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Movies About Authors and Writers to Watch When You Procrastinate About Writing
16
items Authors will do anything to procrastinate and avoid writing. Here is a list of movies about authors and writers to watch when you don't want to write even though you know you should.
Sections
5
Horror
Rom-Com
Comedy
Drama
Thriller/Mystery
Horror
Horror films about authors and writers
Gothic was directed by Ken Russell, so you know it will be flamboyant, controversial, and out there. The film is a fictionalized retelling of the Shelleys' visit to Lord Byron and the competition to write a horror story which led to Mary Shelley writ...
Gothic (1986) ⭐ 5.7 | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
An academic writer who writes brutal crime novels under a pen name decides to kill off his alter-ego. That's not a good idea when you're characters in a Stephen King novel.
The Dark Half (1993) ⭐ 6.0 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Rom-Com
Romantic comedies that include authors and writers
I had to include a happy romantic comedy on this list since way too many movies about authors are not happy romantic comedies.
You've Got Mail (1998) ⭐ 6.7 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In this ode to 1960s romantic comedies, love blossoms between a playboy journalist and a feminist advice author in 1962 NYC.
Down with Love (2003) ⭐ 6.3 | Comedy, Romance
Comedy
Comedies that revolve around authors and writers
The cast is A+. Jeffrey Wright plays an African-American author, frustrated with the success of novels that pander to Black stereotypes, writes a satirical, stereotype-laden book out of spite, and it becomes a hit.
American Fiction (2023) ⭐ 7.5 | Comedy, Drama
Great novels make great films. Join journalist Raoul Duke and his psychotic lawyer on a drug fueled trip to Las Vegas. Hunter S. Thompson is one of the great American writers, and this critique of the American Dream and 60s counterculture is a master...
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) ⭐ 7.4 | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
An anxious novelist creates the perfect character and wills her to life in this comedy drama.
Ruby Sparks (2012) ⭐ 7.2 | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Drama
Dramas about writers
I enjoyed this movie. Sylvia Plath was complicated and tragic. This movie follows her relationship with her husband, poet Ted Hughes.
Sylvia (2003) ⭐ 6.3 | Biography, Drama, Romance
Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by beat poet Charles Bukowski, Matt Dillion shines in Factotum. It follows Hank, as he drifts across World War II-era America, moving from city to city and working an endless stream of low-wage, temporary jobs...
Factotum (2005) ⭐ 6.6 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A fictionalized story about horror author Shirley Jackson and her husband as they take in a young couple and inspiration for her novel Hangsaman
Shirley (2020) ⭐ 6.1 | Biography, Drama, Mystery
Ben Stiller as real-life writer Jerry Stahl. The film chronicles Stahl's descent into heroin addiction as he maintains a successful Hollywood career writing for hit 80s television shows.
Permanent Midnight (1998) ⭐ 6.2 | Biography, Drama, Romance
Set in 1990s New York City, it follows a young aspiring writer working for J.D. Salinger’s literary agent.
My Salinger Year (2020) ⭐ 6.5 | Drama
The story of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of writers, actors, and critics who met almost every weekday from 1919 to 1929 at Manhattan's Algonquin Hotel.
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) ⭐ 6.4 | Biography, Drama
Thriller/Mystery
Thrillers and mysteries that include authors and writers
I don't know how accurate The Raven is regarding Poe's life, but John Cusack is great in the role. And if you know the lore around Edgar Allen Poe's death, the ending will not disappoint.
The Raven (2012) ⭐ 6.4 | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Misery is a must watch! I couldn't leave it off this list. Kathy Bates gives a masterclass of a performance.
Misery (1990) ⭐ 7.8 | Drama, Thriller
Based on the Stephen King novella. An author, a secluded cabin, and a stranger claiming plagiarism. What could go wrong?
Secret Window (2004) ⭐ 6.5 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller