Entrepreneur Movies: 8 movies that inspire

We always find great movies to be exciting and inspirational. Now and then, as entrepreneurs, we need a little inspiration, especially when the road to success gets a little rocky. So, we compiled this list of great entrepreneur movies you can watch when you need a little inspiration. 

If you feel that we miss any great entrepreneur movies, let us know if the comments below and we will update the list. Keep in mind that these are cinematic biographical dramas and not just documentaries.

Jobs 2013

“Jobs” is a biographical drama directed by Joshua Michael Stern, written by Matthew Whiteley, and starring Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs, the co-founder and former CEO of Apple Inc. The film follows Jobs as he develops and launches products such as the iPod and iPhone and provides an inside look at the personal and professional struggles he faced as he rose to be one of the most influential figures in the modern tech industry. It also explores his relationships with other key figures in the company’s history, such as co-founder Steve Wozniak and former CEO John Sculley. The movie was praised for its portrayal of Steve Jobs and the insight it provides into the early days of Apple. Also, many critics believed that Ashton Kutcher’s performance as Jobs was excellent. 

What we liked: 

• It was interesting to see the early years of Apple Computer, now the world’s largest corporation.
• It showed the larger-than-life personality of Steve Jobs’ and how it impacted the direction of Apple.
• It showed Steve’s passion for his work to include the smallest detail.

Best Scene: 

The Aviator 2004

“The Aviator” is a biographical drama directed by Martin Scorsese and written by John Logan. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, a billionaire industrialist, film producer, and aviator known for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle. The film follows Hughes as he becomes one of the most successful and influential figures in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, producing films such as “Hell’s Angels” and “The Front Page,” and setting numerous aviation records as a pilot. It also explores Hughes’ later years, when he became increasingly paranoid and reclusive, and his battle with mental illness. The film received widespread acclaim for its direction, acting, and production values and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning five. It remains one of Martin Scorsese’s most highly regarded films and is widely considered to be one of the best movies of the early 2000s.

What we liked: 

• It showed great entrepreneurs like Hughes’s passion for their work, including the small details. 
• Great view into a larger-than-life character that never backed down. 
• Like other great entrepreneurs, it showed his desire to be first and win. 

Best Scene: 

How to find more great entrepreneur movies.

To find more great entrepreneur movies check out IMDB here. It is the premier database for movie and television information. It is the best way to find movies related to a specific topic.

Tucker 1988

“Tucker” is a biographical drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and written by Arnold Schulman. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Preston Tucker, an inventor and automobile entrepreneur who developed and marketed the Tucker 48, a revolutionary car with advanced features such as a fuel-injected engine and a headlight that turned with the steering wheel. The film follows Tucker as he tries to bring his vehicle to market and faces opposition from the established automakers and the government. The movie generally received positive reviews upon its release and was nominated for several awards. The film was widely praised for its direction, acting, and production values and received several awards and nominations. It remains a popular and highly regarded film and is considered a classic of American cinema.

What we liked: 

• As with all great entrepreneurs, Preston Tucker was willing to bet it all on his dream of building a successful car company. 
• It was entertaining to see his passion for his dream of building the best car on the market.  
• It showed great entrepreneurs like Preston Tucker’s willingness to take on critics and the establishment.  

Best Scene: 

Pirates of Silicon Valley 1999

“Pirates of Silicon Valley” is a made-for-television biographical drama film directed by Martyn Burke. The film chronicles the rise of the personal computer industry in the 1970s and 1980s and the rivalry between Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, played by Noah Wyle and Joey Slotnick, respectively, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, played by Anthony Michael Hall. The film explores the early lives and careers of these three figures and the development of their respective companies and provides an inside look at the early days of the tech industry. It was released on TNT and received generally positive reviews for its portrayal of the significant players in the personal computer revolution. The film was widely praised for its depiction of the major players in the personal computer revolution and its insight into the early days of the tech industry. It remains a popular and highly regarded film and is considered a classic of American cinema.

What we liked: 

• The portrayal of the rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates was entering and fun to watch
• It was interesting to see how well Jobs and Gates knew each other.
• It was interesting to find out that Xerox, a company best known for copiers, had a lab that developed several technologies that led to the modern computer.  
• This is one of the entrepreneur movies that we found really inspirational.

Best Scene: 

The Founder 2016

“The Founder”, a biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel. The film stars Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, the man who took over the small chain of fast-food restaurants known as McDonald’s and turned it into one of the world’s most successful and influential companies. The film follows Kroc as he meets the McDonald brothers, played by Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch, who developed a revolutionary fast-food system and convinced them to let him franchise their restaurants. It also explores Kroc’s rise to success and the challenges he overcame as he sought to build McDonald’s into a global empire. The movie generally received positive reviews upon its release and was nominated for several awards. The film was widely praised for its portrayal of Ray Kroc and the insight it provided into the early days of McDonald’s. It remains a popular and highly regarded film and is considered a classic of American cinema.

What we liked: 

• It was interesting to see how determined Kroc was to make Mcdonald’s a success. 
• It was interesting to find out that Kroc was the founder of the modern McDonald’s Corporation; however, he didn’t come up with the concept. 
• It shows that as an entrepreneur, you don’t have to be first with an idea or even have an idea at all. You need to know what the value of an idea is and be able to unlock that value. 
• This is one of the entrepreneur movies that we found really inspirational.

Best Scene: 

Where to watch great entrepreneur movies.

You can find all of these great entrepreneur movies on streaming services such as Amazon Prime, You Tube, and Netflix. You can watch the trailer for each move on IMDB.

The Social Network 2010

“The Social Network”, a biographical drama movie directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder, and CEO of Facebook, and chronicles the creation of the social networking site and the legal battles that ensued. The film explores Zuckerberg’s relationships with his business partners and the development of Facebook and provides an inside look at the early days of the company. It received widespread acclaim upon its release and was nominated for several awards, including eight Academy Awards, winning three. The film was widely praised for its direction, writing, and acting and received numerous awards and nominations. It remains a popular and highly regarded film and is considered a classic of American cinema.

What we liked: 

• It was interesting to see the early days of Facebook, a company that almost one-third of the planet uses. 
• It was also interesting to see the conflict within even the most successful companies. It showed that pursuing your dreams is always a challenging ride. 
• It also shows how tough business is and how it can affect personal relationships. 

Best Scene: 

The pursuit of happyness 2006

“The Pursuit of Happyness”, a biographical drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino and written by Steven Conrad. The film stars Will Smith as Chris Gardner, a salesman who becomes homeless with his young son and eventually lands an unpaid internship at a stock brokerage firm. The film follows Gardner as he struggles to provide for his son and make ends meet, ultimately securing a stockbroker job. It is based on the real-life story of Chris Gardner and his son and received widespread acclaim upon its release. The film was widely praised for its acting, direction, and emotional impact and remains a popular and highly regarded film.

What we liked: 

• It was inspiring to see that when Chris Gardner was at his lowest, he never gave up on his dream.
• As with many entrepreneurs, Chris Gardner didn’t succeed with his first passion. He was forced to pivot and try something else.   
•  It shows that with most entrepreneurs, the road to success can be long and hard, but along the way, you have little victories that ultimately bring you to your destination. 

Best Scene: 

Joy 2015

“Joy” is a biographical drama film directed by David O. Russell and written by Russell and Annie Mumolo. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as Joy Mangano, a struggling single mother who becomes a successful inventor and entrepreneur. The film follows Joy as she develops and markets her inventions, including the Miracle Mop, and faces numerous challenges. It also explores Joy’s relationships with her family and the impact her success has on her personal life. The movie generally received positive reviews upon its release and was nominated for several awards. The film was widely praised for its acting, direction, and storytelling and received several awards and nominations.

What we liked: 

• Joy was weighed down with all of her responsibilities in life which made it difficult to become an entrepreneur in the first place. She didn’t let that stop her, and she pursued her dreams anyway.
• As with most entrepreneurs, inspiration can strike at any time. Joy was quick to identify and capitalize on her inspiration.
• Her will to succeed even when everyone was against her was great to see.

Best Scene: 

Conclusion

After watching all of these entrepreneur movies, it is clear that there are certain traits that all great entrepreneurs possess.

They all have the following: 

• Powerful personalities. 
• An unstoppable will to succeed 
• No tolerance for failure
• Extremely high expectations for themselves and everyone else 
• The desire to go all in a particular pursuit    
• A never give up attitude
• Faced tremendous challenges
• Attention to detail

Did these great entrepreneur movies inspire you?

After watching these entrepreneur movies, do you have what it takes to be the next great entrepreneur? If so, check out this post here.

If you ever wondered what an entrepreneur does all day. Check out this post here.