Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "writer-as-protagonist"
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1. American Fiction (2023)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Drama
A novelist who's fed up with the establishment profiting from Black entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of the hypocrisy and madness he claims to disdain.
Director: Cord Jefferson | Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander
Votes: 74,991
2. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,106,266 | Gross: $44.02M
3. Infinity Pool (2023)
R | 117 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
James and Em Foster are enjoying an all-inclusive beach vacation in the fictional island of La Tolqa, when a fatal accident exposes the resort's perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence and surreal horrors.
Director: Brandon Cronenberg | Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Dunja Sepcic
Votes: 56,422
4. Misery (1990)
R | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen
Votes: 235,482 | Gross: $61.28M
5. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Passed | 110 min | Drama, Film-Noir
A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson
Votes: 236,376
6. 1408 (2007)
PG-13 | 104 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A man who specialises in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.
Director: Mikael Håfström | Stars: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, Tony Shalhoub
Votes: 294,059 | Gross: $71.99M
7. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
R | 101 min | Horror, Thriller
An aspiring writer is repeatedly assaulted, humiliated, and left for dead by four men she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.
Director: Meir Zarchi | Stars: Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, Richard Pace, Anthony Nichols
Votes: 31,191
8. Hush (I) (2016)
R | 82 min | Horror, Thriller
A deaf and mute writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.
Director: Mike Flanagan | Stars: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan
Votes: 153,692
9. Wilde (1997)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The turmoil in poet/playwright Oscar Wilde's life after he discovers his homosexuality.
Director: Brian Gilbert | Stars: Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Vanessa Redgrave, Jennifer Ehle
Votes: 18,123 | Gross: $2.16M
10. Barton Fink (1991)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Thriller
A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner
Votes: 128,940 | Gross: $6.15M
11. House (1985)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A troubled writer moves into a haunted house after inheriting it from his aunt.
Director: Steve Miner | Stars: William Katt, Kay Lenz, George Wendt, Richard Moll
Votes: 29,969 | Gross: $19.44M
12. Cooties (2014)
R | 88 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.
Directors: Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion | Stars: Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer
Votes: 28,536 | Gross: $0.06M
13. Lust for a Vampire (1971)
R | 91 min | Horror
In 1830, forty years to the day since the last manifestation of their dreaded vampirism, the Karnstein heirs use the blood of an innocent to bring forth the evil that is the beautiful Mircalla - or as she was in 1710, Carmilla.
Director: Jimmy Sangster | Stars: Barbara Jefford, Ralph Bates, Suzanna Leigh, Yutte Stensgaard
Votes: 3,559
14. Playing It Cool (2014)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Romance
Unrequited love motivates a guy to write about his experiences.
Director: Justin Reardon | Stars: Chris Evans, Michelle Monaghan, Topher Grace, Aubrey Plaza
Votes: 30,096
15. Deathtrap (1982)
PG | 116 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
A Broadway playwright puts murder in his plan to take credit for a student's play.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon, Irene Worth
Votes: 15,435 | Gross: $19.28M
16. Little Women (1949)
Approved | 122 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The four daughters of a New England family fight for happiness during and after the Civil War.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Margaret O'Brien, Elizabeth Taylor
Votes: 8,232 | Gross: $7.47M
17. Le Magnifique (1973)
95 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
Writing his 43rd spy novel, François includes people from his life. He's the competent, sophisticated secret agent Bob in stark contrast to François. His cute neighbor is Tatiana who helps Bob in Acapulco.
Director: Philippe de Broca | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jacqueline Bisset, Vittorio Caprioli, Hans Meyer
Votes: 6,275
18. The Lady in the Van (2015)
PG-13 | 104 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her van that's parked in his driveway.
Director: Nicholas Hytner | Stars: Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Clare Hammond
Votes: 31,976 | Gross: $10.02M
19. The Happy Prince (2018)
R | 105 min | Biography, Drama
The untold story of the last days in the tragic times of Oscar Wilde, a person who observes his own failure with ironic distance and regards the difficulties that beset his life with detachment and humor.
Director: Rupert Everett | Stars: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Emily Watson, Colin Morgan
Votes: 5,877 | Gross: $0.47M
20. The Adderall Diaries (2015)
R | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Elliot, a troubled former successful writer decides to write about a missing wife and the following murder trial of her husband.
Director: Pamela Romanowsky | Stars: James Franco, Ed Harris, Amber Heard, Jim Parrack
Votes: 6,175 | Gross: $0.01M
21. Delirious (1991)
PG | 96 min | Comedy, Fantasy
A soap opera writer gets hit on the head and wakes up as a character in his own show.
Director: Tom Mankiewicz | Stars: John Candy, Mariel Hemingway, Emma Samms, Raymond Burr
Votes: 9,529 | Gross: $5.55M
22. Rebel in the Rye (2017)
PG-13 | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The life of celebrated but reclusive author, J.D. Salinger, who gained worldwide fame with the publication of his novel, "The Catcher in the Rye".
Director: Danny Strong | Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Spacey, Victor Garber, Hope Davis
Votes: 10,788 | Gross: $0.38M
23. Bad Ronald (1974 TV Movie)
Unrated | 74 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A perverted teenage boy who lives in the walls of a house finds the house sold to a family after his mother dies, then he falls for one of the new residents.
Director: Buzz Kulik | Stars: Scott Jacoby, Pippa Scott, John Larch, Dabney Coleman
Votes: 2,412
24. The Breastford Wives (2007 Video)
79 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Rob and Laura move to the peaceful town of Breastford and soon find the women are insatiably sex-crazed.
Director: Jim Wynorski | Stars: Glori-Anne Gilbert, Frankie Cullen, Taylor Wayne, Frank Harper
Votes: 522
25. The Child in Time (2017 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 82 min | Drama
The life of a children's book author is turned upside down when his daughter goes missing.
Director: Julian Farino | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Campbell Moore, Saskia Reeves
Votes: 5,201
26. Twisted Obsession (1989)
R | 103 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
American writer in Paris is hired to do a script for an edgy young director he can't stand. When he falls in love with the director's cold and manipulative pretty sister, his life starts to unravel and he realizes that he's been used.
Director: Fernando Trueba | Stars: Jeff Goldblum, Miranda Richardson, Anémone, Daniel Ceccaldi
Votes: 1,419
27. Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (1988 Video)
R | 94 min | Horror
A successful author moves to a small town after suffering a mental breakdown and is tormented by demons and werewolves.
Directors: John Hough, Clive Turner | Stars: Romy Walthall, Michael T. Weiss, Antony Hamilton, Susanne Severeid
Votes: 3,172
28. Kafka (1991)
PG-13 | 98 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Kafka works during the day at an insurance company, where events lead him to discover a mysterious underground society with strange suppressive goals.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Jeremy Irons, Theresa Russell, Joel Grey, Ian Holm
Votes: 10,572 | Gross: $1.06M
29. Straight on Till Morning (1972)
R | 96 min | Thriller
A timid, withdrawn woman meets a man she believes is finally the love of her life, unaware that he is a vicious serial killer.
Director: Peter Collinson | Stars: Rita Tushingham, Shane Briant, James Bolam, Katya Wyeth
Votes: 1,423
30. Alex & Emma (2003)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Romance
A writer must turn out a novel in thirty days or face the wrath of loan sharks.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Luke Wilson, Kate Hudson, David Paymer, Sophie Marceau
Votes: 13,906 | Gross: $14.21M
31. The Libertine (2000)
Not Rated | 100 min | Comedy, History
The 'philosopher' (modernist intellectual of the French 18th-century Enlightenment) Denis Diderot is part of an aristocratic circle which practices the libertarian principles on the rural ... See full summary »
Director: Gabriel Aghion | Stars: Vincent Perez, Fanny Ardant, Josiane Balasko, Michel Serrault
Votes: 1,820
32. Lonely Wives (1972)
R | 79 min | Comedy
A reporter begins research on a story involving married European women and their secret fantasies and desires.
Director: Hubert Frank | Stars: Barbara Nielsen, Ingeborg Steinbach, Ewa Strömberg, Ingrid Steeger
Votes: 195
33. Visitors from the Arkana Galaxy (1981)
82 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
A science fiction writer is gifted with the ability to materialize his thoughts and inadvertently brings a group of aliens to Earth.
Director: Dusan Vukotic | Stars: Ljubisa Samardzic, Zarko Potocnjak, Lucie Zulová, Jasminka Alic
Votes: 532
34. After Fall, Winter (2011)
Not Rated | 132 min | Drama, Romance
Suicidal writer Michael leaves New York for Paris. He meets nurse Sophie who has a secret dominatrix job. Sophie cares for dying Anais. Michael and Sophie develop a combative yet passionate relationship amid existential crises.
Director: Eric Schaeffer | Stars: Eric Schaeffer, Lizzie Brocheré, Marie Luneau, Christian Mulot
Votes: 964
35. The Motive (2017)
TV-MA | 112 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A man obsessed with the idea of writing "high literature" starts to cause conflicts around him to write about it.
Director: Manuel Martín Cuenca | Stars: Javier Gutiérrez, María León, Adelfa Calvo, Adriana Paz
Votes: 6,725
36. The Impossible Years (1968)
G | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The eldest daughter of a Professor of Psychology at a large conservative university causes havoc, and great embarrassment, for her father with her free-willed and uninhibited lifestyle.
Director: Michael Gordon | Stars: David Niven, Lola Albright, Chad Everett, Ozzie Nelson
Votes: 800
37. Young Seducers 2 (1972)
R | 74 min | Comedy
Pretty young girls get involved in humorous sexual situations.
Director: Erwin C. Dietrich | Stars: Evelyne Traeger, Christa Free, Rena Bergen, Margrit Siegel
Votes: 263
38. Cinq et la peau (1982)
95 min | Drama
Ivan is a writer who can not tear himself away from the city of Manila. He likes to hang out melancholy and flirt with pretty women. One day, he meets Mari.
Director: Pierre Rissient | Stars: Féodor Atkine, Eiko Matsuda, Gloria Diaz, Bembol Roco
Votes: 89
39. Jo (1971)
85 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
A writer of detective stories desperately trying to hide a corpse in his house - and at the same time to know exactly who he killed accidentally.
Director: Jean Girault | Stars: Louis de Funès, Claude Gensac, Michel Galabru, Bernard Blier
Votes: 3,663
40. Made in U.S.A (1966)
Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
In the near future, leftist writer Paula goes from Paris to the French town of Atlantic-Cité when she learns of the death of a former colleague and lover, Richard P. Is she there to ... See full summary »
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Anna Karina, László Szabó, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Marianne Faithfull
Votes: 4,640 | Gross: $0.08M
41. Murder 101 (1991 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 100 min | Mystery, Thriller
After writing/publishing a book about a real murder trial, Charles returns to his college to teach creative writing - art of the thriller. 1st essay assigned: plan a perfect murder. Later someone uses it for murder.
Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Dey Young, Antoni Corone, Raphael Sbarge
Votes: 1,307
42. All About Who You Know (2019)
111 min | Comedy
An aspiring screenwriter writes his most ambitious script to date by plotting out a rom-com relationship with the daughter of his screenwriting idol, all in hopes of meeting her legendary father and getting a leg up in showbiz.
Director: Jake Horowitz | Stars: Dylan Everett, Niamh Wilson, Stephen Joffe, David Hewlett
Votes: 227
43. Memoir of War (2017)
127 min | Biography, Drama, War
Marguerite must navigate through the hardships of the Liberation after losing her husband and starting a relationship with the enemy during the War.
Director: Emmanuel Finkiel | Stars: Mélanie Thierry, Benoît Magimel, Benjamin Biolay, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet
Votes: 1,383 | Gross: $0.10M
44. Malina (1991)
125 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A female writer and her relationships with two different men, one joyous and one introverted.
Director: Werner Schroeter | Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Lisa Kreuzer, Mathieu Carrière, Can Togay
Votes: 1,212
45. Heat of Desire (1981)
R | 86 min | Drama
In France in the near future, revolt and chaos erupt. A right-wing politician, Philippe Muphand, is set to take control when his lady friend Caroline walks out, announcing she will take up ... See full summary »
Director: Luc Béraud | Stars: Patrick Dewaere, Clio Goldsmith, Jeanne Moreau, Guy Marchand
Votes: 236
46. What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1963)
Not Rated | 10 min | Short, Comedy, Drama
A writer named Algernon (but called Harry by his friends) buys a picture of a boat on a lake, and his obsession with it renders normal life impossible. He attempts to function again by ... See full summary »
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Zeph Michaelis, Mimi Stark, Sarah Braveman, Fred Sica
Votes: 2,648
47. A Talent for Murder (1984 TV Movie)
80 min | Drama, Mystery, Comedy
A famed mystery writer (Dame Angela Lansbury) and her doctor ex-lover (Sir Laurence Olivier) solve her daughter-in-law's murder.
Director: Alvin Rakoff | Stars: Angela Lansbury, Laurence Olivier, Hildegard Neil, Charles Keating
Votes: 169
48. The Black Cat (1966)
73 min | Horror
A mentally unbalanced man is obsessed with the idea that a black cat is possessed. He tortures and kills it. Later, he comes to believe that the cat has returned from the dead to kill him.
Director: Harold Hoffman | Stars: Robert Frost, Robyn Baker, Sadie French, Scotty McKay
Votes: 440
49. The Skin of Others (2018)
113 min | Drama, Thriller
Marc Deville is a successful writer of erotic literature and he is a porn addict. He functions very well in his daily business but as soon as it comes to close encounters with the other sex... See full summary »
Director: Thomas Stiller | Stars: Oliver Mommsen, Isabel Thierauch, Torsten Michaelis, Judith Hoersch
Votes: 179
50. Chronically Metropolitan (2016)
Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
A cynical and clever coming-of-age film about first-time novelist Fenton Dillane, who returns to New York City unannounced to confront his family, his ex-girlfriend, and a few lingering childhood fears.
Director: Xavier Manrique | Stars: Shiloh Fernandez, Chris Noth, Victor Cruz, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 1,596