From comedies and feel-good movies to biopics and dramas, countless films have graced the big screen to inspire the minds of entrepreneurs. Some tell the story of business owners finding their footing, while others depict what went wrong. Each movie offers valuable lessons, making them must-watches for both aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned business owners alike.
Here are eight movies entrepreneurs should watch for inspiration.
Saturday Night (2024)
This comedic, high-stress biopic takes viewers back to October 11, 1975, focusing on the chaotic 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of NBC’s “Saturday Night,” now known as “Saturday Night Live.” Directed by Jason Reitman, viewers follow Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) as he struggles to take charge and make decisions that could impact the night’s premiere.
The hour-and-a-half lead-up is filled with stress, mistakes, and staff struggling to understand their roles in bringing this new, revolutionary live show to life. From lighting rigs crashing down and catching fire to insubordination among cast and crew, Michaels experiences a crash course in producing a show for late-night television.
Amid the chaos, Michaels learns that NBC executives are betting against the show’s success and waiting with a queued-up rerun of “The Tonight Show” ready to air, should the production fail. Fueled by this opposition, he’s determined to make the show successful, knowing his vision will prevail — if the audience is given the chance to see the finished product.
Lesson: If you have an entrepreneurial vision, don’t let anything — or anybody — hold you back. Opposition from others is normal, and it's important to listen to those above you, but trust your gut and take a chance when you believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will.
The Founder (2016)
Directed by John Lee Hancock, “The Founder” stars Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, a struggling milkshake machine salesman who comes across an innovative restaurant in Southern California called McDonald’s Hamburgers. Impressed by the restaurant’s focus on fast service and good quality food through a streamlined system, Kroc approaches the owners, brothers Richard (Nick Offerman) and Maurice McDonald (John Carroll Lynch), about its franchise potential. He promises success for all parties involved, convincing them to expand their business to new markets.
However, Kroc has other intentions. As the business grows, he finds ways to undercut the brothers, ruthlessly forcing them out as he takes over. He assembles his own team to handle the business, leaving the original founders with no control or royalties in the business. With Kroc in charge, he abandons the original vision, turning the family-owned business into a global fast food empire.
Lesson: Have the right team behind you and know exactly who you’re in business with. Business can be cutthroat, and not everyone will have your best intentions in mind. Protect yourself by remaining vigilant, establishing clear agreements, and ensuring everything you do is aboveboard and legally sound.
[Read more: 10 Popular Franchises and How Much They Cost]
The Intern (2015)
“The Intern,” directed by Nancy Meyers, follows 70-year-old retiree Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro), who lands a senior intern role at an e-commerce fashion company. Whittaker becomes the assistant to the company’s CEO, driven entrepreneur and workaholic Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway).
Initially, Ostin is skeptical of Whittaker’s abilities, writing him off due to his age and lack of experience in the fashion world. However, she’s proven wrong as his background in print media, combined with his supportive attitude and wise demeanor, quickly begins to positively impact her business.
As Ostin grows to trust Whittaker, she gives him more responsibility and turns to him as a mentor, seeking both business insight and personal guidance. With his support and generational wisdom, Ostin secures her role in her company and finds her footing as CEO, leading to boosted team morale and a blending of old-school values with modern business strategies and abilities.
Lesson: For aspiring entrepreneurs, don’t let age be a barrier that stops you from pursuing new opportunities. What’s important is being adaptable and willing to learn, regardless of the life stage you’re in. For entrepreneurs already in business, hire staff based on potential and willingness to grow rather than directly relevant skills. Lean on others in the workplace by delegating tasks and relinquishing control to those you trust. As a leader, it’s important to establish workplace boundaries to make time for the people who matter most and to prioritize your mental health and personal needs.
Directed by John Lee Hancock, “The Founder” stars Michael Keaton as Ray Kroc, a struggling milkshake machine salesman who comes across an innovative restaurant in Southern California called McDonald’s Hamburgers.
Joy (2015)
This biographical film is about New York native Joy Mangano, who went from single mother to mop millionaire in the 1990s. She got her start by creating a new product called the Miracle Mop, a self-wringing mop that required less effort to use than its competitors.
One of the most dramatic moments in the film is when Mangano, portrayed by Oscar-winning Actress Jennifer Lawrence, is devastated to learn that her mop is underperforming on the home shopping network QVC and will soon be pulled. In a last-ditch effort, she agrees to pitch it herself on live television, arguing that she knows the product best. The gamble worked, and after overcoming several more hurdles, Mangano’s company finally broke through. She would go on to become a millionaire and create several other successful products.
Lesson: Make sure you love what you make, remember that you may have to be your own cheerleader at times, and seek out new platforms for exposure. The most important message, however, is to never give up. Mangano battled a fickle industry, family betrayal, and money problems before achieving success. Her continued belief in her product — and herself — ended up being her biggest strength.
[Read more: 10 Successful Companies Started by Women Founders]
Steve Jobs (2015)
The story of Apple Co-founder Steve Jobs’ rise in the tech world has been well-documented. After the entrepreneur’s death in 2011, Hollywood churned out three feature films in quick succession about his life, including the 2015 award-winning drama featuring Michael Fassbender.
The film took a hard look at the entrepreneur’s personal and professional struggles. His paternity dispute over his daughter Lisa and his fights with Co-founder Steve Wozniak and ex-Apple CEO John Sculley shed light on a side of Jobs that much of the public didn’t know existed.
The movie also portrayed his forced exit from the company in 1985, a closer look at NeXT — the computer company he founded after his ousting, which was later acquired by Apple — and his triumphant return to Apple in 1997. After his return, Apple would later go on to dominate the consumer tech market and release a series of innovative products, including the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
Lesson: Don’t abandon your vision. The film didn’t gloss over the entrepreneur’s early career setbacks — which included parting ways with Apple and product complications — and serves as an important lesson for entrepreneurs facing tough business challenges and competing outside opinions.
The Social Network (2010)
Facebook Co-founder Mark Zuckerberg’s story isn’t a rags-to-riches tale. However, it’s no surprise that the behind-the-scenes struggles at his social media company — which now has over three billion monthly users around the world — were turned into a movie and ended up on this list.
Although Director David Fincher and Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin mixed fact and fiction to create what some have called a less-than-accurate picture, the film nonetheless gives entrepreneurs great insight into how to succeed in the cutthroat world of startup entrepreneurship.
While he became a successful entrepreneur, Zuckerberg had his fair share of problems back in the day. For example, he battled a lawsuit from fellow Harvard students Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who accused him of using their idea for a Harvard social dating site to help build his own business.
In addition, Zuckerberg hit hurdles while trying to find funding in the company’s early years, ran into serious problems with Co-founder Eduardo Saverin, and stumbled when working with Facebook’s first President Sean Parker, who was portrayed as unreliable and egocentric.
Lesson: Learn to be flexible. Facebook changed and evolved over time to suit the needs and desires of the users it served. To this very day — for better or worse — Facebook continues to experiment with new features and add-ons.
Bonus tip: Always get everything in writing. This movie offers several great tips for entrepreneurs, but one of the best lessons exemplified over and over again is how important it is to have a binding contract in place. Zuckerberg and his co-founders could have avoided a lot of unnecessary hassle by clearly outlining and putting on paper their decision-making processes and what role each person held at the company.
[Read more: 6 Essential Personality Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs]
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
What should you do when your back is up against the wall? If you’re Chris Gardner, the Founder of private brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co., you simply work harder.
The biopic about Gardner’s life shows how the entrepreneur struggled with homelessness while raising his son as a single father in San Francisco. After his work selling bone density scanners came to an end, Gardner lived in homeless shelters and once even a subway station bathroom while he fought for an internship as a stockbroker.
The film doesn’t hold back any emotional punches when it highlights how Gardner’s wife left the family and the IRS garnished his wages over unpaid parking tickets, leaving him virtually penniless. Through sheer perseverance, things worked out in the end: Gardner won the stockbroker position and used that job to eventually launch his own firm.
Lesson: Never be afraid to reinvent yourself and work hard for what you want. Successful entrepreneurs often go to extreme lengths to succeed, and Gardner’s case is no exception. There’s also something to be said for playing the long game. Though he and his son were homeless and struggling day-to-day, Gardner pursued an unpaid internship, confident that it would pay off in the end.
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Running a business and coaching a sports team have more in common than you might expect. Both require adaptability and resilience in high-pressure situations, as well as the ability to inspire their team to achieve shared goals.
This sports drama film follows the Miami Sharks, a fictional American football team struggling to make the season playoffs. Veteran Coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino), who’s fallen out of favor with management and the media due to the Sharks’ recent failures, is tasked with bringing his team back to its former glory.
Tony and the Sharks must overcome multiple obstacles over the course of the film, from disagreements with management to interpersonal issues amongst players. Just before the championship game, Tony rallies the team with a powerful locker room speech, encouraging his players to work together and “fight for that inch” that can make the difference between victory and defeat.
Lesson: Fight for the inches in your business — the little things add up. Manage your resources wisely, strive for continuous improvement, and take time to recognize the small victories. Rally your employees around these values as well, uniting them with a shared purpose and vision.
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