Movies About Writers & The Writing Life
Compiled By Christina & Jason Katz
Created August 11, 2010
Updated July 26, 2011, September 23, 2012, September 8, 2013 (posted on August 19, 2014), and November 15, 2014.
You can now view all the movie posters for these films on my Pinterest page.
Selection parameters:
- A main character in the film must be a writer. No ensembles in this list unless writing is central to the storyline.
- Only cinema movies are included. No TV movies.
- Only print journalism. No broadcast journalism in this list. Screenwriting and TV writing are both represented. Bloggers are included.
- Biographies or biopics about writers are listed. No documentaries are included.
- No academics as central characters, unless the character is a novelist or some other type of writer.
- Diaries are included, if the diary is part of the central part of the story.
- If a film is about a writer but is obscure or very unknown it may have been intentionally excluded.
- Films are listed in chronological order by release year.
- If a movie was re-released, then it is listed by its most recent release date.
- Suggestions for films to add are always welcome in the comments section when I post the annual update in my blog each year.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this list. We had fun pulling it together.
Enjoy!
1. Barrets of Wimpole St. (1934) LINK
2. It Happened One Night (1934) LINK
3. His Girl Friday (1940) LINK
4. The Philadelphia Story (1940) LINK
5. Foreign Correspondent (1940) LINK
6. Woman of the Year (1942) LINK
7. Old Acquaintance (1943) LINK
8. The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) LINK
9. It Happened Tomorrow (1944) LINK
10. The Lost Weekend (1945) LINK
11. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) LINK
12. The Story of G.I. Joe (1945) LINK
13. I Remember Mama (1948) LINK
14. Call Northside 777 (1948) LINK
15. The Third Man (1949) LINK
16. In a Lonely Place (1950) LINK
17. Sunset Boulevard (1950) LINK
18. Orpheus (1950) LINK
19. Ace in the Hole (1951) LINK
20. Hans Christian Andersen (1952) LINK
21. A Face In The Crowd (1957) LINK
22. Some Came Running (1958) LINK
23. Teacher’s Pet (1958) LINK
24. The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) LINK
25. La Dolce Vita (1960) LINK
26. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) LINK
27. Through A Glass Darkly (1961) LINK
28. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) LINK
29. Jules and Jim (1962) LINK
30. 8 ½ (1963) LINK
31. Contempt (1963) LINK
32. Youngblood Hawke (1964) LINK
33. A Man For All Seasons (1966) LINK
34. Color of Pomegranates (1968) LINK
35. The Odd Couple (1968) LINK
36. Man of La Mancha (1972) LINK
37. Sleuth (1972) LINK
38. The Way We Were (1973) LINK
39. Front Page (1974, originally 1931) LINK
40. All the Presidents Men (1976) LINK
41. The Front (1976) LINK
42. Julia (1977) LINK
43. Providence (1977)
44. Superman (1978) LINK
45. Stevie (1978) LINK
46. My Brilliant Career (1979) LINK
47. Manhattan (1979) LINK
48. Heart Beat (1980) LINK
49. Seems Like Old Times (1980) LINK
50. The Shining (1980) LINK
51. Somewhere in Time (1980) LINK
52. Reds (1981) LINK
53. Rich & Famous (1981) LINK
54. Priest of Love (1981) LINK
55. The World According to Garp (1982) LINK
56. Deathtrap (1982) LINK
57. Author! Author! (1982) LINK
58. My Favorite Year (1982) LINK
59. Missing (1982) LINK
60. Sophie’s Choice (1982) LINK
61. The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) LINK
62. Cross Creek (1983) LINK
63. American Dreamer (1984) LINK
64. Romancing The Stone (1984) LINK
65. Irreconcilable Differences (1984) LINK
66. Just One of the Guys (1985) LINK
67. Out of Africa (1985) LINK
68. Mishima: A Life in 4 Chapters (1985) LINK
69. Heartburn (1986) LINK
70. Stand By Me (1986) LINK
71. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) LINK
72. 84 Charing Cross Road (1986) LINK
73. The Singing Detective (1986) LINK
74. Throw Mama From the Train (1987) LINK
75. Barfly (1987) LINK
76. Waiting for the Moon (1987) LINK
77. Prick Up Your Ears (1987) LINK
78. Best Seller (1987) LINK
79. Rowing With the Wind (1988) LINK
76. Funny Farm (1988) LINK
80. The Accidental Tourist (1988) LINK
81. Da (1988) LINK
82. Her Alibi (1989) LINK
83. My Left Foot (1989) LINK
84. Beautiful Dreamers (1990) LINK
85. An Angel at My Table (1990) LINK
86. Henry and June (1990) LINK
87. Misery (1990) LINK
88. Closetland (1991) LINK
89. Impromptu (1991) LINK
90. Barton Fink (1991) LINK
91. Naked Lunch (1991) LINK
92. Hedd Wynn (1992) LINK
93. The Player (1992) LINK
94. Basic Instinct (1992) LINK
95. Sleepless in Seattle (1993) LINK
96. The Pelican Brief (1993) LINK
97. So I Married An Ax Murderer (1993) LINK
98. The Dark Half (1993) LINK
99. Shadowlands (1993) LINK
100. Poetic Justice (1993) LINK
101. The Paper (1994) LINK
102. Bullets Over Broadway (1994) LINK
103. Paperback Romance (1994) LINK
104. Tom & Viv (1994) LINK
105. Little Women (1994) LINK
106. Il Postino: The Postman (1994) LINK
107. Mrs. Parker & The Vicious Circle (1994) LINK
108. Delta of Venus (1995) LINK
109. Total Eclipse (1995) LINK
110. The Flower of My Secret (1995) LINK
111. Leaving Las Vegas (1995) LINK
112. Carrington (1995) LINK
113. Delores Claiborne (1995) LINK
114. Smoke (1995) LINK
115. The Pillow Book (1996) LINK
116. The Whole Wide World (1996) LINK
117. Mother (1996) LINK
118. Hamsun (1996) LINK
119. The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (1996) LINK
120. Welcome to Sarajevo (1997) LINK
121. Deconstructing Harry (1997) LINK
122. Henry Fool (1997) LINK
123. Wilde (1997) LINK
124. Chasing Amy (1997) LINK
125. One True Thing (1998) LINK
126. Shakespeare In Love (1998) LINK
127. A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (1998) LINK
128. Eternity and a Day (1998) LINK
129. Permanent Midnight (1998) LINK
130. A Murder of Crows (1998) LINK
131. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) LINK
132. Croupier (1998) LINK
133. Slam (1998) LINK
134. Les Enfants Du Siècle / The Children of the Century (1999) LINK
135. Topsy Turvey (1999) LIST
136. The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999) LINK
137. Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) LINK
138. Never Been Kissed (1999) LINK
139. The Best Man (1999) LINK
140. The End of the Affair (1999, originally 1955) LINK
141. The Muse (1999) LINK
142. True Crime (1999) LINK
143. Bamboozled (2000) LINK
144. Almost Famous (2000) LINK
145. Before Night Falls (2000) LINK
146. Joe Gould’s Secret (2000) LINK
147. Nora (2000) LINK
148. Pandaemonium (2000) LINK
149. Wonder Boys (2000) LINK
150. Finding Forrester (2000) LINK
151. Quills (2000) LINK
152. Isn’t She Great (2000) LINK
153. Prozac Nation (2001) LINK
154. Pinero (2001) LINK
155. Iris (2001) LINK
156. Moulin Rouge (2001) LINK
157. The Shipping News (2001) LINK
158. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) LINK
159. Bridget Jones Diary (2001) LINK
160. Storytelling (2001) LINK
161. Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) LINK
162. How to Kill your Neighbor’s Dog (2001) LINK
163. Orange County (2002) LINK
164. Possession (2002) LINK
165. The Hours (2002) LINK
166. Adaptation. (2002) LINK
167. Blue Car (2002) LINK
168. I Capture the Castle (2003) LINK
169. Alex & Emma (2003) LINK
170. Shattered Glass (2003) LINK
171. American Splendor (2003) LINK
172. As Good As It Gets (2003) LINK
173. Sylvia (2003) LINK
174. Cheaper By The Dozen (2003) LINK
175. Something’s Gotta Give (2003) LINK
176. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) LINK
177. Swimming Pool (2003) LINK
178. Veronica Guerin (2003) LINK
179. The United States of Leland (2003) LINK
180. Notre Musique (2004) LINK
181. Before Sunset (2004) LINK
182. Sideways (2004) LINK
183. The Libertine (2004) LINK
184. Finding Neverland (2004) LINK
185. Motorcycle Diaries (2004) LINK
186. Secret Window (2004) LINK
187. The Door in the Floor (2004) LINK
188. La Tigre E La Neve / Tiger and the Snow (2005) LINK
189. The Dying Gaul (2005) LINK
185. The Squid and the Whale (2005) LINK
186. Capote (2005) LINK
187. The Prize-winner of Defiance Ohio (2005) LINK
188. Factotum (2005) LINK
189. Winter Passing (2005) LINK
190. Shadows In The Sun (2005) LINK
191. The Night Listener (2006) LINK
192. Stranger Than Fiction (2006) LINK
193. Scoop (2006) LINK
194. The TV Set (2006) LINK
195. The Hoax (2006) LINK
196. Infamous (2006) LINK
197. Half Light (2006) LINK
198. Miss Potter (2006) LINK
199. Ask the Dust (2006) LINK
200. Reprise (2006) LINK
201. The Lives Of Others (2006) LINK
202. Running with Scissors (2006) LINK
203. Love and other Disasters (2006) LINK
204. A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints LINK
205. Starting Out in the Evening (2007) LINK
206. Martian Child (2007) LINK
207. Slipstream (2007) LINK
208. Freedom Writers (2007) LINK
209. Becoming Jane (2007) LINK
210. A Mighty Heart (2007) LINK
211. Dan in Real Life (2007) LINK
212. Purple Violets (2007) LINK
213. Moliere (2007) LINK
214. In the Land of Women (2007) LINK
215. Zodiac (2007) LINK
216. Music and Lyrics (2007) LINK
217. 1408 (2007) LINK
218. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) LINK
219. Atonement (2007) LINK
220. 27 Dresses (2007) LINK
221. Roman De Gare (2007) LINK
222. Angel (2007) LINK
223. Resurrecting The Champ (2007) LINK
224. Sleuth (2007) LINK
225. The Kite Runner (2007) LINK
226. Margot At The Wedding (2007) LINK
227. Nim’s Island (2008) LINK
228. Marley & Me (2008) LINK
229. The Edge of Love (2008) LINK
230. The Stoning of Soroya M. (2008) LINK
231. Me and Orson Welles (2008) LINK
232. Burn After Reading (2008) LINK
233. Sex & The City: The Movie (2008) LINK
234. Good (2008) LINK
235. Funny People (2009) LINK
236. 500 Days of Summer (2009) LINK
237. Julie & Julia (2009) LINK
238. Gentleman Broncos (2009) LINK
239. Bright Star (2009) LINK
240. The Answer Man (2009) LINK
241. 2012 (2009) LINK
242. Motherhood (2009) LINK
243. Broken Embraces (2009) LINK
244. The Soloist (2009) LINK
245. World’s Greatest Dad (2009) LINK
246. The Last Station (2009) LINK
247. Cole (2009) LINK
248. The Boys are Back (2009) LINK
249. Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) LINK
250. Spoken Word (2009) LINK
251. Tetro (2009) LINK
252. State of Play (2009) LINK
253. Nine (2009) LINK
254. The City of Your Final Destination (2009) LINK
255. Certified Copy (2010) LINK
256. The Rum Diary (2010) LINK
257. The Ghost Writer (2010) LINK
258. Howl (2010) LINK
259. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) LINK
260. Sex & The City 2 (2010) LINK
261. Eat, Pray, Love (2010) LINK
262. A Closed Book (2010) LINK
263. Peep World (2010) LINK
264. Midnight in Paris (2011) LINK
265. One Day (2011) LINK
266. Limitless (2011) LINK
267. Young Adult (2011) LINK
268. The Help (2011) LINK
269. Twixt (2011) LINK
270. Anonymous (2011) LINK
271. Ruby Sparks (2012) LINK
272. The Words (2012) LINK
273. Writers (2012) LINK
274. Being Flynn (2012) LINK
275. Stuck In Love (2012) LINK
276. Sinister (2012) LINK
277. On The Road (2012) LINK
278. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012) LINK
279. The Raven (2012) LINK
280. The Master (2012) LINK
281. The Best Bar In America (2013) LINK
282. Before Midnight (2013) LINK
283. Saving Mr. Banks (2013) LINK
284. Her (2013) LINK
285. Kill Your Darlings (2013) LINK
286. White Lie (2013) LINK
287. Adult World (2013) LINK
288. Violete (2013) LINK
289. Authors Anonymous (2014) LINK
290. The Fault In Our Stars (2014) LINK
291. Wild (2014) LINK
292. The Theory Of Everything (2014) LINK
This list will be updated annually. I will post the finished list in my blog for comments and input each year.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed over the years!
I am a veteran journalist, author and coach with over a decade and a half of experience and a wealth of techniques to share. I am focused on making the world a saner, more expressive place. I help folks become more creative for personal enjoyment, professional development and transformational growth. Whether you are a professional creative or hope to become one some day, I can help you embrace your personal strengths, explore your creative possibilities, and evolve incrementally into your most inspiring self. If you are ready to achieve creative consistency in your life and career, email me about monthly coaching calls. To learn more about increasing your creative confidence, please check out my online school. Stay tuned for ways to save money by becoming a Beta User for my next new course by subscribing to The Prosperous Creative. And don’t forget to get these blog posts delivered to your inbox, so you never miss a post. If you appreciate my work—school, products, blog and social media posts—you are welcome to make a contribution of any size at any time. Thank you for your support!