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Movies: Best "rags to riches" Movies


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41 movies found (page 1/2):

Trading Places(1983)

1h 56min | Comedy
3.6/5 (with 1,421 votes)

A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

The Greatest Showman(2017)

1h 45min | Drama
4.0/5 (with 4,255 votes)

The story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The Book of Clarence(2024)

2h 16min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
2.9/5 (with 21 votes)

Streetwise but down-on-his-luck, Clarence is struggling to find a better life for his family, while fighting to free himself of debt. Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah and His apostles, he risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, and ultimately discovers that the redemptive power of belief may be his only way out.

Boogie Nights(1997)

2h 36min | Drama
3.8/5 (with 1,450 votes)

Set in 1977, back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, idealistic porn producer Jack Horner aspires to elevate his craft to an art form. Horner discovers Eddie Adams, 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.

Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1(2021)

2h 59min | Action, Drama, Thriller
3.6/5 (with 49 votes)

Pushpa Raj is a coolie who rises in the world of red sandalwood smuggling. Along the way, he doesn’t shy from making an enemy or two.

Giant(1956)

3h 21min | Drama, Western
3.8/5 (with 286 votes)

Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink both woo Leslie Lynnton, a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict's disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.

Wuthering Heights(1939)

1h 44min | Drama, Romance / Love
3.6/5 (with 111 votes)

The Earnshaws are Yorkshire farmers during the early 19th Century. One day, Mr. Earnshaw returns from a trip to the city, bringing with him a ragged little boy called Heathcliff. Earnshaw's son, Hindley, resents the child, but Heathcliff becomes companion and soulmate to Hindley's sister, Catherine. After her parents die, Cathy and Heathcliff grow up wild and free on the moors and despite the continued enmity between Hindley and Heathcliff they're happy -- until Cathy meets Edgar Linton, the son of a wealthy neighbor.

We Are the Nobles(2013)

1h 48min | Comedy
3.9/5 (with 222 votes)

Tells the "riches to rags" story of the Nobles, three upper-class twenty-somethings that appear to have no limits to their checkbooks, and no direction in their lives. Until one day, their father tries to teach them a lesson by staging a financial scandal that forces the whole family to escape to an old house in the poor side of town, and leads the "kids" to do what they haven't done before: get jobs.

Ray(2004)

2h 32min | Drama, Music
3.7/5 (with 833 votes)

Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.

The White Tiger(2021)

2h 5min | Drama
3.5/5 (with 371 votes)

An ambitious Indian driver uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and rise to the top. An epic journey based on the New York Times bestseller.

Directed by Ramin Bahrani - With Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra, Rajkummar Rao, Mahesh Manjrekar, Vijay Maurya, Kamlesh Gill, ...

Cocktail(1988)

16
| 1h 44min | Romance / Love, Drama, Comedy
3.0/5 (with 624 votes)

After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan moves back to Queens and takes a job in a bar run by Doug Coughlin, who teaches Brian the fine art of bar-tending. Brian quickly becomes a patron favorite with his flashy drink-mixing style, and Brian adopts his mentor's cynical philosophy on life and goes for the money.

Two Sons of Francisco(2005)

2h 12min | Drama, History, Music
3.4/5 (with 171 votes)

The story of Francisco, a very simple and poor man whose dream was to see his children become country music stars, and who made all the efforts to make it happen.

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The Way of the Gun(2000)

1h 59min | Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
3.2/5 (with 177 votes)

Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.

Tom Jones(1963)

3.1/5 (with 81 votes)

Tom loves Sophie and Sophie loves Tom. But Tom and Sophie are of differering classes. Can they find a way through the mayhem to be true to love?

The Buddy Holly Story(1978)

1h 53min | Drama, Music
3.6/5 (with 45 votes)

A chronicle of the rise and brief career of rock 'n' roll star Buddy Holly, who aspires to play music the way he wants it to sound. Holly and his band, the Crickets, are first invited to record in Nashville, where they encounter creative differences with the producing staff. Later they play a major booking at the Apollo Theater, scheduled there under the mistaken assumption that they're a black band. Holly's career eventually goes solo -- until the tragic day the music dies.

Mao's Last Dancer(2009)

Κ
| 1h 57min | Drama, Romance / Love
3.4/5 (with 49 votes)

At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he fell in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.

Manny(2014)

1h 46min | Documentary, Drama
3.2/5 (with 30 votes)

From abject poverty to becoming a ten-time boxing world champion, congressman, and international icon, Manny Pacquiao is the true definition of a Cinderella story. In the Philippines, he first entered the ring as a sixteen-year-old weighing ninety-eight pounds with the goal of earning money to feed his family. Now, almost twenty years later, when he fights, the country of 100 million people comes to a complete standstill to watch. Regarded for his ability to bring people together, Pacquiao entered the political arena in 2010. As history’s first boxing congressman, Pacquiao now fights for his people both inside and outside of the ring. Now at the height of his career, he is faced with maneuvering an unscrupulous sport while maintaining his political duties. The question now is, what bridge is too far for Manny Pacquiao to cross?

Directed by Leon Gast - With Manny Pacquiao

Tyson(1995)

1h 50min | Drama
3.0/5 (with 17 votes)

The story of Mike Tyson. From his early days as a 12 year old amateur with a powerful punch, to the undisputed title of "Heavyweight Champion of the World", and ultimately to his conviction for rape. The story of his turbulent life moves quickly, never focusing for long on anything in particular.

Directed by Uli Edel - With George C. Scott

Ta Ra Rum Pum(2007)

3.1/5 (with 30 votes)

A poor New York resident, who is of Indian origin, dreams of becoming a fast car race driver. He endeavors, and his efforts are rewarded when he selected by a little-known group called 'RACING SADDLES'. He joins them and soon becomes their ace race driver. This man, whose name is Rajveer, then meets with a rich American woman, also of Indian origin, whose name is Radhika. Both fall in love with each other. They cannot get married, because Radhika's family hates Rajveer mainly because he is very poor. But Radhika is very stubborn, so she marries him. She loses all her rights to her family's wealth. They get married and become parents of two children. They also become very rich. Then Rajveer has an accident which changes their lives forever. They get into debt and stand to lose everything. Will Radhika be forced to return back to her family?

Overnight(2003)

1h 22min | Documentary
3.3/5 (with 27 votes)

Alternately hilarious and horrifying, Overnight chronicles one man's misadventures of making a Hollywood movie. It starts out as a rags to riches story as Troy Duffy, a Boston-bred bartender, sells his first screenplay for The Boondock Saints.

Directed by Tony Montana

The Card(1952)

3.6/5 (with 16 votes)

A charming and ambitious young man finds many ways to raise himself through the ranks in business and social standing - some honest, some not quite so. If he can just manage to avoid a certain very predatory woman...

Becoming Cary Grant(2017)

1h 25min | Documentary, TV Movie
3.5/5 (with 15 votes)

For the first time one of Hollywood's greatest stars tells his own story, in his own words. From a childhood of poverty to global fame, Cary Grant, the ultimate self-made star, explores his own screen image and what it took to create it.

River Of Fury(1973)

1h 25min | Drama, Action

River Of Fury presents the self-discovery and awakening of a young man (Danny Lee), who has been exposed and fallen for the lucrative powers of wealth. Lily Ho played a role in sharp contrast with Lee, which has helplessly fallen prey to the irresistible temptations of wealth under the influence of her mother. Once again, Ho demonstrates her remarkable talent in Chinese opera following her Beijing-opera showcase in The Warlord (co-starring Michael Hui Kwun-man).

I Am Durán(2019)

1h 24min | Documentary
3.4/5 (with 11 votes)

The story of four-time World Champion Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán. A one man wrecking-ball who took on the world, transcended his sport and helped inspire a nation to rise up against its CIA funded dictator to achieve independence. From his days shining shoes on the street, to packing out arenas across the world, this is the story of modern Panama and its most celebrated child.

Death of a Scoundrel(1956)

1h 59min | Drama, Crime
3.1/5 (with 9 votes)

A Czech refugee uses women to advance his business interest.

I Am Richard Pryor(2019)

1h 32min | Documentary
3.4/5 (with 8 votes)

The life story of Richard Pryor (1940-2005), the legendary performer and iconic social satirist who transcended racial and social barriers with his honest, irreverent and biting humor.

Kitty(1945)

3.0/5 (with 4 votes)

Pickpocket Kitty's life changes when painter Thomas Gainsborough makes her portrait. The artwork gains the attention of Sir Hugh Marcy, who later decides to use her for his benefit.

Ballplayer: Pelotero(2011)

1h 17min | Drama, Documentary
3.1/5 (with 6 votes)

Two top baseball prospects in the Dominican Republic face fierce competition and corruption as they chase their big league dreams.

Millennium Stars(2000)

2.3/5 (with 2 votes)

When they were children, Shiva and Shankar went to Mumbai in search of a living. Circumstances puts them in jail, where they meet a bully named Karunan. They escape from jail. Several years later, Shankar and Shiva dream of becoming singers. Karunan is still active as a criminal. Through their hard work,the Shiva-Shankar duo become successful singers and start being called the "millennium stars".

Nikodem Dyzma(1956)

1h 47min | Comedy
2.4/5 (with 3 votes)

Nikodem Dyzma is a poor dancer who comes to Warsaw to find a job. The problem is that nobody wants to hire him. One day he finds an invitation to the party with very important people and decides to attend. A small accident at the party makes him the hero of the night and becomes the beginning of his career.

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