8 Great Films about Writers and the Writing Lifestyle

There’s nothing like a great movie about writing to blast your mind out of an episode of writer’s block. Nobody will appreciate these movies as much as a writer will. Here are some great films about writers and the writing lifestyle

Midnight in Paris

Owen Wilson stars as a vacationing writer who finds himself transported back in time to meet famous authors of the 1920s. “This is a great film for any writer, but especially fans of authors such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Wilson plays a successful screenwriter who is having trouble completing his first novel,” writes Cynthia Kehoe, culture editor at Academized and Paper Fellows.    

Barton Fink

Barton Fink is a satirical look at Hollywood writers and writer’s block in general. “John Turturro stars as a playwright whose dream of becoming a Hollywood writer runs up against not just writer’s block, but untrustworthy people and the morbid reality of death. It’s a great black comedy about the difficulty of being a struggling writer and its effects on a person’s mental health,” recommends Annette Shain, movie writer at State of Writing and Australian help.

Stranger than Fiction

Will Ferrell stars as a man who begins to hear a voice narrate his life and starts to suspect he may be a character in someone else’s novel. The lesson to take away from this film is that you shouldn’t ever get hung up on a bad first draft. The key is to write and rewrite until you’re happy with your creation. “Sometimes a novel, or a character, takes on a life of its own and you end up with something completely unexpected. That’s just one of the joys of writing fiction, unless you’re Will Ferrell’s character, that is,” says William Simpson, lifestyle blogger at Big assignments. 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

This movie is all about the true story of Jean-Dominic Bauby, the famous editor of French Elle. Mathieu Almaric stars in this film that chronicles the journey of a man who suffers full-body paralysis in his forties. Together with his nurse, he comes up with an ingenious language made up only of eye movements and writes a novel. If you’ve ever felt like you were facing challenges in completing some writing work, watching this movie will inspire you to keep going. 

Julie and Julia

Amy Adams stars as a woman on a mission to blog about her attempt to make every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook. This is a great movie if you’re a blogger who is looking for some inspiration. It’s a movie about battling past a period of discouragement. In the beginning, only her mother reads her blog, but through her persistence she builds a loyal fanbase. A great film about how to stay positive and consistent as a blogger seeking a following. 

The Ghost Writer

This film stars Ewan McGregor as a writer selected to ghostwrite the remainder of the British prime minister’s memoirs. Ghostwriting might not seem like an exciting premise for a movie, but things take an intriguing turn when dark secrets come to light. McGregor’s character discovers that his predecessor died mysteriously after unveiling some sketchy links between the prime minister and the CIA and is forced to make some difficult decisions. 

Almost Famous

Patrick Fugit stars as a 15-year-old aspiring journalist named William Miller in this coming of age film. He’s given the assignment of his young life: covering a famous rock band as they go on tour, for Rolling Stone. It’s a great film about being determined to finish an assignment despite facing a ton of obstacles. Miller shrugs past doubts about being too young and does what is necessary to complete his writing. 

Capote

This is a film about the famous author, Truman Capote, portrayed by Philip Seymour-Hoffman, as he travels to a small town to investigate a gruesome mass killing. One theme about writing that is not explored often is the interactions between a writer and his subjects, and this film does an excellent job of diving into that. Capote struggles with his objectivity when he finds himself becoming close with one of the murder suspects. In fact, he loses his journalistic integrity in his quest to create a great story. Fortunately for his readers, and this film’s audience, the consequences he faces make for a compelling journey. 

Conclusion

If you’re a writer, then you probably watch movies in a slightly different way than the average person. You can appreciate all the joys and pains that go into putting together a piece of writing worthy of becoming a film. There’s something fascinating about a film based around the life of a writer and the writing process. These films can give you some incredible insight into the mind of a writer and what it’s like to pour your life and energy out onto the page. These eight films all give a unique perspective into the life of a writer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ellie Coverdale, a lifestyle writer at UK Writings and Essay Roo, loves reading and writing reviews of her favorite books. Her passion is the world of fantasy and magical beings, and you can find more of her articles at Boom Essays.