Best Movies about Geniuses that are Just Brilliant

Chances are, you have grown up with a genius or two in your class. There was probably a talented prodigy in piano, in science, and just about every subject and talent out there. Sometimes being ourselves can seem a little bland. However, wouldn’t you agree that watching geniuses do their thing is just fascinating? The following list is a list of geniuses made into movies and documentaries, although not all have been successful, as you can probably tell from the title. Nevertheless, look carefully and you’ll see the brilliance of each genius!

1

3 Idiots

Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi
Rajkumar Hirani
2009

In the tradition of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” comes this refreshing comedy about a rebellious prankster with a crafty mind and a heart of gold. Rascal. Joker. Dreamer. Genius... You've never met a college student quite like "Rancho." From the moment he arrives at India's most prestigious university, Rancho's outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down—along with the lives of his two newfound best friends. Together, they make life miserable for "Virus," the school’s uptight and heartless dean. But when Rancho catches the eye of the dean's sexy daughter, Virus sets his sights on flunking out the "3 idiots" once and for all.

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8.4 IMDB
2

Good Will Hunting

Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck
Gus Van Sant
1997

Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he will get treatment from therapist Sean Maguire.

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8.3 IMDB
3

A Beautiful Mind

Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly
Ron Howard
2001

John Nash is a brilliant but asocial mathematician fighting schizophrenia. After he accepts secret work in cryptography, his life takes a turn for the nightmarish.

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8.2 IMDB
4

The Imitation Game

Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode
Morten Tyldum
2014

Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.

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8 IMDB
5

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

Aaron Swartz, Tim Berners-Lee, Cory Doctorow
Brian Knappenberger
2014

Programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz achieved groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing. His passion for open access ensnared him in a legal nightmare that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26.

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8 IMDB
6

The Big Short

Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling
Adam McKay
2015

The men who made millions from a global economic meltdown.

7.8 IMDB
7

The Theory of Everything

Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox
James Marsh
2014

The Theory of Everything is the extraordinary story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who falls deeply in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde.

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7.7 IMDB
8

The Social Network

Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
David Fincher
2010

On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room as a small site among friends soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.

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7.7 IMDB
9

Gifted

Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan
Marc Webb
2017

Frank, a single man raising his child prodigy niece Mary, is drawn into a custody battle with his mother.

7.6 IMDB
10

Bad Genius

Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, Eisaya Hosuwan, Teeradon Supapunpinyo
Nattawut Poonpiriya
2017

Lynn, a brilliant student, after helping her friends to get the grades they need, develops the idea of starting a much bigger exam-cheating business.

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7.6 IMDB
11

Evil Genius

Kevin G. Calkins, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, Trey Borzillieri
Barbara Schroeder
2018

This baffling true crime story starts with the grisly death of a pizza man who robs a bank with a bomb around his neck - and gets weirder from there.

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7.6 IMDB
12

Hawking

Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Michael Brandon
Philip Martin
2004

The story of Professor Stephen Hawking's early years. It is 1963, and our young cosmologist celebrates his 21st birthday. At the party is a new friend, Jane Wilde - there is a strong attraction between the two. Jane is intrigued by Stephen's talk of stars and the Universe. But she realises that there is something very wrong when Stephen suddenly finds that he is unable to stand up.

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7.6 IMDB
13

August Rush

Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Kirsten Sheridan
2007

An orphaned musical prodigy uses his gift as a clue to finding his birth parents.

7.5 IMDB
14

Finding Forrester

Sean Connery, Rob Brown, F. Murray Abraham
Gus Van Sant
2000

Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.

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7.3 IMDB
15

The Man Who Knew Infinity

Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Toby Jones
Matt Brown
2016

Growing up poor in Madras, India, Srinivasa Ramanujan Iyengar earns admittance to Cambridge University during WWI, where he becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories with the guidance of his professor, G.H. Hardy.

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7.2 IMDB
16

Pawn Sacrifice

Tobey Maguire, Lily Rabe, Peter Sarsgaard
Edward Zwick
2015

American chess champion Bobby Fischer prepares for a legendary match-up against Russian Boris Spassky.

7 IMDB
17

21

Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth
Robert Luketic
2008

Ben Campbell is a young, highly intelligent, student at M.I.T. in Boston who strives to succeed. Wanting a scholarship to transfer to Harvard School of Medicine with the desire to become a doctor, Ben learns that he cannot afford the $300,000 for the four to five years of schooling as he comes from a poor, working-class background. But one evening, Ben is introduced by his unorthodox math professor Micky Rosa into a small but secretive club of five. Students Jill, Choi, Kianna, and Fisher, who are being trained by Professor Rosa of the skill of card counting at blackjack.

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6.8 IMDB
18

Little Man Tate

Jodie Foster, Dianne Wiest, Adam Hann-Byrd
Jodie Foster
1991

Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius, she is determined to ensure that Fred has all the opportunities that he needs, and that he is not taken advantage of by people who forget that his extremely powerful intellect is harboured in the body and emotions of a child.

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6.6 IMDB
19

X+Y

Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins
Morgan Matthews
2014

A socially awkward teenage math prodigy finds new confidence and new friendships when he lands a spot on the British squad at the International Mathematics Olympiad.

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4.1 IMDB