70 Best Movies Based on True Stories To Stream In 2023
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We've all heard the saying that life imitates art, but isn't even a little more intriguing when art imitates life? If you're already into documentaries or true-crime, then chances are you'll love these movies based on true stories just as much. All of these films are enjoyable to watch just like any other movie based in fiction, but when a movie is based on a true real-life story, there's a whole other element to enjoy after the credits rolls. Of course, that being going on a Google deep dive of the real-life events that inspired the movie. From horrifying crimes to heartwarming stories of resilience to stories of the rich and famous, there are SOO many good movies that are based on a true story.
We've compiled 70 of the very best movies based on a true story and how to stream to make your next movie night a breeze. Some of the titles on these list may surprise you like The Sound of Music (yes this too is based in reality) where other tell stories you may have already caught a glimpse of in the news like She Said or The Wolf of Wall Street. With films across all genres, there's a true story everyone will enjoy. So, pop your best popcorn, get cozy and get ready to be amazed by these shocking true stories! (Plus, if the story is true that means it's essentially educational, right?!)
I, Tonya
I, Tonya follows the real-life story of Tonya Harding, an American figure skater, accused of assaulting her on-ice rival.
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She Said
New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor uncover the twisted life of Harvey Weinstein, along with victims of his decades of abuse. Their article encouraged dozens of women to come forward with their abuse, successfully taking down the giant.
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Elvis
Everyone knows who Elvis is and what led to his eventual death, but this film follows his story from the very beginning down to the bitter end.
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Rise
This Disney film tells the true stories of three brothers who move to the United States to pursue basketball, eventually making it pro in the NBA.
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Spencer
Kristin Stewart plays British Princess Diana Spencer, telling the story of her rocky marriage to Prince Charles and the pressures that come with life as a royal and a mother to two young boys.
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The Sound of Music
One of the most popular movies of all time, we all know and love The Sound of Music. But, did you know the movie is based on the real life story of the von Trapp family (of course with a few Hollywood alterations)?
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Dark Waters
Dark Waters is based on the true story of Lawyer Rob Bilott. The movie script got its basis from an article in the New York Times about Bilott called "The Lawyer Who Became Dupont's Worst Nightmare."
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Saving Mr. Banks
Saving Mr. Banks tells the story of Walt Disney's tireless efforts to get the rights to turn Mary Poppins into a movie. The accounts of Disney's family, work and business all follow the real-life events of Walt Disney.
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Hacksaw Ridge
Pacifist Pfc. Desmond T. Doss refuses to bear arms during WWII on the grounds of religion, initially experiencing ridicule from his fellow soldiers he proves himself to be an admirable teammate while still holding onto his values.
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The United States vs Billie Holiday
World famous jazz singer Billie Holiday is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, just as she was in real life.
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Hustlers
A group of high-earning strippers show the newbie their secrets to success: hustling the wealthy men on Wall Street. Their story is based off the real life events of a similar group of girls who are eventually caught and arrested.
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The Post
Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks star in this film about Katharine Graham's career as the first female publisher of a major newspaper, racing to break a major news story before her competitors.
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Just Mercy
With a law degree from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson ends up in the unlikely position working pro-bono to help those without proper legal representation in Alabama. Stevenson focuses on the case of Walter McMillian, a real person wrongfully convicted for murder.
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On the Basis of Sex
On the Basis of Sex is a biopic of the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, highlighting her early career and fight against gender discrimination.
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I Still Believe
The real-life story of Jeremy Camp, a Christian musician, and his heartwarming journey.
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Dunkirk
This film recreates the WWII Battle of Dunkirk, and the heroic rescue of over 300,000 Allied soldiers trapped on shore.
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The Pursuit of Happyness
Will Smith and son Jaden Smith star in the film adaptation of Chris Garder's autobiography about his struggle as a homeless single father.
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Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures highlights the silent contributors to NASA's space program, overlooked by history books and their own coworkers on the basis on gender and race.
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The Theory of Everything
A young Stephen Hawking falls in love at the idyllic Cambridge University, learns of his earth-shattering medical condition and begins to explore the theory of everything.
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Wild
Reeling from loss, marital problems, and the consequences of her own behavior, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) sets out on a journey to hike the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail with no hiking experience, though the real journey happens within.
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Selma
You can't think of Civil Rights without thinking of Selma. The historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, spearheaded by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. made big strides towards securing the right to vote for Black Americans.
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The Imitation Game
The real life story of Alan Turing, a cryptanalyst cracks Nazi codes as a part of MI6, though later a personal secret lands him in prison.
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The Wolf of Wall Street
Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) gets rich quick, defrauding investors and living a lavish life full of parties, drugs, and women, before he is eventually caught at the height of his success.
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12 Years a Slave
A once-free slave is captured and sold back into slavery in the South, after 12 years enslaved a chance encounter changes his life forever.
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American Hustle
Based on the Absum case of the '70s, a pair of white collar criminals, Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser, are caught by the FBI and must work undercover on a sting operation is exchange for their own immunity.
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Moneyball
Manager of the Oakland A's, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), realizes baseball recruiters have it all wrong. He recruits players others would pass us for a bargain price in an attempt to turn his failing team around.
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Julie and Julia
A burnt out New Yorker makes it her mission to prepare every recipe is Julia Child's original cookbook. Her journey closely follows the journey Child herself took when creating the cookbook in the first place.
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127 Hours
Aron Ralston finds himself trapped between a narrow canyon. Stuck without food or water for days on end with no help in sight, Ralston has to make a tough decision to free himself.
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The Blind Side
Michael Oher, a homeless high-schooler, has unmatched athletic potential, but struggles just to get by before the Oher family takes them in as their own, allowing him to pursue a career in football and overcome educational setbacks. The story has taken a recent turn as Oher has filed a lawsuit claiming he never received payment and calling key elements of the film into question.
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Seabiscuit
A jockey, horse trainer, and a businessman team up to tame the impressive but stubborn horse Seabiscuit, eventually turning him into one of the most successful race horses of all time.
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Catch Me If You Can
Frank Abagnale, Jr., conned his way into careers as a pilot, doctor and lawyer all before he should've graduated high school, making his millions forging checks. His success eventually catches the attention of an FBI agent who makes it his mission to catch Abagnale, though catching the young genius proves more difficult than he thought.
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Erin Brockovich
After a legal battle over a car accident, Erin's lawyer gives her a job at his firm. She soon discovers a coverup by a major company which led to major illness in a local community. She makes it her mission to help the people of the community and hold the company accountable for their actions.
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Rain Man
When Charlie Babbitt's father dies, he discovers he has a secret older brother with autism and that his father donated his entire fortune to the facility in which his brother has been living. Charlie makes a cross-country trip to retrieve his brother and return him to Los Angeles.
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Remember The Titans
In a town where high school football is everything, the sudden merging of the local all-black and all-white high school, threatens the tradition of football in the small town.
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Almost Famous
Fifteen-year-old William gets the opportunity of a lifetime in 1973 when he ends up on tour with the up-and-coming band Stillwater.
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Girl, Interrupted
Based on the true story of Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted follows her journey as she checks into a psychiatric hospital in the late 1960s.
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Schindler's List
Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List is based on the true story of Oskar Schindler. Schindler saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.
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A League of Their Own
During WWII, the All American Girls Professional Baseball League is created to keep the sport alive while the men are away at war. These women pave the way for future generations of women in sports, fighting to keep the league alive and of course win the world series.
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Out of Africa
A Danish woman, Karen Blixen, moves to Kenya to manage a coffee plantation eventually falling in love. The film is based on the autobiography by the same name written by Blixen.
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Everest
Everest captures the events of the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster when a storm threatens the life of mountaineers on their journey to the top.
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Eat Pray Love
Life is not going as planned for Elizabeth Gilbert, so she embarks on a journey of self-discovery traveling to India, Italy, and Indonesia to center herself and find what life is all about.
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United 93
The heart-breaking true story of United flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Passengers sacrifice their own lives to stop their hijackers from attacking the U.S. Capitol.
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In Cold Blood
After murdering the entire Clutter family, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock are on the run. The movies, based on the true story detailed in the book by the same name, explores the thought process behind the brutal murders and their journey to evade law enforcement.
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Argo
Directed by Ben Affleck, Argo tells the story of the rescue of the six U.S. diplomats caught in the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979.
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The Social Network
A young Mark Zuckerberg creates a new social media platform called Facebook. We all know now his efforts were a success, but the film dives into everything it took to get Facebook where it is today.
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Dallas Buyers Club
When Ron Woodroof is diagnosed with AIDS in the 80s, he's willing to try any alternative therapy he can find. He eventually starts the Dallas Buyers Club which offered treatments to others like himself when they had nowhere else to turn.
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Into the Wild
Coming from a wealthy background and recently graduating from college with high honors, Christopher McCandless make a shocking move. He sells everything he has, donates the money to charity and embarks on a journey into the wilderness of Alaska.
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King Richard
Richard Williams is the father of two young girls who he is determined to turn into tennis stars. These daughters are named Venus and Serena.
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Belfast
A young boy's coming of age story amidst the tumultuous backdrop of the 1960s.
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tick, tick... BOOM!
Jonathan Larsen, an aspiring composer in NYC, struggles to get his career off the ground while also navigating love and new friendships.
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The Bling Ring
Inspired by the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, a group of teenagers stalk their favorite celebrities and then rob their homes.
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Zero Dark Thirty
The worldwide search for Osama Bin Laden finally comes to an end when a SEAL operation finds and kills him in his compound, but none of it would have happened without the efforts of Jessica Chastain.
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Can You Ever Forgive Me?
A struggling New York writer and alcoholic devises a plan to make some extra cash by selling counterfeit letters from famous authors to bookstores.
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American Sniper
Navy Seal Chris Kyle is the best sniper the U.S. Armed Forces has ever seen, but after serving four tours, can he leave it all behind for a life with his family at home?
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Spotlight
Journalists at the Boston Globe work tirelessly to uncover a scandal in the Roman Catholic Church where a priest is accused of abusing over 80 young boys.
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Zodiac
The infamous Zodiac killer terrorizes the streets of San Francisco, to this day the real killer remains unnamed.
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The Farewell
Billi and her family travel back to China to say goodbye to the family matriarch who, unbeknownst to her, has a few weeks to live. They must keep their journey and their reason for visiting China a secret.
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Lost Girls
A mother desperate to find her missing daughter, accidentally uncovers the murders of numerous sex workers in the process.
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The Big Short
Ahead of the financial crash of 2008, a group of investors predict the downturn of the markets. Betting against the housing market, they make millions.
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Milk
Harvey Milk and his partner move to San Francisco, turning their neighborhood into a safe haven for the gay community. Upon achieving success is politics he is murdered.
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Alive
After their plane crashes in the middle of the Andes, a rugby team tries to survive in the harsh conditions, eventually resorting to unspeakable acts to stay alive.
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Thirteen Lives
A Thai boys soccer team and their coach become trapped in a cave after it floods. A group of divers enters the cave to bring the boys out alive.
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Jesus Revolution
Greg Laurie and a crew of other young people gather in Southern California, resulting in a massive spiritual revolution in the '70s.
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Father Stu
Recently retired amateur boxer Stuart Long resorts to attending church to catch the attention of a girl, eventually realizing his true calling is to become a Catholic Priest.
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Rush
Rush tells the story of the '70s F1 rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt, making riskier and riskier moves every race to outdo their opponent.
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The Trial of the Chicago 7
After protests at the 1968 DNC in Chicago, seven men are arrested and tried by the federal government for their roles in protests and alleged conspiracy.
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The Swimmers
Fleeing their war-torn home of Syria, two girl swim across the Mediterranean sea to Greece for a chance to compete in the Olympics.
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22 July
The true story of a devastating attack in Norway that killed 77 teenagers in 2011.
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Captain Phillips
A container ship is suddenly under siege by Somali Pirates. The ships captain, Captain Phillips, does everything in his power to protect his crew and fend off their attackers.
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Hotel Rwanda
A hotel manager risks everything to save refugees of the 1994 Tutsus genocide.
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