Movies About Writers

THE MAGIC OF BELLE ISLENever stop looking for what’s not there.

This quote came from Morgan Freeman’s character, Monte Wildhorn, in The Magic of Belle Isle.

I love movie characters who share writing wisdom or a glimpse into their writing life.

Since my husband and I are avid motion picture enthusiasts, I looked on-line for more flicks about writers and writing. And voila! Christina and Jason Katz have compiled a list of 277 titles and a Pinterest page of the 277 movie posters.

For fun, I’ve compiled my own Top Ten List of Movies About Writers (and the books that inspired them, where applicable). (My list is PG13 and under and they’re in no particular order.)

  1. movies_saving-mr-banks-posterSaving Mr. Banks (Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, The Real Life Mary Poppins: The Life and Times of P.L. Travers by Paul Brody)
  2. Freedom Writers (Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell)
  3. Diary of Anne Frank and Diary of Anne Frank TV miniseries (Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank)
  4. Funny Farm
  5. Marley and Me (Marley and Me by John Grogan)
  6. The Magic of Belle Isle
  7. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan)
  8. Little Women (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)
  9. The Help (The Help by Kathryn Stockett)
  10. Dan in Real Life

On my to-read and watch list:

  1. thebookthiefThe Book Thief (about reading–so it qualifies) (The Book Thief by Markus Zusak)
  2. Nim’s Island (Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr)
  3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kinney)
  4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky)

What’s your favorite movie that features a writer or writing?

3 thoughts on “Movies About Writers

  1. “Barton Fink” is a great one. There is a moment where John Goodman’s character screams at Barton “You don’t LISTEN!” It goes straight to Pennypacker’s tip #3 – pay attention. It’s hard to unravel all the metaphors in “Barton Fink,” but I think Goodman’s character represents a kind of ignored muse of Barton’s. Barton gets caught up in his recent success as a writer. As a result, he ignores his muse/source of inspiration. The consequences are not good.

    “Slam,” starring the extraordinary slam poet Saul Williams, is a great film about the power of writing and the spoken word to change lives and society.

  2. Honorable mention: STAND BY ME, based on the short story by Stephen King.

    Others you may enjoy, but I didn’t include, because the subject matter is more suitable for writers of adult literature: STATE OF PLAY, THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, and LIMITLESS.

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