If you’re into finance, stocks, trading, or just pretending you know what you’re talking about, these are the movies you need to watch, memorize, and quote until it becomes your entire f*cking personality. Or maybe you’re just curious about this topic and want to see what all the hype is about. Either way, here’s my list.
If you watched the Wolf of Wall Street three times and now you act as an expert in the market. I have some other movies for you that will help you build your finance bro personality. If you’re just curious about the world of finance, this list will give you a damn good introduction. Also these movies could be perfect for date night, if you want your girl to leave you forever. But hey, at least you’ll die alone with a solid understanding of mortgage-backed securities. We’re doing this in reverse order because I like to build tension like a proper psychopath. And speaking of psychopaths...
10. American Psycho (2000)
It might surprise some that this landed on the 10th place. I want to start that it is a F*cking SPECETCULAR Movue. But this list will focus on movies that are more about the stcok market or huge economic events. And in American Psycho is more about being a f*cking aesthetic. It is less about crunching numbers and more about the 80s yuppie culture that turned Wall Street into a pack of unhinged sharks in expensive suits. Patrick Bateman (played by the absolute GOAT Christian Bale) is a rich, narcissistic finance bro who’s too busy comparing business cards and listening to Huey Lewis to realize that he might be losing his mind.
This one’s a must-watch not for financial wisdom, but to understand the insane culture that thrived in that era—cocaine-fueled egos, absurd wealth, and people who would literally kill for a better font choice. You won’t learn anything about trading, but you will start saying, “I have to return some videotapes” every time you want to exit a boring conversation.
9. Rogue Trader (1999)
Based on a true story, this is one of the biggest financial crises to ever hit England. Ewan McGregor plays Nick Leeson, aka the real-life Wolf of Wall Street before Jordan Belfort even figured out how to snort coke off a stripper’s ass. This guy single-handedly brought down Barings Bank—one of the oldest and most prestigious banks in the world—by f*cking around and finding out with unauthorized trades. This is the ultimate lesson in “fake it till you make it” gone horribly wrong. If you’ve ever YOLO’d a trade, watched it go red, and then thought, Eh, I’ll just double down and pray, congrats—you just reenacted the plot of this movie. Except unlike Leeson, you probably won’t destroy a 233-year-old financial institution in the process. Or maybe you will. Who am I to judge?
Old movie, but good. And let’s be honest, the best part of watching this is that you get to say "That’s fockin Obi-Wan Kenobi!"* in every single scene. At least that’s what I did. Watching McGregor go from being a smooth-talking banker to the guy responsible for a full-scale financial meltdown is a wild ride, especially when you remember he once told Anakin Skywalker "Only a Sith deals in absolutes." Meanwhile, this dude was dealing in absolute f*cking fraud.
8. The Wizard of Lies (2017)
You ever hear of a little dude named Bernie Madoff? Yeah, the guy who pulled off the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, scamming investors out of $65 BILLION. This movie, starring Robert De Niro as Madoff, dives deep into how he kept his scam running for decades before the house of cards inevitably collapsed. If you want to learn about market manipulation, scams, and why you should never trust a dude promising “steady returns” no matter the market conditions, this is the movie. It’s not the most exciting flick, but the fact that this sh*t actually happened makes it wild. Also, De Niro absolutely kills it in this role, justl like all his other roles.
7. Boiler Room (2000)
Okay, I’m gonna be real with you—this one is kinda mid compared to the others on this list, but it still deserves a spot. Why? Because it’s basically The Wolf of Wall Street’s broke little brother. You got a group of aggressive, testosterone-fueled bros running a shady pump-and-dump scheme, selling garbage stocks to clueless investors over the phone. (That was every kids dream) It’s the ultimate look into toxic finance bro culture—fast money, fast cars, fast downfall. If you’re an aspiring scammer (which, let’s be honest, most of you reading this are), then Boiler Room is basically a how-to guide for running a sleazy stock brokerage firm. But if you actually have a soul, consider it more of a cautionary tale.
From this point on everything on the list is a MUST WATCH, if you want to call yourself a finance bro.
6. Too Big to Fail (2011)
Ever wonder how the 2008 financial crisis looked from the inside? Well, this one tells the story from the perspective of the banks and the Fed—the same banks that f*cked everything up, got bailed out, and then went back to doing the same sht anyway. Unlike The Big Short, which makes the crisis entertaining as hell, Too Big to Fail is more of a behind the-scenes political thriller. You’ll see the US government scrambling to stop the entire economy from collapsing while banks are busy deciding whether they should save themselves or let the world burn. Spoiler: they chose themselves.
5. Dumb Money (2023)
Alright, fresh out of the oven, we got Dumb Money—aka the GameStop Squeeze: The Movie. If you were around in 2021, glued to Reddit, throwing your rent money into GME because stonks only go up, then this is your story. The movie is basically a David vs. Goliath moment where retail investors (aka degenerates on r/WallStreetBets) take on hedge funds, pump GameStop stock to the moon, and leave billionaires scrambling for their lives. It’s got some hilarious moments, some “oh sh*t” moments, and some let’s be real, this was never gonna end well moments. It’s also got Paul Dano as Roaring Kitty, / Keith Gill, the dude who basically became the face of the movement. If you ever wondered what exactly happened during the GME squeeze and why a bunch of guys in their mom’s basement almost blew up Wall Street, you have to watch this.
4. Wall Street (1987)
Literal defintion of old but gold. This movie is not part of finance culture IT IS FINANCE CULTURE. If you’ve never seen it, you might as well go back to trading Pokémon cards because you don’t belong here. This is the movie that introduced the world to Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas), the original finance villain who made “Greed is good” sound like scripture. Young Charlie Sheen plays an ambitious stockbroker who gets caught up in insider trading and realizes maybe, just maybe, being a corrupt has consequences.
It’s got the old-school vibes, the classic 80s finance drip, suspenders, brick phones, and enough cocaine to make Pablo Escobar jealous. You don’t just watch Wall Street—you build your personality around it. And if you don’t feel the urge to put on a suit, suspenders grab a brick phone and start some insider trading after watching it, you weren’t paying attention.
3. Margin Call (2011)
You probably haven’t even heard of this one, and that’s a damn shame because it’s one of the best finance thrillers ever made. Imagine the 2008 financial crisis, but instead of seeing it unfold over months, you experience it in a single night. This movie is set inside a fictional investment bank (based on the real Lehman Brothers) on the night they realize, that their entire balance sheet is a lie, and the market is about to implode. It’s got Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci, and a script so tight you feel like a bomb is about to go off at any second.
It’s not dumbed down with flashy montages or over-the-top antics—it’s just smart people trying to fix a mess that they created while deciding whether to save themselves or let the world burn. And, spoiler alert: once again they save themselves.
2. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
You might wonder why this is only second, and to be honest, I would consider this as a side-by-side 1st as well. The holy bible of finance and trader bros. I only put it at second because, despite being my favorite movie in this list, I wanted to stick to what is the best finance movie more closely related to finance, and Wolf has a lot of other aspects in it. But you know what? Scratched that. F*ck it. Let’s put Wolf first as well.
If you haven’t seen The Wolf of Wall Street, you literally do not belong in this space. Go watch it, and then come back. Leo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort delivers one of the most insane, over-the-top, hilarious, and absurd performances ever. It’s got drugs, scams, sex, more drugs, market manipulation, f*cking Steve Madden stocks, and a record-breaking amount of f-bombs.
This is peak finance bro energy. It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to go full send on an options trade and get margin called into oblivion. It teaches you nothing about investing, but it will 100% make you wanna buy a yacht and crash a Lambo while high out of your mind. And once again that is every kids dream
1. The Big Short (2015)
The best finance movie. No competition. No debate. This is the GOAT. You got Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling (literally me), Brad Pitt, and Steve Carell breaking down the 2008 financial crisis in a way that’s both insanely entertaining and actually educational. It does something no other finance movie does—it takes complex financial sh*t like mortgage backed securities and credit default swaps and makes them fun to watch. It’s got Selena Gomez explaining CDOs at a poker table, Margot Robbie in a bathtub ( I just convinced you to watch it at this point) talking about subprime mortgages, and Ryan Gosling breaking the fourth wall every five minutes to remind you that Wall Street is one giant casino.
It’s also funny as hell while still being a horror movie in disguise—because the scariest part is that this all of it has actually happened. If you haven’t seen The Big Short, don’t ever talk to me about stocks, trading, investing, or anything finance-related because you’re not qualified. Absolute must-watch. No excuses.
Honourable mentions: more finance movies (or rather shows)
Some shows didn’t quite make the top 10 but are still worth checking out if you have more time to commit to a show.
Black Monday (2019-2021)
The first season is spectacular. Set in the 1980s, this show takes a wild and ridiculous look at the finance world leading up to the biggest stock market crash in history—Black Monday, 1987. It’s a mix of comedy, chaos, and cocaine-fueled Wall Street madness, with Don Cheadle absolutely killing it in the lead role. The first season nails the 80s finance vibe, greed, excess, and insane deals that make no f*cking sense—but the next two seasons? Still good, still fun as hell, but they drift more into character-driven chaos rather than finance-heavy storytelling. Don’t expect deep market insights, but if you love over-the-top Wall Street mayhem, you’ll enjoy the ride.
Billions (2016-Present)
Look, this is a solid finance show, no doubt. It’s all about hedge funds, power struggles, insider trading, and billionaires flexing on each other. Paul Giamatti plays a relentless U.S. Attorney going after Bobby Axelrod (played by Damian Lewis), a billionaire hedge fund king with no morals but a lot of money. The show does an amazing job showcasing high-stakes trading, shady deals, and the sheer insanity of hedge fund culture. The problem is that it’s too long. The first few seasons are fire, but then it starts to drag with too many plotlines, power moves, and legal drama that eventually loses steam. If you want a deep dive into the cutthroat world of finance with some top-tier performances, Billions is worth your time—just be ready for a long-ass commitment. (Which all my exes know I am not)
Industry (2020-Present)
This show had the potential to be the ultimate modern finance series—young bankers and traders trying to make it big at a cutthroat investment bank in London. And when Industry focuses on finance? It’s awesome. The trading, the office politics, the high-pressure deals top-tier finance content.
But here’s the thing—there’s just too much f*cking. Like, literally. And don’t get me wrong, I’m all for it when I’m actively browsing the hub. But when I sit down to watch a finance show, I don’t need full-blown, 20-minute sex scenes in almost every 30 minute episode. Also Some of those scenes are just straight-up gay porn. Now, look, if that’s your thing, more power to you. But I’m not really trying to watch dudes sucking each other off when I came here for hedge fund drama, brutal trading sessions, and market manipulation, So yeah, great finance content—when it remembers it’s about finance. Just be prepared for a whole lot of extra that you might not have signed up for.
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