Hollywood has only made it more difficult for salespeople to earn trust and good faith from consumers. However, there have been some films that have had more redeeming salesmanship qualities than others. Here is a list of the best movies about salesman of all time.
The movies you watch can have a huge impact on your life. They teach us lessons, make us laugh, and inspire us to do better in our own lives.
This is why it’s important to find movies about salesman that speak to your heart and soul. That’s why we put together this list of the best movies about salesmen of all time!
It includes movies from Hollywood that portray people in sales with love, care, and respect for their profession.
We all know that Hollywood can be a little ruthless when it comes to typecasting people in different professions.
But movies about salesman can also capture the passion, energy, and ambition necessary to launch a successful career. That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best movies about salesmen of all time!
These movies will teach, entertain, and inspire you to do your best in sales.
So without further ado, here are the best movies about salesman of all time!
This 2006 biographical drama follows the true story of Chris Gardner, a salesman who becomes homeless with his son.
Despite all the challenges he faces, Gardner never gives up on himself or his dream to become successful.
This movie is an excellent reminder that no matter what life throws your way, you can always overcome it with hard work and determination.
This 1992 drama follows a group of salesmen working for a struggling real estate company.
The pressure to sell is intense, and the competition between coworkers is fierce. This movie will teach you all about the cutthroat world of sales and how to survive in it. It’s a must-watch for anyone looking to start a career in sales.
This 2016 Iranian drama tells the story of a couple who are forced to leave their home and move into a new apartment.
But soon after they move in, they discover that the previous tenant was murdered. It is one of the best movies about salesman.
This movie is an excellent look at the life of a salesman, and the dangers that can come with the job.
This 2013 biographical drama follows Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who becomes involved in securities fraud.
This movie is an excellent portrayal of the greed and corruption that often exists in the world of sales. It’s a must-watch for anyone looking to get into sales, and they’ll learn a lot of valuable lessons from this movie.
This 1992 drama stars Al Pacino as Frank Slade, an abrasive blind retired Army colonel who takes up teaching at a prep school.
While he tries to be tough on his students, he ends up taking a liking to Charlie Simms, the student who seems determined to be his complete opposite. This movie is an excellent look at how hard it can be for introverted people in sales.
In Robert Zemeckis' absurd sales satire, Kurt Russell plays a hotshot used car hustler who dreams of running for state senate.
Russell's quick-talking charm and easy charisma give this wonderfully filthy comedy an energy that's as powerful today as it was 35 years ago, personifying every corrupt cliché of the trade.
Russell transforms his character's oft-repeated catchphrase "Trust me!" into a mantra that any excellent salesperson would do well to master with nothing more than a high-wattage smile and a bucket of car primer.
As a made-for-television film, this Emmy-winning adaptation of Arthur Miller's seminal play premiered on CBS.
Dustin Hoffman's tremendously poignant portrayal of the doomed Willy Loman, brilliantly supported by John Malkovich and Stephen Lang, brings Miller's terrible fable to tragic life.
"Death of a Salesman" is a tragic depiction of a man whose reluctance to change becomes his undoing, using door-to-door sales as a metaphor for the loss of the American Dream.
Robin Williams made a strong performance in the ironically named "Seize the Day" three years before he taught the term carpe diem to the kids in "Dead Poets Society."
Williams nailed every element of Saul Bellow's famous novel as a middle-aged Jewish salesperson suffering with poverty and divorce in the 1950s.
This gloomy depiction of a man whose innate sales skills fail him at the worst possible time was initially broadcast on PBS television and was heartbreaking and emotionally honest in. a way that movies about sales often are not.
This light-hearted, family-friendly film is based on Og Mandino's motivational book of the same name.
The movie tells the story of Marco, a young man who travels to America to sell encyclopedias door-to-door.
Despite his initial reluctance, Marco soon learns that he has a natural talent for sales and ends up becoming the best salesman in the world.
This movie is an excellent look at how anyone can become a successful salesperson with the right attitude and determination.
This comedy-drama follows a 40-year old man who is forced to take on a young, immature new hire as his boss and mentor.
While this movie has some comedic elements, it also shows what it's like for someone to be an excellent salesperson – especially when that person is actually not very good at his job.
This movie shows how important it is to manage expectations, and why being a great salesperson doesn't necessarily mean you're incredibly smart or talented about everything else in life.
This comedy-drama follows the story of David and Kate Jones, who are a young, attractive couple who move into a suburban neighborhood and start to sell the idea of the American Dream to their neighbors.
While they initially seem like perfect people, it soon becomes clear that they are actually imposters who are only interested in getting rich quick.
This movie is an excellent depiction of the dangers of being a salesperson – and how even the best salespeople are capable of being dishonest when they need to be.
J.C. Wiatt, played by Diane Keaton, is a self-described "Tiger Lady" who is so concentrated on her work that she barely has time to breathe.
This high-powered management consultant discovers that parenting a child requires more perseverance than negotiating a million-dollar contract when she inherits a toddler from dying relatives.
The overworked Wiatt realises her true calling when she starts selling her own brand of organic baby food after quitting her job and purchasing a run-down farm.
"Baby Boom" is a warm-hearted storey of entrepreneurial inventiveness that shows how a setback may be an opportunity in disguise, both in business and in life.
With faultless art direction and complex characterizations, Barry Levinson's nostalgic dramedy about two duelling aluminum-siding salesman masterfully portrays the early 1960s.
"Tin Men" captures the end of an era with honesty and comedy, depicting the moment when Baltimore's newly constituted Home Improvement Commission cracked down on unscrupulous sales tactics.
Our disgraced heroes drive out into an uncertain future in the film's hilarious epilogue, as a familiar set of golden arches rising in the distance heralds a significant new business endeavour on the rise.
This raucous comedy about a loving imbecile on a quest to salvage his family's business was an unexpected box office hit thanks to Chris Farley's physical humour and David Spade's stinging sarcasm.
"Tommy Boy" illustrates the development of a successful salesman beneath the fat jokes and gross-out antics.
Farley, tasked with bringing in enough new business to keep his company afloat, quickly realises that connecting with clients requires more than flashy slogans and forceful handshakes; it requires listening to their needs and responding with genuine empathy.
Also, if you don't light their desks on fire while yelling "Holy Schnikes!" it helps.
Robert Forster had one of his best performances as Eddie Miller, a seasoned travelling jewellery salesman forced to retire early due to a heart attack three years after his Oscar nomination for "Jackie Brown."
Charged by his employer with training a younger successor, the cross-generational partners form an odd connection, which culminates in their surprise excursion to a dilapidated massage parlour, where our bereaved hero may find a second shot at love.
The underappreciated "Diamond Men," which is part road movie, part character study, is a hidden gem just waiting to be discovered.
"Lord of War," loosely based on the true storey of a notorious weapons dealer, suggests that selling AK-47s to African warlords isn't all that different from selling orthopaedic shoes to senior citizens.
It all comes down to treating your customer with respect in the end.
This darkly comedic drama stars Nicolas Cage in one of his most fascinating roles, charting the rise and fall of a small-arms dealer who progresses from distributing pistols in his New York City neighbourhood to delivering guided-missiles to renegade states.
Cage's tired merchant of death, clinging to the notion that he's only filling a demand, eventually admits that he's not in it for the money; it's simply something he's excellent at.
If you are looking for a romantic drama movies about salesman you should watch this movie it stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an ambitious pharmaceutical rep whose shady ethics and refusal to accept no for an answer enable him become Pfizer's top drug pusher.
It is based on the nonfiction biography Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman. Despite being advertised as a love storey, the film's unique perspective on the competitive world of medical sales makes it worthwhile to see.
Whether he's flirting with nurses or bribing physicians, Gyllenhaal's puppy-dog charm makes us root for him, despite the industry's morally questionable methods.
This low-key comedy about insurance salesmen will appeal to fans of the TV programme "Parks and Recreation," but it will also appeal to anyone who has endured an interminable business convention.
Funnyman Tim Lippe is played by Ed Helms, a sheltered and innocent insurance agent who has never been in a hotel before.
Tim's intrinsic enthusiasm has a transformational effect on the cynical salespeople with whom he spends the weekend at an important convention in the "big metropolis" of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "Cedar Rapids," a simple but enjoyable comedy about worker camaraderie, is well worth seeing.
The true storey of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the downtrodden 2002 Oakland Athletics baseball team, is told in this Oscar-nominated drama.
Beane pioneers the sabermetric method to baseball recruitment with a limited budget and the support of recent Yale economics graduate Peter Brand (Jonah Hill).
Pitt's Beane must persuade his scouting staff, management team, and own players of his unconventional approach to team building throughout the film.
It's a tale of large bets, defying the established quo, and turning limited resources into great outcomes, which every salesperson has faced at some point.
Joy Mangano, a great entrepreneur, is the subject of the film "Joy." Joy, played by Jennifer Lawrence, is a divorced mother of two who works as an airline booking clerk when the film begins.
Mangano gets her big break when QVC offers her a slot on one of their telethons for her self-wringing mops. Unfortunately, the commercial fails due to a salesman's poor performance.
Mangano competes for the opportunity to star in the infomercial herself, and she is soon successful. "Joy" is more proof that selling your way to the top requires a lot of hard work, sacrifice, and a deep understanding of your target demographic.
Ray Kroc, a milkshake machine salesman who developed a fast food empire, is 52 years old.
The film "The Founder" chronicles Kroc's relationship with Dick and Mac McDonald, as well as his eventual franchise and acquisition of their family's burger business.
Michael Keaton's Oscar-nominated performance as Kroc isn't always appealing, but it's a demonstration of the "do whatever it takes" mentality that has propelled many an entrepreneur to success.
It'll also make you want to eat a cheeseburger.
Aggressive brokers sell to naïve consumers over the phone in the "boiler room," and are rewarded with homes, sports vehicles, and other luxury goods. Giovanni Ribisi plays a college dropout who obtains a job as a broker at a suburban investment firm in the film.
He's back in his father's good graces thanks to his new job and lucrative income. However, when he realises that the firm isn't entirely legal, he must make the ultimate decision.
Jerry Maguire, one of Tom Cruise's most well-known roles, depicts the storey of a sports agent who experiences a moral revelation and loses his job for revealing it.
He strives to build a new life and a new management firm with the help of his old secretary and one particularly challenging athlete (played by Cuba Gooding Jr., who won an Academy Award for his performance), all while dealing with issues that most new business owners can relate to on some level.
