Movies Depicting Business Empires

by Kevin Gardner

Entrepreneurs have plenty of cinematic material from which to draw inspiration. Here are some of the most well-directed cinematic depictions of business empires that are both inspiring and insightful.

The Godfather Trilogy (1972-1990)

Over the course of Francis Ford Coppola's three-part definitive work based on the best-selling novel by Mario Puzo, the audience watches the Corleone patriarchs try to legitimize the family's business empire. Although the family is engaged in organized crime, they manage many conventional businesses. They become leaders in the extremely profitable industry of casinos. The family must contend with competition with rivals and challengers while also making an effort to foster unity between factions that are at odds with one another.

When the family is finally on the precipice of complete legitimacy, Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, is put into an impossible position by a lamentable turn of events that prevents him from achieving his ultimate goal of legitimacy. The friction and rancor that exists between the Corleone family and its rivals precipitates a tragedy which ultimately costs Michael more than he can bear to lose. The conclusion demonstrates that nothing in the world of business can supersede the importance of protecting and loving the people who are most dear to you in life.

Joy (2015)

Long before internet marketing, social media outreach, and content management systems, television was arguably the most important advertising tool for businesses. It was especially important for demonstrating new and innovative products. “Joy” shows the uphill battle that a brilliant inventor, Joy Mangano, had to endure in order to successfully market a cleaning product that would change how everyone wanted to clean their homes. Her groundbreaking invention which could best be described as a self-wringing mop was clearly genius, but the hurdles that she faced in getting the word out about her product and making it profitable were astounding. After considerable trials and nearly losing what she had worked so hard to build, she finally became successful.

In addition to showing the challenges associated with starting from the bottom, the movie is an excellent depiction of a home shopping network empire. The volume of products that the network could sell with this form of sales outreach was comparable to the volume of online sales long before that medium existed. The dynamics of how the network worked with inventors and businesses were not always fair to them. Nevertheless, the opportunity to be featured on an infomercial gave them the exposure that they needed to catapult their inventions into the public eye and produce them on a massive scale.

The Aviator (2004)

This movie depicts an aviation and entertainment mogul who defied expectations and went on to build a truly awesome empire. Howard Hughes inherited the wealth with which he built his empire, but it was the risks that he took in the vision which he had that few others shared which makes what he built so impressive. Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of the enigmatic figure humanized Hughes boldly and insightfully. It depicted the mental illness and most notably the obsessive-compulsive tendencies which came to be such a dominating force in his life. Despite all that he's built, it was this attribute that he became most well-known for.

Hughes was practically fearless as an aviator. He flew new experimental planes and even broke a world record. It was not a weakness in his character that precipitated his immense fear of germs. Hughes spent the better part of a decade with different starlets on his arm at events attended by the highest members of society. Eventually, he decompensated to the point that he could not bear to occupy the same space as anyone else and became a recluse. Despite having it all, his illness deprived him of practically everything that was important to him.

On your next movie night, pick something that can inspire you professionally. Watching business titans in movies reminds you of the importance of balancing caution and bravery in the world of business.