The Best Movies Based On Plays

Ranker Film
Updated September 16, 2023 7.9K votes 792 voters 52.7K views
Over 700 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Movies Based On Plays
Voting Rules
Films that were based on a play, but NO musicals. Vote up the best movies that were originally stage / theatre productions.

There are tons of famous plays, and the glitz and glamour of attending the theatre is a truly unique experience. While few things are more powerful than the excitement of live theatre, many plays were just so good, they were begging to be turning into a movie. Tennessee Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire were both made into successful film adaptations, and Glengarry Glen Ross was originally based on a David Mamet play. What are the best movies based on plays? Vote up the best films below and see where your favorites rank.

This movies on this list were all based on plays and have been ranked by users as the best. They span many genres as well, including films adapted from Shakespeare plays. Whether you like drama, thrillers, hilarious comedy, or even musicals, there is certainly a movie here that you will enjoy.

Vote up the best plays turned into movies so the best film makes it to the top of the list.

Most divisive: Angels in America
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  • A Streetcar Named Desire
    1

    A Streetcar Named Desire

    Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter
    309 votes
    • Released: 1951
    • Directed by: Elia Kazan
    Based on the play by Tennessee Williams, this renowned drama follows troubled former schoolteacher Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) as she leaves small-town Mississippi and moves in with her sister, Stella Kowalski (Kim Hunter), and her husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando), in New Orleans. Blanche's flirtatious Southern-belle presence causes problems for Stella and Stanley, who already have a volatile relationship, leading to even greater conflict in the Kowalski household.
  • A Few Good Men
    2

    A Few Good Men

    Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore
    182 votes
    • Released: 1992
    • Directed by: Rob Reiner
    In A Few Good Men, Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), a military lawyer, defends two U.S. Marines accused of killing a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay. The prickly Colonel Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson) stands in his path as Kaffee seeks the truth behind this complex case. Rising to the challenge, Kaffee navigates a web of deception and cover-ups. This courtroom drama, directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin, won an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, while Jack Nicholson scored a nod for Best Supporting Actor.

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  • Casablanca
    3

    Casablanca

    Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
    252 votes
    • Released: 1942
    • Directed by: Michael Curtiz
    In the classic 1942 film, Casablanca, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), an American expatriate and nightclub owner, navigates a complex web of love and politics in Vichy-controlled Casablanca. His life takes a dramatic turn when Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), his former lover, walks into his club seeking help for her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a Czech Resistance leader. As they grapple with their past and face harsh realities, the trio becomes entangled in a high-stakes struggle against time and tyranny. This timeless drama, which won three Academy Awards including Best Picture, is renowned for its unforgettable characters and iconic dialogues.

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  • The Odd Couple
    4

    The Odd Couple

    Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler
    172 votes
    • Released: 1968
    • Directed by: Gene Saks
    When fussy Felix (Jack Lemmon) becomes suicidal over his impending divorce, he accepts an offer to move in with his best friend, messy Oscar (Walter Matthau). Felix drives Oscar crazy with his obsession over his soon-to-be ex. Oscar tries to get him out of his funk by arranging a double date with two wacky British neighbors, Cecily (Monica Evans) and Gwendolyn (Carole Shelley). When the plan backfires and Felix grows even more despondent, his friendship with Oscar is put to the test.

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  • Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
    5

    Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

    Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal
    257 votes
    • Released: 1966
    • Directed by: Mike Nichols
    History professor George (Richard Burton) and his boozy wife, Martha (Elizabeth Taylor), return late one Saturday night from a cocktail party at the home of the college president, Martha's father. Martha announces that she invited another couple, newly appointed instructor Nick (George Segal) and his timid wife, Honey (Sandy Dennis), over for a nightcap. When the younger couple arrive, the night erupts into a no-holds-barred torrent of marital angst and verbal tirades.

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  • Arsenic and Old Lace
    6

    Arsenic and Old Lace

    Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Priscilla Lane
    235 votes
    • Released: 1944
    • Directed by: Frank Capra
    Writer and notorious marriage detractor Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) falls for girl-next-door Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane), and they tie the knot on Halloween. When the newlyweds return to their respective family homes to deliver the news, Brewster finds a corpse hidden in a window seat. With his eccentric aunts (Josephine Hull, Jean Adair), disturbed uncle (John Alexander), and homicidal brother (Raymond Massey), he starts to realize that his family is even crazier than he thought.

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