Top 12 movies for accountants: engaging stories and financial insights

Everyone loves a good movie. Not only are they entertaining, but they are also a powerful medium for education, enabling us to explore new ideas and perspectives. For accountants, there are plenty of films that provide interesting insights into the complexities of finance and the human emotions that drive it all. 

In this article, we’ll explore 12 of the most powerful, entertaining, and insightful movies for accountants that will help you better understand the industry landscape. So grab your popcorn and get reading!

• The Big Short
• Margin Call
• Inside Job
• Moneyball
• The Accountant
• The Wolf of Wall Street
• Arbitrage
• Boiler Room
• Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
• Wall Street
• Too Big to Fail
• The Shawshank Redemption

1. The Big Short

Genre: drama, dark comedy, true story

Director: Adam McKay

IMDB rating: 7.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89%

Originally a book by Michael Lewis, The Big Short tells the true story of the events leading up to the 2007-08 financial crisis. The movie explores the intricacies — and the insanities — of the housing bubble and subprime mortgage market, following a group of finance professionals who saw it coming and sought to benefit from the chaos by “shorting” (i.e. betting against) the market. 

The Big Short was a big success, not only because of the detailed description it gave of a turbulent and troubled time in the world of finance but also because of its ability to present this information in a hugely entertaining and engaging way. 

Why watch?

For accountants, The Big Short provides a deep understanding of the decisions, instruments, and market dynamics that led to the biggest financial crisis of a generation. It’s a must-watch because it clearly shows what happens when greed and incompetence replace due diligence and ethical decision-making.

2. Margin Call

Genre: drama

Director: J. C. Chandor

IMDB rating: 7.1/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 87%

Like The Big Short, Margin Call explores the factors leading up to the 2007-08 financial crisis, but it goes about this in a very different way. Where The Big Short is snappy and funny, Margin Call is dark, tense, and brooding. The film follows key members of a major investment bank over a 24-hour period as they come to the realization that their firm is on the brink of collapse — and along with it the entire financial market. 

Why watch?

Margin Call explores the ethical dilemmas and high-stakes decisions that finance professionals often face. It’s an excellent watch for accountants to understand things like risk management and corporate responsibility — and what happens when they aren’t effectively implemented.

3. Inside Job

Genre: documentary

Director: Charles Ferguson

IMDB rating: 8.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98%

Winner of the oscar for Best Documentary Feature back in 2011, Inside Job is perhaps the best of a spate of documentaries released in the wake of the 2007-08 financial crisis. Narrated by Matt Damn, it provides a detailed and thought-provoking look at the systemic corruption, greed, and unethical practices that led to a major global depression. 

Why watch?

Like The Big Short and Margin Call, Inside Job will give accountants a solid understanding of the importance of professional ethics and effective financial oversight. Where the first two films go heavy on drama, this documentary hammers home the facts and mistakes that led to a financial disaster. 

4. Moneyball

Genre: drama, sport, biography

Director: Bennet Miller

IMDB rating: 7.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%

While not about accounting per se, Moneyball is highly relevant to forward-thinking accounting firms. Based on the true story of how Billy Deane turned the Oakland A’s into a highly competitive baseball team on a limited budget, Moneyball is all about the power of data analytics and thinking outside of the box.

Why watch?

Moneyball is a fascinating look at how data analytics can transform a business, giving you an edge over competitors through smart insights. If you’re an accountant or firm owner looking to squeeze maximum value from all your decisions, this film is great inspiration!

To harness the power of analytics in your accounting business, you need the right tools. With TaxDome’s AI-powered reporting feature, you can gain powerful insights into team performance and unearth new opportunities for growth. 

5. The Accountant

Genre: action, thriller, crime

Director: Gavin O’Connor

IMDB rating: 7.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 53%

The Accountant stars Ben Affleck as an autistic math genius who works as a freelance accountant for major organized crime organizations behind the facade of a small-town CPA office. With the Treasury Department hot on his heels, he takes on a legitimate client but soon realizes that the company’s books don’t add up. Meanwhile, the bodies start to pile up.

Why watch?

In addition to being a slick, action-packed thriller, The Accountant also shines a light on the world of forensic accounting, making it an interesting watch for any accountant interested in the investigative side of the profession.

6. The Wolf of Wall Street

Genre: biography, drama, comedy

Director: Martin Scorsese

IMDB rating: 8.2/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 80%

Based on the life of Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street traces the rise and fall of a highly successful stockbroker turned financial fraudster. Filmed in the classic Scorsese style but with a touch of surreal comedy, it’s hard to believe this larger-than-life tale is a true story! 

Why watch?

Like many of the films on this list, The Wolf of Wall Street is an entertaining yet cautionary tale of what happens when finance professionals let rampant greed, unethical business practices, and hedonism run riot. 

7. Arbitrage

Genre: Drama

Director: Nicholas Jarecki

IMDB rating: 6.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 87%

Arbitrage follows the story of a New York-based hedge fund manager coming to the end of a glittering career. In the process of selling his firm for a huge profit, his shady financial practices start to catch up with him, and his personal and professional lives start to unravel. 

Why watch it?

Arbitrage is another film that lays bare the pressures and moral compromises that are often involved in reaching the top — and the risks that come with not playing by the rules. It’s another film that will make accountants think about the importance of risk management and ethical decision-making. 

8. Boiler Room

Genre: Crime, drama

Director: Ben Younger

IMDB rating: 7.0/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 66%

Boiler Room follows a college dropout who lands a job in a small investment firm in late-90s New York. The new recruit earns big money but soon realizes that the firm is running a “pump and dump” scheme, artificially creating demand and then selling stocks to leave their unwitting clients holding the bag. This forces the protagonist to decide between his bank balance and his morality.

Why watch it?

Another cautionary tale, Boiler Room explores how the desire to make big money fast can lead us to make decisions that go against our moral compass. While this film isn’t directly about accounting, trust and integrity are such a critical part of being an excellent accountant that it’s bound to be thought-provoking.

9. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Genre: Documentary

Director: Alex Gibney

IMDB rating: 7.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%

This excellent documentary explores the Enron scandal — one of the biggest, most high-profile accounting scandals of all time — looking at the company’s corrupt business practices and how they led to its eventual downfall. Once a highly respected energy company, Enron is now synonymous with financial fraud and corporate deceit.

Why watch it?

Any self-respecting accountant should familiarize themselves with one of the biggest accounting stories of all time, even if it’s for all the wrong reasons. The documentary explains in detail the methods that Enron used to cook the books, but the main takeaway is that deliberately making unethical business decisions will always catch up with you in the end.

10. Wall Street

Genre: Drama

Director: Oliver Stone

IMDB rating: 7.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 79%

This film is a cult classic that perfectly captures the late ‘80s Wall Street zeitgeist. A young stockbroker (Charlie Sheen) will do anything to climb the greasy pole of finance and please his mentor, the infamous Gordan Gekko (Michael Sheen) — including insider trading. 

Why watch it?

Wall Street is a classic of its time and perfectly portrays the greed and excess that was rampant in the financial industry during the 1980s. It’s another timely reminder for accountants that personal and professional integrity should not be traded for anything.

11. Too Big to Fail

Genre: True story, drama

Director: Curtis Hanson

IMDB rating: 7.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 77%

A screen version of Andrew Sorkin’s book, Too Big to Fail provides a fascinating dramatized account of what happened behind the scenes in 2008 as key players from the US government, Federal Reserve, and Big Finance try in vain to save giant investment bank Lehman Brothers — and steer the US and global economy away from the rocks.

Why watch it?

Too Big to Fail is an interesting analysis of top-level crisis management and decision-making processes, providing valuable insights for accountants looking to understand what happened behind the scenes during the 2007-08 financial crisis, and how it shaped the world that we live in today.

12. The Shawshank Redemption

Genre: Prison drama

Director: Frank Darabont

IMDB rating: 9.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89%

Following a lukewarm initial release, The Shawshank Redemption went on to become one of the most popular movies of all time. In fact, its average score of 9.3 makes it the top-rated movie on IMDB! The film follows the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker wrongfully imprisoned for shooting his wife. In prison, Dufresne navigates the dangers and uncertainties of life behind bars by using his financial skills, becoming the unofficial accountant and financial advisor for the prison warden and his staff. 

Why watch it?

Besides being an all-time classic, The Shawshank Redemption shows that possessing accounting and finance skills truly is a superpower! 

To sum up

Great accountants are always looking for new ways to broaden their knowledge of the industry. The films on this list aren’t just highly entertaining — they’re also a great way to understand the financial world, what drives success and failure, and the importance of ethical behavior and professional integrity. 

We hope you enjoyed this article and found a few new movie recommendations along the way. Just as these films provide insights into the complexities of finance and accounting, TaxDome offers the tools and support you need to run a highly efficient and profitable accounting practice. Request a demo and see for yourself!