Favorite Movies about Writers

What are your favorite movies about writers? Whether they look at it comically, or get down into the dark passages of a creative life, which ones do you like the best?

For myself they'd be...

"Shadowlands" - Anthony Hopkins as CS Lewis and Debra Winger bringing him out of the confines of his academic life.

"Finding Forrester" - Sean Connery as a Salinger-type recluse teaching an inner-city kid the ways of a writer.

"Reds" - Warren Beatty as Jack Reed and Jack Nicholson as Eugene O'Neill in an epic story of the Russian Revolution.

movies

off the top:
Nora
Big Bad Love
The Door in the Floor

Misery
Wonder Boys
Third Man
In the Mood for Love
Romancing the Stone
As Good As it Gets

- Anatole

Oh, boy. Gregory Peck played the part of the author and I can't quite think of the author. But I believe it was called Beloved Infidell. I cried like a baby. Not to forget
THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN.

Tri

'Just Write'
'Alex and Emma'
'The Swimming Pool'
'The Funny Farm'

"Come Live With Me" - a classic b/w James Stewart romantic comedy about a down-on-his-luck writer.

"Bullets Over Broadway" - Woody Allen's comedic take on old Broadway, with John Cusack as a playwright and Chazz Palmonteri as a gangster who can write better.

"My Left Foot" - Daniel-Day Lewis as Irish author Christy Moore. An incredible performance in a very moving film.

"Shakespeare in Love" - Oscar-winning picture with Tom Stoppard's brilliantly witty take on Shakespeare.

Beloved Infidel was about F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I was thinking about Throw Momma From the Train just today, don't know how I forgot about it... those scenes of the workshop class were priceless.

Oh yeah, I'd put Shakespeare in Love on my best list as well.

- Anatole

"Shakespeare in Love" -- I'll try to think of others in a bit.

I haven't seen this one yet, but "Sylvia" is about Sylvia Plath

The Shining:rollin

Shakespeare in Love is good.

Finding Neverland.

Misery.

LAST CALL, a TV movie about F. Scott Fitzgerald. I thought it was exceptional, especially Jeremy Irons' performance as Fitzgerald. Based on the book by Frances Kroll Ring, who was Fitzgerald's assistant at the time of his death.

Thanks, Anatole. I didn't think anyone would remember that.

Tri

I think every writer should see Adaptation with Nicolas Cage.

Finding Neverland, definitely. Even if Hollywood did take some liberties.

Romancing the Stone! It's so light and uplifting, and it makes me feel so much more optimistic about the entire thing

Oh yes, and why didn't anyone mention The Wolf? It IS about writing, after all -- Jack Nicholson's character IS an editor who plucks up the courage to confront the publishing nasties.

Barton Fink!

How about Misery

Nobody else liked The Hours?

Oh, Rissey, I forgot about The Hours. Great one!

Oh yeah, the Shining. Good call.

I'll add The Accidental Tourist, Geena Davis is great in it.

- Anatole

Adaptation

Wonder Boys is one of the few movies I've seen that gets inside the writing life in a believable way (as opposed to portraying it from the outside, as with a biopic such as Sylvia, or portraying it ridiculously, as in the appalling Alex and Emma). I find most movies about writers seriously bogus.

One of my pet peeves is films and TV shows that show book manuscripts done up like scripts, with card stock covers and metal fasteners.

- Victoria

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas!

Victoria -

Could Alex and Emma have BEEN any worse? I think not.

What I loved about Adaptation is totally nailed the struggle, the self-doubt, those damn blocks.

I agree with you guys about "Alex and Emma", it's not the best of movies, but I found it a bit amusing at times.

"The Hours" - this one I quite enjoyed, but my husband said he would not watch it ever again .

"The Muse" - this is my favourite: it amuses me no end!