The Best Movies to Understand the Economy (And How It Plays Us)

Not only can movies transport us to different lands, let us live out alternate lives, and pull us into heartwarming, heartbreaking, or hilarious tales, but they can also help audiences glean important information and lessons about the world around us. Economics may seem like a dry subject matter for the entertainment industry, but this list proves there are plenty of captivating stories to be told about how our financial systems operate — and, unfortunately, most of them are true. Including both blockbuster features and award-winning documentaries, this is what to watch if you want a crash course in America’s economy.

15 Too Big to Fail (2011)

Too Big to Fail is HBO’s fictionalized portrayal of the failing of America’s mortgage industry in the ’00s, based on Andrew Ross Sorkin’s 2009 non-fiction book of the same name. It received 11 Emmy Award nominations, and actor Paul Giamatti won a SAG award for his portrayal of the Chair of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, and several other stars were praised for their performances. That makes sense with such a stacked cast: William Hurt, Edward Asner, Billy Crudup, Topher Grace, Cynthia Nixon, Bill Pullman, Tony Shalhoub, James Woods, etc.

With a thumping soundtrack, crass language, and plenty of seemingly important men in suits talking at each other, Too Big to Fail feels like a buttoned-up brother to Wolf of Wall Street and tells a gripping story that’s unfortunately all too real.

14 Four Horsemen (2012)

Four Horsemen is a British documentary that promotes the idea of classical economics of the 19th century as an alternative to contemporary Western economic practices such as reserve banking, debt-based economies, and political lobbying for banks. It also suggests that war is used as a tool to create greater debt rather than fight adversaries.

Director Ross Ashcroft describes the titular horsemen as “a rapacious financial system, escalating organized violence, abject poverty for billions, and the exhaustion of Earth’s resources.” Despite its vast scope and dense subject matter, Four Horsemen is nonetheless recommended for even laymen, considered an intelligent and well-crafted project.

13 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)

A romantic musical may seem like a strange genre for a story about climbing a corporate ladder, but How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying pulls it off. The 1967 film (based on the 1961 stage musical, which was based on the 1952 book) centers on Robert Morse as J. Pierrepont Finch, who, unsurprisingly, is following a step-by-step guide to succeed in business — even at the expense of his morals. This reinterpretation of the theatrical production was applauded, though it didn’t reach nearly the same level of success as the Broadway play, which won seven Tony Awards.

12 Margin Call (2011)

J.C. Chandor made his directorial debut with the 2011 drama Margin Call, one of his several tense, focused explorations of powerful American men. It’s yet another film interpretation of America’s ’07-’08 financial crisis, though it takes place over the course of 24 hours.

With a star-studded ensemble cast consisting of Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, and Zachary Quinto in one of his best performances, the film follows a group of investment bank employees who blow the whistle on their company’s illegal practices. Margin Call was well-respected by critics and praised for its zoomed-in take on the people who act as the cogs in the great Wall Street machine.

11 Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (2005)

One of the largest chain stores in America, Walmart has built a “low cost” reputation by selling a vast array of products at discount prices. However, documentarian Robert Greenwald believes the company’s negative impact outweighs any potential savings for the public. He made Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price to highlight the poor treatment of employees, including lack of health care and anti-union practices, the effect the stores have on smaller retailers and local economies, and dangerous working conditions for overseas employees, among other issues. Backed by statistics, original footage, and first-hand account interviews, Greenwald paints a vivid picture of the dark side of this massive company.

10 Roger & Me (1989)

Roger & Me was a passion project for documentarian Michael Moore, who not only made his directorial debut with the film but also wrote, produced, and starred in it. With a heavy focus on Moore’s hometown of Flint, Michigan, the filmmaker tells the story of General Motors CEO Roger Smith closing down auto plants, laying off thousands of local workers, and the economic impact it had in the area.

Roger & Me is a film that’s simultaneously small and personal but also one that resonates on a larger scale. Moore’s pride in his community is evident and his eventual confrontation with Smith himself is poignant. In 2013, Roger & Me was chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the United States National Film Registry for its cultural and historical significance.

9 99 Homes (2014)

Ramin Bahrani’s drama 99 Homes is a fictional story of one family’s experience during the American housing crisis and subsequent recession in the late aughts. After losing his home to foreclosure, Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) becomes familiar with eviction practices and the moral and legal gray areas of the real estate business as he tries to provide for his family.

Dennis ends up working for the very person responsible for evicting him, played by Michael Shannon in one of his most villainous performances, and that’s saying something. Also starring Tim Guinee and Laura Dern, 99 Homes was a financial disaster yet highly respected by critics and boasts a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Bahrani remains of the best observers of economic inequality in America thanks to excellent films like Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, and The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray.

8 Inequality for All (2013)

Based on the 2010 book Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future by economist, author, and professor Robert Reich, Inequality for All centers on the topic of income inequality and the growing disparity between the 1% and the rest of the country. It also touches on related politics by exploring Reich’s early career and time as President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Labor. The film was criticized by libertarians and conservatives who disagreed with Reich’s beliefs about an equal-opportunity economy, but it was highly praised by critics and was particularly financially successful for a documentary, grossing over $1 million.

7 Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016)

Focusing on Abacus Federal Savings Bank in Chinatown, Manhattan, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail flips the saying “too big to fail” on its head by examining the family-owned community bank that became the only financial institution to face criminal charges during the subprime mortgage crisis in the late ’00s — as opposed to the massive national banks that were bailed out when the housing bubble burst. Directed by prolific documentarian Steve James (the genius behind Hoop Dreams), the film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature and was celebrated by critics for telling a compelling but morally complicated story.

6 The Corporation (2003)

The Corporation is a Canadian documentary created by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott and written by University of British Columbia law professor Joel Bakan and filmmaker Harold Crooks. It explores how the modern-day idea of a “corporation” was formed and investigates the morality of contemporary business practices. Through interviews with dozens of critics and industry experts, the doc attempts to compare corporate business systems to symptoms of psychopathy. A second film called The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel was released in 2020.

5 The Big Short (2015)

With a great cast including Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, The Big Short is a biographical crime drama about the crash of the housing market in 2007. Adam McKay’s adaptation of the non-fiction 2010 book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis is broken up into three connected stories about the companies and executives who were instrumental in bursting the housing bubble and plunging America into a massive financial crisis.

Despite the potentially dull subject matter, the film has an energy that keeps audiences captivated and is one of the best movies about capitalism. Wildly raised, The Big Short won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Ending, and Best Supporting Actor for Bale.

4 The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this true story of disgraced Wall Street mogul Jordan Belfort in Martin Scorsese’s highest-grossing film, The Wolf of Wall Street. Following a man with an extensive history of illegal, immoral, and corrupt business practices, heavy drug use, and a glaringly narcissistic personality, The Wolf of Wall Street is three hours of pure hedonism transformed into Hollywood entertainment.

The movie explores the rise and fall of a famously greed-driven fraudster who started as a lowly salesman, became the founder of a major securties firm, and ultimately ended up a white collar felon. While it’s understandably criticized for visually celebrating what it critiques, true story of a disgraced businessman has never looked so good.

3 Inside Job (2010)

Charles Ferguson’s documentary Inside Job is an exploration of the 2008 financial crisis split into five parts, each detailing a different time period: the country’s economic history that led up to this time, an examination of the housing bubble, the crisis itself, the consequences the perpetrators faced, and where America’s economy ended up.

Inside Job was widely acclaimed by critics for its in-depth research and ability to translate complex ideas into understandable terms for laypeople while still remaining entertaining. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, among several other awards, and understandably so; it was a quick and intelligent movie that broke down what people were still reeling from.

2 Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

Adapted from David Mamet’s 1984 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, James Foley’s Glengarry Glen Ross boasts a top-tier ensemble cast featuring Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, and Alec Baldwin. The story follows a group of four real estate agents who compete against each other to be the top salesman and avoid getting fired. Critically acclaimed and widely considered one of the best films of the 1990s, it’s a must-watch.

1 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

Alex Gibney’s documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, based on the 2003 book by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, centers on the major 2001 fraud scandal that saw the collapse of the Enron Corporation. Utilizing archival footage and interviews with former execs and employees of the energy company, as well as stock analysts, reporters, and the former governor of California, Gary Davis, the doc explores the inner workings of the scheme and how several top Enron executives ended up in prison.