Movies About Literature

Updated May 1, 2024

Many directors have talked about Movies About Literature. We wrote about 23 of the best ones.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

★★★★

3.2 out of 4 stars

From Peter Weir, starring Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles
Rated PG

Dead Poets Society tells the story of a group of boys at a private boys school in 1959 who are inspired by their English teacher, John Keating (played by Robin Williams). Keating encourages the boys to break out of traditional expectations and explore their own ideas and creativity. He teaches them to look at poetry and life with a fresh perspective, and helps them to find their own "personal truths". As the boys become more inspired, they form a secret club called the Dead Poets Society, where they meet to discuss literature and ideas. When the school's conservative administration discovers the club, Keating is forced to leave and the boys must deal with the consequences of their actions. The movie is a powerful story about the importance of finding your own voice and standing up for what you believe in.

Adaptation. (2002)

★★★★

3.1 out of 4 stars

From Spike Jonze, starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton
Rated R

Adaptation is a 2002 comedy-drama directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman. The film tells the story of a struggling screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman, as he attempts to adapt a novel into a screenplay. He battles with writers block and his own insecurities while developing a relationship with his twin brother Donald. It stars Nicholas Cage as both Charlie and Donald, Meryl Streep as Susan Orlean and Chris Cooper as John Laroche. The film is a complex examination of creativity, identity, and the adaptation process, which combines both drama and comedy.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

★★★★

3.1 out of 4 stars

From Woody Allen, starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Kurt Fuller
Rated PG-13

Midnight in Paris is a romantic comedy-fantasy film written and directed by Woody Allen. The movie follows Gil (Owen Wilson), a successful Hollywood writer-producer who, while on vacation with his fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams) in Paris, finds himself mysteriously transported back to the 1920s every night at the stroke of midnight. There, he meets some of the most influential and celebrated figures from the era, including Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dalí. Despite his initial excitement, Gil soon realizes that he is unable to stay in the 1920s and must return to the present day. Through his time travel adventures, he learns about the importance of living in the present moment and finds love in the most unexpected of places.

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

★★★★

3 out of 4 stars

From Marc Forster, starring Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah
Rated PG-13

Stranger Than Fiction is a 2006 comedy-drama directed by Marc Forster. It stars Will Ferrell as Harold Crick, an IRS auditor whose life is thrown into chaos when he starts to hear an author’s voice narrating his life. After consulting the quirky literary professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), Harold begins to realize that the author is planning to kill him in her novel. With the help of Jules and an adventurous baker named Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Harold must find a way to change his fate and save his own life.

Freedom Writers (2007)

★★★★

3 out of 4 stars

From Richard LaGravenese, starring Hilary Swank, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn
Rated PG-13

Freedom Writers is a 2007 drama directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank. It tells the true story of an idealistic young teacher, Erin Gruwell (Swank), who, in 1994, takes a job teaching English at a high school in Long Beach, California. Her mostly white and affluent students have little interest in learning and are hostile and uncooperative. Despite the odds, Gruwell attempts to create meaningful relationships with her students, using literature and personal reflections to teach them tolerance and understanding. With her help, the students eventually overcome their prejudices and gang affiliations, and learn to take pride in their education and their own voices. In the process, they create a powerful and inspiring story of resilience and hope.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

★★★★

3 out of 4 stars

From Tom Ford, starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Rated R

Nocturnal Animals is a 2016 American thriller film written and directed by Tom Ford. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Isla Fisher. The story revolves around an art gallery owner who is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a veiled threat and a symbolic revenge tale. As she reads the novel, she is drawn into the fictional life of its protagonist, Tony Hastings, a math professor whose family vacation turns violent. While the film has a strong focus on the psychological thriller elements, it also contains themes about fate, love, revenge, and regret. Ultimately, the film is a powerful drama about the destructive nature of relationships and the power of art to affect our lives.

The Hours (2002)

★★★★

3 out of 4 stars

From Stephen Daldry, starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane
Rated PG-13

The Hours is a 2002 drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Michael Cunningham. The film follows the stories of three women: Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman) in 1920s England, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) in 1940s Los Angeles, and Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep) in modern-day New York City. As their lives intertwine, the film explores their respective struggles with depression, relationships, and mortality. The film won numerous awards including an Oscar for Best Actress for Kidman and was nominated for Best Picture.