Oscars on our minds: Six must-watch films about entrepreneurship

With the Oscars on Sunday, great films are on our minds. But while 2011 was a good year for movies of most varieties, there was no “The Social Network” on tap to feed the appetites of the startup-minded. So if you’re starved for some inspiration, go back and check out these six films about entrepreneurship,*…

About the author: Christopher New, a Silicon Prairie News contributor with a lifelong love of film, is the owner of production services company Event1 Video.


In Citizen Kane, Charles Foster Kane faces overwhelming opposition to become a champion in multiple fields.

With the Oscars on Sunday, great films are on our minds. But while 2011 was a good year for movies of most varieties, there was no “The Social Network” on tap to feed the appetites of the startup-minded. So if you’re starved for some inspiration, go back and check out these six films about entrepreneurship,* any of which will get you more charged-up than a Gary Vaynerchuck keynote.

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Here’s my top five films about entrepreneurship:

5. “Batman Begins” (2005)

This little gem of a superhero movie in no measurable way lived up to the epic scope and pedigree of its sequel. That’s fine, considering the excellent returns on this safe, studio comic book caper paved the way for the studio heads to allow director Christopher Nolan to really open up the throttle for “The Dark Knight.” But it’s the pure excitement of watching Bruce Wayne build his Batman persona from scratch that makes me want to escape to my own garage and design the next great American utility belt!

Yes, “Batman Begins,” down deep, is a movie about a hyper-fuelled, one-man startup. What sets this comic book film apart from others in the genre is the way the Batman character is iterated upon, from ski-mask-donned sleuth to full-on flying mammal. Just like a great web property or gadget, the fun is in improving what you’ve built again and again.

Takeaway: Self-funding may be the best way to build in stealth – of course, being a billionaire helps, too.

4. “Risky Business” (1983)

Starting a business is always hard, but an illegal business is criminally difficult. One of Tom Cruise’s earliest films, “Risky Business” is as much satire on 80’s materialism as a entrepreneurially-minded high school romp. While the main character is definitely looking for a payday towards the end of the film, it is Rebecca DeMornay’s character that pushes the hero, Cruise’s Joel, towards dabbling in the tribulations of managing the world’s oldest profession.

Though the “business” done in this movie is born less from opportunity than simple need for cash, the young characters none-the-less learn quickly about intrinsic value. Sometimes a business owner will have a product or service that isn’t making it, but just needs to identify the right market. For Joel, that market was horny, rich high school kids!

Some startups can become a runaway train – just pray you have DeMornay on that ride with you.

Takeaway: Don’t let your costs get out of hand (be it a damaged Porche or Cypher from the Matrix stealing your furniture), or you’ll be playing catchup the rest of the way.

3. “Ghostbusters” (1984)

The ultimate example of catering to a nacent need, “Ghostbusters” was another mid-80’s movie that set its sights on the up-and-coming business mogul. This time, though, the fictional problem that our heros were able to capitalize on was a growing poltergeist epidemic in the Big Apple. 

What makes this film unique in this list is the relationship between Venkman and Stantz/Spengler that so closely resembles the buisness and product partner relationship, respectively, that we see so often in tech startups. While the scientists worked dilligently in the lab to discover solutions to their problems, the “business guy” comes along (the Bill Murray character in this case) and says, “Hey, you know were this would be really cool?”

Throw in a few scenes of product testing (catching Slimer in the hotel), a good example of a lean startup model (an old firehouse for headquarters, and a 60’s-style ambulance for the ECTO-1), and how could today’s 20-somethings not already be developing their great dot-com idea before Ray Parker Jr. can get out a single note?

Takeaway: Thinking outside the box is good, but be careful it doesn’t lead to a 200-foot-tall marshmellow man walking down 6th Avenue.

2. “Citizen Kane” (1941)  and “The Aviator” (2004)

Number two on this list is a tie between two films about self-made titans. Both “Citizen Kane” and “The Aviator” focus on heros who take on overwhelming opposition to become champions in multiple fields. Both are media moguls (newspapers and movies respectively) and both are driven by the loss of their parents at an early age, a psychology that causes each to excell well beyond the professional self-expectations of even above-average men. Interestingly, both become victims of their inner demons – Howard Hughes a debilitating mental disease, and the fictional Charles Foster Kane to his intense drive for success that outstripped the bounds of reality.

Much discussion today is paid to what makes a great startup founder. Two very notable business successes, Bill Gates and Mark Zukerburg, are recognized for their anti-social personalities and keen insights. Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, are both skilled salesmen and laser focused on their products. No matter how they got there, though, all successful entrepreneurs are driven beyond what’s considered average or normal.

Takeaway: If you want your startup to succeed, be prepared to go above and beyond for your vision. Just let a REAL test pilot take your new aircraft for a spin, OK?

1. “The Godfather: Part II” (1974)

Already one of the greatest films of all time, “The Godfather: Part II” is also a study in consolidating your market and taking out the competition. The head of a family business, Michael Corleone has already made a major pivot from racketeering to gambling, and begins the film doing some heavy networking in the Nevada community (i.e., blackmailing Senators). After an attempt on he and his family’s lives, Michael must ferret out the rat in his organization and take down the unknown compeditor gunning for his business, all while keeping his revenue projections up and to the right.

As if that wasn’t enough of a struggle, sprinkle in a couple scenes of father Vito Corleone going from pubescent immigrant to mafia kingpin in flashback (part of the original 1969 book not included in the first film), and you’ve got the American Dream on steroids. In fact, the scenes of the father’s transformation into a self-made man of influence and means may be the most motivating passages of the Academy-Award-winning sequel. While the eventualities of Vito’s life choices are decidedly uncouth, his motivations – for his family, his community, and against heartless men around him – are pure. It’s his sense of justice and desire for a better “social” experience in his community that drives his entrepreneurship, and his clever, fearless personality that lifts him above those around him.

“The Godfather: Part II” tops this list because at the end of everything, Michael Corleone must weigh the balance of his ambitions in business against the destructive nature that ambition has on his family. It’s every entrepreneur’s deepest struggle to mate his or her professional life with a personal one, and even more difficult as you begin to add spouses and children to the mix. The irony of Michael’s dilema was his need to serve his family – both those at home and his late father’s memory – led to decisions that ultimately drove many of those same family members away.

Takeaway: Make time for those around you. Help your dad with his garden. Take your brother out fishing … er, scratch that last one…

Honorable Mentions

  • American Gangster
  • Pursuit of Happyness
  • Jerry Maguire
  • There Will Be Blood

 

*Because it’s too on-the-nose, we’ll call this the “The Social Network Memorial List.”

Credits: Photo of “Citizen Kane” from imdb.com. Movie posters from imdb.com: “Batman Begins,” “Risky Business,” “Ghostbusters,” “Citizen Kane,” “The Aviator” and “The Godfather: Part II“.


About the author: Christopher New, based in Ankeny, Iowa, is a contributor to Silicon Prairie News. He is the owner of production services company Event1 Video, which has been a video services provider for Thinc Iowa 2011, Pitch & Grow and Big Omaha 2010, and will soon be launching Quadrant5, a network of web-based television productions and podcasts.

New has a lifelong love of film, producing several short films along the way, including a 30-minute drama TV pilot for his college television station. His favorite movie of all time is “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (though Flickchart says it should be “Shakespeare in Love,” so he’s clearly not being honest with himself). His favorite guilty pleasure is “Top Gun,” and his gavorite critic is Roger Ebert. His favorite place to see a movie in Des Moines is Fleur Cinema, though the Varsity at Drake has a distinct charm. He’s OK with 3-D as long as it’s done right!

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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