30 Must-See Movies Based on Unbelievable True Stories
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When a real-life story is stranger than fiction, it’s all but guaranteed to get the Hollywood treatment. From the moment you hear an almost unbelievable story on the news, you might as well expect to see it on the big screen (or streaming) within the next 18 to 24 months. That being said, there’s an incredibly wide range of movies that are ripped from the headlines. These films can be based on anything that unfolds IRL; they’re not limited by time, place, or genre. While writers and directors do take certain creative liberties to fit a specific narrative or provide context for their audience, the best movies based on true stories all have one thing in common: The core of the saga remains intact, and it’s downright riveting.
From controversial court cases to unfathomable true crimes, there’s no shortage of real-life events that have been dramatized for our entertainment. Below, find 30 must-see films based on true stories about sports, scammers, and everything in between. Each one is available to stream right now—just be sure to set aside time for going down a research rabbit hole immediately following the credits.
Hustlers
Before it even premiered in 2019, Hustlers was a pop culture phenomenon. Inspired by a viral 2015 New York magazine article about a group of street-smart strippers who scammed their wealthy finance clients out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, the film was already generating buzz given its arguably wild plot. But an all-star cast—Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Lizzo, and Cardi B—incredible costumes, and a killer soundtrack skyrocketed the heist drama to instant box-office success.
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The Social Network
With the 2003 creation of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg launched the social media revolution—and The Social Network captures just that. Based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires, the film begins with 19-year-old Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) at Harvard, where the future billionaire started a campus website that would one day evolve into the Meta machine. Co-starring Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield, the 2010 biopic offers a brilliant—albeit dramatized—retelling of the events that followed, from initial rounds of seed funding to an all-out legal war with the Winklevoss twins.
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Hidden Figures
Loosely based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s book of the same name, Hidden Figures follows a trio of Black female mathematicians who worked at NASA’s segregated—by race and gender—Virginia research center in the early 1960s. Katherine Jonson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) played a quiet but key role in the all-important Space Race by helping to launch astronaut John Glenn into orbit. And his critically-acclaimed, incredibly inspiring 2016 drama finally gave the women their pop culture due.
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The Bling Ring
From 2008 to 2009, a shocking string of Hollywood Hills burglaries targeted the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Megan Fox. The culprits? A gang of celebrity-obsessed teens, who tracked their idols’ locations online only to break into their homes and steal their designer goods. As a result, our early-aughts, paparazzi-fueled tabloid culture was given a cold, hard look—and that only continued when Nancy Jo Sales’ Vanity Fair exposé, “The Suspects Wore Louboutins,” was adapted for the big screen as The Bling Ring in 2013. Starring Emma Watson, Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Taissa Farmiga, and Leslie Mann, the crime drama offers a high-key entertaining take on the scandal, as well as the allure of the rich-and-famous lifestyle behind it.
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Zola
Zola is, hands down, one of the most absurd tales out there. The premise of the film—which is based on a viral Twitter thread from 2015—is so bonkers, it almost seems unfathomable. And yet, a stripper named Stefani (Riley Keough) did actually convince a waitress and part-time stripper named Zola (Taylour Paige) to roadtrip from Detroit to Tampa for a lucrative party weekend. The adventure quickly goes off the rails, but pure chaos was always to be expected given the saga’s now-iconic first of 148 tweets: "Y’all wanna hear a story about why me & this bitch here fell out? It’s kind of long but full of suspense.”
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On the Basis of Sex
Felicity Jones portrayed a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg in this legal biopic, which chronicles the late Supreme Court Judge’s career from 1956 through 1993. The drama begins with Ginsburg’s time spent studying law at Harvard and Columbia and touches on her tenure at Rutgers—where she taught a “Sex Discrimination and the Law” class—all while building up to the groundbreaking gender-discrimination court case that would go on to shape the rest of her career—and establish her as a powerful trailblazer in the equal-rights movement.
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Killers of the Flower Moon
Based on David Grann’s 2017 book, Killers of the Flower Moon sets its sights on the people of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their reservation, a series of murders rocks the tribe—prompting one survivor, Mollie Burkhart (Lily Gladstone), to embark on the fight of her life to get justice for the greed-fueled killing spree. Leonardo DiCaprio, Rober De Niro, and Jesse Plemons also star in the award-winning epic western crime drama, which introduced audiences to a forgotten chapter of political corruption in America’s history.
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Nyad
At 60 years old, marathon swimmer Diana Nyad was determined to live out her lifelong dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida. The dangerous feat had never been accomplished before; Nyad herself had unsuccessfully attempted the 110-mile nonstop journey back in 1978. The sports biopic Nyad tells the story of the athlete’s dogged determination, with Annette Benning in the lead role and Jodie Foster portraying the best friend and coach who was by her side for multiple attempts at the career-defining endeavor.
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The Big Sick
Comedian Kumail Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, turned their real-life love story into this heartfelt dramedy in 2017. Following a fictionalized version of the couple, The Big Sick tracks their relationship from day one, with a one-night stand evolving into a serious relationship. But complications arise when Emily (Zoe Kazan) is diagnosed with a mystery illness, and Kumail (starring as himself) has to confront their cultural differences as well as his Pakistani parents, who are determined to set him up for an arranged marriage.
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Bombshell
One of the first films of the #MeToo era, Bombshell chronicles the sexual harassment allegations against former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes (portrayed by John Lithgow). Based on real accounts of the women at the network—including Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson—who ultimately exposed the disgraced executive, this dramatized retelling of the scandal offers an inside look at the toxic workplace over which Ailes presided. Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie lead an A-list cast.
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The Farewell
Art imitates life in The Farewell, which is based on the actual experiences of its writer and director, Lulu Wang. Awkwafina stars as a New York City-based Chinese-American writer named Billi, who travels to China to spend time with her terminally ill grandmother, Nai Nai (Zhao Shu-zhen). As Billi’s whole family gathers for a wedding, they’re collectively keeping one big secret: The celebration is really taking place so that everyone can say goodbye to Nai Nai, who isn’t aware of her fatal diagnosis.
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Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich is a classic for a reason. Starring Julia Roberts in its titular role, the 2000 film follows a single mom who uncovers a major environmental scandal after landing an assistant job at a law firm. Based on Brockovich’s actual story, the compelling drama shows how she launched a full-on investigation into a California power company that was contaminating its community’s water supply—and ultimately got justice for the small town’s residents who got sick as a result.
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Oppenheimer
Based on the biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the three-hour masterpiece that all but swept the 2024 Oscars delves into the life and work of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). In chronicling his scientific studies—which led to the development of the atomic bomb during World War II—the film explores the true limits of humanity, ambition, and power. Starring Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, and Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer is officially the highest-grossing biopic of all time.
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The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Andra Day took on the role of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in the film adaptation of Johann Hari’s book, Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. The story follows the government’s failed attempts to stop Holiday from performing her human rights-focused hit song, “Strange Fruit,” amid the war on drugs in the 1940s. Determined to keep her from singing, the FBI launches a sting operation that leads to drug charges, the titular court case, and jail time for Holiday.
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Lost Girls
Between 2010 and 2011, 11 murder victims—most of them young female sex workers—were found on Long Island’s Gilgo Beach. In 2020, the horrific story was turned into a true-crime drama. Based on a book by Robert Kolker, Lost Girls centers on real-life activist Mari Gilbert (Amy Ryan), who brought attention to the case when she launched her own investigation into her daughter Shannan’s disappearance—and ultimately led police to discover the grisly crimes of the Long Island Serial Killer. Although the culprit remained unknown (and at large) when the movie premiered, a suspect has been arrested and charged since its release
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The Iron Claw
Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White star as a pair of ’80s pro wrestlers in this emotional rollercoaster of a biopic. A tale of brotherhood as much as it is about competitive sports, Efron and White portray the real-life Von Erich brothers, Kevin and Kerry, in The Iron Claw. From a famous family of wrestlers—a dynasty, really—plagued by tragedy, the siblings’ sorrow-filled path to success packs a punch similar to their signature “iron claw" move in the ring.
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She Said
It was only a matter of time before the New York Times investigation exposing Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator became a story in and of itself. She Said follows the two tenacious reporters—Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan)—whose bold mission to publish the bombshell piece of journalism led not only to the disgraced Hollywood producer’s downfall, but also gave way to the larger #MeToo movement on the whole.
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Molly’s Game
Molly Bloom’s story is one for the books. Until her arrest in 2013, the former Olympic skier ran an exclusive underground poker game that counted A-list celebrities and mobsters among its top players for years. Jessica Chastain portrays the real-life “Poker Princess” in Molly’s Game, a film adaptation of Bloom’s 2014 memoir that follows the FBI investigation into her high-stakes empire and the subsequent public fallout.
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Spotlight
The Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into priests accused of child molestation revealed a massive pattern of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. Led by the newspaper’s investigative “Spotlight” team, the findings proved that pedophilia was covered up by the Boston Archdiocese for decades. Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton, and Brian d’Arcy James star as the journalists who blew the scandal wide open, sending shockwaves around the globe.
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The Good Nurse
A bone-chilling tale of a nurse who killed his patients, this thriller isn’t for the faint of heart. Adapted from Charles Graeber’s 2013 true-crime book of the same name, The Good Nurse follows Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain), an ICU nurse who befriends her coworker, Charles Cullen (Eddie Redmayne). When patients begin to die on Cullen’s watch, Loughren becomes suspicious of her fellow caregiver—and discovers the startling depth of his sinister side.
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Wild
After a series of personal tragedies, writer Cheryl Strayed’s life was spiraling out of control. In 1995, she hit the Pacific Crest Trail for an 1,100-mile solo hiking trip to get herself in check—and she wrote about the backpacking adventure in her powerful 2012 memoir. Two years later, Reese Witherspoon lived out Strayed’s trek on screen in an inspiring tale about how sometimes, all you need is a bit of distance from your problems to gain perspective.
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King Richard
Venus and Serena Williams have been household names for years—and that’s exactly what their father, Richard, always wanted. Exploring the tennis superstars’ upbringing, King Richard hones in on their dad’s determination to dominate the sport, from mapping out a plan for his daughters’ success before they were born to coaching them in the sport himself. Will Smith stars in the titular role, with Venus and Serena—both of whom served as executive producers—portrayed by Saniyaa Sidney and Demi Singleton, respectively.
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The Big Short
An eye-opening look at the 2008 financial crisis, The Big Short is divided into three separate but parallel stories of money-hungry opportunists. When a hedge fund manager sees that the writing is on the wall for an impending U.S. housing market crash, he bets over $1 billion against the banks; a group of investors follow suit, making a fortune while taking advantage of the economic collapse that’s about to wreck the nation. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt star in the complicated dramedy that puts greed front and center (and is based on a bestselling nonfiction book by Michael Lewis).
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Reality
Sydney Sweeney plays former National Security Agency translator Reality Winner in this gripping crime drama. The whistleblowing intelligence specialist leaked classified government information about Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election to the press and was charged under the Espionage Act. Initially staged as Tina Satter’s play Is This a Room, Reality is based on the transcript of Winner’s FBI interrogation on the day of her arrest.
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Girl, Interrupted
A truly iconic ’90s film, Girl, Interrupted is an intense but important watch. Winona Ryder portrays Susanna Kaysen, an 18-year-old woman who’s forcibly institutionalized for 18 months after a 1967 suicide attempt. During her time at the Claymoore psychiatric hospital, Kaysen—whose memoir serves as source material for the film—encounters a cast of troubled characters played by Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy, and Elisabeth Moss. It’s nearly impossible to look away from the gritty drama that unfolds, with subjects including abuse, self-harm, and mental illness brazenly depicted onscreen.
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Selma
In 1965, the city of Selma, Alabama became a key battleground in the civil rights movement. Despite the fact that the American South had been desegregated, Black voting rights were anything from guaranteed due to still-rampant racism. The riveting historical drama Selma chronicles the epic march from the titular town to Montgomery, Alabama, which was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and resulted in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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Nomadland
As its title suggests, Nomadland follows a modern-day nomad. After losing both her job and her husband, Fern (Frances McDormand) sells almost all of her worldly possessions, buys a van, and leaves her life behind to drive around the western U.S. in her quest for seasonal work. Based on Jessica Bruder’s 2017 nonfiction book of the same name, the Chloe Zhao-directed film delivers a unique perspective on a very real community of older Americans who, after the Great Recession, embraced a transient lifestyle.
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The Wolf of Wall Street
Stockbroker turned fraudster Jordan Belfort’s 2007 memoir got the cinematic treatment with The Wolf of Wall Street. The debauchery-packed dark comedy follows Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he works his way up on Wall Street and is seduced by its culture of excess, greed, and corruption. A truly one-of-a-kind cautionary tale, Belfort’s epic downfall is marked by FBI and SEC investigations, drug addiction, divorces, and jail time.
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Hit Man
A great rom-com that’s inspired by a true story doesn’t come around often. In Hit Man, Glen Powell portrays Gary Johnson, a New Orleans-based college professor turned fake hitman who was profiled in a 2001 Texas Monthly magazine article by Skip Hollandsworth. The part-time police contractor moonlights as a professional killer in order to get the real bad guys—those who hire him—arrested. But things get dicey when he falls for a client (Adria Arjona) who taps him to kill her husband, and Johnson must make a choice between his love life and his undercover sting operation.
Watch it now in theaters, streaming on Netflix on June 7th.
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