Feeling demotivated and procrastinating at work is something everyone needs help with at times – no matter how cushy and interesting the job is. In such situations, the best motivator becomes money! Anyone who says money can’t buy happiness has yet to see the box office receipts that Hollywood is bringing in! So here are the best movies about getting rich to help you get off that chair!
7 of the Best Movies About Getting Rich
1. American Psycho
- Cast: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Chloë Sevigny, Samantha Mathis, Cara Seymour, Justin Theroux, Reese Witherspoon
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
American Psycho is a horror film based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel of the same novel. Christian Bale plays Patrick Bateman, an investment banker. Like the people in his profession, he is selfish, vain and always trying to one-up each other. But he has a more sinister side – he is a serial killer by night! Patrick Bateman is an amalgamation of disgust and greed; his disgust for people who do not live up to his expectations and his greed for things that he doesn’t have to drive him into a killing frenzy.
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
- Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Jon Favreau, Rob Reiner, Jean Dujardin, Aya Cash
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
The Wolf of Wall Street is based on a true story and follows the life of Jordan Belfort. He joins Stratton Oakmont as a stockbroker and soon gets sucked into a life of corruption and drugs. He scams numerous investors and ultimately gets fired on Black Monday – the largest drop the stock market has seen in one day. Jordan Belfort then joins a boiler room brokerage firm specializing in penny stock.
This is among the best movies about getting rich having a stellar supporting cast, with Kyle Chandler playing Patrick Denham, the FBI agent who tries to incriminate Belfort. The movie is also a cautionary tale, reminding us that too much greed can lead to one’s downfall.
Did you know? The Wolf Of Wall Street was nominated for 5 Oscars!
3. Slumdog Millionaire
- Cast: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
Dev Patel plays Jamal Malik, an eighteen-year-old Muslim boy from Mumbai slums. He enters Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and correctly answers all questions. But before he can face the 20 million mark question, he is arrested on the accusation of cheating. He then recounts his journey to the police. This film beautifully incorporates the rags to riches theme.
4. The Social Network
- Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Yet another biographical drama, The Social Network, is a film about one of the most popular apps and its creator – Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg, who, after being dumped by his girlfriend, hacks the Harvard database to collect female students’ data and creates an app where visitors can rate their attractiveness. He gets suspended for six months but is approached by Cameron and Tyler (who are twins) and their business partner – and Facebook is created. After six years, the twins and the co-founder sued Mark Zuckerberg for millions of dollars, claiming that he stole their idea.
5. Margin Call
- Cast: KEVIN Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci.
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Margin Call occurs against the backdrop of the 2007-2008 financial crisis. It shows what happens in a Wall Street corporation and the internal dynamics that occur during the financial crisis’s initial stages.
The film shows how ruthless investment banking companies can be, focusing on maximizing their profits with no regard for others. To have a concrete understanding of the Great Crash that collapsed the US economy, you need to understand the inner ongoings of big investment banks such as Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs.
6. The Pursuit of Happyness
- Cast: Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Jaden Smith
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
The Pursuit of Happyness is based on a true story and follows Chris Gardner, who is nearly broke because of a bad investment. Fed up with his financial woes, his wife leaves him. Now a poor single father, he and his five-year-old son are evicted from their flat.
Chris manages to get an unpaid internship at a well-known stock brokerage firm. With sheer will and perseverance, he climbs up the corporate ladder. This film is about hard work and strength of will when you see where Chris ends up, considering he had to sleep in a subway bathroom after getting kicked out of his apartment.
Did you know? Will Smith got an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Chris Gardner!
7. Trading Places
- Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, Jamie Lee Curtis
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Trading Places is about swapping the life circumstances of two people at opposite ends of the social hierarchy and observing how they’ll react to their new surroundings. Eddie Murphy plays a street hustler tricked into being the executive of a commodity brokerage firm. Framed for theft, drug dealings, and philandering, Louis Winthorpe, went with him everywhere.
Did you know? Trading Places is loosely based on The Prince and The Pauper.
If you enjoy these best movies about getting rich, check out Wall Street and its sequel, Wall Street: Money never sleeps. Charlie Sheen plays the role of Bud Fox. Another equally brilliant film is Boiler Room. You can also watch A Christmas Carol, Catch Me If You Can, The Big Short, and Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room.
