5 Great Movies About Business

by Lewis Robinson

The world of business is complex, multidimensional, and high-stakes. In other words, it’s the perfect setting for Hollywood movies! Business movies can be inspiring biopics, seedy exposes, and everything in between. There’s no limit to the creative inspiration filmmakers draw from business. Here are five very different, but very interesting films about the business world.

“Joy”

Let’s start with the true story of a scrappy entrepreneur who is so determined to succeed that when she does, she sets a whole industry on fire. David O. Russell’s 2015 film “Joy” stars Jennifer Lawrence as Joy Mangano. Joy creates a self-wringing mop, and the movie chronicles her struggle to market it and get it into stores. In the end, she lands a deal with QVC. Long before the days of the hybrid workplace and online sales, home shopping was huge, and Joy makes blockbuster sales selling her mop on television. It’s an inspiring rags-to-riches tale!

“The Greatest Showman”

Business movies can be made in any genre. Case in point: the hugely successful 2017 musical “The Greatest Showman.” “The Greatest Showman” tells the story of the rise of the legendary P.T. Barnum, portrayed by Hugh Jackman in a magnetic performance. Barnum’s empire-building story should be of interest to any business person, and the music is inspiring. The film also features an incredible visual style and strong supporting performances.

“Margin Call”

Making a compelling film about complicated, abstract business concepts can be challenging if not downright impossible. That make’s J.C. Chandor’s 2011 picture “Margin Call” even more impressive. “Margin Call” is a fictional distillation of the subprime mortgage crisis that led to the great recession. An ensemble cast including Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Demi More, Jeremy Irons, and Stanley Tucci walks us through a dramatized series of events when a financial firm discovers the U.S. economy is on the verge of disaster. The film skillfully navigates intricate concepts of economics, leaving with a tense and entertaining tone.

“Steve Jobs”

Steve Jobs was one of the most famous and innovative business leaders of all time. His life was rife with drama and intrigue and has been turned into a few different Hollywood projects. Danny Boyle’s 2015 film “Steve Jobs,” however, rises above the rest. 

There are several key components that make this movie unique. First, its screenplay (written by the incomparable Aaron Sorkin) is structured more like a theatrical play than a traditional Hollywood biopic. It has three distinct acts, each delineated to center around a specific milestone moment in Jobs’ life. Second, the restrained direction of Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle sets an elevated tone. The camera moves just enough to inject action into a very conversational film, and it works masterfully.

Finally, “Steve Jobs” has another great ensemble cast including the iconic Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels. The centerpiece, however, is Michael Fassbender’s transcendent turn as Jobs. Fassbender has mastered Jobs’ mannerisms, demeanor, voice, and cadence to give a multi-layered and nuanced performance.

“Bowfinger”

How about a business movie about the movie business? Frank Oz’ 1999 comedy “Bowfinger” is an ingenious look at a small-time, hustling filmmaker who “tricks” an a-list actor into being in his movie. The trick is that the actor doesn’t know he’s being filmed, and the secret sauce of the movie is that it’s fronted by two of the funniest people who ever lived: Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy.

What “Bowfinger” does so masterfully is that it not only fully embraces this absurd concept, but it also skewers Hollywood tropes like snooty, high-rolling producers, celebrities using cults for therapy, and gonzo filmmakers cutting corners to get the shots they need. The laugh-filled, smart script was written by Martin himself.

If you love learning about the business world, these movies will give you a lot to think about. If you love good movies, they’ll entertain you and give you respect for the craft of their filmmaking. Business is a fertile field for Hollywood, with limitless opportunities to tell great stories.