Movies entertain us. Movies captivate us. Movies appeal to us. But, most of all, movies inspire us. Rocky inspired us to fight for our dreams (and to take the stairs instead of the elevator). Glory inspired us to fight for what’s right. The Diary of Anne Frank inspired us to fight for humanity. ET inspired us to believe beyond what we can see. And, The Shawshank Redemption, of course, inspired us to escape from prison.
Then there are business movies. These movies may bore some of us (those of us who don’t even like to work much less use it as a form of entertainment), but others find these the most inspiring of films. This article lists the best movies for people who believe that business is always a worthy production.
Boiler Room: A view into the underworld of sketchy brokerage forms, Boiler Room features a college student drop-out used to being on the brink of seediness. After running an illegal casino, he is hired by JT Marlin, a firm that creates a false demand by skyrocketing the price of shares for companies that don’t exist. The main character Seth, played by Giovanni Ribisi, is placed in the middle when the FBI uses his father, a judge, against him. Seth is then forced to work with the FBI to uncover the fallacy employing him.
The characters in the story aren’t noble or moral - as their main goal is to scam people out of money - but, from a business perspective, they are good at wheeling and dealing. The monologues in the conference room and the scenes where they sell can surely inspire just about any businessman or woman, particularly salespeople; it can inspire them not only to excel at their art, but to leave companies like JT Marlin for the fishes.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
Although filmed for television, Death of a Salesman with Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich was brilliant.