The movies are a great place to unwind and take a break from real life, but sometimes a great movie is actually based on a true story. A great movie doesn’t always need high action scenes and over the top comedy. Sometimes, telling the truth is more interesting, and fans love a good movie based on real life. Life can be complex and exciting, and for the movies we have listed, the true stories captivated audiences around the world. So this week, we have the top 10 movies based on true events! Sit back and relive some of these great movies and pieces of work. The stories of the lives and events of real people!
To see our even longer list of Honorable mentions, check out our sister blog!
Keith – A Beautiful Mind
Russell Crowe plays John Forbes Nash, Jr. in this story about a real mathematical genius and his struggle to greatness. While brilliant and on the brink of true acclaim, John finds himself in a struggle with knowing what is real and what is affected by his schizophrenia.
This movie gives us an up close look at what it is like to live with schizophrenia and the effect it has on your job, family and friends. Nash is incredibly brilliant, but also doesn’t always know what is real.
At some points, the movie portrays Nash as having a best friend who he talks with all the time and who has a young daughter. We learn during the movie that this friend does not exist, that the friend and his young daughter are manifestations of John’s illness.
Crowe does an excellent job portraying the life of John Nash. His acting is believable and you feel as though you are immersed in the life of John Nash when you watch this movie.
Full of twists and turns that you don’t expect, this true story keeps you guessing throughout the movie. The story of John Nash proves that there is a fine line between pure genius and madness, and sometimes that line gets blurry.
David – Good Night, and Good Luck.
When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) dedicates himself to exposing the atrocities being committed by McCarthy’s Senate “investigation.” Murrow is supported by a news team that includes long-time friend and producer Fred Friendly (George Clooney). The CBS team does its best to point out the senator’s lies and excesses, despite pressure from CBS’ corporate sponsors to desist.
Keith – Apollo 13
It is actually a dramatic adaptation of the book about the infamously aborted lunar mission, written by two astronauts.
It stars Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon and it was a critically acclaimed movie which is easily demonstrated by nine Academy Awards nominations. It did win only two though, for the Best Sound and Best Film Editing. Directed by Ron Howard, the film depicts the story of three astronauts who must figure out how to return to Earth despite massive damage to their aircraft.
This is a complex movie, full of wild attempts to get the crew home safely. With power running low and oxygen being depleted at a fast rate, the crew must come up with ways to survive while Mission Control figures out how to get the crew safely home.
If you have ever wanted to learn more about how space missions are handled, this is a great movie to watch an indulge your need for information.The Apollo 13 mission was supposed to be the third lunar landing mission ever to be completed, but the crew never made it to the Moon.
The accident happened in 1970, at a time when shuttle launches had become ordinary to the US citizens. The accident quickly came into the spotlight once the astronauts were trapped without a way to return to Earth.
The three astronauts eventually make it home safely.
David – The Big Short
In 2008, Wall Street guru Michael Burry realizes that a number of subprime home loans are in danger of defaulting. Burry bets against the housing market by throwing more than $1 billion of his investors’ money into credit default swaps. His actions attract the attention of banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell) and other greedy opportunists. Together, these men make a fortune by taking full advantage of the impending economic collapse in America.
Keith – The Imitation Game
In 1939, newly created British intelligence agency MI6 recruits Cambridge mathematics alumnus Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to crack Nazi codes, including Enigma — which cryptanalysts had thought unbreakable. Turing’s team, including Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley), analyze Enigma messages while he builds a machine to decipher them. Turing and team finally succeed and become heroes, but in 1952, the quiet genius encounters disgrace when authorities reveal he is gay and send him to prison.
David – Eight Men Out
The Chicago White Sox, who are set to play the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series of 1919, are at odds with their team’s owner, Charles Comiskey (Clifton James), who pays his players unsatisfactory wages despite the team’s popularity. A group of professional gamblers offers the Sox’s best athletes a fortune to throw the series, and the players agree. However, their reputations and careers are ruined when the dark secret, dubbed the “Black Sox Scandal,” reaches the public consciousness.
Keith – The Blind Side
Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless black teen, has drifted in and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), take him in. The Tuohys eventually become Michael’s legal guardians, transforming both his life and theirs. Michael’s tremendous size and protective instincts make him a formidable force on the gridiron, and with help from his new family and devoted tutor, he realizes his potential as a student and football player.
David – Apollo 13
It is actually a dramatic adaptation of the book about the infamously aborted lunar mission, written by two astronauts.
It stars Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon and it was a critically acclaimed movie which is easily demonstrated by nine Academy Awards nominations.It did win only two though, for the Best Sound and Best Film Editing.Directed by Ron Howard, the film depicts the story of three astronauts who must figure out how to return to Earth despite massive damage to their aircraft.
This is a complex movie, full of wild attempts to get the crew home safely. With power running low and oxygen being depleted at a fast rate, the crew must come up with ways to survive while Mission Control figures out how to get the crew safely home.
If you have ever wanted to learn more about how space missions are handled, this is a great movie to watch an indulge your need for information.
The Apollo 13 mission was supposed to be the third lunar landing mission ever to be completed, but the crew never made it to the Moon.
The accident happened in 1970, at a time when shuttle launches had become ordinary to the US citizens. The accident quickly came into the spotlight once the astronauts were trapped without a way to return to Earth.
The three astronauts eventually make it home safely.
Keith – The Aviator
Billionaire and aviation tycoon Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a successful public figure: a director of big-budget Hollywood films such as “Hell’s Angels,” a passionate lover of Hollywood leading ladies Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale), and an aviation pioneer who helps build TWA into a major airline. But in private, Hughes remains tormented, suffering from paralyzing phobias and depression. The higher he rises, the farther has to fall.
David – Frost/Nixon
In 1977, three years after the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency, Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) selects British TV personality David Frost (Michael Sheen) to conduct a one-on-one, exclusive interview. Though Nixon believes it will be easy to mislead Frost, and the latter’s own team doubts that he can stand up to the former president, what actually unfolds is an unexpectedly candid and revealing interview before the court of public opinion.
Keith – Cinderella Man
During the Great Depression, ex-boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe) works as a day laborer until his former manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) offers him a one-time slot against a rising young contender. After he wins a shocking upset, Braddock goes back into the ring full time, against the wishes of his frightened wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger). Dubbed “The Cinderella Man” for his rags-to-riches story, Braddock sets his sights on the defending champion, the fearsome Max Baer (Craig Bierko).
David – The Social Network
In 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer genius Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) begins work on a new concept that eventually turns into the global social network known as Facebook. Six years later, he is one of the youngest billionaires ever, but Zuckerberg finds that his unprecedented success leads to both personal and legal complications when he ends up on the receiving end of two lawsuits, one involving his former friend (Andrew Garfield). Based on the book “The Accidental Billionaires.”
Keith – Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story
Bruce Lee’s (Jason Scott Lee) rise begins in Hong Kong, as a young boy receiving traditional Chinese martial arts training. After an altercation compels young Bruce to leave the country, his father (Ric Young) sends him to the United States, imploring him to seek success that even Hong Kong will recognize. Bruce begins by teaching martial arts to American students, and eventually becomes a popular actor on the “Green Hornet” television series, known in Hong Kong as “The Kato Show.”
David – The Imitation Game
In 1939, newly created British intelligence agency MI6 recruits Cambridge mathematics alumnus Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to crack Nazi codes, including Enigma — which cryptanalysts had thought unbreakable. Turing’s team, including Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley), analyze Enigma messages while he builds a machine to decipher them. Turing and team finally succeed and become heroes, but in 1952, the quiet genius encounters disgrace when authorities reveal he is gay and send him to prison.
Keith – Men of Honor
The first African-American diver in the US Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) faces his instructor who has been ordered by the racist commanding officer to make sure Brashear fails.
Not only is Brashear the first African-American diver, but he also becomes the first amputee who is also a diver for the US Navy. Overcoming all odds, Brashear is able to past the physical tests despite being and amputee and he is able to resume diving for the US Navy.
Through his testing, Brashear’s attempts are often sabotaged by fellow divers and it is clear that they do not want Brashear to succeed. He becomes a diver, but an accident on the ship puts Brashear into the hospital.
He wakes up in the hospital, only to learn that he has lost his leg from an accident. He is distraught that his diving career is over and he is determined to try and dive again for the US Navy.
He is reinstated after walking twelve steps in court with full diving gear on. No one expected his success, and certainly no one expected Brashear to be supported in his dream by his former commanding officer.
Two years after Brashear was reinstated to his diving duties, he was promoted to Master Chief in the US Navy
.
David – Goodfellas
A young man grows up in the mob and works very hard to advance himself through the ranks. He enjoys his life of money and luxury, but is oblivious to the horror that he causes. A drug addiction and a few mistakes ultimately unravel his climb to the top. Based on the book “Wiseguy” by Nicholas Pileggi.
Keith – The Kings Speech
England’s Prince Albert (Colin Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence.
David – Argo
On Nov. 4, 1979, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, taking 66 American hostages. Amid the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge with the Canadian ambassador. Knowing that it’s just a matter of time before the refugees are found and likely executed, the U.S. government calls on extractor Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to rescue them. Mendez’s plan is to pose as a Hollywood producer scouting locations in Iran and train the refugees to act as his “film” crew.
Keith – Catch Me if You Can
Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks are major characters in this story based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr. A major con artist, Frank was successful at stealing millions of dollars, acting as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor and a legal prosecutor – all before his 19th birthday.
This story of a tricky character and his pursuer is both comical and dramatic.
DiCaprio is a convincing lead in this movie, capable of convincing everyone he comes across that he is the real deal.
Hanks spends the entire movie chasing down DiCaprio and is often one step behind the crafty Abagnale. Both characters work well together on screen, and it’s a dramatic movie with some good comedic breaks.
Abagnale is on the run, trying to recoup the losses his father sustained because he was in trouble with the IRS.
He takes off with $25 in his bank account, vowing to help his father. Abaganale writes more than $4,000,000 in bad checks and he uses the money trying to get his parents back together.
David – Schindlers List
Businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) arrives in Krakow in 1939, ready to make his fortune from World War II, which has just started. After joining the Nazi party primarily for political expediency, he staffs his factory with Jewish workers for similarly pragmatic reasons. When the SS begins exterminating Jews in the Krakow ghetto, Schindler arranges to have his workers protected to keep his factory in operation, but soon realizes that in so doing, he is also saving innocent lives.
And thats our list! And we are sticking to it! What did you think? Were some of your favorites on this list? Would you agree with one, or both of us? We want to know so comment below! Want to hear us talk about this list and others? Hop on over to www.podcastunlimited.com and look for episode 85 in our archive section!
“You know why the Yankees always win, Frank? it’s ’cause the other teams can’t stop staring at those damn pinstripes.”
-The Engineer!
It also helps having Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig batting third and fourth in your lineup everyday.
-The Editor (who has Pride of the Yankees as an Honorable Mention)