Filmmakers have always been interested in the world of business, and accounting is a big part of many of these films. People often say that accountants are the unsung stars of the business world because they use their skills to find fraud, solve crimes, and sometimes even save the world.
The Bookkeeper
It is one of the most well-known films about accounting. In this action-thriller, Ben Affleck plays Christian Wolff, an autistic accountant who works for crime groups and has high functioning autism. Wolff is good at maths and hacking, but he has trouble with fighting and getting along with other people. He finds a web of corruption that goes all the way to the top of the government when an accounting firm hires him to look into a problem in the books of a robotics business.
The Wall Street Wolf
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) is another well-known movie about accounting. This black comedy crime movie is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who did illegal and dishonest things to get rich. Belfort is played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and the movie also stars Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and Matthew McConaughey.
The smartest people in the room were at Enron in
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) is a must-see for a more true-life look at the accounting world. The movie tells the story of Enron, an energy company that went bankrupt in 2001 after it came out that they had been cheating on their books to hide their huge debts. In 2006, the movie won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Movie.
The Short Story
Another movie that looks at the 2008 financial collapse is The Big Short (2015). There was a group of investors who bet against the subprime housing market because they thought it would fail. Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Ryan Gosling are in the movie.
Call on Margin
The 2011 drama Margin Call is about a group of investment bankers at a big bank who find out that the company is bankrupt. Zoey Deutch, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, and Demi Moore are in the movie.
Who’s There
The drama movie The Insider (1999) is based on the true story of Jeffrey Wigand, who told the truth about the tobacco business. Lowell Bergman is a CBS News reporter who helps Wigand tell his story to the public. Russell Crowe plays Bergman in the movie.
We Trust Debt
A video from 2006 called In Debt We Trust tells the story of debt in the United States. The movie looks at how debt has affected the American economy and how it has made things less fair and less stable.
Run at Midnight
Friendship-based action-comedy Midnight Run (1988) is about a bounty hunter who is hired to find a mob accountant who stole $15 million from his boss. Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin play lead roles in the movie.
Not What You Think
Stranger Than Fiction is a fantasy-comedy movie from 2006 about an IRS inspector who finds himself to be the only one who can hear a woman talking about his life. The movie has Emma Thompson, Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Dustin Hoffman in it.
These are just a few of the many great accounting movies. These films give you an interesting look into the world of business. They can also be fun and make you think.