There is plenty of advice out there for budding entrepreneurs to read, but sometimes watching something can be a lot more informative and there are a lot of lessons to be gleamed from the industry leaders of the silver screen.

This selection of must-see business movies for entrepreneurs can offer a crash course in some of the do’s and definite do not’s of running your own business, no matter what field you are working in.

Watch all of these and you’re guaranteed to learn a thing or two.

How many of these have you seen? Did we miss your favorite business flick?

Let us know in the comments below!

In the vast area of top business movies, brimming with tales of ambition, power, and resilience, 3 films truly stand out.

Each offers invaluable lessons for anyone with an eye on the corporate ladder or the entrepreneurial horizon.

  1. “Wall Street” (1987) dives deep into the intoxicating allure of financial excess, where ambition meets moral crossroads. The film’s iconic mantra, “Greed is good,” serves as a double-edged sword, reminding us of the thin line between success and ethical compromise.
  2. “The Social Network” (2010) encapsulates the meteoric rise of a tech giant from a college dorm room to global dominance, underscoring the importance of vision, loyalty, and the inevitable battles that come with groundbreaking innovation.
  3. “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) portrays the intoxicating journey from rags to riches, navigating through a sea of excess, ethical dilemmas, and the relentless pursuit of success. It’s a cautionary tale of ambition unbridled, highlighting the peaks and valleys of the entrepreneurial spirit.

For those of us entrenched in the relentless pursuit of success, these business movies are not just entertainment; they’re a mirror to our ambitions, challenges, and the ethical quandaries we navigate daily.

They remind us that while the path to the top is fraught with challenges, it’s the journey, not just the destination, that defines us.

1. Wall Street (1987)

Oliver Stone’s classic film depicts the financial excess and ‘greed is good’ attitude of 1980′s Wall Street in all it’s lurid detail.

The plot follows Bud Fox, a junior stockbroker played by Charlie Sheen, who is desperate to break into the upper reaches of the financial elite.

He is taken under the wing of the notoriously ruthless broker Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) and exposed to a world of material wealth beyond his dreams, but it comes at a moral cost as Bud is encouraged to embezzle funds and participate in dubious insider trading to get ahead.

This forces him to seriously consider whether or not it is the right career for him.

A highly entertaining business movie with a strong takeaway for entrepreneurs that money isn’t everything and real success never arrives overnight unless it has a price.

2. The Social Network (2010)

The ultimate tale of the modern day startup, David Fincher’s re-telling of the Facebook story (based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires) attracted huge acclaim from everyone other than Mark Zuckerburg.

The film shows the growth of the social networking site, starting with the idea of ‘The Facebook’ in Zuckerberg’s (strangely played by Jesse Eisenberg) Harvard dorm room, along with the initial challenges and later legal conflicts with co-founder Eduardo Saverin and the Winklevoss twins, who alleged that Zuckerberg had taken their concept.

While the accuracy of the events shown in the film have been disputed, it is considered one of the best business movies, offering a valuable lesson to entrepreneurs in the value of loyalty and choosing choose their team members wisely.

Not to mention being careful to not allow power to affect their decision-making abilities.

3. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

The true story of New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) was a runaway success, netting $392 million at the box office worldwide and quickly becoming one of the most iconic films of recent years.

The film shows the dangerous side of business success, as Belfort is embroiled in fraud, corruption, drugs and all manner of other illegal activity.

While it is a cautionary tale, it also serves as an inspirational one for entrepreneurs – as Belfort rises to this position from meager beginnings, starting off selling penny stocks and rising through the ranks of Wall Street using little more than his natural charisma and incredibly persuasive salesman techniques.

There is plenty of wisdom to be taken from the story of a man who run the gamut of having nothing, having it all and then having nothing again. This Leonardo Dicaprio business movie is an absolute must-see for anyone with aspirations towards big money.

4. The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)

This 2006 drama is the true story of Chris Gardner, the American stockbroker who now owns Gardner Rich & Co and is a multi-millionaire – however, things weren’t always so great.

The film depicts the time Gardner (played by Will Smith) spent homeless on the streets of San Francisco with his young son.

A truly inspiring story, rather than accepting his fate, Gardner accepts an unpaid brokerage internship with a competitive firm and tries to earn some money on the side by selling medical devices.

Despite being much older and less academically qualified than the other interns, Gardner’s work ethic prevails and he ultimately lands his dream job. Very few films sum up the importance of determination for budding businessman quite likes this one.

5. Jerry Maguire (1996)

This drama with Tom Cruise as the titular character has become an iconic piece of 90′s cinema, and the story still has lots of valuable lessons for entrepreneurs.

Maguire is sacked from his position at a high flying sports agents firm after he decides to take a more honest, less aggressive approach to his work.

He decides this is a chance to start his own firm which can adhere to his new approach – we see the struggles involved in starting a new business and finding clients – but ultimately he becomes more successful than ever.

A good story to remind us that all of the hard work involved in the daily grind of running a business is ultimately worth it.

6. Moneyball (2011)

On first glance this story of a struggling baseball coach who comes up with an innovative way of ranking players may not seem like a goldmine of business advice, but there are lots of transferable ideas here.

Like most startup founders, the Oakland A’s coach Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) is working on a shoestring budget despite desperately needing to bring in more resources.

How can he build a winning team without the mountains of cash available to the bigger teams who keep buying up all his best players? He looks deeper.

Beane turns to statistical data to try and uncover players who are performing consistently well without ever being noticed. Inevitably this system is a huge success – indeed it is widely used in many professional sports today, and the real-life Beane is considered something of a pioneer.

There are plenty of lessons here for businesses, namely that looking to do things in a new way (particularly with data) can often lead to a way of working that allows you to compete beyond your financial constraints.

7. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Glengarry Glen Ross is a classic business drama (based on David Mamet’s award-winning play) detailing the questionable sales tactics of a group of estate agents based in Chicago, featuring an incredible cast featuring Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey and more.

When a new motivational trainer arrives in the office and announces that all but the top two salesmen will be fired at the end of the week, it launches a bitter underhanded rivalry between colleagues desperate to generate more sales.

The film is well known for popularising the phrase “Always be closing” – a mantra of many enthusiastic salespeople.

It also serves to give a fascinating insight into the ferocious and expletive laden, dog eat dog mentality which pervades many industries and the problems such a work environment can breed.

8. Up In The Air (2009)

This comedy-drama, starring George Clooney and Anna Kendrick, tackles the human side of the credit crunch which saw many people laid off from long term jobs.

Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a “corporate down sizer” employed to fly all over the country to deliver people the news they have been made redundant.

As part of the financial tightening, even Bingham’s job is under scrutiny as the firm considers delivering such bad news by video conferencing rather than flying him all over the country.

It is up to him to try and convince his superiors this is news which needs to be delivered personally.

The film is an excellent reminder to business owners for the importance of maintaining relationships within their company, and that staff are people rather than just numbers.

9. Startup.com (2001)

This documentary follows the story of e-commerce website GovWorks, an American startup founded by Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman, at the tail-end of dot come startup phenomenon.

It is an amazing story of a company which began as a 2 man idea with no money and went on to become a company with 200 employees and generate funding of $50 million within 12 months.

Far from being sorted, things go downhill from there.

The site struggles to compete with better funded competitors and the two founders begin to butt heads on numerous issues. Within 3 years of formation, they burned through all their funding and were forced to sell to a large corporation.

This is a great lesson in the value of planning, financial management, employee relations, and just about everything else which has to be monitored in launching a successful business.

You can learn a lot from watching the business mistakes of others.

10. Rogue Trader (1999)

This film tells the true story of Nick Leeson, a British trader (portrayed here by Ewan McGregor) who worked for London’s Barings Bank in the 90′s and whose irresponsible trading ultimately led to the collapse of the company.

After promising beginnings with Barings, Leeson is appointed to work as the General Manager of the Trading Floor for the Singapore International Monetary Exchange.

This new found power gets the better of him however, and before long Leeson is gambling with the company funds and is concealing a staggering £800 million worth of losses in a secret account.

A fascinating cautionary tale which shows the impact which individual actions can have even within huge multi-national companies.

11. Boiler Room (2000)

“Boiler Room” is a gripping drama that delves into the high-stakes world of illegal stock trading.

The film follows Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi), a college dropout who joins a suburban brokerage firm, J.T. Marlin, in the hopes of making his mark.

However, he soon discovers the firm’s success is built on dubious practices, including manipulating stock prices and defrauding investors.

As Seth becomes more entangled in the firm’s corrupt activities, he faces moral dilemmas and the risk of legal consequences. “Boiler Room” offers a stark look at the darker side of the financial industry, highlighting the importance of ethics in business.

12. American Psycho (2000)

While not a traditional business movie, “American Psycho” offers a unique and satirical look at the excesses of 1980s corporate culture.

The film centers around Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), a wealthy New York City investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer.

The movie satirizes the materialism, narcissism, and superficiality often associated with the corporate world, as Bateman becomes increasingly detached from reality in his pursuit of status and luxury.

“American Psycho” is a cautionary tale about the dangers of losing oneself in the pursuit of wealth and success.

13. Erin Brockovich (2000)

Based on a true story, “Erin Brockovich” is an inspiring film about an unlikely business hero.

Julia Roberts plays the titular character, a single mother who becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city’s water supply.

Despite lacking formal legal education, Brockovich’s determination, empathy, and tenacity help her uncover the truth and achieve justice for the victims.

This film is a testament to the impact that one determined individual can have in the business world, particularly in the realm of corporate social responsibility.

14. The Founder (2016)

“The Founder” tells the true story of Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a struggling salesman who turned McDonald’s from a single restaurant into a global fast-food empire.

The film chronicles Kroc’s journey from encountering the McDonald brothers and their innovative fast-food concept to ultimately taking control of the company and transforming it into a worldwide phenomenon.

“The Founder” is a complex portrayal of business ambition, showcasing both the visionary aspects of Kroc’s character and the ruthless tactics he employed to achieve success.

It’s a compelling look at the birth of a business giant and the cost of ambition.

15. Joy (2015)

“Joy” is a biographical drama about Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence), a self-made millionaire who created her own business empire with the invention of the Miracle Mop.

The film follows her journey from a struggling single mother to a successful entrepreneur, overcoming personal and professional obstacles along the way.

“Joy” highlights the challenges faced by women in business and the resilience required to succeed in a competitive market.

It’s an inspiring story of perseverance, innovation, and the power of a simple idea.

16. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)

“Pirates of Silicon Valley” is a biographical drama that chronicles the rise of two of the most influential figures in technology and business: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

The film navigates the early days of Apple and Microsoft, showcasing the rivalry and sometimes underhanded tactics used by both Jobs (Noah Wyle) and Gates (Anthony Michael Hall) to build their respective empires.

It offers a candid look at the birth of the personal computer era and the complex personalities behind it.

For entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts, this movie provides a fascinating glimpse into the cutthroat business strategies and innovations that shaped the modern digital landscape.

17. Jobs (2013)

“Jobs” is a biopic that focuses on the life of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, played by Ashton Kutcher.

The film covers Jobs’ journey from dropping out of college to becoming one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century.

It delves into his role in founding Apple, his subsequent ousting, and his triumphant return to the company.

While the film faced criticism for certain inaccuracies, it effectively captures the determination, innovation, and visionary spirit of Jobs, as well as the ups and downs of his career.

“Jobs” is a tribute to the legacy of a man who forever changed the technology industry.

18. The Big Short (2015)

“The Big Short,” directed by Adam McKay, is a biographical comedy-drama that explores the build-up of the housing and credit bubble during the 2000s that led to the financial crisis of 2007-2008.

The film follows several key players in the financial world who predicted the collapse and decided to bet against the market for huge profits.

With a star-studded cast including Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, the movie simplifies complex financial concepts and criticizes the corruption and negligence within the financial industry.

“The Big Short” is a compelling and educational portrayal of one of the most significant economic events in recent history, making it a must-watch for those interested in finance and economics.

19. Margin Call (2011)

“Margin Call” is a thriller that takes place over a 24-hour period at a large investment bank at the onset of the 2008 financial crisis.

The film, featuring an ensemble cast including Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, and Zachary Quinto, focuses on the initial stages of the financial meltdown.

When an entry-level analyst discovers information that could spell disaster for the firm, a moral and existential dilemma ensues as the characters grapple with the implications of their actions and decisions.

“Margin Call” is a riveting and intense portrayal of the financial industry’s role in the economic downturn, highlighting the complex and often morally ambiguous nature of the business world.

Wrapping Up

Each of these business movies offers a unique perspective on different facets of the entrepreneurship world, from technological innovation and startups to financial crises and corporate ethics.

They serve as engaging and informative resources for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of the business landscape.