Written by Ella Madison
Do you love movies? Do you love storytelling? What about movies that are about storytellers? As a huge fan of storytelling myself, I have curated a list of five movies with journalists as the main characters. Here it is!
#5 The Devil Wears Prada
Anne Hathaway plays Andy Sachs, an aspiring journalist, in The Devil Wears Prada. This film was released in 2006, like many other movies in this genre. During the early 2000’s, fashion and lifestyle magazines were all the talk, therefore, they are seen in multiple movies released between 2000-2010. This movie wasn’t just about fashion, it was about cultural power and the influence that journalism has. Showing that even through something “soft” like fashion still can have a great impact on society.
#4 Confessions of a Shopaholic
Three years later, in 2009, The Confessions of a Shopaholic with Isla Fisher starring as as the Rebecca Bloomwood, was released. This movie follows the theme of an aspiring journalist, as Rebecca has incredibly bad spending habits and uses this personal life experience as fuel for her stories as a journalist. Rebecca constantly reframes her bad decisions with creativity, and this creativity translates into her writing, making her an ultimately successful journalist.
#3 Someone Great
A more modern approach to the aspiring journalist take, Someone Great, was released in 2019 with Gina Rodriguez starring as Jenny Young. Jenny gets her dream job working with Rolling Stone, but is met with a challenge in her personal life… the ending of her long-term, serious relationship. This heartbreak ultimately inspires her as we see her move through this life-changing experience throughout the movie, navigating all of the changes, feelings, and drama that comes along with it. The audience can see music journalism in action, as Jenny ties in her personal issues and feelings into her career, using her emotions as a driving force for her journalism.
#2 27 Dresses
In 2008, Katherine Heigl grabs the masses’ attention with her striking role as Jane Nichols in 27 Dresses. In this film, Jane is a selfless, over-giving assistant, who lives other people’s stories instead of writing her own. Throughout the progression of the film, we see Jane become confident in who she is, gaining a sense of self and in turn developing as a journalist, now telling her own stories.
#1 How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Coming in at #1, my personal favorite, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. A wonderfully creative film released in 2003, of a journalist named Andy Anderson, played by Kate Hudson. In this role, she steps into the role of an active journalist, going out to find the story herself. She meets and dates a guy, attempting to lose him in 10 days, turning her role as the ‘how-to” girl into the “how-not-to” girl. Instead of reporting on what already was, she created something new. This rom com is an emotional rollercoaster, leaving watchers on the edge of their seat until the end of the movie where the story is all wrapped up with a bow.
Grab some popcorn, and maybe a pen and paper (if you’re feeling inspired) and start watching some of the 2000-2010’s best films, with journalists on center stage. The films above are guaranteed to have you laughing, crying, and pulling out your laptop looking for the soonest flight to New York to become the next, big, aspiring journalist.
