This is one of those hard-line-to-draw categories. Were Disclosure, What Women Want, The Devil Wears Prada, You've Got Mail or 9 to 5 about business or were each just set (at least partially) in a business context but really not fundamentally about business? Not that any of these would make a top 10 list but you get the point. (Actually, 9 to 5 was quite clever and I always get a smile watching Lily Tomlin, one of the funniest comedians around.) At any rate, this category follows films where business is at the core.
There are probably more good documentaries in this category than fictional films so I will attempt to highlight the best of both. Five in each category.
My Top FIVE fictional films about business are:
Boiler Room - Although Wall Street is thought by many to be the quintessential film about the stock market, I
liked Boiler Room better. Vin Diesel was actually good in this movie and I really enjoyed Giovani Rivisi as the college dropout turned bad boy broker. Interesting that the film they all got together and watched (and knew all the lines from) was Wall Street.Office Space - The best satire of office work made. It had a gre
at cast of no one you've ever heard of (except Jennifer Aniston, whose part was sort of inconsequential). Some of the funniest scenes are of the consultants who come in to fix the company. And, the boss - Gary Cole as Mr. Lumbergh - was wonderful. Really reminded me of several folks I have worked with over the years. The other office workers were perfectly cast as well. While I cannot document it I think this spawned the British and US TV series, The Office.Wall Street - Michael Douglas was the perfect pompous ass, Gordon Greko, and Charlie Sheen shined as the
young Junior Executive Honky on-the-make, Bud Fox. A fun film with some classic lines, a good story and a good ending. "Lunch is for wimps," "If you need a friend, get a dog," and "what's worth doing is worth doing for money," are among many well known lines. Martin Sheen plays Charlie's father in the film - that took a lot of working into, I'll bet.Glengarry GlenRoss - I think this was Alec Baldwin's best role (I liked him a lot in Hunt for Red October also). And, Jack Lemmon and Alan Arkin were both terrific; add in Kevin Spacy, Ed Harris and Al Pacino (Oscar nomination as Supporting Actor) and this was an incredibly well cast film. Very gritty movie.
Hudsucker Proxy - Tim Robbins was perfect as the accidental executive in this well done film set in the 50's. Paul Newman plays the old-time CEO who scams to put an idiot (Robbins) in his spot to drive the stock down and then the fun begins. Great scene from the mailroom.
Honorable Mention (not in any order):
Tin Men
Rogue Trader
Other People's Money
The Shop Around the Corner
In the documentary category there are lots of wonderful films. Many focus on a specific industry like Crude Awakening (oil), Black Gold (coffee industry), Harlan County (mining industry) or Sicko (health care industry).
My top FIVE business documentaries
1 - Zeitgeist - The Movie - A truly remarkable film. If you only pick one from this post, I think this should be the one. And, it's about a lot more than just business.
2 - Crude Awakening - All about the world oil crisis, our dependence on oil and the consequences that are flowing. Pretty scary stuff.
3 - Startup.com - Watch a group of entrepreneurs create an internet company in the heyday of the boom (2000/01). A wild ride and although you can guess the ending it is really interesting to watch the dynamics unfold.
4 - Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room - I had a bunch of their stock. I knew several of their executives including the big 2 (Lay and Skilling). They were our biggest customer. Skilling went to jail, Lay died - sounded like suicide to me. The movie seemed pretty accurate from what I knew.
5 - The Corporation - Very scathing look at the bad side of corporations.
Honorable Mention:
Roger & Me - Michael Moore's relentless pursuit of Roger Smith (CEO of General Motors) during the layoffs of most fo the town of Flint, MI
Pirates of Silicon Valley (docudrama) - A dramatization of the Jobs/Wozniak start-up called Apple
Harlan County, USA - A strike at a coal mine in Kentucky
Super Size Me - Eating at McDonald's will never be the same
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price - A good expose on how Wal-Mart really operates
I'd love to hear about others in this genre. Especially good ones on the fiction side.
Next up: A Surprise Guest Blogger
I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven, I told Bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she's filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I'm collating so I don't see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven.
ReplyDeleteYou have to say that with the right accent...
ReplyDeleteI also thought Boiler Room was stronger than Wall Street, thought it might just be because of when it was released but good to hear you say the same.
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