19 of the Best Movies Based on True Stories

Best Movies Based on True Stories

While there are numerous ways to tell a great story, something is gratifying about some of the best movies based on true stories. 

There’s something incredibly moving about viewing a film based on a true story. The reality, in some ways, maybe more perplexing and captivating, as movies based on true stories demonstrate. 

However, these films educate us about historical events while also being amusing. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best movies based on true stories.

Go ahead and have a look, and you’ll thank us later! 

Table of Contents

1. The Pianist (2002)

The Pianist is a moving film about a musician’s perseverance during WWII. It is based on the memoirs of Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who had a promising career in music cut short by the realities of war. 

Additionally, the Pianist is one of the harshest and challenging pictures of its period, yet it also has a lot of light and optimism. 

Furthermore, Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jewish radio station pianist, observes Warsaw transform gradually as World War II begins in this dramatization of his memoirs “The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945.” 

Szpilman is deported to the Warsaw Ghetto, but during Operation Reinhard, he is separated from his family. 

However, Szpilman hides in various spots among the rubble of Warsaw from this time until the concentration camp captives are released. 

2. Miracles (2004)

Miracles is also one of the best movies based on true stories. The remarkable story of a squad that went beyond its sport to bring a renewed sense of optimism to a nation. 

Additionally, based on the true story of one of the sports’ most significant moments. The film depicts a time and place when disagreements could be resolved via games, and a cold war could be put on hold. 

Furthermore, Herb Brooks, the United States Ice Hockey team coach, faced the famed Soviet Union juggernaut at the 1980 Olympic Games with a ragged roster of college youngsters. 

Despite the heavy odds, Team USA carried a country’s pride in need of a break from the news. Some of the top cast includes Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich.  

3. Black Book (2006)

Israel was founded in 1956. Rachel, a Jew, runs across an old acquaintance at the kibbutz where she works as a teacher. 

Additionally, it brings back memories of her wartime experiences in the Netherlands, including treason. The month is September 1944. When allied troops bomb Rachel’s hideout, she’s in big trouble. 

However, she meets a resistance member and joins a group of Jews ferried across the Biesbosch by boat to the newly liberated South Netherlands. 

However, Germans from a patrol boat assassinate them all. Rachel is the only one who manages to getaway. 

Gerben Kuipers leads a group of resistance fighters to her rescue. When Kuipers’ son is apprehended while attempting to smuggle weapons across the border, he asks Rachel to seduce SS-hauptsturmführer Ludwig Müntze. 

She will soon discover that the attack in Biesbosch was not an accident. Some of the top cast include, Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn. 

4. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

The pursuit of happiness is also one of the best movies based on true stories. Christopher Gardner is the subject of this film based on a true story. 

Additionally, Gardner has made a significant investment in a “bone density scanner technology.” He thinks he’s got it made selling these gadgets. 

Furthermore, they do not sell well because they are slightly better than x-ray at a much higher price. Gardner’s wife leaves him, and he loses his apartment as he struggles to make ends meet. 

In addition, Gardner, who is forced to live on the streets with his kid, continues to sell bone density scanners. While also doing an unpaid internship as a stockbroker with little hope of advancement to paid employment. 

Before he can be paid, he must outperform the competitors throughout six months of training and selling his products. Some of the top cast includes Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Jaden Smith, Brian Howe, James Karen.   

5. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

The film is based on the true story of Ron Woodroof. He is a rodeo fan who was diagnosed with HIV in 1985.

Despite a prognosis of 30 days to live, Woodroof seeks out treatment possibilities and eventually discovers one in Mexico, which he proceeds to offer to patients in the United States. 

Dallas, Texas, 1985. An electrician and occasional rodeo bull rider, Ron Woodroof has a harsh life that includes heavy drinking, smoking, drug usage, and casual sex. 

However, he is a racist as well as a homophobe. Doctors find and inform him that he is HIV+ when he is in the hospital for a work-related accident and that he will most certainly die within thirty days. 

In addition, Ron is outraged at first, denying that he has a sickness that only “faggots” have. But after some thought, he realizes that the diagnosis is most likely correct. 

He starts reading any literature he can find regarding the ailment, which at the moment appears to be best treated with the drug AZT. Some of the top cast include Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zhan, Dennis O’Hare.  

6. Cinderella Man (2005)

Next on our best movies based on true stories is Cinderella Man. Cinderella Man is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by Ron Howard and based on the actual Event of world heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock.  

James J. Braddock, called the Cinderella Man, was a common-man hero during the Great Depression who would become one of the most astonishing sports legends in history. 

Additionally, by the early 1930s, the penniless ex-prizefighter appeared to be just as broken-down, beaten-up, and out-of-luck as the rest of the American public. 

However, his career seemed to be over, and he couldn’t pay his expenses, his family. The only thing that mattered to him—was in jeopardy, and he was compelled to apply for Public Relief. James J. Braddock, on the other hand, never gave up his resolve. 

Some of the top cast includes Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Bruce McGill, Paddy Considine.  

7. The Hammer (2010)

THE HAMMER is a sports drama about Matt Hamill’s difficulties and triumphs on his journey to becoming a champion. 

Additionally, Matt was raised in a hearing family subsequently finds himself an outsider in the Deaf community. 

However, he turns his apparent disability into an advantage. He becomes the first deaf wrestler to win a National Collegiate Championship and inspire hearing and deaf people. Russell Harvard, Michael Anthony Spady, Raymond J. Barry, Shoshannah Stern, Susan Gibney, and the top cast.  

8. The King’s Speech (2010)

The King’s speech is also one of the best movies based on true stories. Prince Albert of the United Kingdom must take the throne as King George VI, but he suffers from a speech handicap. 

Knowing that her husband’s ability to speak is critical to the country’s success, Elizabeth engages Lionel Logue. Lionel Logue is an Australian actor and speech therapist to helps the King overcome his stammer. 

However, as Logue utilizes innovative methods to educate the monarch on speaking confidently, the two men form an extraordinary friendship. 

The top cast includes Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi. 

9. Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Maggie Fitzgerald wants Frankie Dunn to train her to learn from the greatest. He openly rejects from the outset, stating that he has no interest in teaching a girl. 

Additionally, Frankie’s life is lonely, as he is estranged from his only daughter and has few acquaintances. Maggie is a bit rough around the edges, but she puts in a lot of effort in the ring, and he eventually gives in. 

Furthermore, Maggie shows to be not only the fighter he’s always wanted under his wing. But also a companion who fills a vacuum in his life. 

Maggie’s career takes off, but an injury in the ring prompts her to beg Frankie for one more favor. Some of the top cast include Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter.  

10. Theory Of Everything (2014)

Next on the list of movies based on true stories is the theory of everything. The Theory of Everything tells the story of Stephen Hawking, the world’s most brilliant and celebrated physicist.

And also, Jane Wilde, an art student with whom he fell in love while studying at Cambridge in the 1960s. 

After being diagnosed with a deadly illness (ALS) at 21, Hawking, a bright but shiftless cosmology student, was given only two years to live. 

However, his love for Jane Wilde electrified him, and he went on to be known as the “Successor to Einstein,” as well as a husband and father to their three children. 

However, as Stephen’s body crumbled and his academic renown skyrocketed during their marriage, fault lines were uncovered, testing their relationship’s resolve and significantly altering the path of both of their lives.  

Some of the top cast include Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney. 

11. The Social Network (2010)

Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard undergrad, and computer programming whiz sits down at his computer on a fall night in 2003 and gets to work on a new concept. 

Additionally, what begins in his dorm room as a flurry of blogging and programming quickly becomes a global social network and a communication revolution. 

In addition, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history, having amassed 500 million friends in just six years, but success comes with personal and legal ramifications for this entrepreneur. 

Some of the top cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella.  

12. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind (2019)

The boy who harnessed the wind is also one of the best movies based on true stories. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s feature directorial debut, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, is a 2019 British drama film written, directed, and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. 

The film is based on William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer’s memoir of the same name. 

William Kamkwamba was born in the African country of Malawi. A catastrophic drought struck the town where he resided when he was fourteen years old. 

Meanwhile, there was no food available. A brilliant student interested in physics, William decides to save his native village from famine. He discovers physics books in the library. 

However, he came up with the idea to create a wind generator to supply electricity to his family after studying the books. Some of the main cast include Maxwell Simba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lily Banda, Robert Agency.  

13. Zodiac (2007)

Zodiac is a 2007 American mystery thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by James Vanderbilt. It is based on Robert Graysmith’s 1986 non-fiction book of the same name. 

Additionally, a San Francisco Bay Area serial killer taunts cops with his letters and cryptic messages. 

Meanwhile, In this loosely dramatized portrayal of an actual 1970s case, we follow the investigators and reporters as they search for the murderer and get obsessed with the matter. 

Nevertheless, the lives and professions of the detectives and newspaper employees are the focus of the film, which is based on Robert Graysmith’s novel. 

Some of the top cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. with Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, 

14. The Two Popes (2019)

The two popes is also one of the best movies based on true-life stories. Pope Benedict XVI resigned from his seat sent the entire globe into a frenzy, marking an actual first in papal history. 

Before his departure, many people were familiar with Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s tale. The film The Two Popes takes viewers on a journey into the relationship between the former Pope and Cardinal, which few people know. 

However, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) is a cardinal favorite for his pragmatic approach to religion and Vatican reform. After the Vatican leak crisis, Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) remains in disarray years later. 

In addition, Cardinal Bergoglio no longer wants to be a cardinal, but Pope Benedict persuades him to accept the papacy despite his reservations. Some of the top cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce. 

15. First They Killed My Father (2017)

Angelina Jolie is well-known for her philanthropic work and acting career. She directed the film First They Killed My Father, which merged both her loves. 

The biographical historical thriller is based on Loung Ung’s memoir’s real-life incidents. Many viewers’ hearts will be broken and haunted by the reality that individuals in third-world countries face. 

Additionally, in 1975, Ung (Sreymoch Sareum) was five years old. During the Vietnam War, she is forced to train as a child soldier in Cambodia. In the meantime, her siblings are sent to a labor camp. 

Some of the top cast include Sreymoch Sareum, Kompheak Phoeung, Socheata Sveng, Dara Heng, Kimhak Mun.  

16. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Next on our list of best movies based on true stories is Dolemite is my name. The humorous biopic of Rudy Ray Moore, who is most known for his character Dolemite in stand-up comedy and movies, combines humor and kung-fu. 

Additionally, Eddie Murphy portrays the infamous “Godfather of Rap,” a character who achieves a spectacular makeover. Rudy Ray Moore is a fictional character who does not exist in reality. 

Meanwhile, he adopts the Dolemite persona and does everything in his power to seek success on stage and in the movies. 

However, he always looks for ways to bring his information to the world and make the audience laugh, despite not having the tools or knowledge.   

Some of the top cast include Eddie Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Wesley Snipes.  

17. The Photographer Of Mauthausen (2018)

A Spanish photographer imprisoned in the Mauthausen concentration camp could salvage many negatives of photos that were later used in Nazi trials. 

Furthermore, the film follows the lives of the inmates and the work of Francisco Boix, a camp photographer. With this access, he could conceal the evidence at the appropriate time. 

The images were pretty convincing. They exposed the Nazis’ atrocities and crimes over the years and the faces of the officials in charge of the camp and others who visited there. 

In addition, Boix also snapped images on the day of the release, creating a lasting record of the events. Some of the top cast includes Mario Casas, Macarena Gómez and Alain Hernández. 

18. Recount (2008)

The recount is also one of the best movies based on true stories. Al Gore concedes the presidency to George W. Bush in this dramatization of the 2000 presidential election but later recants after learning of problems in the Florida vote count. 

In addition, Republicans under James Baker III and Democratic strategists Ronald Klain and Michael Whouley hurry to Florida to unearth the truth. 

Additionally, a 36-day impasse occurs due to malfunctioning voting technology and the whims of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris. 

Some of the top cast include Kevin Spacey, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr., Laura Dern, John Hurt, Denis Leary, Bruce McGill, and Tom Wilkinson. 

19. My Week With Marilyn (2011)

In London, Sir Laurence Olivier is working on a film. Colin Clark, a young film student who wants to be a part of the action, finds himself in a position on the set. 

In addition, when movie star Marilyn Monroe arrives in London for the start of filming, the entire city is ecstatic to see the blonde bombshell. At the same time, Olivier struggles to satisfy her numerous demands and acts inept, and She attracts colin. 

Furthermore, Marilyn allows Colin inside her inner world, where she fights with her popularity, beauty, and desire to be a great actress, which piques Colin’s interest.  

The top cast includes Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, and Judi Dench. 

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