Favorite films based on true stories
by smcgann14 | created - 09 Jul 2017 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicIn order from best to least best
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1. A Man Escaped (1956)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, Thriller, War
A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.
Director: Robert Bresson | Stars: François Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock, Roland Monod
Votes: 24,984
Based on André Devigny's 1943 escape from a Nazi POW camp
2. Monster (2003)
R | 109 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen
Votes: 161,779 | Gross: $34.47M
Aileen Wuornos
3. Lenny (1974)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama
The story of acerbic 1960s comic Lenny Bruce, whose groundbreaking, no-holds-barred style and social commentary was often deemed by the Establishment as too obscene for the public.
Director: Bob Fosse | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Valerie Perrine, Jan Miner, Stanley Beck
Votes: 17,540 | Gross: $8.43M
Lenny Bruce
4. The Aviator (2004)
PG-13 | 170 min | Biography, Drama
A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career from the late 1920s to the mid 1940s.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly
Votes: 384,017 | Gross: $102.61M
Howard Hughes
5. Love & Mercy (2014)
PG-13 | 121 min | Biography, Drama, Music
In the 60s, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson struggles with emerging psychosis as he attempts to craft his avant-garde pop masterpiece. In the 80s, he's a broken, confused man under the 24-hour watch of shady therapist, Dr. Eugene Landy.
Director: Bill Pohlad | Stars: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti
Votes: 42,602 | Gross: $12.55M
Brian Wilson
6. Talk to Me (2007)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of Washington D.C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and community activist in the 1960s.
Director: Kasi Lemmons | Stars: Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bruce McFee, Mike Epps
Votes: 10,272 | Gross: $4.47M
Petey Greene
7. Christine (2016)
R | 119 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Christine Chubbuck, a 1970s TV reporter struggling with depression and professional frustrations as she tries to advance her career.
Director: Antonio Campos | Stars: Rebecca Hall, Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts, Maria Dizzia
Votes: 16,901 | Gross: $0.30M
Christine Chubbuck
8. Quiz Show (1994)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, History
A young lawyer, Richard Goodwin, investigates a potentially fixed game show. Charles Van Doren, a big time show winner, is under Goodwin's investigation.
Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Paul Scofield
Votes: 73,321 | Gross: $24.82M
The 1950s quiz show scandals
9. The Social Network (2010)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama
As Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara
Votes: 758,478 | Gross: $96.96M
The creation of Facebook
10. Salt of the Earth (1954)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, History
Mexican workers at a zinc mine call a general strike. It is only through the solidarity of the workers, and importantly the indomitable resolve of their wives, mothers, and daughters, that they eventually triumph.
Director: Herbert J. Biberman | Stars: Juan Chacón, Rosaura Revueltas, Will Geer, David Bauer
Votes: 4,043
Based on the Empire Zinc strike
11. Goodfellas (1990)
R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
Votes: 1,256,971 | Gross: $46.84M
Henry Hill
12. The Wind Rises (2013)
PG-13 | 126 min | Animation, Biography, Drama
Jiro Horikoshi studies assiduously to fulfill his aim of becoming an aeronautical engineer. As WWII begins, fighter aircraft designed by him end up getting used by the Japanese Empire against its foes.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura
Votes: 98,715 | Gross: $5.21M
Jiro Horikoshi (fictionalized biopic)
13. Spartacus (1960)
PG-13 | 197 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising.
Directors: Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton
Votes: 143,146 | Gross: $30.00M
Spartacus
14. Casino (1995)
R | 178 min | Crime, Drama
In Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods
Votes: 563,764 | Gross: $42.44M
Based on Frank Rosenthal and his casinos
15. The Elephant Man (1980)
PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud
Votes: 258,387
John Merrick
16. Malcolm X (1992)
PG-13 | 202 min | Biography, Drama, History
Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee
Votes: 102,001 | Gross: $48.17M
Malcolm X
17. BlacKkKlansman (2018)
R | 135 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colorado, successfully infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan branch aided by a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace
Votes: 291,038 | Gross: $49.28M
Ron Stallworth's infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan
18. The Big Sick (2017)
R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
Director: Michael Showalter | Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano
Votes: 143,559 | Gross: $42.87M
Based on the relationship of Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon
19. Get on Up (2014)
PG-13 | 139 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
Director: Tate Taylor | Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis
Votes: 26,140 | Gross: $30.51M
James Brown
20. Nelly (2016)
100 min | Biography, Drama
Inspired by the life and works of Nelly Arcan, a sex worker turned international literary star, lost between irreconcilable identities, whose life ended tragically.
Director: Anne Émond | Stars: Mylène Mackay, Milya Corbeil Gauvreau, Mickaël Gouin, Sylvie Drapeau
Votes: 587 | Gross: $0.00M
Nelly Arcan
21. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
PG-13 | 141 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Barely 17 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen
Votes: 1,095,186 | Gross: $164.62M
Frank Abagnale Jr.
22. Free State of Jones (2016)
R | 139 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A disillusioned Confederate army deserter returns to Mississippi and leads a militia of fellow deserters and women in an uprising against the corrupt local Confederate government.
Director: Gary Ross | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali, Keri Russell
Votes: 62,425 | Gross: $20.76M
Newton Knight
23. Concussion (2015)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.
Director: Peter Landesman | Stars: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, David Morse
Votes: 100,585 | Gross: $34.54M
Bennet Omalu
24. Behind the Candelabra (2013)
TV-MA | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A chronicle of the tempestuous six-year romance between megastar singer Liberace and his young lover Scott Thorson.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Eric Zuckerman
Votes: 45,393
Scott Thorson's relationship with Liberace
25. Spotlight (I) (2015)
R | 129 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
Director: Tom McCarthy | Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber
Votes: 502,051 | Gross: $45.06M
Boston Globe's 2001-2002 reporting on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
26. Freak Out (2003)
Not Rated | 142 min | Drama, Thriller
In 1973, teenager Wayne gathers his two friends, a female runaway named Rhonda and disco club-hopper Tim, for a drug party located in the suburban home of quiet recluse Dean. But unknown to... See full summary »
Director: Brad Jones | Stars: Nick Foster, Sarah Ogg, Brad Jones, David Gobble
Votes: 103
Dean Corll
27. I, Tonya (2017)
R | 119 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.
Director: Craig Gillespie | Stars: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson
Votes: 242,687 | Gross: $30.01M
Tonya Harding
28. Selma (2014)
PG-13 | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History
A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 95,459 | Gross: $52.08M
Martin Luther King Jr. and the Selma to Montgomery marches
29. The Irishman (2019)
R | 209 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An illustration of Frank Sheeran's life, from W.W.II veteran to hit-man for the Bufalino crime family and his alleged assassination of his close friend Jimmy Hoffa.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel
Votes: 430,959 | Gross: $7.00M
Frank Sheeran
30. The Informant! (2009)
R | 108 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
The U.S. government decides to go after an agro-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president-turned-informant Mark Whitacre.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Matt Damon, Tony Hale, Patton Oswalt, Lucas McHugh Carroll
Votes: 67,444 | Gross: $33.31M
Mark Whitacre
31. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016)
Unrated | 92 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The true story of Olli Mäki, the famous Finnish boxer who had a shot at the 1962 World Featherweight title.
Director: Juho Kuosmanen | Stars: Jarkko Lahti, Oona Airola, Eero Milonoff, Joanna Haartti
Votes: 5,006
Olli Mäki's 1962 match against Davey Moore
32. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
PG-13 | 125 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Author P.L. Travers reflects on her childhood after reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney, who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell
Votes: 170,019 | Gross: $83.30M
P.L. Travers and the pre-production of the film Mary Poppins
33. Straight Outta Compton (2015)
R | 147 min | Biography, Drama, History
The rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.
Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr.
Votes: 218,438 | Gross: $161.20M
N.W.A.
34. United 93 (2006)
R | 111 min | Action, Drama, History
A real-time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on September 11th, 2001 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.
Director: Paul Greengrass | Stars: David Alan Basche, Olivia Thirlby, Liza Colón-Zayas, J.J. Johnson
Votes: 110,935 | Gross: $31.57M
September 11 attacks and Flight 93
35. Blow (2001)
R | 124 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of how George Jung, along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.
Director: Ted Demme | Stars: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths
Votes: 275,006 | Gross: $52.99M
George Jung
36. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
R | 106 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
When Lee Israel falls out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception.
Director: Marielle Heller | Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells, Ben Falcone
Votes: 56,145 | Gross: $8.80M
Lee Israel
37. The Sessions (2012)
R | 95 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A man in an iron lung who wishes to lose his virginity contacts a professional sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and priest.
Director: Ben Lewin | Stars: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy, Moon Bloodgood
Votes: 43,979 | Gross: $6.00M
Mark O'Brien
38. Phil Spector (2013 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 92 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A drama centered on the relationship between Phil Spector and defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden while the music business legend was on trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson.
Director: David Mamet | Stars: Al Pacino, Helen Mirren, Jeffrey Tambor, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Votes: 7,924
The Phil Spector murder trial
39. Shattered Glass (2003)
PG-13 | 94 min | Drama, History
The story of a young journalist who fell from grace when it was discovered he fabricated over half of his articles from the publication The New Republic magazine.
Director: Billy Ray | Stars: Hayden Christensen, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Zahn, Peter Sarsgaard
Votes: 37,646 | Gross: $2.22M
Stephen Glass and his 1998 scandal
40. The Front Runner (2018)
R | 113 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1987, U.S. Senator Gary Hart's presidential campaign is derailed when he's caught in a scandalous love affair.
Director: Jason Reitman | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons, Mark O'Brien
Votes: 14,166 | Gross: $2.00M
Gary Hart and his 1988 sex scandal
41. JFK (1991)
R | 189 min | Drama, History, Thriller
New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau
Votes: 169,878 | Gross: $70.41M
Jim Harrison's investigation of the John F. Kennedy assassination
42. Man on the Moon (1999)
R | 118 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The life and career of legendary comedian Andy Kaufman.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Gerry Becker, Greyson Erik Pendry
Votes: 137,466 | Gross: $34.58M
Andy Kaufman
43. BlackBerry (2023)
R | 120 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone.
Director: Matt Johnson | Stars: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson, Kelly Van der Burg
Votes: 42,384
The creation of BlackBerry
44. The Insider (1999)
R | 157 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora
Votes: 180,169 | Gross: $28.97M
The making of the 1996 60 Minutes segment on Jeffrey Wigand's findings on the tobacco industry
45. Erin Brockovich (2000)
R | 131 min | Biography, Drama
An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, David Brisbin, Dawn Didawick
Votes: 221,200 | Gross: $125.60M
Erin Brockovich
46. Elisa & Marcela (2019)
TV-MA | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
In 1901, Elisa Sanchez Loriga took on the identity of Mario Sánchez to marry her lover of fifteen years, Marcela Gracia Ibeas.
Director: Isabel Coixet | Stars: Natalia de Molina, Greta Fernández, Sara Casasnovas, Tamar Novas
Votes: 5,832
Elisa Sánchez Loriga and Marcela Gracia Ibeas
47. The Disaster Artist (2017)
R | 104 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
When aspiring actor Greg Sestero meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.
Director: James Franco | Stars: James Franco, Dave Franco, Ari Graynor, Seth Rogen
Votes: 164,225 | Gross: $21.12M
The making of The Room
48. A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)
TV-MA | 101 min | Biography, Comedy
In the 1970s and '80s, National Lampoon's success and influence creates a new media empire overseen in part by the brilliant and troubled Douglas Kenney.
Director: David Wain | Stars: Frank Gingerich, Morgan Gingerich, Annette O'Toole, Harry Groener
Votes: 17,956
Douglas Kenney and the founding of National Lampoon
49. The Special Relationship (2010 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 93 min | Biography, Drama, History
A dramatization that traces former UK prime minister Tony Blair's relationships with Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Michael Sheen, Demetri Goritsas, Adam Godley, Marc Rioufol
Votes: 4,989
Tony Blair's relationship with Bill Clinton
50. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
R | 117 min | Biography, Drama
In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is diagnosed with the disease.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn
Votes: 519,189 | Gross: $27.30M
Ron Woodruff
51. Cinderella Man (2005)
PG-13 | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The true story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer, who returned to the spotlight to win the heavyweight championship of the world.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Craig Bierko, Paul Giamatti
Votes: 198,305 | Gross: $61.65M
Jim Braddock
52. Bessie (2015 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 115 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of legendary blues performer Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.
Director: Dee Rees | Stars: Queen Latifah, Kamryn Johnson, Rikki McKinney, Alan T. Coleman
Votes: 4,788
Bessie Smith
53. W. (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A chronicle of the life and Presidency of George W. Bush.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ioan Gruffudd, Colin Hanks
Votes: 50,026 | Gross: $25.53M
George W. Bush
54. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
R | 130 min | Biography, Drama
The story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, Brett Harrelson
Votes: 100,713 | Gross: $20.19M
Larry Flynt
55. Philomena (2013)
PG-13 | 98 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Mare Winningham
Votes: 103,783 | Gross: $37.71M
Philomena Lee
56. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
R | 180 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey
Votes: 1,582,644 | Gross: $116.90M
Jordan Belfort
57. Elvis & Nixon (2016)
R | 86 min | Comedy, History
The untold true story behind the meeting between Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n Roll, and President Richard Nixon, resulting in this revealing, yet humorous moment immortalized in the most requested photograph in the National Archives.
Director: Liza Johnson | Stars: Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville
Votes: 15,027 | Gross: $1.03M
The 1970 meeting of Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon
58. Auto Focus (2002)
R | 105 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The life of TV star Bob Crane and his strange friendship with electronics expert John Henry Carpenter.
Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Maria Bello, Rita Wilson
Votes: 14,915 | Gross: $2.06M
Bob Crane
59. Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
PG | 93 min | Biography, Drama, History
Broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Director: George Clooney | Stars: David Strathairn, George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels
Votes: 101,290 | Gross: $31.56M
Edward R. Murrow's conflict with Joseph McCarthy
60. Fly Away Home (1996)
PG | 107 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.
Director: Carroll Ballard | Stars: Jeff Daniels, Anna Paquin, Dana Delany, Terry Kinney
Votes: 27,114 | Gross: $24.51M
Based on Bill Lishman and "Operation Migration"
61. The Queen (2006)
PG-13 | 103 min | Biography, Drama
After the death of Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Alex Jennings
Votes: 115,974 | Gross: $56.44M
Queen Elizabeth and the death of Princess Diana
62. In the Name of the Father (1993)
R | 133 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An Irish man's coerced confession to an I.R.A. bombing he did not commit results in the imprisonment of his father as well. Meanwhile, a British lawyer fights to clear their names and free them.
Director: Jim Sheridan | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Alison Crosbie, Philip King
Votes: 187,068 | Gross: $25.01M
Gerry Conlon
63. Soldier's Girl (2003 TV Movie)
R | 112 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of the price a young soldier paid for falling in love with a transsexual night-club performer.
Director: Frank Pierson | Stars: Troy Garity, Lee Pace, Andre Braugher, Shawn Hatosy
Votes: 7,240
The murder of Barry Winchell
64. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
A jaded Japanese woman discovers a hidden copy of Fargo (1996) on VHS, believing it to be a treasure map indicating the location of a large case of money.
Director: David Zellner | Stars: Rinko Kikuchi, Nobuyuki Katsube, Kanako Higashi, Ichi Ômiya
Votes: 12,419 | Gross: $0.62M
Based on the suicide of Takako Konishi
65. The Laramie Project (2002 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 97 min | Crime, Drama, History
The true story of an American town in the wake of the murder of Matthew Shepard.
Director: Moisés Kaufman | Stars: Christina Ricci, Steve Buscemi, Kathleen Chalfant, Laura Linney
Votes: 6,956
The Laramie Project and the death of Matthew Shepard
66. Game Change (2012 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska becomes Senator John McCain's running mate in the 2008 Presidential election.
Director: Jay Roach | Stars: Ed Harris, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Peter MacNicol
Votes: 23,204
The 2008 Presidential campaign of John McCain
67. The Straight Story (1999)
G | 112 min | Biography, Drama
An old man makes a long journey by lawnmower to mend his relationship with an ill brother.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Jane Galloway Heitz, Joseph A. Carpenter
Votes: 97,434 | Gross: $6.20M
Alvin Straight
68. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
R | 118 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Eddie Murphy portrays real-life legend Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved naysayers wrong when his hilarious, obscene, kung-fu fighting alter ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s Blaxploitation phenomenon.
Director: Craig Brewer | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson
Votes: 64,946
Rudy Ray Moore
69. Abuse of Weakness (2013)
Unrated | 105 min | Drama
A stroke-afflicted filmmaker is manipulated by a notorious con man.
Director: Catherine Breillat | Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Kool Shen, Laurence Ursino, Christophe Sermet
Votes: 1,280 | Gross: $0.03M
Based on Catherine Breillat's dealings with Christophe Rocancourt
70. The Late Shift (1996 TV Movie)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
A dramatization of the rivalry between David Letterman and Jay Leno over which of them would succeed Johnny Carson as the host of "The Tonight Show".
Director: Betty Thomas | Stars: John Michael Higgins, Daniel Roebuck, Kathy Bates, Bob Balaban
Votes: 3,780
The fight over Johnny Carson's replacement for host of The Tonight Show
71. Gray's Anatomy (1996)
Not Rated | 80 min | Comedy, Drama
After doctors inform him that an eye affliction will require risky surgery, monologist Spalding Gray recounts his various pursuits for alternative medicine to avoid the doctor's scalpel.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Spalding Gray, Mike McLaughlin, Melissa Robertson, Alvin Henry
Votes: 2,525
Spalding Gray's experience with macular pucker
72. Jersey Boys (2014)
R | 134 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s rock group The Four Seasons.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, Michael Lomenda, Vincent Piazza
Votes: 36,558 | Gross: $47.03M
The Four Seasons
73. Haunted Summer (1988)
R | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
In 1816, authors Lord Byron, Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley get together for some philosophical discussions, but the situation soon deteriorates into mind games, drugs and sex.
Director: Ivan Passer | Stars: Philip Anglim, Laura Dern, Alice Krige, Eric Stoltz
Votes: 586 | Gross: $0.01M
Mary Shelley's experiences in the summer of 1816
74. War Dogs (2016)
R | 114 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
Loosely based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a three hundred million dollar contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan.
Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Steve Lantz, Gregg Weiner
Votes: 253,826 | Gross: $43.03M
Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz and the AEY, Inc. scandal
75. Parkland (2013)
PG-13 | 93 min | Drama, History, Mystery
A recounting of the chaotic events that occurred at Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Director: Peter Landesman | Stars: Zac Efron, Tom Welling, Billy Bob Thornton, Paul Giamatti
Votes: 17,468 | Gross: $0.65M
The assassination of John F. Kennedy
76. And the Band Played On (1993 TV Movie)
PG | 141 min | Drama, History
The story of the discovery of the AIDS epidemic, and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Matthew Modine, Alan Alda, Patrick Bauchau, Nathalie Baye
Votes: 11,002
The discovery and response to AIDS
77. A Night to Remember (1958)
Not Rated | 123 min | Drama, History
On her maiden voyage in April 1912, the supposedly unsinkable RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Kenneth More, Ronald Allen, Robert Ayres, Honor Blackman
Votes: 17,151
The sinking of the Titanic
78. Black Mass (2015)
R | 123 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.
Director: Scott Cooper | Stars: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Joel Edgerton
Votes: 192,338 | Gross: $62.58M
James "Whitey" Bulger
79. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of singer Tina Turner's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner.
Director: Brian Gibson | Stars: Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, RaéVen Kelly, Virginia Capers
Votes: 24,575 | Gross: $39.10M
Tina Turner
80. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of the legendary British rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, leading up to their famous performance at Live Aid (1985).
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy
Votes: 592,641 | Gross: $216.43M
Queen
81. Recount (2008 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 116 min | Drama, History
A chronicle of the weeks after the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, and the subsequent recounts in Florida.
Director: Jay Roach | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Bob Balaban, Denis Leary, Ed Begley Jr.
Votes: 13,597
The 2000 Florida recount
82. The Blind Side (2009)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head
Votes: 360,411 | Gross: $255.96M
Michael Oher's relationship with Leigh Ann Tuohy (disputed)
83. Breach (2007)
PG-13 | 110 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
FBI upstart Eric O'Neill enters into a power game with his boss, Robert Hanssen, an agent who was put on trial for selling secrets to the Soviet Union.
Director: Billy Ray | Stars: Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Haysbert, Laura Linney
Votes: 61,757 | Gross: $33.23M
Eric O'Neill's spying on Robert Hanssen
84. Bernie (2011)
PG-13 | 104 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
In small-town Texas, an affable mortician strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow, though when she starts to become controlling, he goes to great lengths to separate himself from her grasp.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Brady Coleman
Votes: 63,434 | Gross: $9.20M
Bernie Tiede
85. Too Big to Fail (2011 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 99 min | Biography, Drama, History
Chronicles the financial meltdown of 2008 and centers on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: James Woods, John Heard, William Hurt, Erin Dilly
Votes: 19,086
The 2008 financial crisis
86. Loving (2016)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision.
Director: Jeff Nichols | Stars: Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Will Dalton, Dean Mumford
Votes: 36,369 | Gross: $7.70M
Richard and Mildred Loving
87. The Dirt (2019)
TV-MA | 107 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Based on the bestselling autobiography from Mötley Crüe, the film is an unflinching tale of success and excess as four misfits rise from the streets of Hollywood to the heights of international fame.
Director: Jeff Tremaine | Stars: Douglas Booth, Iwan Rheon, Colson Baker, Daniel Webber
Votes: 55,285
Mötley Crüe
88. Hoodlum (1997)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama
Black gangsters in 1930 Harlem fights Dutch Schultz who is trying to horn in on their numbers racket.
Director: Bill Duke | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, Vanessa Williams, Andy Garcia
Votes: 12,568 | Gross: $23.46M
Bumpy Johnson
89. Paterno (2018 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 105 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno becomes embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Al Pacino, Kathy Baker, Kenneth Maharaj, Michael Mastro
Votes: 7,585
Joe Paterno and the Penn State sexual abuse scandal
90. Calendar Girls (2003)
PG-13 | 108 min | Comedy, Drama
A Women's Institute chapter's fundraising effort for a local hospital by posing nude for a calendar becomes a media sensation.
Director: Nigel Cole | Stars: Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, Penelope Wilton, John Alderton
Votes: 28,030 | Gross: $31.04M
Based on the Yorkshire Calendar Girls
91. The Iceman (2012)
R | 106 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man. When he was finally arrested in 1986, neither his wife nor his daughters had any clue about his real profession.
Director: Ariel Vromen | Stars: Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, James Franco, Winona Ryder
Votes: 79,391 | Gross: $1.94M
Richard Kuklinski
92. Rush (I) (2013)
R | 123 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara
Votes: 513,532 | Gross: $26.95M
The rivalry of James Hunt and Nikki Lauda
93. Awakenings (1990)
PG-13 | 121 min | Biography, Drama
The victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them.
Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner, Ruth Nelson
Votes: 158,686 | Gross: $52.10M
Based on Oliver Sacks's research on survivors of the 1920s encephalitis lethargica epidemic
94. King of the Hill (1993)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama, History
A young boy struggles on his own in a run-down hotel after his parents and younger brother are separated from him in 1930s Depression-era Midwest.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Jesse Bradford, Jeroen Krabbé, Lisa Eichhorn, Karen Allen
Votes: 8,822 | Gross: $1.30M
A. E. Hotchner's childhood
95. Frida (2002)
R | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.
Director: Julie Taymor | Stars: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Mía Maestro
Votes: 95,307 | Gross: $25.89M
Frida Kahlo
96. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
R | 121 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In 1965, an unorthodox and irreverent DJ named Adrian Cronauer begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the U.S. Armed Services radio station in Vietnam.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Tom T. Tran, Chintara Sukapatana
Votes: 153,746 | Gross: $123.92M
Adrian Cronauer (fictionalized biopic)
97. Moneyball (2011)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Director: Bennett Miller | Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 464,436 | Gross: $75.61M
Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season
98. Fighting with My Family (2019)
PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A former wrestler and his family make a living performing at small venues around the country while his kids dream of joining World Wrestling Entertainment.
Director: Stephen Merchant | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughn, Florence Pugh
Votes: 87,557 | Gross: $22.96M
Saraya "Paige" Bevis
99. Cesar Chavez (2014)
PG-13 | 102 min | Biography, Drama
A biography of the civil-rights activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez.
Director: Diego Luna | Stars: Michael Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich
Votes: 3,618 | Gross: $5.55M
Cesar Chavez
100. The Two Popes (2019)
PG-13 | 125 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.
Director: Fernando Meirelles | Stars: Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins, Juan Minujín, Luis Gnecco
Votes: 132,945
Pope Francis and the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI
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