The Best Movies About Geniuses

Updated January 10, 2021 5.6k votes 1.1k voters 73.0k views88 items

List RulesMovies about geniuses, smart people, inventors, scientists, prodigies, and musicians.

What makes a genius? The theory of relativity, the musical madness of Mozart, the struggles of a person with autism and the miracle of how amazing their minds work, the possibility of time travel, the stroke of genius in an artist able to capture a never before seen image. Numerous films have been made about the work and minds of geniuses from all sorts of backgrounds and different fields.

The movies on this list all detail the life of a genius in one way or another – whether it’s taking more of a historical approach to the life of Albert Einstein in Young Einstein or a biographical approach to the struggles of a man who was a genius, but also had a mental illness like in A Beautiful Mind.

This list discusses the best movies about the life of a genius including: Good Will Hunting, Rain Man, The Time Machine, October Sky, August Rush, Finding Forrester, Phenomenon, Enigma, Bobby Fisher Against the World, and Little Man Tate.

Vote up the film you think is the most genius of all, vote down those you thought were just plain dumb, or add one you love that isn't on the list.

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Good Will Hunting
Ben Affleck, Robin Williams
Released: 1997
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Good Will Hunting is a 1997 American drama film directed by Gus Van Sant, and starring Matt... more
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A Beautiful Mind
Jennifer Connelly, Russell Crowe
Released: 2001
Directed by: Ron Howard
A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American biographical drama film based on the life of John Nash, a... more
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The Imitation Game
Keira Knightley, Benedict Cumberbatch
Released: 2014
Directed by: Morten Tyldum
The Imitation Game is a 2014 historical thriller film directed by Morten Tyldum, with a... more
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Rain Man
Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman
Released: 1988
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Rain Man is a 1988 American drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow... more
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The Theory of Everything
Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones
Released: 2014
Directed by: James Marsh
The Theory of Everything is a 2014 British biographical coming of age romantic drama film... more
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The Man Who Knew Infinity
Jeremy Irons, Dev Patel
Released: 2016
Directed by: Matt Brown
The Man Who Knew Infinity is a 2015 British biographical drama film directed by Matthew Brown,... more
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Limitless
Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper
Released: 2011
Directed by: Neil Burger
Limitless is a 2011 American thriller film directed by Neil Burger and starring Bradley... more
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Sherlock Holmes
Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law
Released: 2009
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 period mystery action film directed by Guy Ritchie, based on the... more
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Amadeus
Jeffrey Jones, Cynthia Nixon
Released: 1984
Directed by: Miloš Forman
Amadeus is a 1984 American period biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman and adapted... more
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The Martian
Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain
Released: 2015
Directed by: Ridley Scott
The Martian is a 2015 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the novel by... more
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Searching for Bobby Fischer
Ben Kingsley, William H. Macy
Released: 1993
Directed by: Steven Zaillian
Searching for Bobby Fischer, released in the United Kingdom as Innocent Moves, is a 1993... more
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The Social Network
Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones
Released: 2010
Directed by: David Fincher
The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by... more
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October Sky
Jake Gyllenhaal, Laura Dern
Released: 1999
Directed by: Joe Johnston
October Sky is a 1999 American biographical film directed by Joe Johnston, starring Jake... more
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August Rush
Robin Williams, Keri Russell
Released: 2007
Directed by: Kirsten Sheridan
August Rush is a 2007 drama film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and written by Nick Castle,... more
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Phenomenon
John Travolta, Robert Duvall
Released: 1996
Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
Phenomenon is a 1996 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by Jon Turteltaub, written... more
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21
Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth
Released: 2008
Directed by: Robert Luketic
21 is a 2008 American drama film directed by Robert Luketic and stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin... more
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Finding Forrester
Anna Paquin, Matt Damon
Released: 2000
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Finding Forrester is a 2000 American drama film written by Mike Rich and directed by Gus Van... more
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Powder
Jeff Goldblum, Mary Steenburgen
Released: 1995
Directed by: Victor Salva
Powder is a 1995 American fantasy drama film written and directed by Victor Salva and starring... more
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Little Man Tate
Jodie Foster, Harry Connick
Released: 1991
Directed by: Jodie Foster
Little Man Tate is a 1991 drama film directed by and starring Jodie Foster. The film marked... more
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Pawn Sacrifice
Liev Schreiber, Tobey Maguire
Released: 2014
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Pawn Sacrifice is an American biographical film directed by Edward Zwick and written by Steven... more
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Pi
Mark Margolis, Ajay Naidu
Released: 1998
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Pi, also titled π, is a 1998 American surrealist psychological thriller film written and... more
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The Time Machine
Jeremy Irons, Guy Pearce
Released: 2002
Directed by: Simon Wells
The Time Machine is a 2002 American science fiction film loosely adapted from the 1895 novel... more
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Real Genius
Val Kilmer, Chevy Chase
Released: 1985
Directed by: Martha Coolidge
Real Genius is a 1985 satirical comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge. It stars Val Kilmer... more
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Shine
Geoffrey Rush, John Gielgud
Released: 1996
Directed by: Scott Hicks
Shine is a 1996 Australian biographical drama film based on the life of pianist David... more
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The Royal Tenenbaums
Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec Baldwin
Released: 2001
Directed by: Wes Anderson
The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and... more
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The Man Who Knew Infinity

Little Man Tate

Pawn Sacrifice