Watch-List: 10 Top Netflix Movies Based on True Stories

When truth is stranger than fiction. We’ve rounded up a list of the best Netflix movies to watch — all based on true stories!

If your Netflix habits are anything like ours, you spend as much time (if not more) as the movie length of the movie itself just looking for something to watch. And when “this movie is based on real-life events” flashes on the screen, we ready our phones for a post-movie Google rabbit hole for the truth. So we’ve done the research on Netflix movies based on true stories, now all you have to do is hit play.

The Most Hated Woman In America (2017)

The name Madalyn Murray O’Hair (played by Melissa Leo) might make us scratch our heads in Malaysia, but in America she was once dubbed the most hated woman — as you can already tell. O’Hair was “hated” as the founder of American Atheists and gained an even more unpopular reputation in 1963 when she filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore City Public School System for mandatory Bible readings. At the age of 76, O’Hair, her son, and adopted daughter, all mysteriously disappeared with plenty of controversy surrounding the mystery.

Watch it here.

The Two Popes (2019)

We don’t know much about the life of one pope, let alone two. But in this movie, viewers are taken through the transitional period between two leaders of the Catholic Church with discussions highly likely to be true. The dialogue this Oscar-nominated screenplay opens up is just as stellar as the acting by Jonathan Pryce and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Watch it here.

Captain Phillips (2013)

You know the meme — “Look at me, I’m your captain now”. Tom Hanks stars as Captain Richard Phillips whose ship was hijacked by Somali pirates. Despite the movie’s success in Hollywood, there have been qualms that it glorifies the captain’s actual role in rescuing his crew mates, who themselves have claimed that the captain was partly at fault for the hijacking to begin with. So take this film with a pinch of salt (in your popcorn).

Watch it here.

IP Man (2008-2019)

Who made Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee? That would be Hong Kong martial artist Ip Man, also known as Yip Man. The trilogy of Ip Man consists of four films that follow Ip from the time of the Sino-Japanese war in the 1930s. Ip is played by Donnie Yen who portrays his battle of staying alive and protecting his family with a generous side of martial arts.

Watch it here.

Catch Me If You Can

We’re big fans of Tom Hanks, it’s true. This movie follows Frank Abagnale Jr, who goes around posing as a pilot, doctor, and a lawyer while forging cheques. The crimes don’t go unnoticed by the FBI with agent Car Hanratty tracking his moves. But just like Hank’s other film “Captain Phillip”, accuracy is questionable as Abagnale himself has stated that he’s never met nor spoken to director Steven Spielberg.

Watch it here.

Roxanne, Roxanne (2018)

If you’re a fan of old school hip hop, you’ll really like this biopic of rapper Roxanne Shante. She’s hailed as the first true female rapper in the 80s, and this film travels through the struggles in the sinister streets and determination to make it as an emcee and rapper. The movie’s big star is Chante Adman who has received lots of praise for her performance as Shante. 

Watch it here.

Julie & Julia (2009)

Julia Child remains one of the most influential cooks, and that influence takes over Julia Powell in New York as she attempts to recreate every one of Child’s recipes. The movie also takes on Child’s autobiography, My Life in France, showing the two woman going through their lives at different times and places.

Watch it here.

Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (2019)

Quentin Tarantino marges a whole host of narratives for the movie, which starts an incredible cast including Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie. It revolves around the late 60s and tells the tale of Hollywood and its actors and — without spoilers — includes a look at Charles Manson’s cult.

Watch it here.

12 Years A Slave (2013)

This Oscar-winning film depicts the life of Solomon Northup, a violinist kidnapped and sold as a slave for 12 years. It’s an emotional one, based off an 1853 memoir. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup.

Watch it here.

Other People (2016)

Chris Kelly, co-head writer of Saturday Night Live, wrote this movie based on his personal journey to becoming the comedy writer he is today. It begins with him fresh off a breakup and moving to Sacramento to take care of his sick mother. The then 29-year-old  had an enormous impact, he revealed to NBC News, a time when Kelly says he felt like a stranger in his childhood home. 

Watch it here.

(Main/Featured image: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Andrew Cooper / Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc)

This story first appeared on Prestige Online Malaysia.