Ranker FilmList RulesVote for the best movies inspired by true medical events.
What are the best medical movies based on true stories? This list includes great historical movies such as Philadelphia, Patch Adams, and Awakenings. All of these movies recount incredible stories about people and their ailments throughout history. Be it about disease, doctors, studies, or medical advancements, these stories are all based on true stories and touch viewers at their core.
Which movie inspired by real medical events is the best? That's up for the voters to decide. Vote up which movie you think is the best, and if you don't see your favorite on here, be sure to add it. This list is votable and rerankable, so have at it!
123348Patch Adams
Robin Williams, Philip Seymour HoffmanReleased: 1998
Directed by: Tom Shadyac
Patch Adams is a 1998 semi-biographical comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams, Monica Potter, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bob Gunton. Directed by Tom Shadyac, it is based on the life story of Dr.... more
214537One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVitoReleased: 1975
Directed by: Miloš Forman
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 drama film written by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman and directed by Miloš Forman. A criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where... more![]()
316349A Beautiful Mind
Jennifer Connelly, Russell CroweReleased: 2001
Directed by: Ron Howard
A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American biographical drama film based on the life of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics. The film was directed by Ron Howard, from a screenplay written by Akiva... more![]()
413433Philadelphia
Tom Hanks, Denzel WashingtonReleased: 1993
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Philadelphia is a 1993 American drama film and one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, and homophobia. It was written by Ron Nyswaner, directed by Jonathan... more![]()
513638Erin Brockovich
Julia Roberts, Marg HelgenbergerReleased: 2000
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Erin Brockovich is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Susannah Grant. The film is a dramatization of the true story of Erin Brockovich, portrayed by Julia Roberts,... more- 610732
Rain Man
Tom Cruise, Dustin HoffmanReleased: 1988
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Rain Man is a 1988 American drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers... more ![]()
710634Awakenings
Robert De Niro, Robin WilliamsReleased: 1990
Directed by: Penny Marshall
Awakenings is a 1990 American drama film based on Oliver Sacks' 1973 memoir of the same title. It tells the true story of British neurologist Oliver Sacks, fictionalized as American Malcolm Sayer,... more![]()
811847Girl, Interrupted
Angelina Jolie, Winona RyderReleased: 1999
Directed by: James Mangold
Girl, Interrupted is a 1999 American drama film, and an adaptation of Susanna Kaysen's 1993 memoir of the same name. The film chronicles Kaysen's 18-month stay at a mental institution. Directed by... more![]()
99132The Elephant Man
Anthony Hopkins, John HurtReleased: 1980
Directed by: David Lynch
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American-British biographical film about Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man in 19th century London. The film was directed by David Lynch and stars John Hurt, Anthony... more![]()
101115850 First Dates
Drew Barrymore, Adam SandlerReleased: 2004
Directed by: Peter Segal
50 First Dates is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Segal. Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) has a history of commitment issues until he meets Lucy (Drew Barrymore) who suffers from... more- 116927
M*A*S*H (movie)
![]()
126929Brian's Song
Dick Butkus, James CaanReleased: 1971
Directed by: Buzz Kulik
Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the details of the life of Brian Piccolo, a Wake Forest University football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro, told... more![]()
136338Sybil
Jessica Lange, JoBeth WilliamsReleased: 2007
Directed by: Joseph Sargent
If you like this flick, check out our list of the best docudrama movies.
Sybil is a 2007 American docudrama directed by Joseph Sargent. The teleplay by John Pielmeier is based on the 1973 book of the same name by Flora Rheta Schreiber, which fictionalized the story of... more![]()
146340Lorenzo's Oil
Susan Sarandon, Nick NolteReleased: 1992
Directed by: George Miller
Lorenzo's Oil is a 1992 American drama film directed by George Miller. It is based on the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, two parents in a relentless search for a cure for their son... more![]()
155538The Vow
Rachel McAdams, Channing TatumReleased: 2012
Directed by: Michael Sucsy
The Vow is a 2012 romantic drama film directed by Michael Sucsy, starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. The film is inspired by the true story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter. The Vow was a box... more![]()
165741Dallas Buyers Club
Jennifer Garner, Matthew McConaugheyReleased: 2013
Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée
Dallas Buyers Club is a 2013 American biographical drama film, co-written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. Ron Woodroof was an AIDS patient diagnosed in the mid 1980s... more![]()
174137My Left Foot
Daniel Day-Lewis, Fiona ShawReleased: 1989
Directed by: Jim Sheridan
My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown is a 1989 Irish drama film directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. It tells the story of Christy Brown, an Irishman born with cerebral palsy,... more- 182620
Brain on Fire
Chloë Grace Moretz, Jenny SlateReleased: 2016
Directed by: Gerard Barrett
Brain on Fire is a 2016 American-Canadian-Irish biographical drama film directed by Gerard Barrett, based on the memoir by Susannah Cahalan. A young, capable professional (Chloë Grace Moretz) cannot... more ![]()
192330The Three Faces of Eve
Joanne Woodward, Lee J. CobbReleased: 1957
Directed by: Nunnally Johnson
The Three Faces of Eve is a 1957 American CinemaScope film adaptation based on a book by psychiatrists Corbett H. Thigpen and Hervey M. Cleckley, who also helped write the screenplay. It was based on... more- 2000
Charlatan
Ivan Trojan, Juraj LojReleased: 2021
Directed by: Agnieszka Holland
Charlatan (aka Šarlatán) is a 2020 Czech-Polish-Irish-Slovak biographical drama directed by Agnieszka Holland. Born in the early 20th century, herbalist Jan Mikolasek became rich and famous after... more ![]()
212435Champions
Kirstie Alley, John HurtReleased: 1983
Directed by: John Irvin
Champions is a 1983 film based on the true story of jockey Bob Champion. It is directed by John Irvin, written by Evan Jones, and stars John Hurt, Edward Woodward and Jan Francis. The film is based... more![]()
222840The Intouchables
Omar Sy, François CluzetReleased: 2011
Directed by: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano
The Intouchables is a 2011 French comedy-drama film directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano. After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from... more![]()
232639My Own Country
Marisa Tomei, Hal HolbrookReleased: 1998
Directed by: Mira Nair
My Own Country is a 1998 drama TV film directed by Mira Nair.... more![]()
2426I Still Believe
KJ Apa, Britt RobertsonReleased: 2020
Directed by: Andrew Erwin, John Erwin
I Still Believe is 2020 Christian biographical drama film directed by the Erwin Brothers and based on the memoir of singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp and his first wife, Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp. It... more![]()
2526Three Christs
Richard Gere, Julianna MarguliesReleased: 2020
Directed by: Jon Avnet
Three Christs is an American drama film directed by Jon Avnet, based on the book The Three Christs of Ypsilanti by Milton Rokeach. It follows Dr. Alan Stone, who is treating three paranoid... more
3
4
5
7
8
9
10
12
13
14
15
16
17
19
21
22
23
24
25