The truth is often stranger than fiction: Watch the best movies based on a true story
Use this JustWatch streaming guide to find the best movies based on a true story available now. While screenwriters work tirelessly trying to think up new stories, some of the greatest movies ever made are those based on real life tales.
This type of movie spans across so many different genres that you might need help filtering through to find exactly what you’re looking for. Filter by age rating to make sure your next watch is family friendly like Seabiscuit or instead find a gritty story with adult themes like I, Tonya. You can also use the JustWatch filter to navigate your search by IMDb rating, so you see the top movies in the genre. Regardless of your streaming platform of choice – Max, Paramount+, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Netflix – you can discover a heart-wrenching human story today.
Epic moments adapted into the best movies based on real events
Movies based on real life events range from historical epics such as Schindler’s List and Dunkirk to small, intimate dramas like The Pursuit of Happyness and The Diving Bell and Butterfly. These movies display the true force of human connection through the darkest and most difficult times, whether personal or political. Movies such as Judas and the Black Messiah and Che demonstrate true stories of radical movements mixed with biographical detail. Other iconic biographical movies include Malcolm X, Ray, Ali, Lincoln, Vice, and Elvis. Devastating dramas based on less famous but no-less important true stories include Hidden Figures, Hotel Rwanda, and Breaking. Movies based on sporting success make up some of the most acclaimed of the genre, such as Moneyball about a revolution in baseball, Scorsese’s Raging Bull about boxing champion Ray LaMotta, and the dynastic wrestling drama The Iron Claw.
Shocking unique stories based on real life
Some brilliant movies you could be forgiven for thinking were fictional, include: Catch Me If You Can, A Beautiful Mind and The Big Short. These outlandish tales have been adapted into feature films inspired by real life events. Some of the most unique movies based on true stories depict shocking extreme events such as plane crash survivors in Society of the Snow, a high-stakes hostage rescue in Argo, and a malfunctioning rocket ship in Apollo 13. Australian honourable mentions include Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, Rabbit Proof Fence, and The Sapphires all of which are based on important moments in Australian history.
Discover other genres
Movies based on true stories can exist within a whole host of different genres. Dig into the real life heist movies such as Dog Day Afternoon or discover spy films based on real events such as Zero Dark Thirty. Disaster movies are often ripped from reality and none more memorably than James Cameron’s Titanic.
