15 of the best movies based on a true story (2025)

We all know the score, when that white text flashes up on the screen that says a film is “Based on a true story”, we can probably assume it's about 30 per cent actually true. The non-fiction inspo market for movies is vast and sprawling, covering anything from straight biopics to loose interpretations to a kernel of truth at best. Still, at the end of the day, there's nothing like the thrill of being introduced to a story that has some grounding in real life. Sure, we could open a book, but also we could just sit square-eyed in front of the telly and let those sweet beams of blue light passively teach us history. It's all valid.

Whether they're famous historical retellings or uncovered accounts that feel somehow seem stranger than fiction, here are 15 of the best movies based on true stories that you can stream right now.

15. Tick, Tick… BOOM! (2021)

It's Andrew Garfield singing, what more could you want? Garfield plays Jonathan Larson, the writer of the record-breaking Broadway musical RENT, in Lin Manuel Miranda's directorial debut. Yes it's a musical, but really it's a story of all the failures that happen before the big break. In fact, we don't even get to see him create RENT. Instead, it focuses on the musical Larson was desperate to get off the ground before it was even a twinkle in his eye. The fact that Larson himself never got to see what RENT became, tragically passing away on the night of its first preview, is a looming spectre that hangs over the movie. However, rather than envelope it with a sense of gloom, it just bolsters the message of focusing on life as it happens rather than what it could be in some hypothetical future. You can watch Tick, Tick… BOOM! on Netflix.

14. The Bling Ring (2013)

Possibly one of the more fun additions to this list, Sofia Coppola's 2013 classic The Bling Ring tells the true story of a group of fame-obsessed teens who used to scour the internet to track celebrities’ whereabouts so that they'd know when to burgle their Hollywood Hills mansions (including that of Paris Hilton!) Based on the 2010 Vanity Fair article ‘The Suspects Wore Louboutins’ by Nancy Jo, and starring Emma Watson as head honcho Nicki, The Bling Ring is so wild as to be almost unbelievable – which is why it makes for such gripping viewing. It also perfectly captures that early 2010s moment of online oversharing. You can watch The Bling Ring on Amazon Prime.

13. The Big Short (2015)

If the 2008 financial crash went entirely over your head, then fear not, because The Big Short is here to explain it in terms that will mean it only goes, like, slightly over your head. Small wins. Adam McKay's deep dive into the housing burst that changed the world is based on the book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis, and employs tactics like fourth wall breaks and Margot Robbie in a bath to basically give an idiot's guide to ‘shorting’ the market. Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Jeremy Strong and the kitchen sink star as the men who made money off everyone losing money, while Christian Bale plays the man who predicted it all. Look, it's all still very confusing at the end and, in all honesty, we're not ready to put our hands on our hearts right now and say we know what ‘shorting’ actually is, but it's a fun ride! You can watch The Big Short on Netflix.

12. Spotlight (2015)

Spotlight's subject matter is incredibly bleak, following the 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning story of the investigative journalism team at the Boston Globe who exposed widespread sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests in Massachusetts. What followed was a mass unearthing of similar crimes in churches across the globe, setting off a domino effect that is, sadly, still being uncovered today. Starring Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schrieber and Michael Keaton, the film portrays the mundanity of reporting, the unhelpful clerks, the months of plugging away at lost leads and the personal toll of absorbing trauma. But its also a film dripping in humanity, especially in the way it approaches its victims. You can watch Spotlight on Amazon Prime.

11. Hustlers (2019)

Hustlers was criminally overlooked during the 2020 award season, and the less we say about Jennifer Lopez's Best Actress snub the better. It tells the story of strippers who steal money from their rich CEO and banker marks and also stars Constance Wu, Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart and has cameos from Cardi B and Lizzo. Where some true stories are mined from biographies or crowdsourced from collective cultural memory, Hustlers actually owes its origin to a 2015 New York Magazine scoop by Jessica Pressler called The Hustlers at Scores (Julia Stiles even plays a fictionalised version of her in the film). While the actual true story has been slathered in body glitter to make it more cinematic, it more than earns a place in this list for Lopez's fur coat and bikini combo alone. You can watch Hustlers on Apple TV+.

10. Lion (2016)

Lion is about as deeply human a story as you can get (and also about as tearjerking, so pack one of those man-size boxes of tissues). Dev Patel plays Saroo Brierly, an Indian adoptee who was taken in by Australian parents, played by Nicole Kidman and David Wenham after he was left lost as a child in Calcutta after falling asleep in a train cart. Using Google Earth, Saroo obsessively tries to find and remember his hometown in the hopes of being reunited with his family, a painful and laborious process that consumes him whole. No spoilers, but like we said, but prepare to sob. Saroo's remarkable story was adapted from his book A Long Way Home, and is a beautifully touching exploration of identity and motherhood in all its forms. You can watch Lion on Apple TV+.

9. Reality (2023)

If you've never seen Tina Satter’s Reality – the 2023 movie based on the FBI interrogation transcript of American intelligence leaker Reality Winner (who in 2018 was convicted for leaking intelligence documents to news site The Intercept) – then you're in for a treat. Starring Sydney Sweeney as the likeable and relatable but oddly unreadable Reality, this film follows the whistleblower while she's being questioned and her home is being searched. Filmed primarily in one single location, Reality is a nail-bitingly tense affair from the off. Your eyes will feel dry from not blinking enough. Just remember to breathe. You can watch Reality on Amazon Prime.

8. Erin Brockovich (2000)

We don't need to tell you how good Erin Brockovich is, you can just look at Julia Roberts' Oscar as proof. Roberts plays Brockovich, a struggling single mother who turns whistleblower against a gas and electric conglomerate who are knowingly poisoning residents of a small California town with contaminated groundwater. She single-handedly secures a settlement in the hundreds of millions for her clients, all of whom have been plagued with tumours as a result of the waste. Roberts is electric as Brockovich, a character whose explosive tendencies are borderline frustrating until they're channelled into something that finally gives her self-esteem. It's a classic story of an underdog coming out on top, with all of the euphoric narrative peaks that come with it. You can watch Erin Brockovich on Netflix.

7. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

So those true stories that somehow feel too bonkers to actually be real? That's BlacKkKlansman down to a tee. As can probably be surmised from the title, it's about a Black police officer who infiltrates the Klu Klux Klan. John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth, who plays white on the phone to a local KKK branch, but enlists the help of his Jewish colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), when he needs to actually meet the group in person. What ends up happening is a sort of tag team with his identity, as the tension and suspicion close in on them. With it being directed by Spike Lee, it manages to strike a tough balance between racial political anxiety and comedy, making every laugh feel like a gut punch. You can watch BlacKkKlansman on Amazon Prime.

6. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Can You Ever Forgive Me? is one of those perfectly produced recipes of a true story. A dash of a story you didn't know, a dollop of crime and a heavy spoonful of queer friendship. Melissa McCarthy plays Lee Israel, a struggling biography writer who revitalises her career by forging letters from dead authors and playwrights. Richard E Grant also co-stars as Jack Hock, a friend Israel reluctantly welcomes into her life and con. The film is the kind of low-stakes crime that makes true crime feel less icky, with just the peddling of fake letters eliciting a full FBI sting. At its heart, however, is the small life of a lonely woman phobic of connection and intimacy. McCarthy and Grant were both nominated for Oscars for their roles, which both feel like turning points in their career. You can watch Can You Ever Forgive Me? on Disney+.

5. The Iron Claw (2024)

Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw – based on the true story of Texas NWA Heavyweight Champion Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron) and his wrestling bros (played by Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons) – is odd in the sense that the real-life events it's based on were so tragic that they had to be tweaked a little so as not to ruin the cinematic experience (there was another ill-fated brother that the film didn't include). Still, it's an excellent film, replete with 1980s dad rock bangers, mega-stacked bods and super tight colourful wrestling gear that make the Von Erichs look like giant muscly babies. Yes, it's a tragic tale (there's a reason it was nicknamed 'Little Women for men') but don't let that stop you from soaking up this future cult classic if you haven't already. You can watch The Iron Claw on Amazon Prime.

4. Nyad (2023)

Imagine swimming from Cuba to Florida (it takes 1 hour, 20 minutes by plane, or 6 hours 14 minutes by car). Sounds impossible, right? Wrong! In 2013, long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad did just that, at the age of 64, after four other attempts, including an unsuccessful attempt 30 years prior. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Nyad tells the story of how she got there, and stars Annette Bening as Nyad and Jodie Foster as best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll – roles that had them both nominated for Oscars. Nyad is the absolute epitome of the inspirational movie genre. You can watch Nyad on Netflix.

3. Pride (2014)

The 1984 Miners' Strike is story enough on its own, but Pride explores an unlikely partnership that blossomed under its strain, that of Welsh miners and LGBTQ+ activists. It's an odd couple story of sorts if the couple consists of a group of flamboyant and liberal LGBTQ+ people and the residents of a small and homely valley town crippled by strikes. Friendship blooms against the backdrop of widespread prejudice, both for the miners as public opinion started to turn and for the activists at the peak of the AIDs crisis. It's impossible not to be moved by this completely random and gorgeous story of humanity finding commonality, and a cast that includes Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Andrew Scott and George McKay is just the cherry on top. You can watch Pride on Disney+.

2. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Catch Me If You Can is absolutely one of Steven Spielberg's best films, teaming the director up with Leonardo DiCaprio on the cusp of his latter heartthrob years as well as Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken and a young Amy Adams. It tells the almost-mostly-probably-not-entirely true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a young conman in the 60s and 70s who was hunted by the FBI for years, taking up new aliases and professions while cashing forged cheques, before later being captured working alongside them (although the FBI, to this day, refuses to really comment on that). One of the most thrilling games of cat and mouse that's as stylish and sexy in its vintage sheen as anything! You can watch Catch Me If You Can on Amazon Prime.

1. Oppenheimer (2023)

What is there to say about Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's 3-hour atomic bomb epic that hasn't been said already? The film scooped up seven Oscars – including the coveted Best Picture gong – and, alongside Barbie, saved the summer blockbuster season last year. As with any great retelling, Nolan likely plays fast and loose with the true story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, otherwise known as “the father” of the world's worst weapon, the atomic bomb. Even so, it's rumoured that a young Oppenheimer did actually try to kill his school teacher with cyanide. And he did actually have a real and complicated relationship with Albert Einstein. And he also did actually have those cut-glass cheekbones. So maybe it's not so ‘loosely based’ after all. You can watch Oppenheimer on Apple TV+.