20 Best Movie About the Entertainment Industry!
From 'A Star is Born' to 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', Moviefone counts down the best movies about the entertainment industry.
Seth Rogen in 'The Studio,' premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Hollywood loves telling stories about itself!
Premiering on Apple TV+ March 26th is the new series 'The Studio', which stars Seth Rogen as newly appointed studio head trying to navigate his way through Hollywood.
And returning to Max for its fourth season on April 10th is the award winning series 'Hacks', which stars Jean Smart as legendary stand-up comedian, Deborah Vance.
In honor of the release of both series, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best movies about the entertainment industry.
NOTE: For this list, we are including any film that revolves around the movie, television, radio, or music industries.
Let's begin!
20. 'Entourage' (2015)
The cast of 2015's 'Entourage' movie. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.
19. 'The Artist' (2012)
(L to R) Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo in 'The Artist'. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a young dancer set for a big break.
18. 'Babylon' (2022)
Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
17. 'Better Man' (2025)
Jonno Davies as “Robbie Williams" in 'Better Man' from Paramount Pictures.
Follow Robbie Williams' journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.
16. 'State and Main' (2001)
(L to R) Rebecca Pidgeon and Philip Seymour Hoffman in 'State and Main'. Photo: Fine Line Features.
A movie crew invades a small town whose residents are all too ready to give up their values for showbiz glitz.
State and Main
15. 'Hitchcock' (2012)
Anthony Hopkins in 'Hitchcock'. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Following his great success with 'North by Northwest,' director Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) makes a daring choice for his next project: an adaptation of Robert Bloch's novel 'Psycho.' When the studio refuses to back the picture, Hitchcock decides to pay for it himself in exchange for a percentage of the profits. His wife, Alma Reville (Helen Mirren), has serious reservations about the film but supports him nonetheless. Still, the production strains the couple's marriage.
14. 'For Your Consideration' (2006)
The cast of 2006's 'For Your Consideration'. Photo: Warner Independent Pictures.
The possibility of Oscar gold holds the cast and crew of an independent film in its grip after the performance of its virtually unknown, veteran star generates awards buzz.
13. 'Ed Wood' (1994)
Johnny Depp in 'Ed Wood'. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time", who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.
Ed Wood
12. 'The Disaster Artist' (2017)
James Franco in 'The Disaster Artist'. Photo: A24.
An aspiring actor (Dave Franco) in Hollywood meets an enigmatic stranger by the name of Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), the meeting leads the actor down a path nobody could have predicted; creating the worst movie ever made.
11. 'Saturday Night' (2024)
(L to R) Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Jane Curtain (Kim Matula), Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), Alan Zweibel (Josh Brener) and Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) in 'Saturday Night'. Photo: Sony Pictures.
At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. This is the story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of 'Saturday Night Live'.
10. 'My Favorite Year' (1982)
Peter O'Toole in 'My Favorite Year'. Photo: MGM/UA Distribution Co.
Fledgling comic Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker) can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.
9. 'Get Shorty' (1995)
(L to R) John Travolta and Gene Hackman in 'Get Shorty'. Photo: MGM/UA Distribution Co.
Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is a Miami mobster who gets sent by his boss, the psychopathic "Bones" Barboni (Dennis Farina), to collect a bad debt from Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), a Hollywood producer who specializes in cheesy horror films. When Chili meets Harry's leading lady (Rene Russo), the romantic sparks fly. After pitching his own life story as a movie idea, Chili learns that being a mobster and being a Hollywood producer really aren't all that different.
8. 'La La Land' (2016)
(L to R) Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in 'La La Land'. Photo: Lionsgate.
Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
7. 'Bowfinger' (1999)
(L to R) Steve Martin and Heather Graham in 'Bowfinger'. Photo: Universal Pictures.
On the verge of bankruptcy and desperate for his big break, aspiring filmmaker Bobby Bowfinger (Steve Martin) concocts a crazy plan to make his ultimate dream movie. Rallying a ragtag team that includes a starry-eyed ingenue, a has-been diva and a film studio gofer, he sets out to shoot a blockbuster featuring the biggest star in Hollywood, Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy) -- only without letting Ramsey know he's in the picture.
6. 'Hail, Caesar!' (2016)
Josh Brolin in 'Hail, Caesar!' Photo: Universal Pictures.
When a Hollywood star (George Clooney) mysteriously disappears in the middle of filming, the studio sends their fixer (Josh Brolin) to get him back.
5. 'Private Parts' (1997)
Howard Stern in 'Private Parts'. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
The life and career of shock-jock superstar Howard Stern is recounted from his humble beginnings to his view from the top. Possessing a desire to be an on-air personality since childhood, Stern meanders through the radio world, always with his supportive wife, Alison (Mary McCormack), by his side. Landing a gig in Washington, D.C., Stern meets Robin Quivers, who will become his long-time partner in crime. When the two move to New York, they face the wrath of NBC executives.
4. 'Boogie Nights' (1997)
The cast of 'Boogie Nights'. Photo: New Line Cinema.
Set in 1977, back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, idealistic porn producer Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) aspires to elevate his craft to an art form. Horner discovers Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg), a hot young talent working as a busboy in a nightclub, and welcomes him into the extended family of movie-makers, misfits and hangers-on that are always around. Adams' rise from nobody to a celebrity adult entertainer is meteoric, and soon the whole world seems to know his porn alter ego, "Dirk Diggler". Now, when disco and drugs are in vogue, fashion is in flux and the party never seems to stop, Adams' dreams of turning sex into stardom are about to collide with cold, hard reality.
Boogie Nights
3. 'A Star Is Born' (2018)
(L to R) Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in 'A Star Is Born.' Photo: Warner Bros.
Seasoned musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) discovers — and falls in love with — struggling artist Ally (Lady Gaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer — until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally's career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.
2. 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' (2019)
(L to R) Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.'
Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha).
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
1. 'The Player' (1992)
Tim Robbins in 'The Player'. Photo: Fine Line Features.
A Hollywood studio executive (Tim Robbins) is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?
