You’ve Seen The Movie, Now Dabbled On The Markets

While Gambling in the movies has been widely depicted by almost every major film production company in existence, it had often been the traditional casino and poker scenarios that every Joe Bloggs knows about. However more recently, a whole new set of gambling films has been hitting the big screens, focusing on different verticals including trading and spread betting. I’m sure many of you can think of a few where stuffy middle-aged suited-and-booted guys adorn the screen with the typical ‘Wall Street’ sneer, but this outdated image of trading seems to have been replaced with a more wild and colorful version that not only sells better but has a more comic overtone.

For anyone who has actually dabbled on the markets, the archaic nature of it being an elitist activity is far removed and it’s now so widely available that anybody can have a go, but rather than go on to talk about the many pros and con’s of Trading and Spread Betting, we thought we’d talk about a few of the films that you have probably all seen but not necessarily connected with this hobby – an updated version of a previous article we touched on.

1)      Pursuit of Happyness – one of Will Smiths’ most heart-wrenching performances, he features alongside his son Jaden in a film about a man who is desperate to make ends meet but just can’t seem to manage. When everything is at its’ lowest, in a final attempt to keep his son and create a better life, he applies for an internship at a lucrative Trading company which has the potential to change his life forever.

2)      Working Girl – featuring the iconic Melanie Griffith and legendary Harrison Ford, the film focuses on a woman who secretly dominates the investment banking industry as she rises up the ranks when her boss is injured in a skiing accident.

3)      Trading Places – argued as the greatest financial film ever, it is a comedy that is enveloped by the ‘anyone can be a trader approach’ and the antiquated stuffy trading boss image, Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd star as two men from different paths of life subjected to a role-reversal with hilarious consequences. The pinnacle of the film is when the two men realize what is happening and decide to turn the tables.

4)      Wolf of Wall Street – perhaps the most ‘currently talked about’ movie of its’ genre, this Leonardo Dicaprio showpiece takes every stereotype imaginable about stockbrokers and traders and piles it into a mash up of comedy, suspense, and action that had viewers baying for more. Loosely based on a true story about Jordan Belfort, it packs drugs, prostitution, trading and more into a few hours of pure Hollywood genius.

5)      Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – the updated version of the original Wall Street film, both star Michael Douglas as the demonic fictional Gordon Gekko, who immerses himself into the world of trading but almost embodies the very nature of greed. Douglas actually took home an Oscar for his performance in Wall Street

So there you have it, an updated list of some of the best Spread Betting movies that we could find. Stay tuned in for more great feature films and feel free to suggest your own top ones.