[This post is part of a group writing project titled "Summer Fun Guide" on the Personal Finance Network. You may also want to check out 10 Free Ways to get into Fitness this Summer, Cool frugal ideas to stay away from the heat, Tips for packing light, especially when flying with young kids, Frugal fun ideas for kids, Planning a vacation at home from other blogs on the network.]
When I think of summer, the first thing that comes to mind is movies. As summer movies tend to be big budget affairs with a thin plot and lots of action, you may want a bit of respite from the mindless entertainment. Movies with a money or business theme are typically dramas and could fit the bill perfectly.
I started out making a list of movies that I’ve liked so far but then discovered many lists of movies on money floating around the web. Forbes Magazine, for example, polled its readers and picked Wall Street, Trading Places, The Sting, Boiler Room, Ocean’s Eleven (the original), It’s a Mad Mad Mad World, Casino, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and American Psycho. The American noticed that business is frequently the villian in Hollywood flicks and sought to select a list in which business life is portrayed in a better light and came up with this list: Barcelona, Jerry Maguire, Lost in Translation, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Shop Around the Corner, Trading Places, One, Two, Three, Mildred Pierce, Working Girl and Glengarry Glen Ross.
Recently, the Business Pundit blog put together a list of 50 Best Business Movies Ever along with YouTube snippets and chose The Corporation (documentary), All About Eve, The Godfather II, Salesman, Modern Times, It’s a Wonderful Life, Citizen Kane, Once Upon a Time in the West, Goodfellas and The Godfather.
I wonder about some of these selections: it’s true that Michael Corleone likes to say “It’s not personal. It’s strictly business” but it is hard to think of Godfather as a money movie. Wall Street would be my top pick as well but then I haven’t watched many of the movies in these lists. So, I did a bit of digging, read a lot of reviews and came up with this short list of movies I want to watch over the summer:
- Other People’s Money. Danny DeVito plays Larry, the liquidator, a corporate raider who has a “mom-and-pop” company in his sights.
- GlenGarry Glen Ross. Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino and Ed Harris play real estate salesmen who must succeed in a sales contest or get fired.
- Boiler Room seems to be an investment brokerage version of GlenGarry Glen Ross.
- Trading Places sounds like a twist on The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. Here’s how IMDB describes the plot: A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
- Maxed Out is a Michael Moore-style documentary on the predatory tactics employed by credit card companies. I’ve watched it in bits and pieces when it was on TV and have been meaning to watch it fully.
What movies would be on your list? I’d love to hear your suggestions.
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39 responses so far ↓
1 Tips For Packing Light On A Plane (Especially If You Have Kids) // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:01 am
[...] Canadian Capitalist has some money movies to watch. [...]
2 Summer Fun Guide: Frugal Fun Ideas for Kids (of all ages) at Clever Dude Personal Finance & Money // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:02 am
[...] - Canadian Capitalist points out some good money movies to watch this summer [...]
3 Steve Heath // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:28 am
Barbarians at the Gate was a great movie, about the buyout of RJR Nabisco. Just thinking about it gives me a hankering to watch it again… too bad I had it on VHS and don’t have a VHS player anymore
4 squawkfox » 10 Free Ways to get into Fitness this Summer // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:02 am
[...] Canadian Capitalist is seeing stars in Money Movies to Watch this Summer. [...]
5 Jacob from Group Writing Projects // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:13 am
Another Canadian here. I run the blog about group writing projects, titled - strangely enough - Group Writing Projects, at http://groupwritingprojects.com/. If you guys do any more group writing projects, could someone come by and tell us about it? We can get you more participants and subscribers.
Enjoy the summer fun guide project. Was there an official blog post announcement made for it anywhere? I couldn’t find one.
6 Canadian Capitalist // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:23 am
Steve: I checked the reviews but they weren’t very favourable but I’ll add it to my list anyway. Thanks for your suggestion.
7 Four Pillars // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:32 am
I’ve seen boiler room - not bad. Trading places is a classic.
8 Derek // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:51 am
If you can find the DVD, the first episode of Season 1 of Morgan Spurlock’s (of Super Size Me fame…nothing but McDonald’s for a month) “30 Days” is interesting. He and his fiance lived for 30 days on minimum wage, starting from scratch (i.e. finding and having to furnish accomodations).
Roger and Me by Michael Moore includes all of his usual histrionics, but does give a sobering look at the effects of corporate downsizing on single industy communities.
A recommendation for a few from the best 50 list that didn’t make your cut: Rogue Trader, The Insider and The Hudsucker Proxy are each worth a look if you haven’t seen them.
9 Geoff // Jul 10, 2008 at 9:28 am
Not a true business movie per se, but a great movie in terms of trusting your instincts under pressure: Rounders (1998) about poker players and knowing when to raise, and when to fold. Oh and Office Space is a classic and will be for forever and a day.
10 guinness416 // Jul 10, 2008 at 9:29 am
“Bringing Down the House” is one money movie I’m kinda looking forward to. I think it comes out this year. It was a very fun book.
11 WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo // Jul 10, 2008 at 9:31 am
Love Wallstreet - and the sequel is in production, called “Money Never Sleeps”. Only Gecko is back, and this time he is fresh out of jail and starting up a hedge fund.
I liked Boiler Room - great soundtrack too. I suppose it has some similar themes of high pressure environments to Glengarry Glen Ross, but the stories are quite different.
Trading Places is a classic - although it made a generation think that everyone trades orange juice futures when investing.
I wouldn’t call any of the Godfathers good money movies, just great movies plain and simple. I just don’t think of them that way.
Would The Hustler make it on the list? It’s not so much about the money industry, but money plays a central theme. I suppose the sequel, Colour of Money, would have to be included as well, although it didn’t have the magic of The Hustler.
12 Jon202 // Jul 10, 2008 at 9:34 am
I’m a doc lover, so…
Runner up: Enron: Smartest guys in the room
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1016268/
#1: Roger and Me
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098213/
honourable mentions to “The Corporation” and “No Logo” which are informative, but not as entertaining as those above.
13 Mark // Jul 10, 2008 at 9:58 am
What a rich subject to explore! Let me suggest some classic films, since so many titles mentioned are more recent.
Metropolis(1926) Fritz Lang. Classic science fiction film that projects a future in which class divisions deepen into revolt of workers against a management/leisure class.
Trouble in Paradise (1932) Ernst Lubitsch. Sophisticated sex comedy where a pair of jewel thieves infiltrate the home of a cosmetics magnate in order to steal her money. The plot goes wrong when one of the thieves falls in love with her.
Topaze(1933) Harry d’Arrast. U.S. remake of a Pagnol play about a professor (John Barrymore) who is swindled by a big business magnate. His consequent corruption leads him to a fortune.
Ninotchka(1938) Ernst Lubitsch. A Billy Wilder/Charles Brackett script about a trio of Communist Russians in Paris to sell confiscated jewels, but are seduced by the good life. Garbo plays the commissar who comes to set this transaction right.
Dodsworth(1936) William Wyler. Retired industrialist moves to Europe with his wife and goes through mid-life crisis.
You Can’t Take It With You(1938) Frank Capra. Courtship of a woman from a family of penniless eccentrics with the son of a business tycoon.
The Magnificent Ambersons(1942) Orson Welles. Meditative study of how industrialization changes social and personal relationships, as seen by the experience of a monied family.
The Palm Beach Story(1942) Screwball Comedy about the wife of a divorced couple seeking a wealthy mate to finance the business scheme of her ex.
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?(1957) Low level ad executive (Tony Randall) tries to get a big star (Jayne Mansfield) to endorse a product to ensure his rise in the business.
14 Canadian Capitalist // Jul 10, 2008 at 10:02 am
Derek: I’ve seen The Insider, but I’ll keep the others in mind.
Geoff, Guinness: Rounders and Bringing Down the House are now on the list.
Preet: Perhaps Wall Street deserves a separate post. I find it strange that business types admire the Gordon Gekko character. To me he is a scoundrel who richly deserved his jail time.
15 Big Cajun Man // Jul 10, 2008 at 10:49 am
A few obscure ones for you:
On The Nose: Robbie Coltrane shows why you shouldn’t bet, unless you have a sure thing!
The Wedding Singer: Remember the nasty fiance was a “Junk Bond Dealer”
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: All in chase of some easy money.
Mad Max/Road Warrior: What might happen if we run out of oil (ok not directly money)
The Shawshank Redemption: Remember Andy Dufresne was a rich banker, and all the moves he pulls for the warden
Meet Joe Black: The new one, where Death becomes an IRS agent
16 squawkfox // Jul 10, 2008 at 11:01 am
The Money Pit: Warns of the perils when buying a “fixer upper.”
17 guinness416 // Jul 10, 2008 at 11:11 am
Hmm on further investigation, to be clear, the book “Bringing Down the House” was remade as a film called “21″. Apparently there is already a movie called BDTH which is a wacky Queen Latifah comedy, which wasn’t exactly what I was recommending there!
18 Summer Fun Guide - Cool Frugal Ideas to Stay Away From the Heat | Personal Finance Blog by Money Ning // Jul 10, 2008 at 11:22 am
[...] Canadian Capitalist - Money Movies to Watch This Summer [...]
19 Unspending // Jul 10, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I’m going to suggest Wall-E. It’s not about money so much as it’s about the being frugal and the dangers of over-consumption. Another great film from Pixar!
20 Stephen Winters // Jul 10, 2008 at 12:50 pm
“The Pursuit of Happyness” - By far my favorite movie.
Great movie for a “pick-me-up”. Shows the true meaning of determination and persistence and never burning your bridges in life.
21 Steve Heath // Jul 10, 2008 at 1:26 pm
CC - the reviews from people who haven’t read the book are usually positive, the ones who have aren’t, but I think that’s because the movie focuses more on the personalities involved and how they react to events rather than the intriciate financial details. Very much in the Wall Street vein.
22 Canadian Capitalist // Jul 10, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Big Cajun: Other than “On the Nose”, I’ve watched the others.
Squawkfox, Guinness: Thanks. I’ve put these on the list. Not sure, I want to watch another Queen Latifah movie. We just saw “Mad Money”, which was decent.
Unspending: I’ll have to wait for the Wall-E DVD. I’m a huge Pixar fan and there is no chance that I won’t see this movie.
Stephen: I liked “The Pursuit of Happyness” as well though I hear the book is better.
23 Canadian Capitalist // Jul 10, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Mark: Though I’ve heard of every movie on that list, I haven’t watched even one. I think I should be spending the time to see these movies instead of “Mad Money”
Jon: I have a copy of the Enron DVD and have watched it many times. I agree it is a very good documentary. The others, I haven’t seen yet but I’ll put them on the list.
24 ThePope // Jul 10, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Maxed Out is interesting and worth watching, but I disagree with its emotional premise. It presents people that fall deeply into debt as complete victims, as if it was something done to them rather than personal choices that led them to where they are. Perhaps I’m just a cold uncaring jerk, but I really believe people should take personal responsibility for their financial decisions.
25 theshepherd // Jul 10, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Glengary Glen Ross is a great, great, great, gr…anyways good story and great acting, I mean top four actors of our time.
Barbarians at the Gate is a good film and should be on the list…was cited by some as the best business movie, not sure why some would hate it… the book is better though.
Trading places is just a funny film. not to close to the futures market, but funny.
there was a documentary done on bible salesmen in the 1960s, buy two brothers, they also did a famous film on the rolling stones…forgot the title…a classic about the art and the hard life of selling door to door.
good luck reading.
26 larry macdonald // Jul 10, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Most contemporary Hollywood movies about business are cartoonist and anti-business. You have to go back in time for substance. A Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart as the owner of a failing bank during the 1930s, is an example. Business is full of ups and downs and this film illustrates superbly the downside risks (and the possibility of recovery with the help of friends and community).
27 Dillon // Jul 10, 2008 at 3:03 pm
I would echo thesheperd’s comments on Trading Places - it isn’t an accruate portrayal of an investment firm by any stretch of the imagination. It’s your typical Eddie Murphy vehicle. Still worth watching, particularly if you are a fan of Jamie Lee Curtis.
28 Traciatim // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:12 pm
ThePope: I agree, I really didn’t like Maxed out. It seemed to me it was full of whiners. Companies (all) advertise and push their products as much as they can, no matter what they are selling. Stop using their products if you can’t use it responsibly.
29 Canadian Capitalist // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I agree with your comments on Maxed Out that thirty and forty year olds should bear responsibility for their actions but the credit card companies shouldn’t be let off the hook either. Their practices can only be labeled as predatory — especially when in cases where the victims were very young college kids.
30 Drea // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I created that Top 50 Biz Movies list on BusinessPundit…and realize that there are far more business movies out there than I thought! I plan on revising and adding to the list every so often. In defense of the Godfather being Number 1: My ratings were based on running comparisons from several prominent movie review sites, business sites, and personal bias. Though The Godfather wasn’t a movie about a corporation, it does contain several fundamental lessons in leadership, negotiation, and the consequences of decisionmaking. I think that placing common business themes such as these in an alternate setting–by that, I mean not inside of a company–people wanting to learn about business can gain valuable insights. Or fantasize about serving the dish of revenge cold to competitors and bad bosses.
I also thought Wall-E was fantastic, if a little blatant…
31 Canadian Capitalist // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Ok, here’s the complete list of your suggestions:
21
Barbarians at the Gate
Color of Money
Dodsworth
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
It’s a Mad Mad Mad World
It’s a Wonderful Life
Mad Max/Road Warrior
Meet Joe Black
Metropolis
Money Never Sleeps
Ninotchka
No Logo
Office Space
On the Nose
Roger and Me
Rogue Trader
Rounders
The Corporation
The Hudsucker Proxy
The Hustler
The Insider
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Money Pit
The Palm Beach Story
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Shawshank Redemption
The Wedding Singer
Topaze
Trouble in Paradise
Wall-E
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter
You Can’t Take it with You
32 A Lap Of The Blogs : WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.com // Jul 10, 2008 at 10:35 pm
[...] Canadian Capitalist lists the Money Movies he plans to watch this summer. The best part of this list is that I have more ideas for movies to add to the Money Movie Giveaways [...]
33 Friday Linkstuff // Jul 11, 2008 at 5:03 am
[...] Canadian Capitalist has some money movies to watch. [...]
34 bigasssuperstar // Jul 11, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I wrote recently about both Maxed Out and In Debt We Trust — two movies about the same thing, though I thought Maxed Out was much, much better.
I was also really impressed with Life and Debt, a movie about how the IMF and World Bank screwed Jamaica.
35 Danny Schechter // Jul 12, 2008 at 8:03 am
The Big Ass Superstar may also be a big ass. As the director of In Debt We Trust, which warned of the subprime calamity ahead, I was of course disappointed by his put down but your readers might want to decide for yourselves by visit indebtwetrust.org. I also have a new book coming out on the origins of the crisis. It’s called PLUNDER (newsdissector.com/Plunder)
36 Jamie Lee Curtis Celebrity Gossip | Comment on Money movies to watch this summer by Jamie Lee Curtis … // Jul 12, 2008 at 9:55 am
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37 Dividend Growth Investor // Jul 14, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I second Office Space. It’s my all-time favorite movie on business
38 Canadian Capitalist // Jul 30, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Danny: I think you are out of line — you are welcome to express your point of view without name calling. It’s Big Ass Superstar’s opinion that Maxed Out was better than your movie. He has every right to hold that opinion.
39 RestOFTheMovie // Aug 13, 2008 at 2:22 am
check this http://restofthemovie.com
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