Did you know that approximately 150,000 Canadians work in life and health insurance? For perspective, that's nearly triple the number of sworn law enforcement officers in the country. Nevertheless, it seems countless movies are made about police work, whereas insurance workers get the short end of the stick in terms of movie representation.
You might think that insurance work wouldn't really lend itself to an exciting movie viewing experience. However, there are several notable exceptions that may prove you wrong. Here are seven of the best movies about insurance or insurance workers.
1. The Apartment (1960)
The Apartment is about an everyday worker named C.C. Baxter who spends long hours at his insurance company. The problem, his work superiors have taken to using his apartment for their extra-marital affairs. As he climbs the ladder at his workplace, his dilemma between his feelings for a woman and his boss' affair becomes increasingly fraught.
This insurance movie won a total of five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.
Rating Top Rated Movie #111
Awards Won 5 Oscars | 24 Wins & 8 Nominations Total
Genres Comedy | Drama | Romance
Production Company The Mirisch Corporation
Budget $3,000,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada $18,600,000
Gross Worldwide $18,778,454
2. The Truman Show (1998)
In one of the more interestingly different types of movies to feature insurance work, Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a happy-go-lucky dreamer living a comfortable life as an insurance salesman. What he doesn't know is that, ever since his birth, his entire life has been a reality show in which he is the star.
From there, Truman's work and home life are slowly exposed as facades, and the premise only gets wilder from there!
The movie even spawned its own psychological condition known as "The Truman Show Delusion". Its sufferers are convinced that their own lives are in fact "fake" reality shows.
Rating Top Rated Movie #168
Awards Nominated for 3 Oscars | 40 Wins & 69 Nominations Total
Genres Comedy | Drama
Production Company Paramount Pictures | Scott Rudin Productions
Budget $60,000,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada $125,618,201
Gross Worldwide $262,118,201
3. About Schmidt (2002)
Among the more heartbreaking types of movies in the "insurance" pantheon, Jack Nicholson stars as a man named Warren Schmidt, an insurance worker on the verge of retirement. However, when an unexpected tragedy strikes, he is forced to re-evaluate his entire life and make a decision about what he wants to do with his remaining years.
There are plenty of dark laughs to be had along Schmidt's journey of self-discovery, which uses his time in insurance as a crucial point of reflection for his character.
You might be surprised to learn the Jack Nicholson filmed his scenes inside the office of a real insurance company, The Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society. After filming, the company even made him an honorary member!
Rating
Awards Nominated for 2 Oscars | 25 Wins & 71 Nominations Total
Genres Comedy | Drama
Production Company New Line Cinema | Avery Pix
Budget $30,000,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada $65,016,287
Gross Worldwide $105,834,556
4. Memento (2000)
In Christopher Nolan's first breakout hit, Guy Pearce plays Leonard, a former insurance investigator suffering from short-term memory loss and trying to track down his wife's killer.
His quest for revenge is interspersed with his memories of investigating a particular health insurance case involving a man with a similar memory condition. The film's story plays out backwards to put you right in Leonard's fragmented headspace, making for a puzzling thriller like no other.
Thankfully, finding real health insurance coverage isn't nearly so complicated!
Rating Top Rated Movie #54
Awards Nominated for 2 Oscars | 57 Wins & 59 Nominations Total
Genres Mystery | Thriller
Production Company Newmarket Capital Group | Team Todd
Budget $9,000,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada $25,544,867
Gross Wordlwide $40,047,078
5. Cedar Rapids (2011)
In case you still think real "insurance movies" aren't out there, Cedar Rapidsis about an insurance agent at an insurance convention where he must get a coveted insurance award! The catch: this particular insurance worker is taking the place of another who died in a freak accident shortly before the convention.
The movie plays the straight-laced, everyday nature of insurance work to its strength, using it as a backdrop for the goofy screen personas of Ed Helms and John C. Reilly and the debauchery they find themselves roped into.
The script for Cedar Rapids was made into a movie after generating lots of buzz on The Blacklist, a website where anyone can post or read others' screenplays. The moral of this story? Don't assume your everyday work can't be interesting to people!
Rating
Awards 1 Win & 4 Nominations Total
Genres Comedy | Drama | Romance
Production Company Ad Hominem Enterprises
Budget $10,000,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada $6,861,102
Gross Wordlwide $7,728,936
6. Double Indemnity (1944)
Of all insurance movies, Double Indemnity might be the one that weaves the workings of insurance into its plot the most. When an insurance agent is seduced by the wife of one of his clients, they trick the woman's husband into signing a life insurance policy. From there, they begin to plan his murder in such a way that it looks like an accident, allowing his wife to collect the life insurance policy's payout.
Double Indemnity still holds its spot at number twenty-nine on the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies of All Time.
Rating Top Rated Movie #112
Awards Nominated for 7 Oscars | 2 Wins & 9 Nominations Total
Genres Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller
Production Company Paramount Pictures
Budget $927,262 (estimated)
Gross Worldwide $14,190
7. Along Came Polly (2004)
Insurance flicks come in all types of movie genres, and Along Came Polly might be the most raucous comedy of the bunch. Ben Stiller plays a risk analyst for an insurance company who one day finds his wife cheating on him with a scuba instructor.
From there, his over-the-top friend played by the unforgettable Philip Seymour Hoffman must convince the nervous Stiller to take the risks he needs to jump back into the dating world rather than return to his dismal marriage.
Rating
Awards 1 Win & 9 Nominations Total
Genres Comedy | Romance
Production Company Universal Pictures | Jersey Filmss
Budget $42,000,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada $88,097,164
Gross Worldwide $178,311,729
Movies About Insurance Are Worth to Watch
It's true that what often makes movies about insurance so great is that they are often rife with eccentric and dubious characters. Obviously, the real workings of insurance are much simpler, easy, and reliable, which hardly makes for great movie material! Nevertheless, at Insurdinary, we strive to connect people with insurance, mortgages, loans, and more at the lowest rates that are every bit as worthy of the silver screen (we think!).
Whether you're looking for a quote or a way to compare rates, contact us today and let us show you how we can assist with your finances today.
