Top 9 Finance Movies That Will Change How You See Money

Finance may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but movies most definitely are! Movies are entertaining and captivating. 

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On the other hand, finance can seem a bit complex to comprehend for those unfamiliar with the financial industry’s inner workings. 

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What happens when finance and cinema come together? You get an understanding of how money works and its impact on the economy in a fun way. 

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And today, we’ve compiled a list of 9 must-watch finance movies that will give you an insight into the world of finance and Wall Street.

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Best Finance Movies For Finance Enthusiasts

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1. The Big Short (2015)

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Adam McKay’s The Big Short is a movie based on a true story, inspired by Michael Lewis’ book of the same name.

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The film stars some of the very famous Hollywood actors like Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, among others. 

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The movie’s plotline revolves around the global 2008 financial crisis, which was triggered by the US housing bubble.

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It follows a bunch of investors and “finance bros” who anticipated the market crash and ended up making a fortune out of it.

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The movie is shot like a documentary, taking viewers along the journey while also breaking down complex financial terms with surprising cameos from celebrities like Selena Gomez, Margot Robbie, and Anthony Bourdain. 

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2. Dumb Money (2023)

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Dumb Money is a 2023 comedy-drama that was based on a true story. The movie is based on a book by Ben Mezrich called The Antisocial Network. 

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The movie stars Paul Dano playing the lead role of Keith Gill, along with Nick Offerman, America Ferrera, Seth Rogen, and Pete Davidson. 

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This autobiographical tale tells the story of a middle-class financial analyst-turned-YouTuber who flipped the script on Wall Street giants. 

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During the 2021 COVID pandemic, Keith noticed GameStop’s falling stock prices and invested his life savings into the stock. After initial hesitation, many of his followers and several other Redditors joined in to buy the stock. 

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He soon realized that the big hedge fund companies are planning to short the GameStop stock, but retail buyers shoot up the stock price, causing a short squeeze. 

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It is an entertaining and insightful movie that will give you a closer look at how a bunch of retail stock buyers caused big hedge fund companies to lose millions of dollars.

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3. Wall Street (1987)

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Wall Street (1987) is a classic financial thriller-drama that must be on every finance and non-finance enthusiast's list. 

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Director Oliver Stone’s drama movie followed Bud Fox, a young and ambitious stockbroker who is eager to make it big in the finance industry. 

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He joins his idol, Gordon Gekko, who is a ruthless Wall Street legend. Bud manages to rise through the ranks by feeding Gekko insider information. 

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However, he soon faces the consequences of greed and corruption as his ambition catches up with him.

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Michael Douglas portrayed the role of Gordon Gekko in the movie and won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

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4. Margin Call (2011)

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2011’s Margin Call, which explores the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. It follows employees of a Wall Street investment business who find a significant danger on their books that could bankrupt the company. 

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As time passes, difficult moral and financial judgments are made over the course of a tense 24-hour period.

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5. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

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The Wolf of Wall Street is a dark comedy based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who rises to immense wealth through fraud and corruption. 

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Belfort's business swings out of control as the FBI approaches. The film looks at ambition, gluttony, and the repercussions of unbridled greed.

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6. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

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Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is a documentary about the rise and fall of Enron, formerly considered America's most inventive firm.

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Through interviews and insider footage, it uncovers how corporate fraud, greed, and deception resulted in one of the largest financial scandals in US history. 

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The film investigates the role of executives, auditors, and deregulation in the company's catastrophic demise.

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7. Boiler Room (2000)

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Boiler Room is a drama about a college dropout who lands a job at a high-pressure brokage firm promising fast money and success. 

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As he advances through the ranks, he realises that the company is executing a murky pump-and-dump scheme. 

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Torn between ambition and conscience, he must choose between fortune and doing the right thing.

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8. Inside Job (2010)

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Inside Job is a documentary about the 2008 global financial crisis, which reveals widespread wrongdoing in the banking industry. 

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Through expert interviews and incisive analysis, it demonstrates how reckless risk-taking, deregulation, and conflicts of interest contributed to the economic collapse—and how few were held accountable.

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9. Bitconned (2024)

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Bitconned is a documentary about Ray Trapani, a scammer who co-founded the bogus cryptocurrency business Centra Tech. 

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Posing as a legitimate cryptocurrency startup backed by celebrities, the hoax garnered millions of dollars before being uncovered by journalists and the FBI. 

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The video uncovers how enthusiasm, greed, and dishonesty fuelled one of cryptocurrency's most notorious scams.

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