Money doesn’t buy happiness? Tell that to Hollywood where money is business and box office receipts are what matter! In all seriousness, the old saying might be true, but it doesn’t stop most of us from trying. And, so here are the top six movies about people trying to get rich.
This rags to riches to a blood bath immigrant story is a brutal, cautionary tale for the ages. It tells the story of the rise and fall in the drug trade of a Cuban immigrant looking for respect and power in the only places open to him. Money is power in Scarface, but it surely does not buy happiness.
Scott Smith’s brilliant novel became an equally brilliant film in the hands of director Sam Raimi. This riveting story about a group of friends who stumble upon a downed plane with millions in cash that no one knows about is a great example of how money can bring out the best and worst in people. Okay, now that we have seen that crime does not pay, let’s take a look at some of film’s more positive tales.
4. The Pursuit of Happyness (2007)
In this true, feel good story Chris Gardner and his five-year-old son are evicted from their apartment and, with no place to go, Gardner lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage where through hard work and determination he is able to overcome what life has thrown at him to achieve true success.
An unforgettable rags to riches tale where the rags in this story are horrendous poverty and sickening living conditions. Here the rise is accomplished by means of a game show but, again, it’s brains not bullets that save the hero.
The top two entries in this list have a common theme that must not be overlooked in lieu of the importance of working hard to improve one’s financial standing.
‘Greed is good,’ says Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) in this Oliver Stone film. And the film shows us the pitfalls of high-rolling corporate raiding along a sliding scale of the law and morality. Here wheeling and dealing is the point of life and the fortune earned is blood money. I am looking forward to Wall Street 2 as well, based on the financial debacles of the last 3 years.
A beloved Christmas classic, this ghostly tale by Charles Dickens is fondly remembered as a spooky ride for a Christmas night. But there’s more to this story and the lesson it seeks to teach.
While watching Scrooge have the errors of his life pointed out to him, we also see that the desire for wealth as one’s sole purpose in life is a one-way ticket to tragedy. Scrooge begins the tale as a lonely, bitter, greedy, money-grubbing, isolated miser as the pursuit of wealth has turned him against everything. Luckily for him, and for us, he is shown that wealth is merely a tool in living a rewarding life, not life itself.
This was a guest post by Andrew Salmon, a freelance writer, who, in addition to writing about financial topics such as life insurance, is also a published author who has been featured on Amazon.
Related:
~ America’s Income and Wealth Inequality
~ The Many Paths to Riches and Wealth – Which One Are You On?
~ 21 Signs that you are losing interest in your job
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