Meet Our Favorite Entrepreneurial Film Characters. Who Are Yours?
Film award season is upon us, which inspired our QB Community team to think about some memorable self-employed characters from our favorite films. From chocolatiers, fashion designers and pirates to circus-runners, sports agents and working girls, we came up with a wide variety of cinematic go-getters.
Read on -- and then tell us your favorite films in the comments below!
Name: Leslie Barber, QB Community Leader
Movie: The Greatest Showman
Why I love it: I love this movie so much that I’ve seen it three times in the theater. It’s heartwarming, endearing and full of incredibly catchy tunes. Hugh Jackman plays PT Barnum, the creator of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. The movie follows Barnum from his impoverished youth to his rise as a great showman and businessman. He worked hard to overcome many cultural and financial obstacles, never giving up on his dream. He struggled with failure and loss, with losing himself to the limelight and with many who didn’t believe he could make it. And he did all of it by bringing people out of the shadows and giving them a stage on which to be proud of themselves. It warmed my heart, and now I’m addicted to the delightful soundtrack. This is a great story of a small business owner who put everything on the line for his dreams.
Name: Jen Roop, QB Community Marketing
Movie: Jerry Maguire
Why I love it: Sports agent Jerry Maguire is making it rain -- until a moment of conscience inspires him to pen a mission statement about establishing more ethical business practices. That decision quickly gets him fired. Jerry decides to strike out on his own, which creates the opportunity for him to learn some hard lessons about starting over, running your own business and being a good human.
The thing I love most about this movie is that despite having a lot of drive and energy for making money, from a personal and professional perspective, Jerry is a mess! His character proves there is no set trajectory in life or business. It’s a series of missteps, trying your best -- and then trying harder. Jerry ultimately learns to swallow his pride, give more effort and show more soul to keep both his one client and the leading lady. A quote on the locker room wall of one the scenes pretty much sums up the lesson here for any entrepreneur: success consists of simply getting up one more time than you fall.
Name: Willow Older, QB Community Content Chief
Movie: The Princess Bride
Why I love it: This brilliant and hilarious movie is jam-packed with creative, dedicated and hardworking entrepreneurs who think outside the box to make a living on their own terms. Consider Westley, who spends years moonlighting as the long-retired Dread Pirate Roberts, masterfully maintaining and building a consistent, global brand as a terrifying, cold-blooded pirate-murderer. Or the giant Fezzik, who, faced with unemployment after the death of his dastardly boss, Vizzini, partners with his pal Inigo Montoya and successfully launches a freelance muscle-for-hire operation. And don’t forget Miracle Max. Fired by cruel King Humperdink, this miracle maker turns unemployment into an opportunity for authentic engagement by only accepting projects he really believes in – like reviving the “mostly dead” Westley to exact revenge on the king.
Name: Sarah Gonzales, QB Community Content Creator
Movie: Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion
Why I love it: Romy and Michelle are, number one, hilarious and goofy, but they are also creative and unique. Their vision for their fashion company was born out of hardship (that back brace worn in high school, enduring bullying from the mean girls), as well as fierce friendship. After some rough starts (Mary vs. Rhoda!) and pretending to be something they weren’t (Post-It-Note creators), they committed to what they were good at and went their own way toward success. And let’s not forget about the other two entrepreneurs in this movie: Sandy Frink, the rubber bazillionaire, and Heather Mooney, the fast-talking creating of quick-burn smokes for ladies on the go.
Name: Emily Cowan, QB Community Business Host
Movie: Working Girl
Why I love it: While not self-employed, Tess McGill certainly portrays a hardworking character embodying many entrepreneur-like qualities. The subterfuge that Tess uses to get that corner office – posing as her boss in order to cut a major deal in her industry – is less interesting to me than the opening sequence, when we see her take the ferry from Staten Island to her secretarial job in the New York city, wearing comfortable sneakers along with her office clothes and gossiping with the other secretaries who share her long commute. All of her friends know that girls like them do not get jobs in management. It’s not only about gender (Tess’s boss is a woman), it’s also about class. I love that Tess doesn’t even see the barriers to her success that others simply take for granted. She’s got the smarts, and she’s got the chops -- but she’s got the vision, too. Let the river run!
Name: Shana Niederman, QB Community Manager
Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Why I love it: Willy Wonka (played by Gene Wilder) is my favorite entrepreneurial character. In all its fantasticality, Roald Dahl’s story of Charlie and the golden ticket is centered around an eccentric, genius entrepreneur – Willy Wonka. Wonka built a candy empire that captured the hearts, minds (and sweet teeth) of his world. His creativity goes beyond inventing and producing the most incredible candies (like Everlasting Gobstoppers) into enterprising marketing strategies (like hiding golden tickets in chocolate bars). Although expressed strangely at times, Wonka’s business sense prompts him to engage in social good – passing his company down to Charlie, a much-deserving recipient with a heart of gold. I like Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka much more than when he was played by Johnny Depp, but truth be told, I’d take Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in book-form any day.
Before you go
QB Community members, who are your favorite big or small-screen characters who are working for themselves?