As I am a beverage entrepreneur by day, and a self proclaimed movie buff by night, I wanted to give everyone out in the world of startups the top 5 greatest movies to watch. Although my opinion may not be worth a damn and you’d prefer Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB, I am going to tell you anyways. For the record, I have seen Glengarry Glen Ross, which is famous for its ‘ABC-Always Be Closing’ line and it is on practically every movie list associated with business. I consciously left this off the list as I would rather watch paint dry. As another disclaimer, I refuse to watch ‘Citizen Kane’ as I am a millennial and I prefer to watch movies in color and I am too busy to sit down and watch an 8-hour movie like ‘There Will Be Blood’. So here it is…
1. Social Network- I didn’t really go out on a limb with this one, as the release of this movie likely resulted in many wannabe entrepreneurs quitting their jobs to chase their dream. That being said, it certainly deserves to be here. The story of Mark Zuckerberg and his quick rise to internet stardom is a must see.
2. Jerry McGuire – What’s a movie list without something from the 90’s starring Tom Cruise? Maybe this is viewed more of a sports movie; however, Jerry McGuire, a famous sports agent, quit his job like many of us crazy entrepreneurs to pursue a passion and a vision not accepted by the mainstream. Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character, Rod Tidwell infamously yells the phrase ‘show me the money.’ We are all hoping for the same thing.
3. Layer Cake- Daniel Craig plays a hard working entrepreneur looking to make enough money to step away from the game…. the cocaine game. He shows us how to climb the ladder in the industry; hence the name , Layer Cake. I am also a big fan of Sienna Miller, who can also be found in another entrepreneurial movie, Burnt, starring Bradley Cooper.
4. The Aviator- Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the obsessive business tycoon, Howard Hughes. He literally put it all on the line gambling millions in the filmmaking and aviation business while constantly battling his own demons. At times tough to watch, this movie shows the exaggerated rollercoaster ride of an entrepreneur, depicting what it’s like to hit rock bottom and stand on top of the world.
5. Steve Jobs- We are talking about the Michael Fassbender, and not the Ashton Kutcher variety. This movie gives a very realist view of the life of Steve Jobs as he navigates life as an entrepreneur, innovator, leader, and father. One of the greatest visionaries of our time, Jobs was by no means perfect, but he expected perfection from everyone around him.
*As a side note, I must say that Ashton Kutcher is killing it in the ‘real life’ world of startups having investing in companies like Uber, AirBnB and Spotify early on.
Honorable Mention- Silicon Valley- Despite being hilarious, you can actually learn a lot from this over exagereated portrait of a startup. I left it off the list solely because it is a show on HBO and not actually a movie. The third season, just started on Sunday and I strongly recommend it. There are not many great shows dedicated to the entrepreneur, and the few others that have tried, have failed. I tried watching the show, Betas… don’t.
Honorable Mention – The Men Who Built America- A four part series and the greatest mini series you will ever watch as an entrepreneur. It is the story of the pillars of today’s America; Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbuilt, and JP Morgan. It took me numerous references before I gave it a chance. Don’t wait.
Crazy entrepreneurs are a whole different type of animal then the Type A tycoons that dominate corporate America. These guys deserve a list of their own. Next Tuesday, I will dramatically unveil my very disputable top 5 movies for business motivation. As my name is not Robert Ebert, feel free to point out any movies that I left out. If you interested in checking out what our own crazy team of entrepreneurs is stirring up, sign up for our launch at www.drinktru.com and give us a shot. Cheers.