Sometimes the best movies are the ones grounded in reality. There’s no need to make up a story here, even if these films take the occasional liberty with the truth.

There’s just something about movies based on a true story that I love, even if I know how they end. They’re some of my favorite movies, and it’s time to honor the best of the best.

Erin Brockovich

Julia Roberts earned her Academy Award for Best Actress by portraying the woman who helped build a case against Pacific Gas & Electric for groundwater contamination.

I know that the subject of going through files and discovering a major company is poisoning citizens doesn’t sound entertaining, but it’s Roberts’ performance that carries the movie.

A Beautiful Mind

Winner of four Academy Awards in 2002, including Best Picture, Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind is a fantastic film for two reasons.

First, the cast is superb from top to bottom, headed by Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. Second, the math heavily featured in the movie was praised by many, including John Nash, the mathematician Crowe played in the film.

Walk the Line

A movie about Johnny Cash was always going to be entertaining, especially with his music heavily utilized.

With Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, who would win the Oscar for Best Actress, as the lead characters, it’s the icing on the cake.

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Catch Me If You Can

Nobody makes movies like Steven Spielberg, and Catch Me If You Can is a prime example of that.

Yes, the story of con-artist Frank Abignale makes for an excellent movie, even if there are some liberties with the real Frank Abignale, but the charisma portrayed by DeCaprio, alongside Hanks’ relentless pursuit, makes for a great movie.

The Big Short

I don’t know whether to be impressed by the ensemble cast’s performance from Adam McKay’s The Big Short, or mad at watching all of the mistakes happen that led to the Great Recession.

One thing’s for sure, the movie is so stylishly edited and crafted that it makes one of the worst economic periods of the modern era into an incredible two-hour film.

Margin Call

I can’t talk about The Big Short without also bringing up Margin Call, which also takes place during the 2008 financial crisis.

One thing that stands out with Margin Call is that, despite being inspired by true events, it uses 2008 as a backdrop for an original story packed with brilliant performances. No fluff, no overacting, just good writing and even performances top to bottom.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Man, Leo really does have a tendency to go after these parts where he plays real people. We just talked about Catch Me If You Can, but it didn’t stop there.

His best performance is more than likely The Wolf of Wall Street, the Martin Scorsese film where he plays Jordan Belfort, highlighting his meteoric rise and fall.

The Departed

From one Scorsese film to another, The Departed may not be directly based on a true story, but it’s heavily inspired by real-life events, notably Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger.

I was impressed with how well the film stands up today. It feels as fresh, innovative, and entertaining as it did two decades ago.

The Founder

I never in my life imagined that the story of growing the McDonald’s empire would be as entertaining as it is.

There’s one reason for it: Michael Keaton. He is the perfect Ray Kroc, a master of making you hate him and feeling sorry for the McDonald brothers.

Zodiac

David Fincher’s thriller that chronicles the Zodiac killer timeline is one of his best works.

By having the movie filmed through the eyes of Robert Graysmith, author of the 1986 novel Zodiac, it serves as a lens for us as viewers to be caught in the middle of the hysteria and terror that gripped the San Francisco area.

The Social Network

As great as Zodiac is, I think the movie about Facebook, of all things, is Fincher’s best work.

Of course, it helps when you have Aaron Sorkin as your writer and some incredible performances from the cast.

BlackBerry

It’s a shame that BlackBerry never found mainstream success.

The story of the rise and fall of RIM, best known for their popular BlackBerry phones (I remember being so excited to have one), showcases Glenn Howerton’s excellent range as an actor.

Dumb Money

Remember all the hysteria over the GameStop stock a few years ago? Remember the fallout that grew from that when everyone tried to make some “easy money” on the stock market?

Dumb Money does an excellent job of capturing that feeling.

Remember the Titans

Did it take a lot of liberties with the real T.C. Williams football team? Yes, that’s the nature of the business, even when making movies based on a true story.

Is this still an iconic sports movie? You bet.

Philadelphia

Okay, so entertaining may not be the right word for a movie like Philadelphia, but it’s still a great film.

Critics may have argued that it was a little too cliché at times, but I dare you to watch the movie and not immediately reach for a box of tissues.

Moneyball

Let’s get one thing straight: Moneyball completely skims over the fact that this Oakland Athletics team had one heck of a pitching staff.

Okay, not that we have that out of the way: there’s something so incredibly satisfying about how Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill talk about how analytics is changing the game of baseball.

Dolemite Is My Name

A lot of people argue that Eddie Murphy was robbed of his Oscar in Dreamgirls, but I’d argue his performance as Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite Is My Name is an even better performance.

Say what you want about his career as of late, it was so nice to see him crush a role and deliver a great movie.

Almost Famous

The bands and people in Almost Famous may not be real, but it acts as a semi-autobiographic story of writer and director Cameron Crowe.

Almost Famous is far too underrated, especially today, and has rightfully become a cult classic with an ensemble cast and catchy music.

A League of Their Own

There may be no crying in baseball, but the 1992 film based on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League is the right amount of heartwarming, funny, and entertaining.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Yes, Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to Hollywood takes a lot of liberties with what actually happened, but that’s part of the charm!

Not only is it cool to see Rick Dalton in real shows, but having Margot Robbie play Sharon Tate watching Sharon Tate is one of the best scenes I’ve ever seen in a movie.

Field of Dreams

I’m pretty sure Shoeless Joe Jackson never came out of an Iowa cornfield to play some baseball.

Have you ever watched Field of Dreams with a baseball encyclopedia, though? It’s one of my favorite childhood memories, learning about the real Archie Graham as we watch him finally get that at-bat in the movie.