Do you want to kick start or refocus on your business?
Look no further as this post presents you with the best entrepreneur movies that can be a great source of motivation and inspiration.
Whether you are just starting out your business or have been doing it for years, everybody needs some sort of motivation and inspiration to keep the momentum going.
Movies, which are considered a source of entertainment mainly can also be a great source of motivation and inspiration if underlying some messages.
Being a blogger and entrepreneur myself, I find movies really inspiring and that is why I came up with an idea to make my own list of the best inspirational movies also included with the best types of business movies.
Some of them I have watched personally while others are recommended by fellow bloggers.
Hereby, presenting you with the best inspiring movies every entrepreneur should watch.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
- 15 Best Entrepreneur Movies For Motivation And Inspiration
- 1. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
- 2. The Social Network (2010)
- 3. Wall Street (1987)
- 4. Joy (2015)
- 5. Moneyball (2011)
- 6. Boiler Room (2000)
- 7. The Founder (2016)
- 8. Rocky (1976)
- 9. Jerry Maguire (1996)
- 10. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
- 11. Nightcrawler (2014)
- 12. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
- 13. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- 14. Startup.com (2001)
- 15. Something Ventured (2011)
- Best Motivational Movies For Entrepreneurs (Bollywood)
- Final Thoughts on Best Entrepreneur Movies
15 Best Entrepreneur Movies For Motivation And Inspiration
Here are the 15 best motivational movies every entrepreneur must watch.
1. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Genre: Biography | Drama
Release Date: December 25, 2006
Running Time: 117 Minutes
Lead Cast: Will Smith and Jaden Smith
The very first movie in my list of top inspirational movies is The Pursuit of Happyness, probably the most inspiring movie I have ever seen.
This movie is based on the true story of Chris Gardner who struggled homeless for nearly one year with his son, Christopher.
These characters are superbly played by Will Smith (as Chris Gardner) and his real-life son Jaden Smith (as Christopher Jr).
- You should be prepared for every situation
- Never give up attitude, even if things do not go in your favor
- Work hard and enjoy the process
Genre: Biography | Drama
Release Date: October 1, 2010
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Lead Cast: Jesse Eisenberg
It would not be wrong if I say it is Facebook that revolutionized social media worldwide.
And this movie is all about how Mark Zuckerberg came up with the social networking website Facebook.
If you want to get inspired knowing how a campus website called Facemash started in a dorm and turned into Facebook, a billion-dollar company, go watch it today.
- Everything started as nothing
- Actions speak louder than words
3. Wall Street (1987)
Genre: Crime | Drama
Release Date: December 11, 1987
Running Time: 126 Minutes
Lead Cast: Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, and Daryl Hannah
This movie revolves around Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a junior stockbroker who desperately looks for working with his hero, Gordon Gekko, a wealthy but untrustworthy Wall Street player.
From a young stockbroker to getting a chance to meet Gekko to pitching him some stocks to becoming wealthy, makes this movie is one of the best inspiring business movies for aspiring brokers and entrepreneurs.
And if you are looking for the best types of business movies then this is certainly a great choice.
- Dreaming and working hard to achieve them
- To gain something, you have to lose something
4. Joy (2015)
Genre: Biography | Drama
Release Date: December 25, 2015 (United States)
Running Time: 124 Minutes
Lead Cast: Jennifer Lawrence
This movie is based on the life of Joy Mangano, who is an American self-made millionaire woman.
Being a part of a complicated family and having a job as an airline booking agent merely, made her struggle financially.
To pursue her inventing ambitions and become a successful independent businesswoman irrespective of all odds, this movie is one of the best inspiring movies every entrepreneur must watch.
- Determination is all you need to pursue your passion
- One can be a successful entrepreneur irrespective of gender
5. Moneyball (2011)
Genre: Biography | Drama | Sport
Release Date: September 23, 2011 (United States)
Running Time: 133 minutes
Lead Cast: Brad Pitt
This movie is based on the true story of the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane.
It depicts how Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) assembles a competitive team for 2002 with Oakland’s low budget.
Watching a team that was made by hiring undervalued athletes (due to insufficient funds) to win a record-breaking 20th consecutive game will make your day surely.
- You are never lacking of resources, only a lack of resourcefulness
- Keep experimenting with new possibilities
6. Boiler Room (2000)
Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Release Date: February 18, 2000
Running Time: 120 minutes
Lead Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nia Long, Ben Affleck, Nicky Katt, Scott Caan, Tom Everett Scott, Ron Rifkin, and Jamie Kennedy
This film is all about Seth Davis (Ribisi), a 19-year-old college dropout who runs a casino in his home.
This movie has everything to inspire traders and young entrepreneurs, from joining a chop stock brokerage firm unknowingly to becoming a broker, scamming people, feeling guilty, to helping victims.
- No matter how badly you want something, you should not forget your personal morals to achieve that
- There is no substitute for hard work and commitment
7. The Founder (2016)
Risk taker. Rule breaker. Game changer
Genre: Biography | Drama
Release Date: January 20, 2017 (United States)
Running Time: 115 Minutes
Lead Cast: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch
You must have heard about McDonald’s, right?
And if you are curious to know how this food chain was created, then this movie is for you and a must-watch for all entrepreneurs.
This movie beautifully portrays the story of two brothers, Richard and Maurice McDonald (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch) who started the company, and a businessman, Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) who actually convinced them to start the global food chain.
- Never settle down, always thrive to be better
- No matter how good you are at something, you can be replaced anytime
8. Rocky (1976)
Genre: Drama | Sport
Release Date: December 3, 1976 (United States)
Running Time: 119 minutes
Lead Cast: Sylvester Stallone
This film shows how Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), an uneducated working class, rises from poverty and touches new heights of fame.
By watching this movie, you will come to know how he got an opportunity to have a boxing fight against the heavyweight boxing world champion, Apollo Creed.
The fight that goes to full fifteen rounds will inspire you to give your 100% till the end and never give up.
- Do not miss the opportunity knocking on the door
- Give your best without worrying about the outcome
- Never give up
9. Jerry Maguire (1996)
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Release Date: December 13, 1996
Running Time: 139 minutes
Lead Cast: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, and Regina King
This movie is inspired by the life of Leigh Steinberg (Tom Cruise), a sports agent who acted as a technical consultant on the crew.
It would be amazing to watch how he started his own agency with only one client after perceived dishonesty in the sports management business.
Later on, he got applause in front of other athletes and sports agents for his dedication and commitment towards his only client, which is the actual success for him, not money.
- Building relationships with people is more important than money
- No one can stop you if you are determined enough to achieve something
10. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Genre: Crime | Drama | Mystery
Release Date: October 2, 1992
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Lead Cast: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey
This movie is all about four real-estate salesmen cum con artists named Ricky Roma (Al Pacino), Shelley Levene (Jack Lemmon), Dave Moss (Ed Harris), and George Aaronow (Alan Arkin) that reveals the actual story behind the world of sales.
It is based on the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Decision, Action) makes it a must-watch movie for entrepreneurs.
If you are an entrepreneur or at a management level, then this movie is certainly for you.
- Incentives or challenges may result in better productivity
- There should be proper communication among the team members to make a great workplace
11. Nightcrawler (2014)
Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Release Date: October 31, 2014 (United States)
Running Time: 117 minutes
Lead Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal
This movie depicts the relationship between unethical journalism and consumer demand.
The story of the movie revolves around a guy Louis “Lou” (Jake Gyllenhaal) who was unable to get a job and eventually becomes an unethical freelance photojournalist.
- All you need a little persuasion and drive to become anything
- Focus and learning attitude can make you limitless
12. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
Genre: Biography | Drama | History
Release Date: June 20, 1999
Running Time: 95 minutes
Lead Cast: Noah Wyle and Anthony Michael Hall
This is another great movie about two legends who revolutionized the whole world.
Yes, I’m talking about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.
This movie tells how Steve Jobs and his partner, Woz developed the Apple Computer in the garage of Jobs’s family home followed by the development of the IBM-PC with the help of Gates and Microsoft.
It will also give you flashbacks of their life included with the rivalry between these two on the development of the personal computer from the very early days.
- Vision and conviction all you need to become a successful entrepreneur
- Competition is good for your business
13. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Genre: Drama Film
Release Date: September 23, 1994 (United States)
Running Time: 142 minutes
Lead Cast: Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman
This movie beautifully portrays the bond of two prisoners, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Ellis “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman).
Andy somehow manages to escape from the prison and mails the evidence of the corruption and murders at Shawshank to a local newspaper.
Watching Red paroled after serving 40 years and meeting Andy by violating his parole would be amazing.
- Think Positive
- When there’s a will there’s a way
14. Startup.com (2001)
Genre: Documentary
Release Date: May 25, 2001 (U.S. wide)
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Lead Cast: Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, Tom Herman
This is an excellent documentary film based on a dot-com start-up called govWorks.com by two friends, Herman and Tuzman.
It will take you back to the internet gold rush of the late 1990s.
Watching how they were unable to survive even after raising US$60 million in funds makes it a great startup movie.
- Do it with passion or not at all
- Life doesn’t always turn out the way you planned
15. Something Ventured (2011)
Genre: Documentary | Biography | History
Release Date: May 24, 2011 (San Francisco)
Running Time: 84 Minutes
Lead Cast: Arthur Rock, Tom Perkins, Don Valentine, Dick Kramlich, Reid Dennis, Bill Draper, Pitch Johnson, Bill Bowes, Bill Edwards, and Jim Gaither.
The entrepreneurs featured in Something Ventured are
Gordon Moore (co-founder of Intel), Jimmy Treybig (founder of Tandem), Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari), Dr. Herbert Boyer (co-founder of Genentech), Mike Markkula (second president/CEO of Apple), Sandy Lerner (cofounder of Cisco), John Morgridge (early CEO of Cisco), and Robert Campbell (founder of what would become PowerPoint).
This is another great documentary film that follows the stories of venture capitalists who worked with entrepreneurs to build their own companies like some big names such as Apple, Intel, Cisco, etc.
It will give you deep insights into how ideas are funded and what is on the other side for big-time investors.
If you are an entrepreneur looking forward to knowing all these things, this movie is certainly for you.
- Oral history of American capitalists
Best Motivational Movies For Entrepreneurs (Bollywood)
Being an Indian myself, how could I wrap up this post without listing some of the best Bollywood movies for entrepreneurs?
So if you are a Bollywood fan, here are some of the inspiring Bollywood movies that are a must-watch for entrepreneurs.
If you haven’t watched it yet, go and watch it.
1. Bhag Milkha Bhag
2. Chak De India
3. Guru
4. Rocket Singh
5. 3 Idiots
6. Wake up Sid
7. M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story
8. Dangal
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Final Thoughts on Best Entrepreneur Movies
This is all related to the best inspiring movies for entrepreneurs and founders.
I have included some of the greatest business movies of all time.
All these movies are good enough to suppress your appetite for inspiration and motivation.
Furthermore, I will be updating this post with more relevant movies shortly.
Till then, get a couch for you and take a dose of inspiration by watching one of these movies.
And please don’t forget to comment below your favorite movies.
Hello Amit,
Awesome list of movies and I really enjoyed reading it. You know these films are really motivated us and somehow relate to our life. I have watched The wall street and Jerry Maguire and liked both of them. Thanks for sharing this awesome post.
Regards,
Vishwajeet Kumar
Thanks Vishwajeet
I am glad that you liked the list of motivational movies.
If you haven’t watched The Pursuit of Happyness, I would highly recommend you to watch this movie first.
Thanks
Amit Garg
Hlo Amit sir,
You provides an Amazing list of movies which help us to become an entrepreneur.
After reading your article I will watch the wall street and Money ball movies.
As you described the Indian movies which I had already watched.
Now, I will watch these English movies.
Thanks for sharing this Amazing post.
Regards
Jatin Munjal
Hi Jatin
It feels great to know you have watched all the Bollywood movies I mentioed here.
You should certainly watch other movies as well to stay motivated and inspired whenever you get some time.
Thanks for stopping by !!
Amit Garg
Watched all of them except for startup.com, it seems to be a documentary, I’m going to watch it though.
I would like to add one great movie, Amit – “October Sky”, that is packed with some inspiration stuff for creators. It tells us that we are not meant to bound by any limitations when it comes to growing. And, if we are able to dream something then we will surely find out ways to achieve it.
Pretty sharp list of movies here.
Hi Mudassir
That’s really awesome you have watched all the movies except just one.
I have already selected a few more movies which I will be adding very soon to the list of motivational movies for entrepreneurs.
But now as per your recommendation “October Sky” will be in the list for sure.
Thanks
Amit Garg
I only watched Wall Street from this list. Thanks for sharing this list of movies for entrepreneurs. I am adding them to my watchlist.
Hey Amit!
Really very interesting list. I have not watch any movie on this list but will definitely watch it now. Because I am only looking at such a unique and interesting list on your blog.
Watching these movies can be quite inspiring for new bloggers for better starting.
By the way, which movie should I watch first?
Thanks and regards
Vishal Meena
Hi Vishal
I am glad that you found this post useful.
Go for The Pursuit of Happyness, you will feel good after watching this movie.
Thanks
Amit Garg
Motivation is very important for bloggers.
Bloggers have to work on different things. they may stuck or feel bored at some point. in that case they need a lot of motivation.
This list definitely help the bloggers.
I mostly watch Garyvee and Digital Pratik videos for quick motivation.
Thank you Amit for this post. Keep come up with this awesome stuff.
Amit you have some genuine classics here bro. I loved Wall Street; classic 80’s movie. I also enjoyed the Pursuit of Happyness. What inspiration for following your dreams no matter what.