Based on true story movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant based on true story movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out inspirational, dramatic, realistic, serious, interesting and intense films and TV shows about / with biopic, mentor, storytelling, runaway, catastrophe, real life, destiny, sacrifice, justice and courage plots mostly in Drama, Biography and History genres shot in USA, UK, France and other countries.
8531
TOP 10 movies tagged as based on true story: Into the Wild (2007), The Impossible (2012), The Imitation Game (2014), Green Book (2018), United 93 (2006), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015), In the Heart of the Sea (2015), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), Hidden Figures (2016).
Best films
New films
List of based on true story movies
692K
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 148 min.
Story:
The true story of top student and athlete, Christopher McCandless, who after graduating from Emory University in 1992, abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness.
Style:
road movie, philosophical, melancholic, inspirational, reflective ...
Audience:
teens, date night, teen drama, adult
Plot:
wilderness, self discovery, survival, road trip, freedom, isolation, solitude, journey, life philosophy, lifestyle change, beautiful scenery, nature ...
Time:
2000s, year 2007, 20th century, year 1990, year 1992 ...
Place:
alaska, los angeles, north america, northern california, america ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Spain, Thailand, USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
In December 2004, close-knit family Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas, the idyllic holiday turns into an incomprehensible nightmare when a terrifying roar rises from the depths of ...
Style:
suspense, inspirational, heartbreaking, emotional, motivational ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night
Plot:
disaster, natural disaster, survival, catastrophe, ocean, tsunami, courage, forces of nature, destruction, danger, family in danger, vacation ...
Time:
year 2004, year 2012, 2000s, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
thailand, southeast asia, asia
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley ...
Style:
inspirational, clever, intellectual, serious, captivating ...
Audience:
chick flick, teens, family friendly, adult
Plot:
world war two, mathematics, genius, inventor, inventions and discoveries, code, prodigy, code breaking, invention, mathematician, gay interest, computer ...
Time:
1940s, year 2014, 20th century, 1950s, year 1939 ...
Place:
england, london, britain, idaho, los angeles ...
Is relevant?
673K
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA, China, Japan
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line relied on ...
Style:
feel good, road movie, uplifting, funny, inspirational ...
Audience:
family friendly, date night, adult
Plot:
racism, road trip, musician, interracial friendship, travel, lgbtq, racial prejudice, journey, friendship, driver, black american, dignity ...
Time:
60s, year 1962, 20th century, 2010s
Place:
southern usa, bronx new york city, america, birmingham alabama, new york ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
115K
Genre: Action, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
A real time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on 9/11 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.
Style:
controversial, political, disturbing, serious, rough ...
Plot:
terrorism, 9/11, airplane, hijacking, terrorist, war on terror, survival, al qaeda, aviation, medieval, death, airplane accident ...
Time:
september 11 2001, year 2006, 2000s, year 2001, 21st century
Place:
new york, middle east, boston, usa, pennsylvania ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. An FBI agent makes it his mission to put him behind bars. But Frank not ...
Style:
clever, exciting, captivating, entertaining, inspirational ...
Audience:
date night, teens, chick flick
Plot:
con artists, adaptation, master criminal, creativity, deception, fbi, fraud, con man, impostor, prodigy, business, biopic ...
Time:
60s, 20th century, year 1967, 70s, year 2002 ...
Place:
los angeles, new orleans, new york, washington d.c., france ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, USA, Singapore, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, India
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Growing up poor in Madras, India, Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar earns admittance to Cambridge University during WWI, where he becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories with the guidance of his professor, G.H. Hardy.
Style:
intellectual, philosophical, inspirational, unusual plot structure, clever ...
Audience:
kids, family friendly
Plot:
mathematics, genius, scientist, discovery, life, mathematician, cambridge university, university student, prejudice, religion, hinduism, biopic ...
Time:
1910s, edwardian era, post world war one, pre world war one, 1920s ...
Place:
england, india, bombay india
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA, Australia, Spain
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville’s ...
Style:
scenic, realistic, suspenseful, emotional, visually stunning ...
Audience:
kids, teens, adult
Plot:
survival, ocean, ship, sea, boat, disaster, man versus nature, starvation, whale, whaling, shipwreck, hunting ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, year 2015, 1800s, 1820s ...
Place:
ecuador, pacific ocean, new england, america, massachusetts ...
Is relevant?
671K
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min.
Story:
WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Style:
inspirational, touching, sentimental, christian film, harsh ...
Audience:
manly, girls' night
Plot:
world war two, war, soldier, conscientious objector, survival, us military, combat, american soldier, religion, bible, military, pacifist ...
Time:
1940s, year 2016, 20th century, middle ages, year 1945 ...
Place:
okinawa japan, japan, tennessee, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into ...
Style:
inspirational, exciting, touching, feel good, historical drama ...
Audience:
girls' night, family friendly, date night, chick flick, kids ...
Plot:
racism, mathematics, nasa, space program, stereotypes, african american, prejudice, sexism, genius, scientist, strong female character, racial segregation ...
Time:
60s, year 1961, 20th century, year 2016, 2010s ...
Place:
indiana, persia, usa, virginia, langley virginia
Is relevant?
172K
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, France
Duration: 134 min.
Story:
CIA employee Edward Snowden leaks thousands of classified documents to the press.
Style:
realistic, political thriller, thought provoking, factual, inspirational ...
Audience:
chick flick, family friendly
Plot:
espionage, journalism, whistleblower, hacking, fighting the system, moral dilemma, internet, spying, cia, technology, cryptography, ethics ...
Time:
year 2016, 20th century, year 2015, year 2009, year 2011 ...
Place:
japan, russia, hawaii, america, pakistan ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min.
Story:
A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.
Style:
clever, cynical, captivating, motivational, cerebral ...
Audience:
teens, adult
Plot:
money, corruption, wall street, business, rise and fall, addiction, stock market, stock broker, success, wealth, greed, rags to riches ...
Time:
80s, year 2013, 90s, 20th century, year 1987 ...
Place:
new york, usa, geneva switzerland, big ben london, italy ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
274K
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
Christine Collins is overjoyed when her kidnapped son is brought back home. But when Christine suspects that the boy returned to her isn't her child, the police captain has her committed to an asylum.
Style:
psychological, heartbreaking, sentimental, tense, touching ...
Audience:
chick flick, adult
Plot:
kidnapping, investigation, fighting the system, serial killer, trial, missing child, disorder, missing person, police corruption, uncover truth, society, corruption ...
Time:
1920s, 2000s, 20th century, year 2008, year 1935 ...
Place:
los angeles, california, usa, canada, seattle
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 135 min.
Story:
At Princeton University, John Nash struggles to make a worthwhile contribution to serve as his legacy to the world of mathematics. He finally makes a revolutionary breakthrough that will eventually earn him the Nobel Prize. After graduate school he ...
Style:
psychological, touching, cerebral, dramatic, intellectual ...
Audience:
teens, date night, chick flick, family friendly
Plot:
mathematics, mental illness, schizophrenia, genius, paranoia, insanity, imagination, scientist, prodigy, nobel prize, imaginary friend, mathematician ...
Time:
year 2001, 60s, 1940s, 20th century, 2000s ...
Place:
harvard university, boston, new jersey, detroit, persia ...
Is relevant?
127K
Genre: Adventure, Drama, History
Country: USA, Poland, United Arab Emirates, India
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
Peter Weir's follow-up to Master & Commander (2003) is the stark & brilliant The Way Back, which takes on the theme of man's struggle for freedom. At the dawn of WWII, several men escape from a Russian gulag. The film ...
Style:
epic, inspirational, realistic, road movie, rough ...
Plot:
survival, wilderness, prison escape, escape, journey, war, pow, freedom, gulag, world war two, explorer, human spirit ...
Time:
20th century, 1940s, 2010s
Place:
himalaya, russia, tibet, mongolia, soviet union ...
Is relevant?
202K
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
The true story of how Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers’ speedy system of making the food and saw franchise ...
Style:
inspirational, motivational, realistic, cerebral, uplifting ...
Audience:
family friendly, teens
Plot:
business, businessman, fast food, capitalism, rags to riches, entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, salesman, money, marketing, greed, food ...
Time:
50s, 1950s, 2010s, year 2016, year 1954 ...
Place:
usa, america, california, arizona, illinois ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room as a small site among ...
Style:
intellectual, clever, realistic, motivational, witty ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick
Plot:
entrepreneur, programmer, geek, business, facebook, computer genius, computers and web, hacker, success, inventions and discoveries, rise to the top, entrepreneurship ...
Time:
year 2010, 20th century, year 2003, 2000s, 2010s ...
Place:
harvard university, boston, california, usa, san francisco ...
Is relevant?
265K
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, Australia, USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
Style:
touching, emotional, sentimental, inspirational, feel good ...
Audience:
family outing, chick flick, family friendly, date night, kids
Plot:
adoption, poverty, loneliness, courage, survival, childhood, mother son reunion, foster child, foster home, train, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, brother brother relationship ...
Time:
year 1986, 2010s, year 2016, year 2012, year 2010 ...
Place:
india, australia, tasmania, kolkata, melbourne
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.
Style:
inspirational, touching, feel good, sentimental, rough ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, kids, teen drama ...
Plot:
high school, teacher, dedicated educator, teachers and students, lifestyle change, racism, teenage life, strong female lead, mentor, school teacher, bonding, idealism ...
Time:
year 2007, 20th century, year 1961, year 1999, year 2006 ...
Place:
california, los angeles, long beach california, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
Oversized African-American, Michael Oher, the teen from across the tracks and a broken home, has nowhere to sleep at age 16. Taken in by an affluent Memphis couple, Michael embarks on a remarkable rise to play for the NFL.
Style:
touching, inspirational, sentimental, emotional, motivational ...
Audience:
chick flick, family outing, teens, kids, family friendly ...
Plot:
american football, adoption, life, african american, football, christian, interracial relations, human spirit, family drama, rising to stardom, interracial adoption, strong female character ...
Time:
year 2009, 20th century, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, boston, tennessee, america, mississippi ...
Is relevant?
422K
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: UK, USA, France
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.
Style:
suspense, unusual plot structure, inspirational, intense, breathtaking ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
survival, isolation, trapped, mountain, wilderness, canyon, courage, alone, desert, trap, loneliness, life & death ...
Time:
year 2010, 2010s, 20th century, 2000s, year 2003 ...
Place:
utah, usa
Is relevant?
1.0M
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music, War
Country: France, Poland, Germany, UK, USA
Duration: 150 min.
Story:
The true story of pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman's experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café; and when his family is deported in 1942, he ...
Style:
emotional, sad, harsh, reflective, bleak ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
holocaust, world war two, survival, genocide, nazi, classical music, wartime, war, nazism, anti semitism, hunger, nazi occupation ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, year 1939, 1930s, year 2002 ...
Place:
poland, germany, europe, eastern europe, central europe ...
Is relevant?
54K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Gia Carangi travels to New York City with dreams of becoming a fashion model. Within minutes of arriving, she meets Wilhelmina Cooper, a wise and high-powered agent who takes Gia under her wing. With Cooper's help and her own natural instincts, ...
Style:
erotic, melancholic, psychological, sexy, sad ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, teens
Plot:
lesbian, fashion, addiction, aids, drug abuse, drug addiction, lgbtq, supermodel, model, lgbt, heroin, mental illness ...
Time:
80s, 70s, 20th century
Place:
new york
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
222K
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 132 min.
Story:
Suave, charming and volatile, Reggie Kray and his unstable twin brother Ronnie start to leave their mark on the London underworld in the 1960s. Using violence to get what they want, the siblings orchestrate robberies and murders while running ...
Style:
realistic, brutal, period piece, intense, suspenseful ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
gang, mafia, gangster, violent, psychopath, gay interest, organized crime, abusive husband, rise and fall, brother brother relationship, homosexual, relationships ...
Time:
60s, year 2015, year 1957, 90s, 2010s ...
Place:
england, london, east end london, europe, west end london ...
Is relevant?
61K
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, Family, History
Country: USA, UK, India, China, Canada
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
The untold true story set in the winter of 1925 that takes you across the treacherous terrain of the Alaskan tundra for an exhilarating and uplifting adventure that will test the strength, courage and determination of one man, Leonhard Seppala, and ...
Style:
suspense, tense, captivating, atmospheric, exciting ...
Audience:
kids, family outing, family friendly, adult
Plot:
dog, dog sled, escapades, delivery, save the day, friendship, snow, puppy, plague, blizzard, winter, mountain ...
Time:
1920s, future, year 2019, 1910s
Place:
alaska, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.
Style:
sincere, inspirational, serious, realistic, uplifting ...
Audience:
family outing
Plot:
surgery, medical, prejudice, racism, african american, biopic, interracial relations, blacks and whites, surgeon, following a dream, medical research, friendship between men ...
Time:
1930s, 1940s, 20th century, 60s, 70s ...
Place:
maryland, america, baltimore, usa, nashville tennessee ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Australia, USA, UK, Singapore, India
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Based on the 2009 documentary Surviving Mumbai about the Mumbai attacks in 2008 at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in India.
Style:
suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, factual, sexy ...
Audience:
chick flick, adult
Plot:
terrorism, terrorist attack, terrorist, jihad, hotel, courage, religious fanatic, islamic terrorism, hostage, shooting, survival, cruelty ...
Time:
year 2019, 2000s, year 2008
Place:
india, mumbai india, australia, bombay india, pakistan ...
Is relevant?
35K
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
BELLE is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield and his wife, Belle's lineage affords her certain privileges, yet ...
Style:
period piece, costume drama, sentimental, captivating, historical drama ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night
Plot:
racism, slavery, interracial relations, white male black female relationship, high society, social differences, aristocracy, interracial couple, society, hopes, love and romance, biracial ...
Time:
18th century, ancient times, georgian era, regency period, victorian era ...
Place:
england, indiana, europe, london, africa ...
Is relevant?
246K
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Iceland, USA, Italy
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
Inspired by the incredible events surrounding a treacherous attempt to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain, "Everest" documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one ...
Style:
realistic, scenic, dramatic, breathtaking, suspenseful ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
survival, mountain climbing, mountain, mountaineer, natural disaster, disaster, snow, stranded, forces of nature, frostbite, tragedy, wilderness ...
Time:
year 1996, year 2015, 2010s, 90s, 20th century
Place:
mount everest, himalaya, nepal, asia, texas
Is relevant?
121K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A school teacher discusses types of government with his class. His students find it too boring to repeatedly go over national socialism and believe that dictatorship cannot be established in modern Germany. He starts an experiment to show how easily ...
Style:
philosophical, political, disturbing, suspense, educational ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens, teen drama
Plot:
fascism, nazism, suicide, dictator, experiment, bullying, teacher, teachers and students, high school, fanaticism, dictatorship, against humanity ...
Time:
year 2008, 20th century, year 2011
Place:
germany, middle east, israel, europe, berlin germany ...
Is relevant?
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