collapse seems absolutely inevitable. A group of top managers on Wall Street face a tough choice and any decision is fraught with irreversible consequences. They expect a crazy night and the worst hours of their lives.

Too Big to Fail

Curtis Hanson, 2011 IMDb: 7.30 Film Search: 8.8

This film is based on real events from the documentary bestseller “Too Big to Fail.” So who were the people who, in the autumn of 2008, decided the fate of the world economy and tried to stabilize the financial markets? At the center of the plot is Finance Minister Henry Paulson. So what decisions did he have to make when powerful banks and huge investment pyramids collapsed like a house of cards?

Bruce Caulk, 2018 IMDb: 4.5 Film Search: 5.1

The world of big money is always associated with lies and fraud of all kinds. This fact is well known to Barry Minkow, a talented businessman. He makes his way from the bottom to the very top, and his methods, although questionable, are very useful. This swindler’s tale, by the way, is based on real events.

A Good Year

Ridley Scott, 2006 IMDb: 7.0 Film Search: 7.7

Max (played by Russell Crowe) is an investment expert and successful stock trader. What does the word “successful” mean in this field? Luck, toughness, vigor, and lack of principles. Max’s life will considerably change when he returns to Provence, where his childhood years were spent, to sell an estate inherited from his uncle.

Films about rich millionaires and successful businessmen appeal to various audiences, especially when they portray real people and true events. But, even if watching a film about millionaires seems like just a pleasant pastime to us, it’s impossible not to be inspired by the endurance, drive, stubbornness, and audacity of these people that led them to their success.

Films about successful people inspire us to think about our resources and capabilities, stimulate action, and may even be the impetus for starting our own business.

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16 Top Business Movies Every Entrepreneur Must Watch

If you tune into a business movie tonight, you can learn something new.

I’m talking about real stories about real people’s successful businesses, from startups struggling to make a mark to entrepreneurs with big ideas . Sure, some of these films are glamorized for Hollywood, but they’re packed full of lessons.

You can tap into corporate ethics, how to handle financial crises, and the spirit of innovation.

The next time you’re scrolling through Netflix, wondering what you’ll watch, check out the films I have for you today. They’re recommended for professionals, business students, and entrepreneurs. You’ll take away great lessons and inspiration.

Table of Contents

Top Business Movies and Their Lessons

Are you ready to start watching? The following films, a mix of current and older, touch on areas like technology and innovation, biographies, financial markets and crises, corporate drama, and startups and entrepreneurship.

Let’s get into it!

1. Startup.com (2001)

A 2001 documentary, Startup.com is directed by Jehane Noujaim and Chris Hegedus. It examines the internet revolution in its state in the early 2000s. The movie focuses on two friends who create govWorks.com, starting a business with more than 250 employees and obtaining $60 million in business funding. However, when the internet bubble bursts, the company doesn’t survive.

Key Business Themes: Startups and entrepreneurialism, corporate drama, financial markets and crises, biographical

Why It’s a Must-Watch

Although it focuses on the long-ago dot-com bubble, Startup.com is still worth watching, as startups today have just as hard of a road ahead of them as any company did in the early 2000s. It’s a bit of a sad watch, teaching you why you shouldn’t cash out founding partners too fast and why someone can be a great friend but not a good business partner.

2. Dumb Money (2023)

Craig Gillespie directs this recent film, based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Antisocial Network . The film—which stars big names like Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan, Nick Offerman, America Ferrara, and Pete Davidson—covers the GameStop stock short squeeze in early 2021 and the mixed bag of results that follow. Some of the characters in the movie live an extended life of luxury, while others end up ensconced in lawsuits.

Key Business Themes: Biographical, financial markets and crises, corporate drama

Besides its star-studded cast, Dumb Money is worth watching to learn the consequences of hopping aboard a stock trend. While some of the characters in the movie made it out scot-free, others, like Seth Rogen’s character Gabe Plotkin, ended up having to shut down his business due to the net losses of investing in GameStop stock.

3. Moola (2007)

This Don Most-directed film starring Charlotte Ross, Treat Williams, and William Mapother is based on a true story. Two friends forge a business opportunity and must compete against mega-corporations to succeed.

Key Business Themes: Corporate drama, entrepreneurialism and startups

How about a business movie wrapped up in the guise of a comedy? You will also get a few chuckles as you learn valuable corporate lessons while watching this film. Moola is good for that!

4. House of Gucci (2021)

The biographical story of Patrizia Reggiani’s rise as part of fashion brand Gucci is directed by Ridley Scott and stars Adam Driver and Lady Gaga. When Patrizia meets Maurizio Gucci, the Gucci heir, they fall in love. Although Maurizio’s family is wary of Patrizia at first, saying she’s just in it for the money, when she becomes pregnant, that changes. However, there’s a lot of betrayal and even murder ahead.

This business movie took the world by storm when it came out, and rightfully so. House of Gucci is a fascinating watch into how one outsider worms her way into a high-end business family and how it eventually ends. I won’t spoil it for you, as you should watch it for yourself!

Read also: How Netflix Marketing Wins Audience Every Time

5. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (2005)

Walmart, the major retail chain, is not without controversy, which this documentary from Robert Greenwald explores. The documentary showcases real stories of Walmart employees and small businesses that have been pushed out of cities and towns nationwide in exchange for more Walmarts.

This documentary spotlights how some towns have managed to ban Walmarts from opening and maintaining their charm and mom-and-pop businesses.

6. BlackBerry (2023)

Matt Johnson directs this 2023 documentary about BlackBerry phones, based on the book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry by Sean Silcoff and Jacquie McNish. The doc explores how BlackBerry was created, the hostile takeover of RIM (a competitor company), and the impact of the iPhone on BlackBerry.

Key Business Themes: Innovation and technology, biographical, financial markets and crises, corporate drama, entrepreneurialism and startups

Besides touching on major business themes, BlackBerry explores a device that many of us owned back in the day and have since forgotten about. You can see how the rise and fall of the phone technology pushed businesspeople to the brink.

7. Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

The black comedy and biography Wolf of Wall Street , directed by Terence Winter and Martin Scorsese, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, a young New Yorker working as a stockbroker on Wall Street in 1987. After losing his job due to the stock market plummet on Black Monday, he finds another job and co-founds a brokerage company with a friend.

The company experiences massive success, but all is not what it seems. With the FBI on his tail for how his company makes its money, all the success and lavishness come crashing down.

Key Business Themes: Biographical, financial markets and crises, corporate drama, entrepreneurship and startups

The Wolf of Wall Street showcases a hard lesson: if you play with fire, you’re bound to get burned. While Belfort’s company is initially perceived positively as a Robin Hood-esque brokerage that levels the playing field against the rich, he gets too greedy, and it comes back to bite him.

Read also: Business Introduction Letter Examples & Tips for Entrepreneurs

8. Air (2023)

The Ben Affleck-directed (he also stars in it) Air focuses on the Air Jordan, Michael Jordon’s best-selling athletic shoes, and how they came to be. The film also features Viola Davis, Chris Messina, Jason Bateman, and Matt Damon. The 112-minute movie is a tense ride through how the deal on the Air Jordans almost didn’t come to be and how the team behind it eventually prevailed.

Key Business Themes: Innovation and technology, biographical

Proving that not all business films based on a true story need a heartbreaking ending, Air is a great preview into how a big business deal can blossom, including the difficulties that can occur along the way.

9. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

This documentary, based on the book by Peter Elkind and Bethany McLean, reviews how Enron Corporation fell apart in 2001, including the criminal trials that its executives underwent and Enron trading during the electricity crisis in California between 2000 and 2001. The documentary includes interviews with stock analysts and former Enron employees, even a few execs.

The documentary showcases how two years after Enron’s founding, it was already embroiled in controversy due to a trading scandal involving oil market betting, and how it only gets worse from there. There are some good lessons in this one, so check it out.

10. Tetris (2023)

The biographical film Tetris is based on one of the pioneering video games and its race to get patented. Jon S. Baird directs. The movie, which is set in 1988, focuses on Henk Rogers, who presents a game he created at the Consumer Electronics Show. That’s where he’s introduced to Tetris, which was created in Russia. Rogers strives to spread Tetris, getting it arcade rights and distribution on consoles.

Key Business Themes: Innovation and technology, biographical, corporate drama

This is another business film with a happy ending, but it’s still a bumpy ride to get Tetris distributed in the way that Henk Rogers imagined. The film spotlights business savviness without backstabbing.

Read also: 25 Productive Things To Do Instead Of Watching Netflix

11. Moneyball (2011)

The Brad Pitt classic Moneyball , which features director Bennett Miller, is based on Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game , a book by Michael Lewis. The film spotlights Billy Beane (played by Pitt) in a general manager role for the baseball team the Oakland Athletics in 2002. Although Beane struggles with a strict budget, he seeks undervalued players with potential based on sabermetrics.

Key Business Themes: Biographical, business drama

Sports films are always an exciting viewing experience, especially when they have business lessons built in like Moneyball does. The film is also a great example of the sabermetric method in action.

12. The Startup Kids (2012)

Sesselja Vilhjalmsdottir and Vala Halldorsdottir are the creators behind The Startup Kids , a documentary about technology startup businesses in Europe and the United States.

The two Icelandic directors interview founders of hot startups, including names like Brian Wong (founder of mobile app rewards company Kiip), Ben Wray (an entrepreneur), Jessica Mah (founder of Mahway and InDinero), Zach Klein (once the CEO of Dwell), and Leah Culver (an angel investor, startup founder, and computer programmer).

Key Business Themes: Innovation and technology, biographical, entrepreneurialism and startups

The Startup Kids feels like a rare opportunity to pick the brains of some of the most innovative names in various startup fields. You can glean all sorts of unique perspectives and nuggets of wisdom by watching.

Read also: Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business

13. Margin Call (2011)

Directed by J.C. Chandor, Margin Call is focused on the 2007 and 2008 American Wall Street financial crisis, focusing on employees and how they handle the subsequent fallout. It stars Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, Penn Badgley, Jeremy Irons, and Paul Bettany.

Key Business Themes: Financial markets and crises, corporate drama

Even if you didn’t experience the Wall Street financial crisis personally, you likely still felt the effects of the economic slowdown around 2008. Revisiting that time may be painful, but Margin Call is a fascinating (and fictional) look into how these difficult situations are handled.

14. Jobs (2013)

Take a dive into Steve Jobs’ life and career in Jobs , a drama and biography from director Joshua Michale Stern. The plotline starts with Jobs’ time at Reed College and how he co-created the MacIntosh (later known as Mac) computer and the iPod, along with all the struggles he faced in between.

Steve Jobs is an inspiration to many of us, even after his death. He started what would become the multi-billion-dollar Mac enterprise in his garage, which required a lot of trials and tribulations along the way. This documentary spotlights them in a fascinating style that makes Jobs an excellent watch from start to finish.

15. The Social Network (2010)

The Social Network explores the founding of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg. This drama & semi-biography features David Fincher as the director and stars Jesse Eisenberg as the titular Zuckerberg. The cast also includes Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield. The film chronicles the beginning of Facebook as Facemash, how it grew into Facebook, and the people who felt betrayed and backstabbed along the way.

Key Business Themes: Innovation and technology, corporate drama, entrepreneurialism and startups

If you use Facebook for business or personal purposes, you should check out The Social Network . While not a straight biography and thus subject to storytelling to make the film more interesting, it’s a fascinating movie that proves founding a huge social network doesn’t come easily.

16. Too Big to Fail (2011)

Too Big to Fail is another chronicle into the 2008 financial crisis, this time focusing on Bear Stearns, an investment bank, and how it was sold to JPMorgan Chase, then the fall of Lehman Brothers. The television film from director Curtis Hanson is inspired by the nonfiction book of the same name by Andrew Ross Sorkin that was published in 2009.

Too Big to Fail debuted on HBO in 2011 and received several SAG awards for lead actor Ben Bernanke.

Too Big to Fail isn’t a documentary, so it has more intrigue around it. It’s a great glimpse into what transpired with Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis.

Read also: Interesting Insights From Samsung’s Marketing Strategy

Wrapping Up

Increasing your business acumen in your personal time doesn’t have to be a chore. Watching business movies for entrepreneurs will help you glean new ideas and forge a path forward to your goals!

How can I watch business movies?

Try your favorite streaming services, from Hulu to Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Can watching movies make you a more successful businessperson?

Not directly, but you can absorb lessons, guidance, and strategies that could come in handy in real-life applications.

About The Author

Nicole Malczan

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25 Best Movies About Entrepreneurs and Startups

• January 23, 2024
• 23 minute read

Written By Eddie Vi

What does it take to build a billion-dollar business empire? Raw ambition? Relentless drive? Ruthless tactics? Many of the greatest startup success stories embrace all three. From The Social Network to The Founder, startup movies allow us to experience tales of entrepreneurial triumph and success. But behind the dramatic highs and lows lie profound insights about the vision, relationships, ethical dilemmas and obsessive nature driving many iconic founders. Young entrepreneurs can learn invaluable lessons from these resonant stories. In this listicle, we review the top 25 movies about entrepreneurs capturing startup sagas, extracting key takeaways to inform your own entrepreneurial journey. Whether you seek inspiration or cautionary wisdom, strap in for an illuminating ride with these best startup movies every entrepreneur should watch.

Table of Contents

The social network, the founder, lamborghini: the man behind the legend, the wolf of wall street, the big short, ford v ferrari, wall street, boiler room, glengarry glen ross, startup.com, the aviator, thank you for smoking, the pursuit of happyness, generation startup, margin call, pirates of silicon valley, the inventor, the startup kids, something ventured.

Directed by David Fincher, The Social Network dramatizes the tumultuous early days of Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg. Jesse Eisenberg delivers a standout performance as the ambitious yet socially awkward Zuckerberg, depicting his relentless drive to build a revolutionary company even as relationships suffer.

As an entrepreneur, I related to Zuckerberg’s restless innovation and hunger to make an impact by empowering people through technology. The film captures the thrilling ups and agonizing downs behind breakthrough ideas. We witness the exhilarating rush of Facebook expanding to new campuses as well as the anguish of lawsuits and betrayals threatening everything Zuckerberg built. He grapples with balancing friendships with business duties – a timeless startup struggle. 

Ultimately The Social Network serves as a modern parable about the soul-searching behind “changing the world.” In pursuing his bold vision to connect billions, Zuckerberg loses himself – compromising ideals and people along the way. He gains global influence while becoming ever more isolated and empty inside.  

The film inspires viewers to change culture while provoking hard questions. What is the line between creative inspiration versus theft? Do entrepreneurs owe loyalty to early believers in their mission or only the future they envision? 

Fast-paced and insightful, The Social Network captures pivotal questions around ethics and identity in the digital age. It resonates widely today by revealing the complex people behind transformative innovations.

The new biopic Tetris offers a fun, fast-paced take on the unbelievable journey of the iconic block-stacking game from behind the Iron Curtain to global sensation. Led by an infectious performance from Taron Egerton, the film blends real-life events with playful speculation in chronicling how Henk Rogers discovered Tetris at a 1988 computer show and became obsessed with bringing it to the masses. 

We see Rogers leverage charm, tenacity and questionable legal maneuvers to secure the elusive rights from Tetris inventor Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov) and the Soviet government agency that claimed ownership. What emerges is a humorous fish-out-of-water tale pitting Rogers’ capitalist hustle against bureaucratic communist red tape. 

Tetris has the breezy tone of a slick heist movie as Rogers races from Moscow to Tokyo to Silicon Valley, overcoming KGB agents, sinister businessmen and other unexpected obstacles in his quest. The film revels in the culture clash while humanizing the passion of both Rogers and Pajitnov behind making the game an international phenomenon. 

While no doubt taking creative license, Tetris succeeds as a wildly entertaining underdog story celebrating innovation and the power of simple ideas to capture the imagination. For audiences and entrepreneurs alike, it serves as an unlikely reminder that world-changing success often stems from merely finding fun in stacking blocks.

The Founder offers a compelling look at the ambition and innovation behind one of America’s most iconic brands. Michael Keaton delivers a standout performance as Ray Kroc, capturing his relentless drive as well as his ruthless tactics. For any young entrepreneur, it’s an engaging case study on seizing opportunities and the ethical dilemmas of hypergrowth.  

What I found most valuable is the film’s exploration of partnerships going sour once stakes get high. The McDonald brothers resist expansion to protect quality but Kroc sees limitless potential to scale. Their fundamentally opposing mindsets breed resentment. It’s a common tension in startups needing both idealists and pragmatists. Maintaining alignment despite success is vital.

The Founder also shows how vital early funding and finance partners are for gaining leverage. Harry Sonneborn, played by B.J. Novak, recognizes real estate as McDonald’s path to riches. His outside-the-box thinking allows capitalization beyond food sales. Hence, bringing aboard business advisors who spot monetization options you miss can be game changing.  

In my view, The Founder is a Shakespearean parable about the two-edged sword of entrepreneurial triumph. As Kroc transforms McDonald’s into a ubiquitous global chain, he loses himself in the process – compromising relationships and distorting the brothers’ original vision for quality food, speedy service and family-friendly values. It’s a sobering reminder that unbridled ambition can undermine the meaning behind one’s life work. For any founder, keeping perspective on your mission versus obsessing over metrics matters.

Lamborghini captures founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s tireless pursuit of excellence in building legendary sports cars that redefined power and beauty on wheels. As an entrepreneur, I found inspiration in how Lamborghini leveraged his experience as a tractor manufacturer to shatter barriers in the elite auto industry. 

The film also serves as a sobering profile of ambition turned toxic. Lamborghini’s obsessive perfectionism strains relationships and compromises values as he becomes isolated in his quest for icon status. The costs of his professional triumph undermine personal connections – he neglects his family, scorns loyal partners, and ultimately loses himself.

This reflects the difficult balancing act visionaries must master between rocketing to greatness commercially while remaining grounded in their principles and connections. Lamborghini’s ambition fuels breakthrough innovation but also breeds arrogance and skepticism of those committed to his original vision. His story provokes thought on ethical dilemmas founders face regarding loyalty versus progress as stakes intensify.

Ultimately for entrepreneurs, Lamborghini embodies the soaring spirit required to imagine game-changing ideas tempered by cautionary lessons on the perils of prioritizing metrics over meaning. Much like The Founder and other parables, the film captures how the iconoclastic thinking driving disruption can either liberate you or isolate you. Maintaining alignment, perspective and connection on the journey matters as much as the destination.

The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese, offers a provocative if controversial look at the true story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a stockbroker who builds a fraudulent empire in the 1990s based on pumping and dumping penny stocks, only to lose everything once the FBI catches on. 

I found sobering lessons in how Belfort’s unethical business practices and hedonistic lifestyle ultimately proved his downfall. The film highlights the seductive allure of money, drugs and sex in distorting one’s ethical compass. Surrounded by shady mentors and yes-men, Belfort rationalizes increasingly riskier criminal behavior as he pursues profits and pleasure without restraint. 

Possibly, The Wolf of Wall Street seems to glorify the very excess it condemns. I found that at times the movie seemed to be reveling in the debauched antics it depicted. Yet the dizzying highs of Belfort’s fraud-fueled success make his eventual downfall only more dramatic. In the end, the movie serves as a morality tale exposing the dark side of ambition left unchecked.  

While controversial, The Wolf of Wall Street succeeds as a cautionary study of ambition turned toxic. Personally, it’s one of my favorite sales movies of all times. It provokes thoughtful debate around issues like greed versus ethics and the fine line between hustling and corruption. The questions it raises confront all entrepreneurs seeking to build businesses today. Its messages about how easy it is to rationalize unethical behavior ring disturbingly true.

Joy, directed by David O. Russell, tells the fictionalized story of Joy Mangano (played by Jennifer Lawrence), a struggling Long Island single mom who builds a business dynasty by inventing the Miracle Mop. While taking creative liberties, the film captures Joy’s journey from modest beginnings to becoming the matriarch of a powerful family enterprise.  

I found Joy to be an inspirational portrait of entrepreneurial perseverance against all odds. What comes across is Joy’s relentless drive and vision even as she faces skepticism from industry gatekeepers, betrayal from business partners, and resistance from her chaotic family. Her passion for innovation and creative problem-solving in the face of many obstacles resonated strongly.  

Through the outstanding acting, Jennifer Lawrence has done an amazing job highlighting the challenges that female entrepreneurs contend with regarding credibility and securing financing. Joy has her miracle mop invention dismissed as a “cute little housewife project” initially by the male-dominated world of manufacturing and retail. Overcoming gender bias and patronization to sell male executives on the potential of her product makes Joy’s success all the more satisfying.  

While dramatized, Joy succeeds as an uplifting underdog story that young founders can find motivation in. The film brings to life the real tensions of balancing business growth versus personal relationships through Joy’s frayed family ties. Overall, Joy delivers an accessible portrait of the vision, sacrifice and sheer determination behind one woman’s entrepreneurial triumph against the odds.

The Big Short, directed by Adam McKay, offers a scathing yet entertaining look inside the buildup and aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Adapted from Michael Lewis’ non-fiction book, it follows several Wall Street outsiders who spot the massive housing bubble well before it bursts, then bet against the market to profit from its collapse.

For any young entrepreneur, The Big Short provides sobering lessons on unchecked greed and the critical need for accountability. We see bankers packaging high-risk subprime mortgages while credit agencies give them fraudulent AAA ratings. The characters realize the entire system is built on myths – yet regulators turn a blind eye.  

Ultimately the housing market implodes just as our protagonists predict. But The Big Short refuses to celebrate them as heroes – rather, it exposes how even those making money off the crisis failed to raise the alarm. The film criticizes Wall Street corruption while also suggesting that those who were indifferent to the suffering it caused share some responsibility. 

There are no easy answers offered, only hard truths. The Big Short calls viewers not just to point fingers but to search their own souls. How do we address root problems versus symptoms? What does ethical leadership look like? How can we create cultures of conscience rather than complicity? These questions confront entrepreneurs building companies today.

While fast-paced and entertaining, The Big Short raises thought-provoking issues about financial ethics and accountability worth wrestling with. Its messages around greed’s slippery slope resonate far beyond Wall Street.

Ford v Ferrari dramatizes the against-all-odds true story of automotive visionary Carroll Shelby and racecar driver Ken Miles, who team up to build a revolutionary Ford racecar to challenge Ferrari’s dominance on the track. As an entrepreneur, I found the film deeply resonant in capturing the relentless perseverance required to disrupt Goliaths in any industry.

We witness Maverick Miles and car designer Shelby boldly convince Ford to take on the presumed impervious Ferrari at Le Mans. Through setbacks and corporate resistance, they leverage their scrappiness and passion for innovation to push boundaries others view as impossible. Miles’ racing instincts blended with Shelby’s automotive creativity ultimately craft a machine primed to shock the racing establishment. 

Beyond the pulse-pounding racing scenes lies larger themes of visionary non-conformists challenging outdated assumptions to find fresh perspectives. Ford v Ferrari captures how underfunded upstarts can use technology, partnership and sheer will to rewrite stale industry standards. Yet innovation requires convincing disbelievers wedded to the status quo to recognize the possible. 

I found Ford v Ferrari a rousing profile of the resilience required to overcome skepticism from corporate gatekeepers and convention-minded consumers. It will inspire any successful entrepreneur aiming to defeat seemingly invincible competitors through the power of conviction. In the end, giants fall hardest to agile outfits leveraging hunger, heart and imagination. The film proves visionary racers can still beat behemoths.

BlackBerry dramatizes the exhilarating yet sobering journey of a tech pioneer derailed by shifting tides. We witness the spark of genius as childhood friends Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Doug Fregin (successful film director Matt Johnson) leverage innovation to disrupt the mobile phone market. Yet their meteoric rise gives way to catastrophic demise with the iPhone’s arrival.  

As an entrepreneur, I discovered poignant lessons in BlackBerry’s portrait of visionaries upending conventions through sheer conviction and grit, and the importance of finding the right co-founder . Lazaridis and Fregin embody the hustling, scrappy ethos required to turn game-changing ideas into reality. We see them bootstrap a breakthrough device despite skepticism, then leverage bold thinking to meet soaring demand. They harness technology to empower people to communicate and access information anytime, anywhere.  

Yet the film also serves as a sobering corporate cautionary tale. In aggressively pursuing exponential growth, BlackBerry loses sight of its core values. Its culture curdles from mission-driven camaraderie into cutthroat corporate world. Relationships fracture. Short-term profits replace passion as the priority.  

This true story offers inspiration tempered by warning. Its founders’ infectious optimism fuels innovation but blinds them to shifting market winds. For entrepreneurs, the film provides essential lessons on balancing conviction with adaptability, and people with profixts. It captures how losing alignment with one’s north star, values and team can undermine the most promising ventures when storms hit.

Oliver Stone’s classic 1987 drama Wall Street remains startlingly relevant today in its dissection of unchecked greed. The film chronicles ambitious young stockbroker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), who becomes enamored with ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). Eager to get ahead, Bud begins trading on insider information – rationalizing unethical behavior as a cost of success.  

For entrepreneurs, the film resonates as a morality tale on ambition’s slippery slope. We witness Bud compromise his values inch-by-inch to ascend the corporate ladder – shades of ethical corner cutting many founders may relate to. The movie highlights how money and power can become distorted ends rather than means toward innovation. 

Ultimately, Bud must wrestle with the soullessness underlying Gekko’s “Greed is good” credo when his mentor targets his father’s airline company. This prompts sobering self-reflection on what Bud sacrificed in his single-minded pursuit of status.  

While fast-paced, Wall Street succeeds more as cultural critique than drama – its messages around unchecked ambition and insatiable materialism still ring disturbingly true. Gekko represents an extreme yet compelling personification of ruthless capitalism left unbridled. For entrepreneurs, that serves as both alluring wish fulfillment and cautionary tale.

30 years later, Wall Street remains essential viewing for founders in examining their own motives and relationship to money and power. Its lessons prompt the questions: What are you willing to compromise and why? At what cost comes your success, and will it satisfy?

Boiler Room offers a compelling look at the high stakes business world of shady stock brokerages. The 2000 crime drama, written and directed by Ben Younger, follows college dropout Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) as he gets caught up in the fraudulent practices of a Long Island “boiler room” firm peddling worthless stocks.  

What I found valuable as an entrepreneur was how Boiler Room explores ambition turned toxic once ethics become compromised. At first, Seth revels in the adrenaline-fueled pressures of cold-calling clients and closing deals. “It’s not about the money, it’s bigger than that,” proclaims boss Jim Young (Ben Affleck). Yet the firm’s get-rich mantras seduce Seth across ethical lines.

The movie highlights the slippery slopes of greed eroding conscience over time. Younger doesn’t demonize the brokers, instead humanizing how ostensibly “good” people rationalize increasingly shady behavior once immersed in certain cultures. As with Wall Street and Glengarry Glen Ross, we see salesmen resorting to unethical tactics once desperation sets in to meet steep quotas.  

While fast-paced, Boiler Room serves as a morality tale about the dangers of unchecked ambition and greed. Its messages around ethical compromises made in the name of success ring disturbingly true in business today. The film inspires thoughtful debate on the values underlying high pressure sales cultures and the potential predatory nature of them.

Adapted from David Mamet’s acclaimed play, Glengarry Glen Ross offers a riveting fly-on-the-wall look at the cutthroat world of real estate sales. We follow four desperate agents contending with ruthless quotas, willing to employ dubious tactics to land promising leads. 

From my experience talking with sales reps, I found great value in how the film spotlights the immense pressures commissions-based roles exert. When the characters’ livelihoods grow threatened by rigid expectations, ethical lines erode as survival instincts kick in. What lengths seem justified when failure means not providing for one’s family? Glengarry provokes thoughtful debate around ambition’s slippery slope and integrity’s true cost.  

While the film evokes sympathy for the salesmen’s difficult situation, Glengarry Glen Ross avoids making simplistic judgments. Mamet shrewdly incorporates multiple perspectives – including those just trying to do their jobs amidst the chaos. When deception occurs, there are no simple villains or heroes. Instead there are only complex people losing their way when systems fail them.  

Fast-paced and packed with virtuoso performances, Glengarry Glen Ross succeeds as both riveting drama and deeper commentary. It compels viewers to examine our own motives and integrity when under pressure. When faced with unreasonable demands, how do we respond – with empathy or accusation? The film suggests that success depends on the cultures we create and incentives we put in place. Its messages around greed’s slippery slope ring disturbingly true still today.

Startup.com offers a raw, behind-the-scenes look at the exhilarating rise and fall of govWorks – an ambitious 1990s dotcom startup aiming to revolutionize government services. Through cinéma vérité footage, we witness founders Tom Herman and Kaleil Tuzman navigate the mounting pressures of hypergrowth, interpersonal conflicts and technical woes that ultimately undo their promising venture.  

I found the film valuable in humanizing the emotional journey behind the stereotypical dotcom bubble story. We see the infectious optimism giving way to despair, camaraderie spiraling into resentment, grand vision distorted by day-to-day chaos. Much like a Shakespearean tragedy, an initial heroic quest for meaning becomes undone by the protagonists’ own flaws and imperfections.  

Yet Startup.com resists easy morality tales. The filmmakers refuse to demonize the ambitious, driven dotcom generation who often sincerely wanted to change the world. Instead we’re left pondering timeless questions about friendship, values and our inability to control forces greater than ourselves.

In the end, Startup.com succeeds in capturing a specific moment in Internet history – but its messages around relationships fraying amidst pressure, mistrust breeding paranoia, and the difficulty of maintaining perspective resonate universally. Any young entrepreneur today would be wise to heed its lessons.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, The Aviator provides a sweeping look at the early career of Howard Hughes – the ambitious industrialist who made history as a film producer, aviation pioneer and business magnate. Played with manic intensity by Leonardo DiCaprio, Hughes is portrayed as a daring innovator driven by relentless perfectionism and a visionary desire to push boundaries.

The film details how Hughes leveraged his personal wealth to disrupt multiple industries. He invests millions to revolutionize aerial filming in Hell’s Angels, takes huge risks to launch record-breaking aircraft like the Hercules “Spruce Goose”, and gambles on risky ventures like buying TWA airlines. Entrepreneurs will find inspiration in how Hughes represents the classic founder willing to put everything on the line for breakthroughs that others would view as impossible.  

On the flip side, despite all his brilliance, The Aviator slowly reveals Hughes’ loosening grip on reality. His obsessive attention to detail curdles into crippling phobias over germs and sounds. His relentless work ethic gives way to paralyzing indecision and isolation. DiCaprio captures Hughes’ spiral into reclusive madness, warning of the toll grand ambitions can take without self-care.

Scorsese brings Hughes’ world to dazzling life through stunning visuals and camerawork – the viewer feels immersed in the glamor of old Hollywood and courage of early aviation. For any entrepreneur, The Aviator offers inspiration to aim high tempered by the sobering personal cost such single-mindedness can bring. Hughes serves as both icon and cautionary tale.

Moneyball reveals the spirited drive of underdog teams to upend conventional wisdom and find new ways to compete against established powerhouses. Adapted from Michael Lewis book, the 2011 drama from Bennett Miller depicts how the Oakland A’s defied expectations in baseball by embracing analytics and sabermetrics. 

I found great inspiration in the story of a scrappy team led by Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) who questioned outdated industry orthodoxies in order to innovate. They used data and analytics to identify undervalued players and new opportunities, much like serial entrepreneurs leverage technology insights to disrupt established businesses.

The film highlights the courage it takes to follow convictions when no one else sees your vision. Beane faces intense skepticism from veteran scouts set in traditional ways. So too must entrepreneurs have the boldness to pivot from mainstream thinking and trust their instincts. Moneyball shows how challenging groupthink with evidence-based decisions reveals fresh possibilities.  

Additionally the movie also touches on universal themes around reconciling individual passions versus team building and cohesion, balancing data-driven logic with human relationships. In the end, innovation requires interpersonal awareness and aligning people around new ideas.

Funny and heartfelt, Moneyball reveals the human stories behind game-changing innovations. It portrays the tensions between visionaries wanting to make an impact and reluctant teammates unsure of new approaches. For any founder or entrepreneur, it offers inspiration to think differently and leverage data analytics to rewrite stale industry rules.

Also read: Best Startup TV Shows For Every Day Founder In You

Danny Boyle’s 2015 biopic Steve Jobs provides a mesmerizing character study of the legendary but controversial Apple founder. Michael Fassbender turns in a riveting performance as Jobs across three pivotal product launches, capturing his uncompromising perfectionism and complex humanity. 

For entrepreneurs, the film offers sobering lessons on the personal costs exacted by disruptive innovation. We witness Jobs’ willingness to leverage any advantage – whether technical brilliance or interpersonal manipulation – to make his visions into reality. Steve Jobs maintains an almost religious zeal regarding his products’ potential to “change the world.” Yet this same messianic tunnel vision breeds callousness toward those closest to him.

Steve Jobs thus spotlights the difficulty of balancing lofty ambitions with relationships. Does revolutionary impact justify personal cruelties? This true story prompts reflection around means versus ends. Steve Jobs rationalizes hurting colleagues or denying paternity of his daughter as necessities to “protect” his projects – the only things he considers truly important. 

While a flawed figure, Jobs earns our empathy through his profound connection to his work. He doesn’t crave fortune or fame but rather believes utterly that his inventions can empower people. At the same time, we witness the anguish his tunnel vision causes. 

Steve Jobs thus succeeds in humanizing the personal tensions behind iconoclastic innovation. It inspires viewers to change the world while sounding notes of caution around vision giving way to dogmatism. The film suggests that to make a true impact, one must couple advancement with compassion.

Tim Burton’s Ed Wood is a quirky ode to pursuing one’s passion despite the odds. Johnny Depp stars as the titular director, widely dubbed “the worst filmmaker of all time” yet persevering with unwavering zeal. We witness Wood’s relentless hustle to fund and shoot micro-budget sci-fi and horror films on shoestring budgets and shoestring talent. 

Yet the film resonates in capturing the infectious optimism driving many entrepreneurs. Wood relentlessly pitches wildly impractical ideas with utter conviction. He assembles ragtag teams as devoted as himself. And he views every disaster as a stepping stone, never losing heart or compromising his vision. Many creatives facing doubt, will relate to his battles for financing and distribution. In an industry valuing commercial calculation over imagination, Wood sticks to his own weird wavelengths – come hell or high water (or flying saucers).

Burton celebrates the courage to create as an end in itself. To Wood, the joy of filming outweighs any critic’s review or box office bomb. And through all missteps and miscasts, he discovers a surrogate family among fellow Hollywood misfits.

The film reveals the alchemy of the creative process – how even Z-grade schlockfests can become personal triumphs through sheer passion and pluck. For entrepreneurs fueled more by self-expression than commercialism, it’s an inspirational testament to staying true to one’s muse.

Thank You for Smoking offers a biting, cynically funny satire of the world of PR spin and Washington lobbying. Aaron Eckhart stars as tobacco industry spokesperson Nick Naylor, who relies on fast-talking charm and twisted logic to defend cigarettes. As the “Sultan of Spin,” Nick rationalizes his role through moral relativism even as anti-smoking campaigns target him.

The film succeeds in prompting thought-provoking questions around ambition versus ethics. We see Nick get seduced deeper into unscrupulous tactics to protect his industry, oblivious to the societal harm being caused. It highlights the slippery slopes where idealism becomes distorted by questionable cultures. The movie resists easy judgments, instead using dark comedy to expose uncomfortable realities of ambition unchecked by conscience. 

While razor-sharp satire, Thank You for Smoking also touches on relationships strained by blind ambition. Nick struggles to balance his lobbying job with trying to be a good father. This universal tension confronts all entrepreneurs – how success can compromise values and connections if we lose perspective.

By the end, the film inspires reflection about the blurred line between clever sales tactics and intentional deception. Do the ends justify sketchy means if profits and careers grow? Thank You for Smoking prompts wrestling with such questions, holding up an amusing yet disquieting mirror to society’s spin cycle.

Will Smith delivers an emotional tour de force as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness – the true story of a struggling salesman who endures homelessness while striving to create a better life for his young son and reach American dream. I found the film profoundly inspiring in its depiction of the unrelenting perseverance required to overcome many obstacles and achieve success against the odds through sheer determination.  

We witness Gardner leverage his inner drive, passion and business instincts to land an unpaid internship in a brutally competitive finance training program – despite having no connections or financial stability. The film reminds us that entrepreneurial success demands creativity and willingness to take risks. Gardner thinks on his feet to impress executives, finding unique solutions to stand out from the crowd vying for the single opening. He pursues greatness relentlessly.

Yet for all its uplifting moments, The Pursuit of Happyness refuses to shy away from the anguish of Gardner’s plight. In multiple gut-wrenching scenes, he struggles to shelter his son from the reality of their despair. We relate powerfully to Gardner’s resilience despite profound vulnerability. 

Ultimately, the film captures how aligning entrepreneurial vision with an unbreakable spirit can turn life’s challenges into fuel to manifest dreams. Chris Gardner faced tremendous obstacles – he was underprepared, underestimated, and battled discrimination – yet still achieved unbelievable success through the tenacity he developed through hardship. It serves as an inspiration for entrepreneurs everywhere to see setbacks as stepping stones.

Directed by Cynthia Wade and Cheryl Miller Houser, Generation Startup offers an honest look at the exhilarating highs and lows behind entrepreneurial dreams. Tracking a diverse group of recent grads in Detroit, we witness the scrappy hustle required to get visionary ventures off the ground. 

The documentary film captures pivotal moments, from pitching wary investors to pulling all-nighters before product launches. While some business ideas never gain real traction, creative pivots reveal potential pathways to success. We see the founders leaning on each other for support through the unpredictable journey.

This true story celebrates an entrepreneurial spirit rising from the ashes of a great American city needing revitalization. The young protagonists leverage innovative thinking and business partnerships to drive change in healthcare, real estate, and more. But the film shows creating true impact requires personal resilience. 

I related to the physical and emotional toll of pouring endless energy into passion projects, being perpetually cash-strapped, and overcoming doubts from skeptical outsiders. Generation Startup reveals how aligning core values and business growth is an ongoing challenge. It offers as much wisdom about maintaining life balance and perspective as motivation to young entrepreneurs wanting to challenge stale industries. A possible takeaway is that the future will demand more empathetic, conscientious founders like those depicted.

Margin Call offers a compelling fly-on-the-wall look inside an investment bank facing catastrophe during the 2008 financial crisis. Over 24 tense hours, we witness the human realities behind the cold machinery of Wall Street greed and numbers games.  

As an entrepreneur, the film resonated in spotlighting the vital need for risk management and long-term thinking. We see how the bank’s drive for short-term profits blinded them to faulty risk models that left them massively overleveraged. Their lack of transparency and diversification made the coming crash inevitable.  

Margin Call provides a sobering case study in how ambition can spiral out of control when unchecked by ethics or wisdom. The bank executives all believe they “have no choice” but to sell worthless debt packages to unsuspecting buyers once the truth emerges. We witness how rationalization replaces responsibility.  

While gripping, the film provokes deeper debate about the fine line between hustling and corruption. Just as with Wall Street and Boiler Room, we witness good people compromising values for quotas and bonuses. Does success require ethical compromise? Margin Call pushes viewers to wrestle with this question. Its messages around greed’s slippery slope are still very relevant today.

In summary, Margin Call succeeds as both a tense drama and morality tale exposing systemic issues of accountability, transparency and sustainable growth underlying the 2008 crisis. The lessons it conveys around risk management, short-term thinking, and ethical dilemmas are valuable for us all.

Based on the true story, Pirates of Silicon Valley chronicles the early days of the personal computer revolution and the heated rivalry between Apple and Microsoft’s iconic founders. While taking creative license, the film captures the scrappy entrepreneurial drive of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. 

We witness Jobs’ relentless perfectionism and vision paired with Gates’ ruthless business savviness. Their contrasting leadership styles breed resentment as Apple struggles for profitability while Microsoft dominates the software market. The film highlights ethical dilemmas as both men employ dubious tactics in their quest to “change the world.” 

Ultimately Pirates of Silicon Valley succeeds less as a historical record than a Shakespearean parable on unchecked ambition. As Apple and Microsoft become hugely successful, relationships deteriorate and ideals become distorted – showing the personal toll that obsessive entrepreneurship can take when left unrestrained.

For all their differences, Jobs and Gates shared a hunger to build revolutionary products that would empower people. Young founders today face a tech landscape vastly transformed by Apple and Microsoft’s innovations. Pirates of Silicon Valley inspires viewers to aim just as audaciously while checking their own motives. How will your core values guide your entrepreneurial journey when stakes intensify? The film prompts reflection around finding purpose and fulfillment beyond profit and metrics. Maintaining ethical alignment matters amidst the pressures to rapidly scale enterprises. Pirates of Silicon Valley delivers both motivation and cautionary wisdom to shape the next generation of visionary leaders.

The Inventor offers a chilling profile of Elizabeth Holmes and the meteoric rise and fall of her company Theranos. Alex Gibney’s documentary depicts how Holmes leveraged powerful connections and audacious lies to raise billions for “revolutionary” blood testing technology that simply didn’t work.  

Initially, it’s easy to admire Holmes’ entrepreneurial vision and drive as she eloquently evangelizes how Theranos will empower people with painless, low-cost diagnostics. Her passion seems sincere – the product flaws merely an obstacle to eventually overcome. But as deception piles upon deception, the film slowly reveals an unsettling portrait of ambition not just unchecked by ethics, but dependent on compromising them.  

For young entrepreneurs, The Inventor provides sobering lessons on the slippery slope of rationalizing wrongs in the name of some self-sanctioned “greater good.” We witness employees coerced into defending outright falsehoods through collective rationalization and intimidation. It becomes clear the path to fraud was paved early when skepticism was framed as negativity to block out.  

The film suggests Holmes internalized the “fake it till you make it” mantra of Silicon Valley too deeply. In the end, she seems unable to confront the widening chasm between her grand vision and the flawed reality. The Inventor is thus less a takedown of Holmes than a tragedy about the dangers of pursuing impact without truth – and ambition without conscience. Its implications for entrepreneurial culture resonate deeply. 

Directed by Vala Halldorsdottir and Sesselja Vilhjálmsdóttir, The Startup Kids chronicles the global rise of entrepreneurship through the eyes of passionate young founders. Tracking startups from Reykjavik to New York City, the documentary film captures the infectious optimism and drive of millennials leveraging technology to make an impact. 

Entrepreneurs can relate powerfully to the stories of resourceful twenty-somethings overcoming economic instability to build internet companies. We meet founders launching ventures in areas from music streaming and social networking to fashion e-commerce and nonprofit crowdfunding. Their confidence and vision in the face of daunting odds is inspiring.

Yet The Startup Kids balances this motivational portrait with deep looks at the grit required behind the scenes. The film refuses to romanticize entrepreneurship, showing the sacrifices and stresses these young founders endure – economic insecurity, frayed relationships, existential crises and more. Burnout looms as a recurring threat. 

This documentary film succeeds in humanizing the startup journey by spotlighting the people and passions behind transformative ideas. It captures a cultural movement driven by purpose-seeking millennials eschewing conventional career paths to drive positive change on their own terms through entrepreneurship. For any young founder, The Startup Kids resonates as an authentic glimpse into the exhilarating but often lonely path of bringing bold visions to life.

Directed by Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine, Something Ventured offers an engaging look at the visionaries behind some of America’s most iconic technology companies. Tracking the early days of venture capital in the 1960s-70s, we meet pioneering investors who bankrolled innovators including Steve Jobs and other original founders behind big companies like Intel, Genentech and more.  

As an entrepreneur, I appreciated the film’s human-centered approach in spotlighting the people propelling big business ideas. We learn how Arthur Rock, Tom Perkins, Pitch Johnson and other VCs provided not just capital but crucial mentorship to fledgling startups. Their ability to spot potential where others saw only risk proved transformational.  

Of course, Something Ventured also captures the exhilarating ups and downs of entrepreneurship – the infectious optimism as well as the devastating setbacks. Against all odds, we see how the vision and sheer determination of founders and their investors built revolutionary companies shaping the business world today.  

While a historical snapshot, the core lessons still resonate for entrepreneurs in search of backing now. Ultimately, this documentary film conveys how success stems from passion around solving meaningful problems. The VCs invested not just in solid business ideas but in people whose relentless drive made success feel inevitable.  

Something Ventured inspires through capturing the grit and boldness required to turn dreams into movements that advance society. But it also grounds the tech industry’s pioneering myths in raw human stories. We are reminded that behind transformative products are emotional, fallible people yearning for connection and meaning. Their insight and empathy brought the future closer for us all to share in.

About the author

Eddie Vi is an entrepreneur and insightful tech writer who provides thoughtful commentary on how technology intersects with culture and business. When Eddie is not writing, you can find him attending tech conferences, and trying out new gadgets and apps. His goal is to help readers understand how technology is shaping the world we live in – for better or worse. Even when discussing complex or controversial topics, Eddie maintains an approachable and engaging style with a grounded perspective.

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The 50+ Best Movies About Business

The entrepreneurial spirit has long captured the imaginations of filmmakers and audiences alike, resulting in some truly exceptional films about business.  From captivating tales of financial success to cautionary chronicles of corporate collapses, the best movies about business intrigue audiences with their compelling plots and complex characters. 

As viewers engage in these thought-provoking stories, it becomes clear that the best business movies offer more than mere entertainment. These films reveal the intricate workings of various enterprises and industries, highlighting the challenges and triumphs experienced by entrepreneurs and executives alike. These movies about business invite audiences to reflect on their own aspirations and the broader implications of corporate decision-making. 

Powerful entrepreneur movies often focus on determination, hard work, and the challenges encountered on the road to success. Some standout examples include The Wolf of Wall Street, which offers an electrifying portrayal of a stockbroker's meteoric rise to wealth and subsequent downfall. Similarly, The Big Short provides a gripping account of the 2008 financial crisis, shedding light on the complex web of events that led to a global economic collapse. In contrast, The Social Network tells the origin story of Facebook, exploring the tensions and ambitions that drove its founders to create one of the world's most popular platforms. 

The lasting impact of these powerful business movies lies in their ability to illuminate the intricate nature of business while provoking thought and reflection. These films demonstrate the power of cinema to not only entertain but also enlighten audiences, ultimately enriching our collective appreciation for the complexities of the world of business. 

The Founder

Chronicling the origin story of fast-food giant McDonald's, The Founder tells the gripping tale of Ray Kroc, a struggling salesman who discovers and eventually takes over the innovative McDonald brothers' burger operation. By showcasing both the ingenuity and ruthlessness necessary to succeed in the competitive world of business, this captivating biographical drama serves as an enthralling exploration of corporate ambition and innovation. Michael Keaton's powerful performance, combined with the film's engaging narrative, makes The Founder an unforgettable addition to the pantheon of great business movies.

• Released : 2016
• Directed by : John Lee Hancock

Based on the true story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane, Moneyball explores the innovative and controversial strategy he employed to transform his underfunded baseball team into a competitive force. This engrossing sports drama highlights the importance of challenging conventional wisdom and utilizing data-driven strategies within the world of business. With its compelling narrative and stellar acting from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, Moneyball stands out as a unique and memorable addition to the genre of business-centric films.

• Released : 2011
• Directed by : Bennett Miller

The Big Short

Adapted from Michael Lewis' acclaimed non-fiction book, The Big Short explores the complex world of financial markets and the 2008 housing bubble collapse. With its star-studded ensemble cast and distinctive storytelling style, this movie provides a fascinating and informative glimpse into the high-stakes environment of Wall Street, resonating with audiences eager to understand the driving forces behind financial crises. The Big Short's unique blend of drama and dark humor, alongside its insightful examination of the world of finance, ultimately make it a highly regarded classic in the realm of business-themed cinema.

• Released : 2015
• Directed by : Adam McKay

Wall Street

Oliver Stone's iconic film Wall Street delves into the cutthroat world of New York finance, presenting a high-stakes tale of ambition and corruption as ambitious young stockbroker Bud Fox becomes entangled with ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko. With its memorable characters and engrossing storyline, this movie enthralls and educates audiences on the intricacies of Wall Street's power dynamics, making it a timeless classic in business cinema. Wall Street's enduring impact and continued relevance to contemporary conversations about economic ethics firmly establish it as a standout entry in the genre of business films.

• Released : 1987
• Directed by : Oliver Stone

The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese's electrifying film dives deep into the world of Wall Street excess, showcasing the wild and reckless life of stockbroker Jordan Belfort. With its unapologetic depiction of greed and ambition, this movie is well-regarded as a pinnacle of business cinema that presents an engaging cautionary tale about the consequences of unchecked power. Ultimately, The Wolf of Wall Street's captivating storyline, outstanding acting, and memorable moments have cemented its place as one of the best movies about business ever produced.

• Released : 2013
• Directed by : Martin Scorsese

Trading Places

This beloved 1980s comedy features Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy as an upper-class investor and a homeless hustler, respectively, who find their lives unexpectedly swapped thanks to a cruel social experiment. With its biting satire of class divisions and the cutthroat nature of Wall Street, Trading Places remains a popular and insightful exploration of the world of finance and commodities trading. The film's enduring humor and memorable acting ensure its status as a classic within the genre of business cinema.

• Released : 1983
• Directed by : John Landis

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20 Best Movies About Business and Entrepreneurs

November 20, 2023

If you’re reading this article, I’m sure you know by now that a cursory search of “the best business movies” will yield more or less the same results: The Wolf of Wall Street, Jerry Maguire, The Social Network, Steve Jobs,  The Big Short . And sure, those are great films that shed light on the tough-as-nails business that is, well, business. But plenty of films have been made since then, many of which give us even more of a glimpse of what it’s like to find, manage, protect, and grow your own company. 

We’ve searched far and wide, going beyond the usual Hollywood titles and recognizable brand names, to look for the most useful, entertaining, and recent movies that can be enjoyed by entrepreneurs of all kinds, and came up with the recommendations below. So whether you’re a seasoned salesman or an up-and-coming hustler, here’s our list of the best movies about business that you should watch right now.

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1. Inside Job (2010)

This Oscar winning documentary is no standard film. Even by being beautifully crafted and having an amazing soundtrack–soundtracks are important–it does not miss its core story for a second. A delivery so good and so crisp that it will make you go “the sons of b” and “those motherf” more times than Joey from Friends got laid in 1999. On a more serious note, Inside Job is a great and complete technical overview of the financial meltdown. I know the word “technical” scared you there, but it shouldn’t! The movie is simple, uses charts and colors for all of us who once thought figures and formulas were too complicated to understand — it even makes you go, “hey, this is not so difficult to understand. Them motherf.’ The movie is also very exciting: no spoilers but all I can say is that there are b*s trippin in there.

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2. Headhunters (2012)

Fasten your seatbelts because this nasty little chase film will jerk the wheel when you least expect it, featuring balls-to-the-wall action and lots of Norwegian humor – dark humor that is. Based on a novel from the country’s most famous crime writer, Jo Nesbø, Headhunters is brutal, insane, and incredibly good. This twisting, turning thriller tells the story of a corporate recruiter (Aksel Hennie), who has a secret side hustle as a nightly art thief. He ends up being pursued by the charismatic Clas Greve, a Dutch businessman played by none other than GoT-star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. And this plot summary is as far as you will get without the whole thing swerving into another direction. Headhunters does not slow down unless it wants to destabilise you further with simmering suspense. Like a Lars von Trier on speed, expect all the raw colors, emotion, and slightly off-kilter characters you want from a Norwegian production – and brilliant entertainment!

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3. The Kiosk (2021)

This bittersweet little documentary about a Parisian newsstand will change the way you look at a kiosk forever: they’ll no longer seem like transitory stops on the way to somewhere, but a destination themselves. Director Alexandra Pianelli, whose family has run this particular newsstand for four generations, shoots from inside the tiny cabin, from where she and her mother dispense newspapers, magazines, directions, and friendly conversation with anyone who stops by.

Anyone who’s seen Agnès Varda’s Daguerréotypes — her fond portrait of the traditional shopkeepers of Rue Daguerre, the street she lived on — will recognize the same warmth and humane curiosity in The Kiosk, which documents a quickly fading way of life and the community that clings to it. As Pianelli movingly shows us, the kiosk is an invaluable fixture in the lives of an assortment of locals: regular customers (particularly elderly ones, who perhaps visit more for the company than the magazines), a big-hearted homeless man, and fellow vendors like Islam, a Bangladeshi asylum-seeker and fruit-seller who uses the kiosk to hide his merchandise so that French police don’t confiscate it. The decline of printed material that the film documents isn’t just a threat to the family business, then, but the very concept of a truly joined-up society itself.

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4. Margin Call (2011)

A thoughtful drama about the financial crisis, Margin Call is gripping. Seriously, even something as convoluted as the 2008 global economic meltdown is not only accessible and understandable, but it’s gripping. Margin Call transports you to the heart of Wall Street, both the financial institutions and the street, literally. It is exciting, well-acted and informative. Uh, also: Kevin Spacey.

Watch Now On Netflix

5. 99 Homes (2015)

Andrew Garfield is a single father living with his own single mother in their family home. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, they find themselves evicted from their home by a businessman – Michael Shannon in a role as intriguing as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, if not more. Desperate for work, Garfield’s character starts working for the same businessman, ultimately evicting other people. A star-packed, gritty and sobering tale on capitalism and our the lengths to which we’re ready to go to save face – while at the same time risking our most important relationships.

6. Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story (2020)

“They called me uppity. Uppity n*****. And I loved it”. That’s how this excellent documentary, about the first professional black racing driver Willy T. Ribbs, starts. It summarizes the strong personality of a champion who excelled in tracks that were filled with confederate flags.

The documentary explains the details of the difficulties that Ribbs went through in the 70s and 80s, but also the people who supported him and recognized his talent. It’s by no way a sad movie, on the contrary, even when Ribbs is talking about people spitting wherever he walks or about the death threats escalating, his unharmed determination is at the center of the story.

This is an inspiring documentary about a character who never got his worth in the history books. I was full of shivers by the first half-hour mark.

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7. Thank You for Smoking (2005)

As black a comedy as they come. Nick Naylor (superbly portrayed by Aaron Eckhart) is the chief spokesperson for tobacco and shows the world why smoking is as key to protect as any other liberal value. This movie is funny, smart, thoughtful and raises some good questions about the ego, the morale and what we leave behind, from unexpected sides.

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8. Chef (2014)

A popular chef loses his job and respect after a bad review. He ends up with a food truck and tries to show the world he still has his creative side, while at the same time trying to fix his broken family. Chef is a heartwarming feel-good movie, after you finish it you will want to cook, love your family, travel, and spread the love. One of my favorite movies, I see myself happily watching it again numerous times.

9. Big Night (1996)

There are comfort food movies, and then there are films like Big Night: comfort food movies about comfort food. Stanley Tucci and Tony Shaloub are brothers running a failing Italian restaurant. Their last chance to save it from foreclosure is to throw a colossal dinner bolstered by a dubious promise of a visit from singer Louis Prima.

The comedy is mellow and pleasant, and Tucci and Shaloub have wonderful chemistry as bickering brothers. Meanwhile, a great supporting cast featuring Isabella Rosellini, Ian Holm, and Allison Janney more than make up for the somewhat predictable script.

10. Tetris (2023)

Who knew that behind the puzzle Tetris lies a political thriller of a backstory that is just as fun and challenging as the game itself? Tetris, the film, is a playful telling of the game behind the game, a surprising account of the otherwise unbelievable events that had to happen in making Tetris available to the masses. 

Between the 8-bit editing, the immensely likable lead, and the cat-and-mouse chase between heroes and villains, there is much to like about the movie. You put it on out of curiosity (how the hell does a brick game have this much back story?) but you stay for the intrigue, the playfulness, and the irresistible urge to see who wins the race.

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20 Best Startup Movies for Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2024

| Written by

Being an entrepreneur is challenging, often requiring you to go above and beyond and work harder than ever to achieve your biggest goals and dreams. You’re working towards building a company that fulfills your ultimate vision and transforms your marketplace or industry, and that’s never an easy feat. 

To stay inspired and see how other founders overcame their challenges, you may consider watching business movies for entrepreneurs that show the entrepreneurial journey from start to finish.

From the Social Network to the Pursuit of Happyness, we’ve listed several startup movies that’ll help you reset your frame of mind and refresh. All while taking in some valuable lessons, strategies, and tactics that you can potentially emulate in your own business.

Top Business Movies for Startup Founders

In order to help you stay inspired and get some ideas from other entrepreneurs who were once in your shoes, we’ve compiled a list of the top business movies for startup founders to watch. No matter which movie you decide to start with, you’ll be able to snag some valuable lessons and reflect on your own journey. 

Even though it may sound cliche, entrepreneurship is truly a journey that matters far more than the destination. How you overcome challenges along the way, how you build your team, and how you provide valuable solutions to your customers or clients will make a massive impact on your life and make you a better entrepreneur in the long run. 

Now it’s your turn – turn on one of these entrepreneurial movies and start reflecting on how you can improve your business strategies to achieve your desired growth and profitability.

1. Startup.com (2001)

• Directors: Chris Hegedus, Jehane Noujaim
• Stars: Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, Tom Herman, Kenneth Austin
• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

During the height of the dot com era, when web millionaires were seemingly on every corner, two friends, Tom Herman and Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, decided to make their fortune on the internet. “Startup.com” is a story of inspiration and motivation to build your dream as an entrepreneur and a cautionary tale with an inside look at the bursting of the dot-com bubble.

“Startup.com” is great for any entrepreneurs who want to follow the journey of two co-founders and see all of their struggles and difficulties close up. For many startups, their journey closely resembles that of the govWorks.com team, even though the fate of their companies might see better days than Herman and Tuzman.

2. The Startup Kids (2012)

• Directors: Vala Halldorsdottir, Sesselja Vilhjalmsdottir
• Stars: Trip Adler, Alexa Andrzejewski, Mike Butcher
• Where to Watch: Amazon, Vudu, Roku

“The Startup Kids” is a documentary about young entrepreneurs who founded companies such as InDinero, Vimeo, Dropbox, Soundcloud, Kiip, and Foodspotting. Created by two Icelandic women, this movie offers a first-person experience into the lives of young founders who are making their dreams happen and bringing their visions to life. 

If you’re an entrepreneur who is currently building your business from the ground up, or someone who has dreams and ambitions to acquire funding and start building a successful company, then “The Startup Kids” will give you a unique perspective and opportunity to follow several entrepreneurs from companies you may have heard of, or even used in your own life. For inspiration and strategy, this is a great movie for every startup founder to watch at least once.

3. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)

• Director: Martyn Burke
• Stars: Anthony Michael Hall, Noah Wyle, Joey Slotnick
• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Roku, Xfinity, MSN

“Pirates of Silicon Valley” follows two of the most influential “geeks” that ever made their way into business and the tech world – Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. This is a movie about the birth of Apple and Microsoft during the 1970s and how the founders grew their companies into some of the most influential and important businesses in the world. 

Even though your startup is likely on a much smaller scale than Microsoft or Apple, getting a unique view into the lives of prolific entrepreneurs is always a great way to level up your own thinking process, learn from their mistakes, and see firsthand what it took to build corporations on such a massive scale.

4. Generation Start-Up (2016)

• Directors: Cheryl Miller Houser, Cynthia Wade
• Stars: Dextina Booker, Kate Caitlin, Avery Hairston
• Where to Watch: Amazon, Peacock TV, Vudu, Tubi TV, Apple TV, Roku

“Generation Start-Up” is an inspiring film that tracks the lives of six young entrepreneurs from Detroit who go through struggles and daily challenges to bring their business dreams to life. If you’ve ever wanted to see what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in America who is willing to put everything on the line to build their vision, then this is the perfect documentary for you. 

You’ll see the risk-taking, challenging moments, and successes firsthand and may even get some inspiration from the drive and vitality these young entrepreneurs have daily. While the journey isn’t always easy, it is well worth the effort in the long run, especially if you’re someone who knows that building a business is something you want to do in life.

5. Something Ventured (2011)

• Directors: Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine
• Stars: Bill Bowes, Herbert Boyer, Po Bronson
• Where to Watch: Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Prime Video

“Something Ventured” is a film that shows how venture capitalists and entrepreneurs changed our world by funding and building companies such as Apple, Atari, and Cisco. These companies, founded at the very beginning of the internet and technology age, paved the way for entire industries, including microprocessors, biotechnology, and personal computers. 

If you’re a startup founder who wants to see firsthand how fearless individuals put their blood, sweat, and tears into transformative companies, “Something Ventured” is the perfect movie for diving deep into entrepreneurship, innovation, and companies that completely transformed our lives just a few decades later.

6. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

• Director: Alex Gibney
• Stars: John Beard, Tim Belden, Barbara Boxer
• Where to Watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Sling TV, YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu

“Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” is more of a cautionary tale than an inspirational story of entrepreneurship and success. While it seemed like a successful enterprise from the outside, a plethora of corrupt and faulty business practices from within eventually led to Enron’s demise. 

At one point, Enron was the seventh-largest company in the United States, yet it declared bankruptcy just a short year later. This movie is the perfect example of what not to do as a startup founder and entrepreneur, especially in regulated markets like energy and electricity. 

Enron’s downfall was ultimately caused by greed, manipulation of brokerages and banks, gaming California’s deregulated electricity market, and instances of corruption. For a dramatic film that takes you through the fall of a major public company in the US, this title delivers.

7. Steve Jobs: One Last Thing (2011)

• Directors: Sarah Hunt, Mimi O’Connor
• Stars: Bill Fernandez, Robert Palladino, Dean Hovey
• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, PBS

“Steve Jobs: One Last Thing” is a documentary and biography about Steve Jobs, as described by his colleagues, fans, friends, and rivals. This film reflects on the life of Apple’s co-founder, including excerpts from interviews with Jobs not long after his cancer diagnosis and Bill Gates. 

As a startup founder, hearing about great entrepreneurs from their friends, family, and colleagues is a great way to get deep insights into how they acted, their personalities, and what made them tick. Apple is a company that has transformed the technology industry as we know it today, and getting a deeper understanding of the life of Steve Jobs is something every entrepreneur can benefit from.

8. Print the Legend (2014)

• Directors: Luis Lopez, Clay Tweel
• Stars: Chris Anderson, Bruce Bradshaw, Craig Broady
• Where to Watch: Netflix, Roku, Amazon Prime Video

“Print the Legend” is a documentary about innovation and bringing 3D printing technology to homes and industries worldwide. As an entrepreneur, watching this film is a surefire way to get inspired and begin pondering some strategies and tactics for bringing innovation into your business.

This documentary follows the 3D printing revolution and looks at the challenges these startup founders faced when trying to bring this technology forward, even with all of the deniers and unbelievers. Even though your industry is likely not 3D printing directly, you can still take lessons and insights from this film and apply them to your own industry, helping you spread innovation in your own space and fearlessly adapt new technologies, products, and solutions to the old or “traditional” ways of operation.

9. Ctrl+Alt+Compete (2011)

• Director: Brian Giberson
• Stars: Joanne Lang, Mark Gilbreath, Josh Sookman
• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, Xfinity

“Ctrl+Alt+Compete” is a documentary that follows young entrepreneurs in the rapidly growing technology industry as they seek to change the world by solving problems and building their startups from the ground up. This film follows Mike Maples Jr. of Twitter, Tim O’Reilly of the Web 2.0 Summit, Nolan Bushnell of Atari, Felicia Day of The Guild, Tony Hsieh of Zappos, Veronica Belmont of Tekzilla, and Cliff Bleszinski of Gears of War.

This documentary truly captures the amount of work it takes to take an idea and turn it into a real physical product that solves problems in the marketplace. If you’re looking for “the story behind the story” of entrepreneurship, “Ctrl+Alt+Compete” provides an excellent perspective.

10. The Social Network (2010)

• Director: David Fincher
• Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
• Where to Watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV

“The Social Network” is a movie that details the story of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his journey toward creating one of the world’s most popular social networking sites. This film won three Oscars and is the perfect film for any entrepreneur or startup founder who wants to mix some entertainment, drama, and inspiration all in one. 

The plot follows Zuckerberg, a Harvard undergraduate student with a particular knack for computer programming. He begins using his skills to build what would ultimately become a social network for college students and eventually grow into something billions of people use to communicate with their friends, coworkers, family, and colleagues. For an immersive experience that walks you through what it took for Zuckerberg to achieve staggering success and become the world’s youngest billionaire in history, this is a classic entrepreneurial film that won’t disappoint.

11. Jerry Maguire (1996)

• Director: Cameron Crowe
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renee Zellweger
• Where to Watch: HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, YouTube

“Jerry Maguire” is a fun film for startup founders and entrepreneurs that follows a sports agent (Cruise) as he has a moral epiphany and is fired as a result. He decides to test his new philosophy and become an independent agent, even though only one athlete believes in him enough to stay with him through the turbulence. 

Before all of this, life was good – Jerry Maguire was a very successful sports agent who had the respect of his peers, noteworthy clients, and a beautiful fiancee. Now, as he finds himself going out on his own and rebuilding his reality from the ground up, he has to endure the challenges and hardships of life that he never had to face before. 

This is a great film for startup founders, as it shows how vital perseverance is when picking yourself up and pushing forward, no matter how difficult the situation might be.

12. Wall Street (1987)

• Director: Oliver Stone
• Stars: Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Tamar Tunie
• Where to Watch: Paramount+, Sling TV, Vudu, Roku, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube TV

The original “Wall Street” film, directed by Oliver Stone, is a classic movie of ambition, greed, and the main character’s desire to work his way to the top. Bud Fox is a young stockbroker willing to do whatever he needs to make his way in the big city; he ends up enticing corporate raider Gordon Gekko into mentoring him by providing insider trading information and becomes embroiled in various underhanded schemes and greedy endeavors as a result.

As he’s tied up in the mess he created, Fox starts to question where his loyalties lie and whether or not he’s willing to pay the price for his dream of quick riches.

13. The Founder (2016)

• Director: John Lee Hancock
• Stars: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch
• Where to Watch: YouTube, Apple TV, Tubi, Google Play Movies, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu

“The Founder” is a film about Ray Kroc, the salesman behind the massive enterprise we know today as McDonald’s. Through a combination of ruthlessness, persistence, and ambition, Kroc took the innovation of two brothers who created their own fast food eatery and used their ideas to build the largest restaurant chain in the world.

Even though every single one of our stories is unique, as entrepreneurs, we’ll often be faced with some of the same challenges Ray Kroc faced when building companies into successful endeavors. If you’re looking for an interesting film about a prolific entrepreneur, give “The Founder” a watch when you have the opportunity.

14. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

• Director: Gabriele Muccino
• Stars: Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Jaden Smith
• Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Apple TV

“The Pursuit of Happyness” is the story of a struggling salesman and his son and how he built himself up and started a life-changing professional career that significantly improved their quality of life. 

This film is based on a true story about a man named Christopher Gardner who was invested in selling medical devices known as “bone density scanners.” Due to their high cost and similarity to regular X-ray machines, these devices didn’t sell as well as Gardner had initially hoped. He works hard to make ends meet but eventually finds himself out on the streets with his son. 

After working through a number of challenges and difficulties, he manages to land a position as a stockbroker and changes his and his son’s lives forever. 

“The Pursuit of Happyness” is a great film for entrepreneurs and startup founders, specifically because it dives into the challenges of building something from nothing and overcoming obstacles and adversity.

15. Moneyball (2011)

• Director: Bennett Miller
• Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill
• Where to Watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Movies

“Moneyball” is a story about Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane and how he assembled an incredible baseball team with a shoestring budget through computer-generated player analysis — a brand new innovation. 

Beane uses statistical data to sniff out “sleeper” players that others overlook but have amazing skills hiding behind the curtain. Even though his budget was incredibly tight, he could find a competitive advantage that put his team above the competition and turn baseball upside down in the process with his innovative ideas. 

Entrepreneurs often face similar challenges, where innovation comes from a constraint or hindrance that eventually ends up working in their favor. “Moneyball” is a great film to watch for entertainment purposes, but it’s also an excellent movie for entrepreneurs who want to get inspired and begin innovating in their own respective industries.

16. The Big Short

• Director: Adam McKay
• Stars: Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Bitt
• Where to Watch: YouTube, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, Pluto TV

“The Big Short” is a biopic based on a true story, or rather, three parallel true stories at once. Set in 2008, the film centers around Michael Burry, a Wall Street hedge fund manager, who discovers the instability of the US housing market. Burry bets over $1 billion against the housing market. What ensues is a wild ride through a devastating economic crash and how the gamble paid off – at a price.

This is one of the best business movies that skillfully demonstrates corruption and cunning while introducing creative educational tidbits from unexpected sources. With various cameos and several instances of ‘breaking the fourth wall,’ The Big Short is a successful and entertaining portrayal of a pivotal moment in modern American history.

17. The Wolf of Wall Street

• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Stars: Leonardo Di Caprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, YouTube

By successful film director Martin Scorsese, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort and his rise and fall from success.

The movie begins in 1987 when Jordan Belfort – once a promising Wall Street broker – takes on an entry-level position at a brokerage firm. It isn’t long before Belfort sets out to make his stamp on the business world by founding his own firm off of Wall Street. As success grows, so does greed, white-collar crime, and a myriad of illicit activities that lead, eventually, to Belfort’s downfall.

This is a wild tale of greed, addiction, lust, and money – lots of it. Not only is this one of the best entrepreneur movies to demonstrate what not to do when building your business, but it is also highly entertaining and will keep you engaged all the way through.

18. Glengarry Glen Ross

• Director: James Foley
• Stars: Al Pacino, Alex Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon
• Where to Watch: YouTube, Pluto TV, Tubi, Peacock

Based on an award-winning play, “Glengarry Glen Ross” is one of the best business movies to learn one of the most important skills in the business world — sales.

The story follows a New York City real estate office. When the salesmen are informed all but two of the top salesmen will be fired at the end of the week, pressure, competition, and desperation begin to build. This movie teaches some valuable lessons in sales, what to do and not to do, as well as skills for navigating the high-pressure nature of sales.

19. Thank You for Smoking

• Director: Jason Reitman
• Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Adam Brody, Rob Lowe
• Where to Watch: YouTube, Vudu, Google Play, Apple TV

“Thank You for Smoking” is a satirical film based on a book by the same name by Christopher Buckley. The film is about a tobacco lobbyist, Nick Naylor, and his personal battle between fatherhood and promoting harmful products.

The character ricochets between the drive to be a great role model for his son while being the face of Big Tobacco. And, to make things more complicated, a sentor-driven anti-smoking campaign threatening the career he’s built.

Notably, the firm’s executive producers include Elon Musk, Max Levchin, and Peter Theil. This is more of a business movie, less of an entrepreneur film, that masterfully portrays the sometimes inharmonious balance between values and success.

20. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

• Director: Chris Smith
• Stars: Ja Rule, Billy McFarland
• Where to Watch: Netflix

“Fyre” is a documentary film about the infamous luxury music festival that never was: Fyre Festival. This documentary by the same name is one of the best business movies for entrepreneurs as it provides a look into the true story behind one entrepreneur, fraud, and failure.

Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland’s cautionary tale demonstrates the consequence behind failing to deliver on promises – especially after taking on investment.

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• How to Start a Startup in 10 Steps (2024 Guide) September 30, 2024
• What Is a Startup? July 2, 2024
• 80 Best Startup Ideas to Make Money in 2024 September 26, 2024

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• Startup Marketing
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The Best Movies About Entrepreneurship

1. The Social Network

2. Steve Jobs

3. The Founder

4. The Pursuit of Happyness

5. The Wolf of Wall Street

6. It's a Wonderful Life

7. There Will Be Blood

8. Nightcrawler

9. The Big Short

10. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

11. Office Space

12. Glengarry Glen Ross

13. Lord of War

14. Thank You for Smoking

15. The Aviator

16. Trading Places

17. Erin Brockovich

18. Wall Street

19. Molly's Game

20. Jerry Maguire

22. War Dogs

23. Tommy Boy

24. Risky Business

25. You've Got Mail

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7 Film Biographies to Inspire Every Entrepreneur Movies can be thrilling flights of imagination but none more so than those depicting the struggles of true-life entrepreneurs.

By Vikas Lalwani Edited by Dan Bova Oct 17, 2014

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Movies are a great source of inspiration, and while there is no dearth of good fictional movies, what really inspires me are biographies. Fiction requires a powerful imagination and have strengths of their own, but true stories are the ones that make the real kill.

It is an awe-inspiring feeling to know what I am seeing did "actually' happen, with real people, in the real world. So, with enormous difficulty, I am listing down a few among the many great bio-pics that I would recommend every entrepreneur to watch and learn from:

1. Tucker: The Man and His Dream

It recounts the life story of Preston Tucker, the automotive genius behind " Tucker 48 ', a car which was way ahead of its time. In fact, many of the safety features that you see in contemporary cars were inherited from original Tucker 48 sedan.

Many of you might not have heard of this powerful biography, but some of its scenes are worth watching at least a few times. As young startups try to stand tall against incumbents, Tucker stood against all major automobile manufacturers to fight for this dream.

Related: 4 Movie Plots That Modern Technology Would Have Destroyed

2. The Aviator

This is my favorite movie from this list and it is not because of either the director or the actors. Although that might be playing some part at subconscious level, it is the courageous and risk taking personality of Howard Hughes that amazed me.

I can't imagine a more interesting life than that of Howard Hughes. There's practically nothing that he didn't do. He made movies, designed and flew aircraft, ran his business and invented stuff. He wasn't afraid to take risks and defy conventions to make his way - qualities every great entrepreneur should possess.

3. American Gangster

Now this might seem like an unusual entry in this list, but wait till you watch it. Don't be fooled. This movie is much more than a story of a gangster. Frank Lucas did not attend any school to learn how to build or run a business. He used his common sense, street smarts and skills to build an empire.

It will show you what resourcefulness and sheer determination can do. No doubt, he chose an illegal path but what is worth seeing in this movie is not what he did but how he did it, to perfection.

4. The Social Network

It is based on founding story of Facebook and shows how Mark Zuckerberg took it from his dorm room to a company worth billions of dollars. Although it was a bit over-dramatized, you get to experience the Zuck's way of thinking and his attitude towards everything.

True, he did some things that were not ideal and you might even hate him for that. Hate him or love him, you'll be impressed with how fast he transformed the way we network.

Related: Need Inspiration? Surprising Movies, Books and More to Motivate Success

5. Pirates of Silicon Valley

It covers the early days of two of the biggest tech companies, Apple and Microsoft, what the founders did before starting the companies and how they fought their way to the top.

Watch it to see the eccentricities of both Jobs and Gates. It is difficult to choose the best part of this movie. It is filled with great pieces, like the scene in which Gates got the IBM deal or the one in which he convinced Jobs that they were not working on Windows (when in reality they were). It's a must watch for anyone in the tech industry.

6. The Pursuit of Happiness

It is based on the struggling period of Chris Gardner's life. This was my first movie from this list and is probably one of the most heartwarming and motivational movies I've ever watched.

Watch this movie to experience the journey of a determined man fighting all odds to realize his dream. You can not come out of this movie feeling uninspired, that much I can guarantee.

7. The Wolf of Wall Street

It covers the true story of the outlandish rise and eventual fall of Jordan Belfort. He was an honest Wall Street broker in the beginning, but he soon transformed into a corrupt one. What you see on screen is the perfect combination of greed and ambition.

What amazed me most was how he convinced others to join him in the beginning. He took some not-so-smart folks and turned them into superstar salesman. If you have ever tried to hire someone yourself, you know that is not an easy task .

Related: 10 Movies Every Entrepreneur Needs to Watch

Marketing Analyst

Vikas Lalwani is a member of the marketing team at  FusionCharts , a startup providing JavaScript charts to 23,000+ customers. He is also community manager at  Zidisha , a Y Combinator backed non-profit helping entrepreneurs in developing countries. You can catch him on Twitter via  @LalwaniVikas . 

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