Top 10 Movies Every Aspiring Writer Should See (original) (raw)

Published Jan 17, 2023, 8:00 PM EST

There are a lot of movies surrounding hobbies. There are plenty of movies about kung fu, dancing, singing, and a lot of sports movies. Sometimes it's to the point where it feels the same topics are explored over and over again. Besides the fact that there are plenty of other hobbies out there.

One that has seen traction in recent years is writing. Due to the internet, both creative and professional writers alike can post their content pretty much anywhere on sites such as WattPad, or they can create their own blogs. If you're one of those individuals with a knack for putting words onto paper, there are a handful of incredible movies that you should probably watch.

'Freedom Writers' (2007)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Freedom Writers is the incredible true story of a high school English teacher who connects to her students in a way like no other. Erin Grunwell(Hilary Swank) is transferred to a school in a low-income area. Many of her students come from impoverished families and have quite a few problems as a result. But Grunwell refuses to give up on them.

She buys the students a collection of journals, asking them to fill them out every day. The students write about their home issues and personal struggles. Grunwell then realizes that her students have the same level of promise as any other student, they just haven't been given any real opportunities. She then helps them unlock their own potential, and through the power of journal writing, they are able to turn their lives around for the better.

'Finding Forrester' (2000)

Image via Sony

Finding Forrester stars Sir Sean Connery as reclusive author William Forrester, who takes a young boy named Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown) under his wing. Jamal shows skill in academia, but he never applies himself, preferring to play basketball. Wallace sneaks into Forrester's home one afternoon as a dare but leaves his backpack behind. The next day, he finds his schoolwork in his backpack edited by Forrester.

From then on, Forrester becomes Wallace's tutor, creative writing mentor, and best friend. They compose stories and essays together, which gets Wallace a scholarship to a prestigious Ivy League school. Not only that, but Wallace rekindles Forrester's desire to live and teach, as Forrester has no children of his own, and no one to pass on his knowledge to.

'Dead Poets Society' (1989)

Image via Buena Vista Pictures

Dead Poets Society takes place in the 1950s at an all-male boarding school. The students there receive a new teacher named John Keating, played by Robin Williams. Keating shocks the boys when they notice he has an unorthodox method of teaching, which goes against the strict regulations set in place by the school's administration.

Keating nurtures his students' creativity and reintroduces the Dead Poets' Society, a long-lost club of students at the school who would read poetry in secret. After inspiring the students and introducing them to the art of poetry, many begin to compose poems themselves. Though Keating's methods are frowned upon by the school's headmaster, the effect that creative writing has on his students is astounding and shows just how powerful the art form is.

'Tolkien' (2019)

Image via 20th Century Fox

Tolkien is a biopic about renowned fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult), who wrote the expansive universe of The Lord of the Rings. The movie shows how Tolkien was inspired to write his groundbreaking saga, and what personal experiences can be found in between the lines of prose.

Tolkien fought in World War I, which would prove to be the basis for the War of the Ring present in his works. It serves as proof that inspiration for creative works really can come from anywhere, even from the ugliest pits of despair and death. Though, the movie doesn't feature much actual writing until the end, where Tolkien can be seen writing the infamous opening line of The Hobbit.

'Finding Neverland' (2004)

Image via Miramax

Finding Neverland is another biopic similar to Tolkien, this time about playwright and author J. M. Barrie (Johnny Depp). Barrie is famous for writing Peter Pan, first as a play, and then as a novel seven years later. The book, of course, is one of the most popular stories to this day, and has spawned a number of film adaptations of its own. Most notable of these is the upcoming live-action Disney film.

The characters in the novel, as it turns out, are based on real people that Barrie knew in his personal life, and even had the same names. For example, the characters of George (Nick Roud) and Michael (Luke Spill) were very real children that Barrie helped raise alongside a widowed woman. It's another film that shows that stories can come from pretty much anywhere if you look hard enough.

'Misery' (1990)

Image via Columbia Pictures

Misery is a horror movie based on a book by renowned horror author Stephen King. It features a fictional author named Paul (James Caan), who writes a series of Victorian novels. He is hurt in a tragic accident and winds up in the hospital. Annie (Kathy Bates), the nurse who treats him happens to be his biggest fan.

Out of gratitude, Paul lets Annie read his upcoming manuscript, but she is outraged to discover that her favorite character is going to die in the next book. Annie proceeds to hold Paul captive and forces him to rewrite the manuscript in a way where the character can be kept alive. Though, it shouldn't discourage any aspiring writers, because situations like the one in the movie are extremely unlikely. But there is a valuable message in there that no matter what you do, you can't please everyone with your written work, so don't be too bummed out by criticism. After all, it could always be a lot worse.

'Ruby Sparks' (2012)

Image via 20th Century Fox

Ruby Sparks stars Paul Dano as Calvin, a troubled author who is visited by a woman named Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan) in his dreams. Calvin is infatuated with Ruby, and decides to write a passage about her before he heads off to bed. When he wakes up, he finds that Ruby has come to life and the two fall in love.

Though it's debatable whether Ruby was ever real or not by the end of it, one message is certain: your characters are only as real as you make them. Though those around Calvin find his relationship strange, Ruby is real enough for Calvin, and that's all that matters.

'Adaptation' (2002)

Image via Sony

Adaptation is a self-aware movie about the struggle of adapting written work into a Hollywood movie. Funny enough, the movie is, in itself, based on a novel. This film stars Nicolas Cage as Charlie Kaufman, a screenwriter tasked with adapting Susan Orlean's non-fiction book The Orchid Thief for Hollywood. Charlie finds himself battling with his inner critic as he wants to adapt the movie in a near-impossible way that will leave it one hundred percent true to the source material. This results in him developing the nemesis of any creative writer: writer's block.

Charlie happens to have a twin brother named Donald (also played by Cage), who is also into screenwriting, and through their brilliant minds begin to formulate a plan that ends with satisfied audiences and satisfied producers. The movie shows what it's like inside the world of screenwriting, and how difficult it can be to try and please as many people as possible without straying too far outside the lines.

'Sunset Boulevard' (1950)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Sunset Boulevard is a film noir that is heavily critical of Hollywood, and the screenwriting industry in particular. Featuring the directing talent of Billy Wilder, the movie stars William Holden as Joe Gillis, a Hollywood screenwriter who is facing financial trouble after a streak of box office bombs.

He befriends a washed-up actress named Norma (Gloria Swanson), who hires him to edit her own script for a movie that will mark her return to the big screen. The film serves as something of a warning, because while the screenwriting industry can be fun, it's difficult to get into, as it's highly competitive.

'The Ghost Writer' (2010)

Image via Optimum Releasing

If you're not familiar with the term, a ghostwriter is someone who is paid to write something for a client without receiving any credit. A lot of autobiographies use ghostwriters, despite the claim that they were written by the person whom the book is about. This film stars Ewan MacGregor as the Ghost, a ghostwriter who is assigned to finish an autobiography on fictional British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), which isn't as easy as it sounds.

The Ghost winds up caught in a web of conspiracies surrounding the head of state, which makes his job much more difficult and dangerous than it should be. However, he still manages to finish the autobiography and launch the book against all odds. Though being uncredited for your work may seem an awful thing to some, in this case, it saves the Ghost's skin, as he is able to use the information found during his research to uncover the truth, and nobody will come hunting for him since he "wasn't involved."

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