Based on the films Goodfellas, Money People, and Hotshots, a career in finance appears to be lucrative. However, it is a gritty and laborious field that can be extremely rewarding or harsh. There is nothing to stop one wrong step from undoing a lifetime’s financial growth for a company, even with a lot of hard and smart work. Making money by the truckload is never easy, but that’s what matters in the end, and so the movies tell us.
We doubt you have the time to read volumes of college literature. The following list includes the best finance movies that teach important financial lessons and entertain you simultaneously.
11 of the Financial Movies on Netflix
1. Edison, The Man
- Directed By: Clarence Brown
- Cast: Spencer Tracy, Rita Johnson, Lynne Overman
- IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Edison, The Man Plot:
Thomas Alva Edison’s life and work are biographically presented in this stock market film. Spencer Tracy portrays businessman Thomas A. Edison in the main role. One wrong step can undo a company’s entire lifetime’s financial growth, even when hard work and smart decision-making have gone into it. In addition to General Electric, Edison owned several other companies.
Edison, The Man Review:
As a reflection of the concerns of the time, Edison The Man was made just nine years after Edison died. It’s a glitzy MGM production that’s part history, part fiction.
2. Boiler Room
- Directed By: Ben Younger
- Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nia Long
- IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Boiler Room Plot:
In this film, which stars an outstanding cast from 2000, we see the dark side of Wall Street and stock market trading. 19-year-old Seth Davis, a college dropout, turns his apartment into an illegal casino.
Boiler Room Review:
Boiler Room moves at a breakneck pace, and the acting is as tight as a drum. Fly-by-night brokerages employ aggressive and naive young stock jocks to hawk financial products to naive consumers. They receive houses, Ferraris, and more luxury items than they can handle. In this modest Long Island neighborhood, Gen Xers race to the green, often one step ahead of the law.
People who listened to Lou are deLOUsional. I've said this before and I'll say it again: watch the movie Boiler Room before you listen to Lou and his friend's next spaces call and you'll finally understand. pic.twitter.com/RF1hXK5jmP
— Dade Murphy (@nakedjockman) December 8, 2022
3. The Wizard Of Lies
- Directed By: Barry Levinson
- Cast: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Alessandro Nivola
- IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
- Streaming Platform: Disney Hotstar
The Wizard Of Lies Plot:
It is an HBO film based on Diana B. Henriques’ New York Times book of the same name. It emphasizes events before, during, and after the 2008 arrest of former NASDAQ chairman and financier Bernie Madoff.
The Wizard Of Lies Review:
This film brings up Bernie Madoff’s epic financial swindle once more. Robert De Niro stars as the field’s most dazzling major conman in this Oscar-winning film directed by Barry Levinson.
Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays Betty Ford in 'The First Lady,' says she'll never play a real person again. The Oscar nominee also played real people in 'Dangerous Minds' and 'The Wizard of Lies.' https://t.co/YYKhtADCFR
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) April 17, 2022
4. Hell Or High Water
- Directed By: David Mackenzie
- Cast: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime
Hell Or High Plot:
Toby and Tanner Howard are brothers in Hell or High Water. Following their mother’s death, their family farm fears foreclosure due to a reverse mortgage granted by Texas Midlands bank. As the bank prepares to seize the home, the brothers launch a string of bank robberies, primarily targeting Texas Midlands banks. However, Texas Rangers Marcus Hamilton and Alberto Parker are hot on their chase.
Hell Or High Review:
This is no ordinary Western bank robbery film! This financial movie on Netflix rings true, blending a generous cast of people beautifully penned and played to depict the narrative of survival in and around the bleak and arid West Texas countryside and its typical tiny towns.
5. Trading Places
- Directed By: John Landis
- Cast: Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy
- IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
- Streaming Platform: Hulu, Disney Plus
Trading Places Plot:
Eddie Murphy plays Billy Ray Valentine, a needy guy who becomes a financial manager after a wager between two wealthy stockbrokers. His predecessor, Duke & Duke Commodities Brokers’ Louis Winthorpe III, is the initial loss.
Trading Places Review:
Trading Places is a comic stock market financial movie on Netflix about a scam artist and commodity trader whose places are switched for the sake of a wager and their scheme to exact revenge on the two millionaires who placed the bet.
6. Too Big To Fail
- Directed By: Curtis Hanson
- Cast: James Woods, John Heard, William Hurt
- IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
- Streaming Platform: Disney Hotstar
Too Big To Fail Plot:
Based on Andrew Ross Sorkin’s best-selling book, “Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System – and Themselves,” This documentary looks at the 2007 financial crisis, which failed Lehman Brothers.
Too Big To Fail Review:
“Too Big to Fail” is a theatrical recounting of the near-collapse of the US banking industry during the 2008 financial crisis. Nobody saw the financial catastrophe coming, and no one understood what to do when it occurred.
7. Margin Call
- Directed By: J.C. Chandor
- Cast: Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Jeremy Irons
- IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Margin Call Plot:
It is a high-finance thriller released in theatres in 2011 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. When Eric Dale gives him a USB flash drive with explosives, Sullivan is an investment bank risk management analyst.
Margin Call Review:
Time is always of the essence in the stock market, and big things frequently occur on Wall Street within a few hours. The director was inspired by the recent real estate crisis, which is depicted in detail in this Finance and Investment Film.
8. Wall Street
- Directed By: Oliver Stone
- Cast: Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Tamara Tunie
- IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
- Streaming Platform: Disney Hotstar
Wall Street Plot:
It is a film about a junior stockbroker who uses true information to advance in his career and becomes involved in stock price manipulation and insider trading while attempting to evade detection by the authorities.
Wall Street Review:
The ultimate finance film classic. If there is a film about financial scandals and accounting fraud in the Finance film recommendation list, it must be Wallstreet.
9. Two For The Money
- Directed By: D.J. Caruso
- Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Al Pacino, Rene Russo
- IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 22%
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
Two For The Money Plot:
Al Pacino plays Walter, an older mentor to a young, competent, cocky rookie in TWO FOR THE MONEY. Brandon is his pupil, a former sports fanatic (baseball as a youngster, football as a teen, and college student) who never recovers from a horrific injury sustained during a large college game.
Two For The Money Review:
Though Toni believes that “Walter is kept together by meetings,” this Financial movie on Netflix demonstrates differently by presenting the film’s most astute point: not gambling on gambling is still gambling.
10. Inside Job
- Directed By: Charles Ferguson
- Cast: Matt Damon(voice), Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snaer Magnason
- IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies
Inside Job Plot:
The worldwide financial catastrophe that occurred in the fall of 2008 resulted in the loss of millions of jobs and homes, as well as plunging the United States into a deep economic recession. Matt Damon narrates a documentary that examines the factors that contributed to the collapse and identifies significant financial and political players.
Inside Job Review:
The largest speculative bubble in recent years burst in 2008. Massive monetary values vanished in a flash due to stock exchange price declines. Millions of people lost their jobs, savings, and home ownership.
11. The Big Short
- Directed By: Adam McKay
- Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling
- IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies
The Big Short Plot:
This Financial movie on Netflix, which is Adam McKay’s film goes into great depth regarding the events that led to the Financial Crisis in 2007 and 2008, when around 8 million people lost their jobs, and almost 6 million lost their houses.
The Big Short Review:
In The Big Short, Christian Bale portrays the astute investor Michael Burry. In terms of finance and business, the latter is very knowledgeable. He predicted the impending financial crisis and bets against the system. People label him insane, but many only wake up when the big bubble bursts.
Conclusion
These best movies are essential viewing for any aspiring financial professional. Even if you aren’t considering a career in finance, the true story can provide insight into the wild global economy and sometimes absurd world of the financial system.
Real life and art continue to be inspired by one another. While many of these finance documentary movies cover topics and dive deeply into corruption and crime, they still teach us a lot about the market. You can combine education and entertainment by watching these incredible films and true stories while learning about how global markets work.
