What’s on your watch list this holiday season? You’re in luck if you prefer something other than football. Plus, you can keep your professional skepticism sharp between turkey-induced naps!
I recommend you try at least one of these thrilling 45+ movies for professional skeptics (aka auditors, aka YOU) over the long Thanksgiving weekend.
New titles for Thanksgiving 2024
Here are new titles added to the last list of recommendations:
- Gaslit (2022) & The Martha Mitchell Effect (2022)
- The Dropout (2022)
- I Care a Lot (2021)
- Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
No fairy tales here…
Most of these titles are definitely NOT “happily ever after,” but we learn valuable lessons from each of them.
For instance, government investigators and corporate leaders are portrayed as incompetent, corrupt and greedy. Sometimes, the fraudsters win. The controls break down or were just never there. The risk we auditors always warn against actually happens and no one just gallops into the sunset on their white horse as the credits start rolling.
Now go pop some popcorn, snuggle under your favorite blanket and settle in for some mind-blowing schemes coming from your screen. You will learn something interesting about fraud, internal controls, greed and the importance of professional skepticism by watching any of the following movies.
45+ movies for professional skeptics
1. & 2. Gaslit (2022) & The Martha Mitchell Effect (2022)
Streaming on Prime Video starring Julia Roberts as Margaret Mitchell, “The Mouth from the South” due to her propensity for talking to the press. She eventually blows the whistle on Nixon and then gets in a load of trouble when national leaders try to shut her up. Also, check out the excellent docuseries, The Martha Mitchell Effect, on Netflix.
3. The Dropout (2022)
With her trademark black turtleneck, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes promised to revolutionize the health care world. After raising more than $700 million from venture capitalists and private investors for something that simply didn’t work, she was ultimately found guilty of several fraud charges. The case inspired this Hulu miniseries, picking up six Emmy nominations.
4. I Care a Lot (2021)
Rosamund Pike earned the best actress Golden Globe for her role as the con artist Marla Grayson in this Netflix thriller about elder abuse. Marla’s scheme involves becoming a court-appointed guardian for vulnerable elderly folks and then traps them under her care. But her latest mark turns out to be tougher than she looks.
5. Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (2021)
Do you remember when wealthy parents, including celebrities like Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, tried to bribe and defraud the right people to get their kids into top universities? Reenactments drive the Netflix documentary as they investigate the mastermind behind this scam.
6. Queenpins (2021)
If you want to laugh and learn about fraud at the same time, this movie is for you. The two main characters use grocery store coupons to make their illicit fortune before being caught by a federal inspector. At one point, the inspector reminds a novice colleague he needs to calm down and gather evidence… good advice for all auditors! Too bad that at the end, these fraudsters are portrayed as righteous characters. But the movie is edifying nevertheless. Available on Netflix.
7. Bank of Dave (2023)
The greedy British banking monopoly is punctured in this battle of right against might. Throw in some great power ballads and a love story and you have the makings of a very enjoyable movie. Available on Netflix.
8. Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
This satirical American mockumentary/black comedy film follows a small town beauty pageant and the fierce, deadly lengths the contestants take to secure the crown. How does tax evasion fit into a beauty pageant? Watch it on Amazon Prime to find out! (Recommended by: PJ Fischer)
9. The Producers (1967)
The film is about a theater producer and his accountant who scheme to get rich by fraudulently overselling interests in a musical purposely designed to fail. Hijinks ensue and fun is had, but the bad guys are sent to jail at the end of the day. It’s a fun stage production and the movies are available on multiple streaming sites. (Recommended by: Matthew Grady, CPA CFE)
10. Shattered Glass (2003)
A biography about journalist Stephen Glass’ fall from grace when his stories for The New Republic were discovered to be fabricated. It’s streaming on Amazon Prime. (Recommended by: @celticwnb)
And the list goes on…
11. The Polka King (2017)
Jack Black stars as an ambitious immigrant who uses a Ponzi scheme to achieve the American dream. Watch how an otherwise upstanding guy slowly gets drawn into a lie and how the government regulators fail to nip the fraud in the bud.
12. American Made (2017)
At one point in this highly entertaining movie, Tom Cruise’s money laundering methods fail him and he has a hard time finding places to store his excess cash. I had to laugh out loud when cash started oozing out of his closet, car and refrigerator. Who knew crates full of cash could be such a problem!?! Federal bank regulators employ an auditor’s favorite tool – data analytics – to suss out Tom’s drug running operation. Near the end of the movie, self-concerned government agencies fight over who will get credit for taking him down.
13. The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
This documentary is dry, but it’s worth watching because the Enron debacle is something every auditor should be schooled in. Watch for the real-life examples of how a negative tone at the top can take a whole organization down.
A lot of true stories, unfortunately
14. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this wild story of fraud, greed and debauchery. The scenes with Matthew McConaughey are scary good and show human greed at its worst.
15. The Founder (2016)
Watch Ray Kroc take McDonald’s from the true founders. When it’s over, you have to wonder whether Ray Kroc is a smart businessman or a fraudster.
16. ICARUS (2017)
In this true story of how the Russians doped at the Olympics, we see how even the most stringent controls can be bypassed.
17. & 18. Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story (2014) & The Armstrong Lie (2013)
Lance Armstrong earned millions in endorsements from sponsors who believed in him. Along the way, he destroyed the careers of anyone who accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs. Watch these films to witness the harsh realities of whistle-blowing and a master liar at work.
19. All About Eve (1950)
This classic black-and-white film starring Bette Davis isn’t exactly about fraud, but instead a character study of someone who stops at nothing to get what she wants. Deliciously chilling.
One of the best movies of all time!
20. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Another classic black-and-white film about the slippery slope of compromise and greed. The lead character, played by Bill Holden, slowly looses his grip on his life when he takes the easy way out of his financial dilemma and shacks up with a rich, aging silent movie star, played by Gloria Swanson. He tries to get away, but winds up floating face down in a swimming pool.
21. Bernie (2011)
This dark comedy depicting a true story also features Jack Black as another nice guy sucked into a bad situation. This time, his solution is more severe than simply stealing money. But strangely, at the end of the movie, you can’t help but like him. Texans will get a hoot out of this clip from Bernie describing the regions of Texas complete with funny insults and stereotypes.
22. The Wizard of Lies (2017)
Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer star as Bernie and Ruth Madoff in this amazing story of the largest investment fraud in history. As you would expect, the acting is top notch and you won’t be able to push pause on this one.
23. Inside Job (2010)
Matt Damon narrates this upsetting documentary about how U.S. government officials were complicit in the 2008 crash. A late section of the film highlights the drug-fueled madness of American bankers and traders à la The Wolf of Wall Street.
24. The Accountant (2016)
Ben Affleck stars as an autistic math wiz called in to audit a corporation that suffered a $61 million embezzlement. Affleck could have easily worn his sexy Batman costume throughout this film as he reemploys his brooding Dark Knight demeanor as this genius character, and the plot unfolds like a super-hero movie. At one point, he covers an entire conference room with general ledger printouts to look for expenditure patterns. Now that’s sexy!
25. Joy (2015)
Jennifer Lawrence stars as a downtrodden divorcee from the wrong side of the tracks who invents a mop that sells like crazy on QVC. At one point in this drama, which is based on a true story, she has to stand up to a manufacturer who has stolen her invention. Watch for the lack of controls that lead to the fraud and how she saves her business.
26. The Informant (2009)
Matt Damon stars in a movie so full of surprises, I can’t tell you much about it without ruining some of the fun. Be ready for plenty of twists and turns.
27. American Hustle (2013)
Amy Adams and Christian Bale star as grifters who are roped into helping with a federal investigation of corrupt politicians. It’s hard to tell who the bad guy is here. Is it the grifters or the corrupt politicians or the federal investigators?
28. Up in the Air (2009)
This movie stars George Clooney as a ‘corporate downsizer’ for hire. In other words, Clooney’s character flies around the country annoying people he has never met before. He is lonely and unappreciated… sort of like those of us gifted with professional skepticism, eh?
Have you seen my red stapler?
29. Office Space (1999)
Have you ever wanted to annihilate a piece of uncooperative office technology? Ever had to hold back an urge to smack your cubicle neighbor? This silly comedy about disgruntled office workers who plot a fraud will let you laugh those urges off and face your semi-dysfunctional office environment again with a lighter attitude.
30. All the Queen’s Horses (2017)
This documentary explains how one city employee in Dixon, Illinois stole $53 million. Kelly Richmond Pope, an accounting professor, lays out the details of this bold fraud using terms that are very familiar to auditors. She directly questions those involved about their lack of professional skepticism and shows the consequences of the fraud on city leaders, external auditors and citizens. Auditors will feel right at home with the way Pope sequences the information, but her interview with one of the attorneys may make you want to change careers.
31. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
What happens when you find out your employer is a crook? Who can you trust when you blow the whistle? Robert Redford spends three days trying to save his own life in this dark thriller that I am sure wowed audiences with the cutting-edge technology at the time. Can anyone say, “FAX machine?”
32. The Laundromat (2019)
Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas and Meryl Streep explain how huge corporations and billionaires avoid paying taxes on their earnings. But don’t worry – it doesn’t swing blue or red; it is about corruption at the highest levels of our society and government.
A master of deception
33. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Amy Adams and Christopher Walken star in the real life story of one very creative fraudster pursued by the FBI. ‘Nuff said.
34. The Big Short (2015)
Christian Bale plays a quirky, genius hedge fund manager who profits from the 2008 crash. But the bigger story is how the U.S. government stepped in with taxpayer dollars to save the most rapacious fraudsters of all, U.S. banking executives.
35. There Are No Fakes (2020)
This documentary starts off as a “buyer beware” parable. The lead singer of the Bare Naked Ladies is tricked into buying a forged painting for $20,000. However, the filmmakers don’t stop there. They keep digging to find out who created the forgery. And before too long, this simple parable uncovers a Canadian family so evil I had to stop watching. If you find out how this one ends, let me know.
The Godfather series = cinematic gold
36. The Godfather Series (1972-1990)
I can’t say enough good things about these gorgeous films. Yes, yes, I know. The story is fiction and the final episode is marred by Sophia Coppola’s wooden acting, but I am swept along and fascinated by the government and religious corruption portrayed by the some of the best film actors of all time: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Marlon Brando, Talia Shire and Robert DeNiro.
37. The Social Dilemma (2020)
Facebook is destroying our democracy. If you think that is an extreme statement then you haven’t watched this credible documentary.
38. Inventing Anna (2022)
How did a 25-year-old with no education and no experience almost buy an entire building in New York City with the help of Wall Street bankers? Watch this Netflix series written by master television writer Shonda Rhimes and get sucked in to the deceit.
Boeing is still making headlines…
39. Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (2022)
In a greedy grab for market share and shareholder returns, Boeing made a fatal short-term decision to tack an engine that was too heavy on an existing airplane model. Everything was looking great for Boeing and sales were up! That is until 300 people died in two separate plane crashes. Boeing, of course, denied responsibility and awarded their CEO with $60+ million.
40. The Billionaire Boy’s Club (2018)
Watch the birth of a Ponzi scheme in this well-acted movie available on Amazon Prime. Turns out all you have to do is turn a minus into a plus in your general ledger! 80’s music and fashion make this one interesting to watch at first, although it devolves into a violent mess as it progresses. And, if you are not a fan of Kevin Spacey, you might want to skip this one as he has the best line in the movie: “I’m from Wall Street. Do you think people really get rich by playing by the rules?” No, Kevin, no we don’t.
41. Bad Education (2019)
Hugh Jackman stars as an ambitious high school superintendent who isn’t at all what he seems. The incredible Allison Janney stars as his assistant who initially shoulders the blame. I could totally relate to the hero who uncovers the fraud as she has to fight complacency, sexism and the system in order to hold the fraudsters accountable. I highly recommend this one found on HBO Max.
And more…
42. All the President’s Men (1976)
Ever heard the catchphrase “Follow the money?” It was popularized by this award-winning biographical drama about Watergate starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. Just those two names alone make you want to see this movie, right? Based on the 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two journalists investigating the scandal, massive corruption in a presidential re-election campaign.
43. Superman III (1983)
Making “salami slicing” fraud famous, Richard Pryor plays Gus Gorman, a genius programmer who hacks his company’s financial system and transfers fractions of cents into his payroll check. This is the same scheme used in Office Space (#19 above), but Gorman is caught by his evil boss. Chaos ensues and, of course, Superman (Christopher Reeve) comes to save the day!
44. Skandal! Bringing Down Wirecard (2022)
Wirecard, a now insolvent German fintech company, gained traction quickly by fabricating the truth behind its true financial position. The documentary consists of how Wirecard’s massive fraudulent financial reporting was uncovered by a tenacious team of journalists and KPMG.
45. Dirty Money (2018)
From crippling payday loans to cars cheating emissions tests, this investigative Netflix docuseries exposes brazen acts of corporate greed and corruption.
Honorable Mention: Fruitcake Fraud (2021)
This is about the $13 million fraud at a Corsicana, Texas bakery, but it’s not currently available for streaming. Keep an eye out for it!
Send me your movies
I’d love to hear which movies you liked best and if you have a film that should be added to help with professional skepticism. Write to me at info@yellowbook-cpe.com.
Learn more today!
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Yellowbook-CPE.com wishes you all a very happy holiday season!
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