Business movies are a great source of entertainment and education for aspiring entrepreneurs. Movies related to the business are predominantly non-fiction, meaning the plot and characters are established based on real-world events.
Movies are abundant in the market, and it might be inconvenient to choose from the never-ending list. This article has sorted out the 20 best business movies to watch based on their critical ratings. These movies have great storylines which offer insight into the real-world market and business enterprises.
Here are the 20 Best Business movies every aspiring entrepreneur must watch.
1. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
The global economy is on the verge of collapse. A young Wall Street trader partners with a former corporate raider Gordan Geeko. Geeko served his time in jail and is disgraced by his peers. But the raider’s future son-in-law Jake Moore looks for an opportunity to bring down a Wall Street enemy and rebuild Geeko’s empire.
The drama-thriller has an IMDb rating of 6.2 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 55%.
The movie is written by Allan Loeb, Stephen Schiff, and Stanley Weiser. Directed by Oliver Stone, the movie is a joint venture of Twentieth Century Fox, Pressman Film, and Dune Entertainment.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps was released theatrically on 6 October 2010. It is available for streaming on Disney+, Prime Video, Roku, and Apple TV.
The movie has a group of a talented cast of:
- Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko
- Carey Mulligan as Winnie Gekko
- Shia LaBeouf as Jake Moore
- Carey Mulligan as Winnie Gekko
- Josh Brolin as Bretton James
- Frank Langella as Louis Zabel
2. The Big Short (2015)
The big short is a biographical drama that follows a group of investors who bet against the US mortgage market from 2006 to 2007. The group discovered that the market is fundamentally flawed and corrupt in their research. Three separate but parallel stories of the US housing crisis are narrated in the movie.
The Big Short is a movie adaptation of a book of the same name by Michael Lewis. Charles Randolph and Adam McKay wrote the screenplay; the latter is also the director.
The movie holds an IMDb rating of 7.8 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 89%. It is available for streaming on Kanopy, Prime Video, Vudu, and Apple TV.
The Big Short was released on 11 December 2016 in the US. The movie was critically acclaimed and earned a lot of praise for its storytelling. It has an ensemble cast of top actors:
- Steve Carell as Mark Baum
- Christian Bale as Michael Burry
- Ryan Gosling as Jared Vennett
- Brad Pitt as Ben Rickert
- Jeremy Strong as Vinny Daniel
- Marisa Tomei as Cynthia Baum
The Social Network is a biographical drama about the youngest billionaire of his time, Mark Zuckerberg. The movie follows the life story of Havard student Zuckerberg who creates a social networking site, Facebook, with his friend Eduardo. He is successful in his venture however has to deal with personal and legal complications that follow.
The movie is an adaptation of a book by Ben Mezrich, The Accidental Billionaires, published in 2009. It was written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher.
The Social Network was released on 1 October 2010 in the US. The movie has an IMDb rating of 7.8 / 10 and a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score. It is available for streaming on fuboTV and Paramount+.
The cast of the movies includes:
- Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg
- Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin
- Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker
- Rooney Mara as Erica Albright
- Bryan Barter as Billy Olson
- Joseph Mazzello as Dustin Moskovitz
4. Jerry Maguire (1996)
Jerry Maguire is a top-notch sports agent troubled by the system’s unethical practices. A single agent had multiple clients to deal with at once. Moreover, the agents treated their clients as products rather than people. Jerry is determined to stand by his beliefs but gets fired from his job for his manifestations. So, he started his own business with just a single client left.
Jerry Maguire was theatrically released in the US on 13 December 1996. The movie was written and directed by Cameron Crowe. Leigh Steinberg, an American sports agent, served as a consultant for Crowe to create the lead character.
The movie has a Metacritic rating of 77% and an IMDb rating of 7.3 / 10. It is available for streaming on Netflix, Spectrum TV, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
Tom Cruise stars as the titular character Jerry Maguire. Other cast members include:
- Cuba Gooding Jr. as Rod Tidwell
- Renee Zellweger as Dorothy Boyd
- Kelly Preston as Avery Bishop
- Jerry O’Connell as Frank Cushman
- Jay Mohr as Bob Sugar
- Bonnie Hunt as Laurel Boyd
5. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Chris Gardner is a struggling salesman who faces failure after failure. Tired of the situation, his wife decides to separate. Financially broke, Chris takes custody of his son and sets out to find a job.
The Pursuit of Happyness is an adaptation of a book of the same name by Chris Gardner. The book is about a financially broke single parent aspiring to become a renowned Wall Street stockbroker.
The movie was released on 15 December 2006. It was well-received by critics and audiences alike. It has an IMDb rating of 8 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 67%. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime, Paramount+, and Netflix.
The Pursuit of Happyness was written by Steve Conard and directed by Gabriele Muccino. The movie stars Will Smith in the lead role as Chris Gardner. Other cast members of the movie are:
- Jaden Smith as Christopher
- Thandiwe Newton as Linda
- Brian Howe as Jay Twistle
- James Karen as Martin Frohm
- Dan Castellaneta as Alan Frakesh
- Kurt Fuller as Walter Ribbion
6. Inside Job (2010)
In 2008, the world faced a global financial crisis. It was the most severe financial meltdown after the Great Depression of 1930. The movie Inside Job takes a closer look at what caused the catastrophe.
Inside Job was released on 8 October 2010. Sony Pictures Classics produced the project in collaboration with Representational Pictures and Screen Pass Pictures.
The docu-drama was widely acclaimed and had an IMDb rating of 8.2 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%. It is available for streaming on Netflix.
Inside Job is written and directed by Charles Ferguson. Chad Beck and Adam Bolt were involved as the co-writers. The movie is narrated by Matt Damon and features real-life people, including:
- Gylfi Zoega
- Andri Magnason
- Sigridur Benediktsdottir
- Paul Volcker
- Dominique Strauss-Kahn
- George Soros
7. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
The 20th century was the age of revolution in technology. The astonishing accomplishments of visionaries Bill Gates and Steve Jobs changed the world. Pirates of the Silicon Valley is the story of two geniuses Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, and Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computers.
Pirates of the Silicon Valley is based on a book by Michael Swaine and Paul Freiberger, Fire in the Valley. The book was originally published in 1984.
Written and directed by Martyn Burke, the movie was released on 20 June 1999 in the US. TNT Network distributed it.
Rotten Tomatoes assigned a score of 89% for the movie, and the IMDb rating stands at 7.2 / 10. It is available for streaming on Kanopy on Roku devices.
The major casts of the movie include:
- Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs
- Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates
- Joey Slotnick as Steve Wozniak
- John DiMaggio as Steve Ballmer
- Marcus Giamatti as Daniel Kottke
- Josh Hopkins as Paul Allen
8. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
The Wolf of Wall Street is a true story of American stockbroker Jordan Belfort. The black comedy follows Belfort from his rise to one of the wealthiest stockbrokers to his ultimate downfall involving crime and corruption.
The black comedy is directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Terence Winter. The movie is an adaptation of the autobiographical novel by Jordan Belfort.
The movie has an IMDb rating of 8.2 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 80%. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime, Epix, and Paramount+.
The movie was theatrically released on 25 December 2013. It includes an ensemble cast of talented actors:
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort
- Jonah Hills as Donnie Azoff
- Margot Robbie as Naomi Lapaglia
- Matthew McConaughey as Mark Hanna
- Kyle Chandler as Agent Patrick Denham
- Rob Reiner as Max Belfort
- Jon Favreau as Manny Riskin
9. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
Enron: The Smartest Guys is a documentary about the Enron corporation. The documentary showcases how the corporation’s faulty and corrupt business practices led to its ultimate demise. The failure of Enron is one of the most disastrous failures of a business in modern times.
Enron: The Smartest Guys was released on 22 April 2005. The documentary produced by 2929 Entertainment received wide acclaim. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 97% and an IMDb rating of 7.6 / 10.
The documentary is based on the best-selling book of the same name. Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind 2003 wrote the book. Alex Gibney is the writer and director of the historical documentary.
The movie is available for streaming on Roku Channel, Vudu, Prime Video, Hulu, and Apple TV.
Enron: The Smartest Guys presents archive footage of Tim Belden, Barbara Boxer, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Other important names include:
- John Beard, former Enron Accountant
- James Chanos as self
- Dick Cheney as self
- Gray Davis as self
- Peter Coyote as the narrator and others.
10. Margin Call (2011)
Margin Call is a story about a group of key people working at an investment bank during the onset of the financial crisis of 2008. A prestigious company is downsizing, and one of the victims is the risk management division head, who was working on a major project. Then his protege completes the analysis and discovers the actual reason for the company’s financial downfall.
The movie Margin call is a drama thriller written and directed by J.C. Chandor. The thriller was released on 21 October 2011 in the US.
The thriller has an IMDb score of 7.1 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 87%. It is available for streaming on Netflix, Vudu, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
Margin Call is jointly produced by Before The Door Pictures, Benaroya Pictures, and Washington Square Films. The movie has many talented casts, including:
- Kevin Spacey as Sam Rogers
- Paul Bettany as Will Emerson
- Jeremy Irons as John Tuld
- Zachary Quinto as Peter Sullivan
- Penn Badgley as Sth Bregman
- Simon Baker as Jared Cohen
- Demi Moore as Sarah Robertson
11. The Founder (2016)
The Founder is the story of Ray Kroc, the owner of McDonald’s Corporation. Kroc, with his ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness, turned his brothers’ innovative fast food into one of the biggest restaurant businesses in the world.
The Founder is a biographical drama written by Robert Siegel and directed by John Lee Hancock. The movie is a joint venture of The Weinstein Company, FilmNation Entertainment, and Faliro House Productions.
The Founder was theatrically released on 17 February 2017. The film stars Michael Keaton in the lead role as Ray Kroc. Other casts include;
- Nick Offerman as Dick McDonald
- John Carroll Lynch as Mac McDonald
- Linda Cardellini as Joan Smith
- B.J. Novak as Harry J. Sonneborn
12. The Aviator (2004)
The Aviator is a biographical drama that follows the career of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes from the 1920s to the mid-40s. Howard is a genius and a billionaire who suffers from mental illness, which threatens his career.
The movie follows Hughes’ early filmmaking years but focuses mainly on his role in designing experimental aircraft and the formation of TWA as a rival to Pan Am Airlines.
The Aviator has an IMDb rating of 7.2 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 81%.
The movie is an adaptation of the 1993 book Howard Hughes: The Secret Life. John Logan is the writer of The Aviator, directed by Martin Scorsese.
Distributed by Miramax Films, The Aviator has an ensemble cast of:
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes
- Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn
- Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner
- John C. Reilly as Noah Dietrich
- Alec Baldwin as Juan Trippe
- Jude Law as Errol Flynn
13. Moneyball (2011)
Billy Beane is a baseball general manager who successfully assembles a baseball team on a slim budget. Billy is assisted by an economics graduate Peter Brand who applies a computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Together, Billy and Peter create one of the most competitive teams using computer-based methods, challenging the established conventions of sports.
IMDb rating of the movie is 7.6 / 10, and the Rotten Tomatoes score is 94%. The movie is an adaptation of a book by Michael Lewis that was initially published in 2003.
Moneyball was theatrically released on 19 September 2011. Bennett Miller is the movie director that Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin wrote.
Colombia Pictures and Plan B Entertainment produced the sports drama. It hosts an ensemble cast of:
- Brad Pitt as Billy Beane
- Jonah Hill as Peter Brand
- Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteberg
- Robin Wright as Sharon
- Philip Seymour Hoffman as Art Howe
14. Steve Jobs (2015)
Steve Jobs is a biographical movie about the founder and CEO of Apple Company. The movie primarily focuses on the challenges Jobs faced, personally and professionally, while trying to launch three Apple products in the market.
The movie lets us explore the drama and conflicts that happened behind the scenes during the launch of three revolutionary products in 1998; the iPhone, iPod, and iMac.
Steve Jobs was released on 23 October 2015 and was distributed by Universal Pictures. The movie has an IMDb rating of 7.2 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 85%.
The movie is adapted from the book “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson, which was published in 2011. Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay, and Danny Boyle directed the movie
The major cast of the movie includes:
- Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs
- Kate Winslet as Jonna Hoffman
- Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak
- Jeff Daniels as John Sculley
- Michael Stuhlbarg as Andy Hertzfeld
- Katherine Waterston as Chrisann Brennan
15. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Andy is a young graduate who is smart and sensible. An aspiring journalist, she comes to New York and becomes an assistant to Miranda Priestly. Miranda is one of the biggest editors-in-chief of a fashion magazine and is very demanding, ruthless, and cynical.
The Devil Wears Prada was officially released on 30 June 2006 in the US. It was written by Aline Brosh McKenna and directed by David Frankel. The movie is an adaptation of the novel by Lauren Weisberger, published in 2003.
The Devil Wears Prada has an IMDb rating of 6.9 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 75%.
The comedy-drama was produced by Fox 2000 Pictures, Dune Entertainment, and Wendy Finerman Productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It has star-studded casts that include:
- Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly
- Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs
- Emily Blunt as Emily
- Stanley Tucci as Nigel
- Simon Baker as Christian Thompson
- Adrina Grenier as Nate
- Gisele Bundchen as Serena
16. Thank You For Smoking (2005)
Thank You For Smoking is a comedy-drama that follows the career of Nick Naylor, a spokesman for the cigarette business. Nick is trying to be a role model for his 12-year-old son but struggles to explain the nature of his work.
The movie was theatrically released on 17 March 2006 in the US and was written and directed by Jason Reitman. The IMDb rating of the comedy-drama is 7.5 / 10, and the Rotten Tomatoes score is 86%.
The comedy-drama is an adaptation of the novel Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley, originally published in 1994. It is a fictional novel about a tobacco lobbyist, Nick Buckley.
The satirical drama was produced by Room 9 Entertainment and ContentFilm and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. The cast of the movie is listed below:
- Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor
- Rob Lowe as Jeff Megall
- Adam Brody as Jack
- Maria Bello as Polly Bailey
- Katie Holmes as Heather Holloway
- Sam Elliott as Lorne Lutch
- J.K. Simmons as BR
- Cameron Bright as Joey Naylor
17. Any Given Sunday (1999)
Aging football coach Tony D’Amato is dealing with his team’s losses in the league and internal conflicts. His first-choice quarterback Cap Rooney is out of the game due to injury, which compels him to bring on a third-stringer, William Beaman. But the unexpected rise of Beaman forces Tony to reevaluate his time-tested values and strategies.
Oliver Stone is the director and screenplay writer of the sports drama that Daniel Pyne and John Logan wrote.
The movie was released on 16 December 1999, and it has an IMDb rating of 6.9 / 10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 52%.
Any Given Sunday is a joint production venture of The Donners’ Company and Ixtlan productions which Warner Bros distributed. The major cast members of the sports drama include:
- Al Pacino as Tony D’Amato
- Oliver Stone as Tug Kowalski
- Jamie Foxx as Willie Beamen
- Cameron Diaz as Christina Pagniacci
- Dennis Quaid as Jack Rooney
- Lawrence Taylor as Luther Lavay
- LL Cool J as Julain Washington
18. From Bedrooms to Billions (2014)
From Bedrooms to Billions is a documentary movie that explores how the Sony Playstation revolutionized the gaming industry and took the gaming experience to a whole new level. It shows the remarkable true story of the British Video Games Industry and how the creativity and vision of a handful of individuals pioneered in shaping a billion-dollar video game industry.
The documentary movie was originally released on 3 October 2014 in the United Kingdom. Anthony Caulfield and Nicola Caulfield are the writers and directors of the documentary, which was produced by Gracious Films.
From Bedrooms to Billions has an IMDb rating of 6.8 / 10.
The feature-length documentary features interview records of the key people who changed the gaming industry. Some of the names are listed below:
- Shahid Ahmad
- Nigel Alderton
- Nick Alexander
- Chris Anderson
- Mike Austin
- Pete Austin
- Jim Bagley
- David Braben
19.Becoming Warren Buffett (2017)
Warren Buffett is among the richest men on the planet. Buffett is a legendary stock market investor who advocates the idea of value investing. He started as a beginner in the stock market with a great understanding of numbers and promptly rose as one of the most successful and influential investors of the 20th Century.
The documentary movie Becoming Warren Buffett brings on screen the story of Warren Buffett’s personal life and career. The investor is interviewed about his upbringing, studies, interest in investing, and time as a Benjamin Graham student.
The docu-drama has an IMDb rating of 7.5 / 10.
Buffett’s friends, family, and colleagues are interviewed and featured in the documentary. Buffett’s wife, Susan Buffett, and longtime business partner Charlie Munger are also a part of the documentary.
The documentary movie was initially released on 30 January 2017. The biographical documentary was written by Chris Chuang and directed by Peter W. Kunhardt.
Becoming Warren Buffett is produced by Kunhardt Films, which also includes archive footage of Bill gates. Here is the list of people featured in the documentary:
- Warren Buffett
- Melinda Gates
- Saul Bisht
- Susie Buffett Jr.
- Bertie Buffett
- Howie Buffett
- Justin Van Voorhis
- Mitchell Savitsky
20. Too Big to Fail (2011)
Too Big to Fail follows Richard Fuld from late March to mid-October 2008 and his feeble attempt to save Lehman Brothers. Similarly, the movie includes the conversation among the key members, including Hank Paulson (the Secretary of the Treasury), Ben Bernanke (chair of the Federal Reserve), and Tim Geithner (president of the New York Fed) as they seek a solution for Lehman.
The historical drama has a rating of 7.3 / 10 on IMDb and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 77%.
Too Big to Fail is a TV movie written by Peter Gould and directed by Curtis Hanson. The biographical drama is produced by Deuce Three Productions, HBO Films, and Home Box Office (HBO).
The movie is an adaptation of the 2009 book by Andrew Ross Sorkin. Too Big to Fail was released on 23 May 2011 and consists of an ensemble cast that includes:
- James Woods as Richard Fuld
- John Heard as Joe Gregory
- William Hurt as Henry Paulson
- Erin Dilly as Christal West
- Amy Carlson as Erin Callan
- Topher Grace as Jim Wilkinson
- Ayad Akhtar as Neel Kashkari
- Cynthia Nixon as Michele Davis
- Kathy Baker as Wendy Paulson
- Edward Asner as Warren Buffett