3 Amazing Movies About Writers and Writing

Watching movies about writers and writing can be a great activity for a book club with some spare time or an off-day in an English or writing class. Movies can be a great break from writing because they inspire the mind differently than reading does. For younger budding writers, a movie about writers can help show them possible career paths or the state of the world of professional writing. Here are 3 amazing movies about writers and writing that should inspire writers to be the best they can be.

Sunset Boulevard

A 1950 black and movie about a screenwriter whose compromises in his search for fame end in tragedy after he meets a fading film star named Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard is a dark and scary suspenseful story that is appropriate for most ages, though kids under 13 probably would not find it interesting. Rumor has it that 2012 will see the release of a remade version of Sunset Boulevard starring Liza Minelli.

Sideways

A 2004 films starring Paul Giamatti and Miles and Thomas Hayden Church as Miles' friend Jack, the two-middle aged men take a wine-tasting trip through the famous wine country in California. While Jack is about to get married and intends to sow his oats on the wine trip, Miles is a sensitive writer who is struggling to get a novel published. Many writers will relate with Miles' shyness and struggle to get his work published, and wine-loving writers and readers will get a special treat out of the wine focus in this film. This movie has adult themes and would be inappropriate and boring for most viewers under the age of 17.

The Shining

Based on a fantastic book by author Stephen King and starring Jack Nicholson, The Shining is the story of an author's trip to insanity during a writing sabbatical while hotel-sitting at a creepy remote hotel that is clearly haunted. Origin of the iconic satirical quote, "Heeeere's Johnny!", The Shining is a scary movie that can terrify even adults and should only be watched by people who are into truly unnerving horror films.

Movies about writers are common in the theaters and in video rental stores, probably because movies are written by writers. Some of the best movies about writers and writing can be inspirational to writers either because the story about writing is inspirational or because the movie was so amazing it inspired the writer to write something amazing of her own.