So long as there have been motion pictures, there have been tales of triumphs and failures, with movies that fall into the rags-to-riches style all the time holding a particular place within the hearts of viewers and critics. Lately, most of the new movies that discover these themes rigorously subvert the style and query what it means to realize success within the trendy world. All through historical past, the price of success and ambition have performed into the way in which these narratives unfold, as amassing cash and energy does not essentially equate to happiness or long-term stability.
Whereas not all of those movies fall into the class of the greatest underdog motion pictures, the underdog archetype is continuously seen in these tales because the protagonist or somebody they arrive up towards. As enjoyable and galvanizing as it’s to look at somebody obtain their desires, it may be simply as partaking to witness somebody’s downfall, and most of the most iconic additions to this style perceive that. Rags-to-riches have the facility to spark as a lot pleasure as they do nervousness, because the characters are created to permit the viewer to see themselves and their private desires mirrored again onscreen.
10
Oliver! (1968)
Directed by Carol Reed
Oliver!
- Launch Date
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September 26, 1968
- Runtime
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153 Minutes
- Director
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Carol Reed
- Writers
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Lionel Bart, Vernon Harris, Charles Dickens
One of many many film musicals which have gained Finest Image on the Oscars, Oliver! introduced Charles Dickens’ iconic Victorian story to life for the display screen in vivid colour. With wonderful songs and dance numbers, Oliver! attracts the viewers in, from the primary moments of the story, with the orphan Oliver (Mark Lester), on the middle of the story. The kid is instantly sympathetic and his plight tugs on the viewers’s heartstrings, making them root for him to flee his circumstances.
One of the crucial uplifting rags-to-riches motion pictures of its interval, Oliver! has been extremely influential inside the style.
Like each Dickens story, Oliver! touches upon the acute class disparity in England through the Victorian age, with Oliver experiencing luxurious and poverty in fast succession. Although the viewer desires Oliver to be reunited together with his grandfather and go away behind the lifetime of thievery that he falls into in London, the sense of household he initially finds with Dodger (Jack Wild) cannot be missed. One of the crucial uplifting rags-to-riches motion pictures of its interval, Oliver! has been extremely influential inside the style.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
Oliver! (1968) |
91% |
81% |
9
The Wolf Of Wall Road (2013)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorcese’s iconic collaborative relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio might need reached its peak with The Wolf of Wall Road. DiCaprio performs the infamous Jordan Belfort, a Wall Road tycoon who was embroiled in a mountain of corruption and fraud, resulting in his eventual arrest and lack of every part. When Belfort enters the monetary scene in New York Metropolis, he is nonetheless comparatively uncorrupt however receives a torrent of recommendation telling him the one technique to get a leg up on this enterprise and the world is to rip-off folks.
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Graphic, violent, and stuffed to the brim with expletives and sexual content material, The Wolf of Wall Road instantly made its mark on Hollywood, stirring up controversy and admiration. Regardless that the highs of The Wolf of Wall Road are undeniably fast-paced, luxurious, and enticing, The Wolf of Wall Road firmly cements itself as a black comedy. It makes it clear that although Belfort has the time of his life, this rise to energy was paved with exploitation and was by no means going to final.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
The Wolf of Wall Road (2013) |
79% |
83% |
8
My Truthful Girl (1964)
Directed by George Cukor
My Truthful Girl
- Launch Date
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December 25, 1964
- Runtime
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170 Minutes
- Director
-
George Cukor
- Writers
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Alan Jay Lerner, George Bernard Shaw
Primarily based on the play Pygmalion, the stage musical My Truthful Girl was tailored into the 1964 film musical starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. Hepburn’s character, Eliza Doolittle, is likely one of the most iconic rags-to-riches characters of all time, as the whole plot revolves round Professor Higgins (Harrison) instructing her learn how to be a girl. From a flower woman with no prospects to a younger girl so refined she passes for a princess, Eliza goes by means of quite a bit in My Truthful Girl.
The conclusion of what showing like a member of the ruling class does for her adjustments Eliza’s worldview eternally.
An enormous important and industrial success, My Truthful Girl is the template for a lot of modern rags-to-riches tales, because it features a clearly outlined character arc and a compelling central relationship. By the top of the movie, Eliza understands each her personal ignorance and the ignorance of others in how persons are handled primarily based on their class and manner of talking. Higgins is exempt from most of the social guidelines which can be pressured upon Eliza as a result of he is a wealthy man. The conclusion of what showing like a member of the ruling class does for her adjustments Eliza’s worldview eternally.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
My Truthful Girl (1964) |
94% |
90% |
7
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Directed by F. Gary Grey
Straight Outta Compton
- Launch Date
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August 14, 2015
- Runtime
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147minutes
- Director
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F. Gary Grey
- Writers
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Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff
Primarily based on the true story of the enduring Los Angeles-based group N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton takes its title from one in all their best-known songs and tells the narrative of their ups and downs. Produced by Ice Dice and Dr. Dre, two of the boys who have been a part of N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton dramatizes a few of their historical past. Nevertheless, it overwhelmingly balances the myths and realities of what their meteoric rise to success and the battle to remain on the prime meant.
Straight Outta Compton engages with the truth that fame and fortune do not clear up the entire issues that folks face and that sustaining a excessive stage of success may be extraordinarily troublesome. The movie additionally touches upon the lengthy historical past of police brutality and discrimination towards Black folks within the U.S. and the way the neighborhoods the boys grew up in have been targets of corrupt legislation enforcement. This cultural and social critic accompanies most of the adjustments the movie tracks all through the Nineteen Eighties and ’90s, exposing how the definitions and paths to success have developed.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
Straight Outta Compton (2015) |
89% |
91% |
6
Knives Out (2019)
Directed by Rian Johnson
Knives Out efficiently started Rian Johnson’s iconic franchise, with the sequel Glass Onion and upcoming third installment, Wake Up Lifeless Man, making a splash within the thriller style. Nevertheless, none of this may have been doable with out Knives Out. Although at its coronary heart, Knives Out is supposed to be a enjoyable and twisting thriller, it does make some feedback about class, race, and the facility of wealth in the US.
The household she works for is repeatedly manipulative and belittles her for being an immigrant.
Ana de Armas’ character, Marta, is the protagonist of Knives Out and is an instance of somebody who achieves wealth and luxury not by means of betrayals and inherent privilege however as a result of she is an effective particular person. Whereas this won’t mirror the realities of life, it is a compelling fantasy, and it is simple to root for Marta all through the story. The household she works for is repeatedly manipulative and belittles her for being an immigrant. This makes it extremely satisfying when their conniving methods do not result in prosperity however break.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
Knives Out (2019) |
97% |
92% |
5
Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)
Directed by Michael Apted
Coal Miner’s Daughter
- Launch Date
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March 7, 1980
- Runtime
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125 minutes
- Director
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Michael Apted
- Writers
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Loretta Lynn, Thomas Rickman, George Vecsey
One of many greatest music biopic motion pictures, Coal Miner’s Daughter stars Sissy Spacek as the enduring nation singer Loretta Lynn. Like all one of the best rags-to-riches tales primarily based on actual life, Coal Miner’s Daughter takes some liberties with Lynn’s story however stays as shut as doable to the emotional truths. Spacek went on to win the Academy Award for Finest Actress for her efficiency as Lynn, with Spacek doing all of her personal singing for the movie.
A lot of Lynn’s music is taken into account the head of American people music, and her origins are a big a part of what fueled her music. Her story begins in Kentucky in poverty, however by the top of the movie, Lynn is famend for her fantastically written songs and performing skills. Whereas Coal Miner’s Daughter tackles loads of the heavy and troublesome moments in Lynn’s life, it is an in the end uplifting story that is anchored by Spacek’s efficiency.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) |
85% |
86% |
4
Scarface (1983)
Directed by Brian De Palma
Scarface
- Launch Date
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December 9, 1983
- Runtime
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170 minutes
- Director
-
Brian De Palma
- Writers
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Oliver Stone, Howard Hawks, Ben Hecht
Al Pacino’s position in Scarface has turn into one in all his most iconic roles and a part of why he is referred to as one of many greatest gangster actors in movie historical past. His character, Tony Montana, has a basic rise and fall within the Miami drug scene after arriving within the U.S. through the Mariel boatlift. Even if Scarface was a important and field workplace failure on the time of its launch, the cultural opinion surrounding the film has modified significantly. Even with its flaws, Scarface efficiently takes its time portray a practical and tragic portrait of Tony.
From the start, it is clear that Tony is a person who strives for greatness and can do something to flee his circumstances.
From the start, it is clear that Tony is a person who strives for greatness and can do something to flee his circumstances. Via the violence and graphic nature of the movie, the important items of the story come by means of with deliberate pacing that enables the viewers to know each side of Montana’s improvement. When he reaches the highest and the world lastly turns into his, Montana has already misplaced every part and turn into unrecognizable to himself and his family members.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
Scarface (1983) |
79% |
93% |
3
Anora (2024)
Directed by Sean Baker
One of the crucial talked about motion pictures of 2024, Anora, has sparked each important adoration and controversy, because the story follows Sean Baker’s pattern of spinning a recent model of a fairy story. Recognized for motion pictures like Tangerine and The Florida Undertaking, Baker has traditionally touched upon the lives and experiences of underrepresented members of the working class, notably intercourse employees. In Anora, he follows Ani (Mikey Madison), a younger dancer who will get swept away in a whirlwind romance with the son of a Russian oligarch, Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn).
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Ani’s journey to the highest in Anora is short-lived as nearly all of the story follows her seek for Ivan when he disappears after discovering that his mother and father discovered about their marriage. Among the best components of Anora is the truth that Ani is such a vividly realized character. Regardless of being good and savvy, understanding that Ivan probably is not the prince charming she hopes he’ll be, Ani can not help however yearn for a greater life and a happily-ever-after. This makes her emotional arc in Anora all of the extra dynamic and impactful.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
Anora (2024) |
93% |
90% |
2
Citizen Kane (1941)
Directed by Orson Welles
Thought-about among the finest motion pictures of all time, Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane is commonly described as the last word exploration of a person’s trajectory of success and failure over the course of a life. Welles directed, co-wrote, and starred within the venture because the titular Charles Foster Kane, a personality who represented an amalgamation of newspaper tycoons like William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Although Kane reaches the head of the American superb of prosperity, Citizen Kane explores simply how empty this achievement is.
It is the small private sacrifices and moments from childhood that hang-out Kane excess of any of his awards or financial acquire.
It is the small private sacrifices and moments from childhood that hang-out Kane excess of any of his awards or financial acquire. Exterior the story, Citizen Kane‘s course revolutionized filmmaking, with Welles’ methods of deep focus and the brilliantly crafted mise-en-scène impacting the way forward for cinematography. Most of the rags-to-riches tales that adopted Citizen Kane would not exist with out the boundary-pushing achievements of the venture. With time, the important and viewers responses to Citizen Kane have solely grown in acclaim and demonstrated the film’s significance.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
Citizen Kane (1941) |
99% |
90% |
1
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece, There Will Be Blood, is not only a rags-to-riches story however a wealthy exploration of the price of ambition and the American West. Daniel Day-Lewis is on the top of his energy as Daniel Plainview, the archetypal man who units off into the West to hunt his fortune. Although he finally ends up discovering it, the sacrifices and psychological toll this takes on Plainview are surprising, as There Will Be Blood tracks nearly the whole thing of his grownup life.
Although There Will Be Blood misplaced the Academy Award for Finest Image to No Nation For Previous Males, this hasn’t prevented the movie from cultivating an illustrious legacy. It is largely due to Day-Lewis that the film has remained so iconic right this moment, as with out his anchoring efficiency that communicates Plainview’s trajectory so clearly. The viewers grapples with the juxtaposition of their wishes to see Plainview succeed and revenue off his relentless onerous work and the devastating data of all that he is finished in his single-minded pursuit.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes Viewers Rating |
|
There Will Be Blood (2007) |
91% |
89% |
