Money makes the world go 'round. This fact makes it a ripe and compelling subject matter for great movies. Hollywood has always been obsessed with stories about money, how it works, what can be done with it, how it changes people, and what it makes them do.
Financial movies have always been a popular genre for films and, through them, audiences learn more about how such things as the stock market works, how people use it for their advantage, and quite possibly how they use it to take advantage of everyday people, in particular, the audience watching. Here are ten movies where money is a character, for better or for worse.
Wall Street
Perhaps the most influential financial movie ever made, Wall Street, directed by Oliver Stone coming off his Best Picture-winning film, Platoon, revolves around sinister corporate raider Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), who takes junior stockbroker Bud (Charlie Sheen) under his wing, which devolves into Bud having to fight for his soul while working for the firm.
Made as a reflection of Reagan-era economics, Wall Street and Gordon Gekko became a cultural phenomenon and a symbol for corporate creed. Gekko's famous line "Greed is Good" has become synonymous with the evils of financial institutions as well as for being one of cinema's most classic lines. For his incredible performance as the iconic character, Douglas won the Best Actor Oscar.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
23 years after the release of the classic film Wall Street, director Oliver Stone returned to the world of finance with the sequel. Produced and set in a timely financial period in America, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps takes place during the real-life 2008 financial crisis, giving the fictional film a relatable backdrop and prescient context.
Michael Douglas returns to the role of Gordon Gekko, now released from prison and looking to get back into the finance game and reconnect with his daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan). Also starring Shia Labeouf and Josh Brolin, Wall Street 2 received mixed reviews upon release but many critics described it as a worthy sequel, albeit not better than the first, and the best Oliver Stone film in recent years.
Other People's Money
Acclaimed director Norman Jewison directs Danny DeVito, Gregory Peck, and Penelope Ann Miller in an adaptation of the comic play of the same name. DeVito stars as Larry "The Liquidator" Garfield, a corporate raider who buys up undervalued companies and sells them off.
However, the chairman of the company Larry's trying to take over hires his beautiful stepdaughter to defend them. In the process, Larry falls for her and has to choose between her or money. The movie received poor reviews upon release and, unfortunately, would be legendary actor Gregory Peck's final theatrical performance.
The Wolf Of Wall Street
The Wolf Of Wall Street is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, who started a firm based upon unloading worthless stocks on unsuspecting investors by selling them through misleading positive statements. The firm would make millions off the stocks while the investor made nothing. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Belfort in one of his best performances in what is one of Martin Scorcese's best films.
Also starring Jonah Hill, a quick-but-memorable performance by Matthew McConaughey, and a star-making performance from Margot Robbie, Wolf is an endlessly entertaining 3-hour film that's darkly funny and tragic. Ultimately, the movie was nominated for five Oscars but went home empty-handed.
Money Monster
Jodie Foster directs this financial thriller about a TV show personality Lee Gates (George Clooney) who hosts a financial investment advice show. However, the show is thrown into chaos when a gunman appears on the live show and takes it hostage due to money lost, thanks to bad advice Gates gave on his show.
Initially, audiences believed that the movie was inspired by Mad Money host, Jim Cramer, who infamously was criticized for giving bad financial advice that lost people money, although Clooney and Foster denied this was the case. Also starring Julia Roberts, Money Monster received mixed reviews from critics but beat box-office expectations and performed well.
Boiler Room
Described as "Wall Street for the 90s," Giovanni Ribisi plays a college dropout recruited by a brokerage firm that specializes in getting people to invest in companies that don't actually exist. After discovering this, the FBI brings him in to help bring down the firm for defrauding people out of millions.
Boiler Room starred a cast of then up-and-coming actors like Ribisi, Vin Diesel, and Ben Affleck and received very good reviews from critics. The film is notable for being based on the true-life events that Wolf Of Wall Street depicts. Wolf focuses more on the company's founder while Boiler Room focuses on the employees and the human drama surrounding the implications of their dirty dealings.
The Wizard Of Lies
Based on the life of infamous Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, Robert DeNiro gives a commanding performance as the man who turned his company into history's largest financial pyramid scheme in which investors lost millions. The story delves into his duplicitous dealings and how it ruined his family's lives, ultimately leading to prison for Madoff and causing his son to commit suicide.
Directed by Barry Levinson and also starring Michele Pfeiffer as his wife Ruth Madoff, critics praised the film as powerful and for boasting some of DeNiro and Pfeiffer's best work. Produced for HBO, it was one of their most popular films.
Margin Call
Margin Call takes place during a 24-hour period mostly on the 24th floor of One Penn Plaza in New York City amidst the 2007-2008 financial crisis. The film revolves around a firm that's based on a combination of such financial institutions as Goldman Sachs and Lehman brothers. Zachary Quinto plays an analyst at the firm who discovers that, due to volatility in mortgage-backed securities, the company may be on the verge of bankruptcy, so the employees quickly attempt damage control.
The film featured an all-star cast including Zachary Quinto (who also produced), Demi Moore, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, and more. Considered by many critics as the best Wall Street movie ever made, Margin Call was praised for taking the complicated financial crisis and turning it into a taut, tight, and gripping thriller. Ultimately, Margin Call would be nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Equity
Starring Breaking Bad's Anna Gunn, Equity concerns an investment banker who tries to sell shares of her new IPO, despite the fact it's a hackable social networking site, and things take a turn for the worse when her insider trader boyfriend leaks info about the fallible site.
The movie premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and critics and audiences praised Equity for its perspective of women in the financial world. A perspective that had not yet been really shown on-screen before, after movies like raucous Wolf Of Wall Street which largely depict the financial world as a "boys club."
The Big Short
Based on the best-selling book, The Big Short tells the story of the men who discovered the housing bubble was about to burst, which ultimately triggered the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Starring Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carell, the film takes a look at the crisis from different angles and perspectives in a film that is tragic and, at times, very funny.
Anchorman director Adam McKay puts a unique spin on the usually dry and complicated material by injecting his trademark humor, such as in scenes where celebrities like Margot Robbie and Anthony Bourdain appear as themselves to explain some of the complicated financial information to the audiences. His humorous and unconventional storytelling techniques would also be applied to his next film, the Dick Cheney biopic Vice. Ultimately, The Big Short was released to critical acclaim for its performances and unique take on the material, receiving five Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and winning Best Adapted Screenplay for McKay.