Watching movies is the best way to gain more knowledge. It’s also a great source of entertainment and inspiration. Entrepreneurs sometimes need inspiration and motivation. Some of the best ways they find their inspiration is through watching thought-provoking and inspiring movies. Irrespective of your current standpoint on the entrepreneurial path, the listed movies will give you some inspiration. There is a lot an entrepreneur can learn from the comfort of their seats. Whether you’ve been in business for years or starting up a business, you can get some powerful inspiration and insight from these 11 provocative entertainment movies.
1. Boiler Room
The movie is about Seth Davis, a college dropout. The 19-year-old is facing a terrible moral issue. Seth then becomes the brokerage firm J.T Marlin’s, top brokers, but something at the company doesn’t seem right. He faces the dilemma of choosing between greed and money or legality and morals. The movie will inform you about the real struggle between right and wrong. And the struggle between greed and money and legality and morality in a business.
2. Jerry Maguire – 1996
The entrepreneur story involves the falling and rising of Jerry Maguire, who is an ambitious sports agent. After supporting his belief, he gets fired from his firm that agents should have fewer clients and extra time to know them. He begins a sports management agency with Rod Tidwell, a client who supports him in his new adopted beliefs. The footballer’s financial needs and family helps Jerry to prosper. Jerry Maguire attests that a lot of determination and one great client is all you need.
3. Fyre – The Greatest Party That Never Happened
Fyre festival organizing was by rapper Ja Rule and Billy McFarland. The festival was to be one of the best festivals ever. It got promoted on Instagram by social media influencers and celebrities, including Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, and Kendall Jenner. The problem with the festival as it was a scam planned by MacFarland. MacFarland had a history of beginning business ventures that were fraudulent. The Netflix documentary includes some terrible exposes from the team members of Billy. There is also a distressing story of a Bahamian restaurateur who spent 50,000 dollars to pay her employees who prepared and served meals to the stranded group that was going to the festival. She creates a page, GoFundMe, after the documentary got released and compensated for the lost amount. She managed this through people’s generosity and sympathy after getting moved by her story in the documentary. The documentary is a good reminder for entrepreneurs who used vast amounts of money in advertising and marketing without improving their products.
4. Startup.com
- com is the best movie to learn about the rising and falling of internet firms in the dotcom bubble. The documentary film tells the story of GovWorks, which was a great startup that failed due to internal power dilemmas and mismanagement. Besides showing the success and failure of the dotcom bubble era, the documentary also narrates how internal politics can turn friendship into a vicious rivalry.
5. The Social Network-2010
The movie is about the world’s youngest billionaire and his dramatic rise, and his Facebook startup. Mark Zuckerberg began with a simple idea which ended up becoming one of the most profitable ventures. Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook at Harvard dorm, and after financing from a friend and investor, Eduardo Saverin, the social media network becomes a global venture. You’ll find out how he managed to establish his business and the challenges he faced.
6. Joy – 2015
Another inspiring movie is Joy, a tale of a business tycoon and entrepreneur Joy Mangano. In the beginning, Mangano lives in a deprived house with her divorced parents, two kids, ex-husband, and her grandmother. Her future seems not promising until she comes up with Miracle Mop’s idea, a revolutionary cleaning product. Mangano still faces challenges within her home and family. Despite the challenges, she ends up putting her idea of business into reality. She promotes her mop on air after getting a chance from QVC. The movie ends with a happy ending of Joy Mangano, who becomes a multimillionaire.
7. The Wolf of Wall Street
The movie is the true story of Jordan Belfort. It shows how Jordan rises and falls as an entrepreneur. The movie also shows how the company Stratton Oakmont got involved in securities scams and penny stock trading. The firm draws the attention of the FBI. Jordan is a good example of what entrepreneurs should avoid completely. He got led by greed and had no compassion for the people he was tricking. He led a life of extreme dishonesty that finally led to his downfall.
8. Pirates of Silicon Valley
The movie shows the rivalry between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs from 1971 to 1997. The movie got released in 1999 when Steve jobs started thriving in his second innings startup at Apple. The movie ends with Bill Gates getting the upper hand in the rivalry. The movie provides a glimpse of where the most renowned technology firm began. The movie also gives a tale of the rising of the two men who change the world of technology.
9. The Chef – 2014
The film is about a chef who decides to leave his restaurant job to begin his own business after feeling stuck. The movie got produced by Roy Choi, a truck owner. The movie shows the benefits of following your passion. Fulfillment and success come along with some struggles, but it’s all worth it in the end.
10. Pursuit of Happiness – 2006
The movie is about the true story of Chris Gardener, who rises from homelessness and poverty to becoming a Wall Street legend. Gardeners’ stories are a tale of how you should pursue your dream despite the obstacles you may face.
11. The Billionaire
The movie is a great motivator and will increase your determination. The film is great for entrepreneurs who feel like they are not getting enough for their hard work. This story is about true events and helps through all the stages of the difficult journey to success. Young Toms, enterprise, and resourcefulness don’t get support, and people insist that they get an appropriate education. University or school is tiresome work that he is not fond of. Despite the escalating debts, abandoned studies, horrible dilemmas, and other problems, one can never abandon the path to prosperity and real progress if one believes in themselves.