Money, money, money. Monaaaaay! Or so the song goes. Movies and shows about making money can be addicting to watch; the allure of success, fantasy of freedom and the rise and fall of the players involved.
Here are my picks of the best movies about money and business.
Boiler Room
Much like a modern day Wall Street, Boiler Room is an edgy movie about a guy that’s tired of running the daily game of trying to make some money and decides to go after the stock market instead.
As he points out, you either go for it all or you sit by the wayside while opportunity pass you by – sounds familiar when you think about your own business ideas, huh?
Following the same parallels as Wall Street, even including scenes dedicated to the movie, Boiler Room is a very relaxing but intense movie.
I particularly enjoy this movie because it has a more urban and young feel to the movie. Every player in Boiler Room are young and the rising stars for their business.
Read the reviews about Boiler Room on Amazon.
Pi
Pi is an insane movie from the director of the well known movie Requiem for a Dream.
Being a complete genius with numbers and computers, Max stumbles upon patterns within the stock market which predicts the results of the next day. But it’s not all sunshine with this discovery.
Governments, individuals and private corporations all want to know how Max does it. With increasing pressure from all, Max starts to become more and more paranoid.
Pi is really great because it’s shot on a low budget – black and white, gritty and plenty of intense scenes of paranoia. The movie shows how knowledge can be a double edged sword.
Read the reviews about Pi on Amazon to see what others are saying.
21 “Bringing Down The House”
A few years ago I read the book Bringing Down the House – a book about how MIT students use their knowledge to beat blackjack in Las Vegas.
Based on a true story, I devoured the book in an afternoon. A short while later the movie came out; this movie was called 21.
Although not completely taken from the text, the movie is quick and fun. The characters go from learning how to count cards all the way up to being so wrapped up in the game that they need to use fake identities to continue their tricks.
There’s also some great ideas you can generate from the movie: although you may think you fit a certain role, always use your knowledge to pursue different options.
Read the reviews on 21 or check out the book if you want the full story.
Wall Street
Wall Street, staring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen, is a classic movie about the New York stock market, major trades and the dangers of insider trading.
Without a doubt, Wall Street is the quintessential movie about making money. I don’t want to spoil it for you but this movie shows a glaring portrayal of the stock market during the 80′s – it’s got it all.
Charlie Sheen’s character is an up-and-coming star within the stock market that finally lands the big whale but it doesn’t stop with the small time. Once in Michael Douglas’ pocket, Sheen shows how going after the big one has its ups and downs.
I really like this movie because it shows a time which I did not get to experience – only told through stories. I highly recommend it to see the full ride of how dangerous greed can get you.
Read what others have to say about Wall Street on Amazon.
Ocean’s Trilogy
The Ocean’s trilogy are about a group of gamblers, hackers and an all-round group that knows the thief game. Where better than to break the bank than in Las Vegas itself.
I really like the Ocean’s movies because they’re smooth. Everything flows well, the characters are equally awesome and the twists keep you excited and on your seat.
The movies aren’t just about stealing though; these movies are really funny at times. The characters bounce off of one another as if they’ve been friends for years.
The real takeaway from the movies come from how much opportunities are out there through networking with your friends.
Check out the full reviews of the excellent Ocean’s movies.
Casino
Ughhhhhh, Casino. I absolutely love this movie. You know it’s going to be good when you have Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci.
Two hustlers/gangsters turned Las Vegas mavericks, Casino is quite a lengthy movie about the beginning rush of the Las Vegas hype. Being there at the right time, Casino portrays an old school look on Vegas and the seedy business that went on behind the scenes.
I really like the movie because it shows a great human element. You have Robert DeNiro trying to keep everything straight while Joe Pesci continues his mob under-ties to strong arm the casinos.
The take-away from Casino is that no matter what business you’re in, try to keep a straight line and you won’t end up in the desert.
Casino is definitely worth watching if you’ve got that buzz for mafia and money movies.
Be sure to check out some additional reviews on Casino at Amazon.
Scarface
Ah, the classic. Scarface, unless you’ve been living under a rock, is the essential gangster movie about Tony Montana rising up from the poor to riches and then losing it all – but the ride is what it’s all about.
Scarface isn’t for everyone though: plenty of drugs, violence and swearing riddle the movie but that’s what makes it all the more crazy. There’s some aspect of the movie that we all want to live out. We all want to go from nothing to having it all while running our own game. Scarface is exactly about that but it certainly has some rough edges along the ride – plus, who can complain when you have such an awesome 80′s soundtrack?
The take-away from this movie is that if an opportunity rises, you must take it. Kick back with your friends and catch this flick – the world is yours.
You probably have seen it but you may want to check out more reviews about Scarface.
What are your picks for the best movies about money & business?
Got any other movies about money and business you’d like to share? Get some popcorn going and let’s all have a movie night!
Image by Founding Farmers
Great picks here. I saw Ben Mezrich at a book signing several years ago and always intended to see “21.”
My favorite movie about money and business is “Risky Business.” Fast forward through the “Old Time Rock and Roll” lip sync (even kids born at the turn of the millennium have seen that too many times) and just enjoy the small town boy’s entrepreneurial (and adult) education.
I wonder if all the excess of the eighties was fueled by the statement, “Sometimes you just have to say, WTF.”
Tammi Kibler´s last [type] ..Freelance Isn’t Free
Sounds like my type of movie Tammi – I’ll definitely have to check it out.
I agree with the statement – some things warrant the WTF; life is quite interesting.
I didn’t really like 21 that much. I thought they could have done better. I haven’t seen pi, but I really want to. And I have to agree that Scarface isn’t for everyone. You really need to be in the mood for an epic Oliver Stone 3 hour killing spree.
I highly recommend Pi. It’s really weird but it’s one of those “must-see” movies. A bit of a mind-f… but makes you think a lot too.
Well, I just saw Pi (based on the suggestions here) and it is the WORST movie I hv ever seen. I think am a pretty smart guy (a geek), and I can recognize movies tht ‘try to be smart’. Just hate movies like that…
This is absolutely rubbish – no substance, no story, no logic (or math or anything interesting), nothing worth watching at all. And because it has nothing – 70-80% of the movie is filled him getting crazy strokes (and rubbish filler content like that).
I actually really liked Pi the best out of all of these actually because it really put you on your edge about the whole idea of chasing perfection – there’s a lot of little things about the movie such as how Max was pretty much going insane to find the number that really hit home to me because I know that I personally delve too much into a topic sometimes to the point that I feel like I’m slipping out of control.
I adore the movie “21″. I actually bought it first day it came out on DVD. I’m not going to go completely critic and tell you everything that is awesome and terrible about it, but it teaches that no matter how much success you have, you can get brought down if you’re not careful.
Great post and list, Murlu!
I really like it because of the smoothness – reminded me a lot of the Ocean’s movies. There were some variances from the book but it’s worth overlooking, makes me wanna watch the movie tonight ha.
I’ve seen about half of these. I had no idea Pi was about the stock market – now I want to see it!
My favorite movie about money is Trading Places, with Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, and Jamie Lee Curtis. It’s very funny, but also an accurate look at commodities trading.
Jennifer Barry´s last [type] ..Stranger in His Own Land
Ohhh Trading Places is a classic – old Eddie Murphy was hilarious, always loved his stand up. In some way, Coming To America shows a pretty good side of business too!
I didn’t think of Coming to America but you’re right about that. Eddie Murphy used to be so funny – what happened?
Jennifer Barry´s last [type] ..Top 8 Signs You Should Leave Your Job
I dub it the “family film effect” – Ice Cube went that way too. I guess when you get older you start to settle down, focus on family and such. At least we have his older standup
Good film choices here Murray. I love the Ocean’s films – bar Oceans 12. It’s the only time I’ve ever nearly walked out of the cinema.
What about Jerry Maguire – ‘Show me the money!’
Matthew Needham´s last [type] ..How to grow your business part 10
I really liked the thief aspect of 12 but I think what didn’t do it for me was how they went into the “real-life” aspect with Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis – kind of ruined the momentum of the film ya know?
I just came to the movie bioler room through you, i saw it! Thank you!
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Devil Wears Prada. The ruthlessness of the fashion industry is so HOT! lol. The business is too competitive and you’ve got to be on your toes to make headway.
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