Dramas based on real life on Netflix
Last updated December 10, 2023
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
2009 | NR | 4.4 out of 5 StarsOscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who overcomes enormous obstacles to study medicine and save lives at Johns Hopkins Hospital in this made-for-cable drama based on Carson's memoirs.
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Unconditional
2012 | NR | 4.4 out of 5 StarsThis Christian-oriented drama based on real events describes a woman's search for her husband's killer, and her slow return to faith afterwards. Reunited with an old friend, the bereaved widow is inspired by his mission to help inner-city children.
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The Intouchables
2011 | NR | 4.4 out of 5 StarsBased on a true story, a quadriplegic aristocrat's world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored ex-con as his caretaker. This unlikely duo overcomes adversity of every flavor as they shatter preconceptions of love, life and each other.
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The King's Speech
2010 | NR | 4.3 out of 5 StarsIn this biographical drama that chalked up multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture, Britain's King George VI struggles with an embarrassing stutter until he seeks help from unorthodox Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue.
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Hatfields & McCoys
2012 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsClose friends Devil Anse Hatfield and Randall McCoy return to their neighboring homes after the Civil War -- Hatfield in West Virginia, McCoy across the river in Kentucky -- to building tensions and resentments that soon explode into warfare.
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Braveheart
1995 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsEnraged at the slaughter of Murron (Catherine McCormack) -- his new bride and childhood love -- legendary Scottish warrior William Wallace (Mel Gibson, who also directed the film) slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule. With vivid battle scenes and a heaping portion of legend, Gibson's epic won five Oscars, including Best Picture.
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Hatfields & McCoys
2012 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsClose friends Devil Anse Hatfield and Randall McCoy return to their neighboring homes after the Civil War -- Hatfield in West Virginia, McCoy across the river in Kentucky -- to building tensions and resentments that soon explode into warfare.
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The Perfect Game
2009 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsA seemingly impossible dream of playing baseball for the United States becomes a reality for a group of youngsters from an impoverished Mexican city in this poignant drama based on actual events.
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Hachi: A Dog's Tale
2009 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsWhen his master dies, a loyal pooch named Hachiko keeps a regular vigil -- for more than a decade -- at the train station where he once greeted his owner every day in this touching drama based on a true story.
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My Way
2011 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsThis fact-based wartime drama follows two young men, one Korean and one Japanese, whose athletic rivalry ends with the start of World War II. Captured by the Soviets, both men escape but are separated, only to meet again in the D-Day invasion.
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Winnie Mandela
2011 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsSouth Africa's Winnie Mandela, one of the most galvanizing public figures in modern history, comes to life in this absorbing biopic. Though it traces Winnie's whole story, the film hinges on the Apartheid-era imprisonment that would define her image.
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Forever Strong
2008 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsRick (Sean Faris) is a star player on his dad's rugby team until a DUI lands him in a reformatory. While he's serving his sentence, tough rival coach Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole) allows him to play for his team, which helps Rick straighten up his act. Upon his release, however, Rick becomes a pariah to his former teammates and even his father when he refuses to divulge Gelwix's strategies. Sean Astin co-stars in this inspiring true story.
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Maria Di Nazaret
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsIn this biographical drama, the young Mary of Nazareth grows up as just another young Israelite working in the olive groves under Roman occupation. Following her life, the film captures the weight of Mary's fated role as the Mother of God.
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The Pianist
2002 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsFamed Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman struggles to survive the onslaught of Nazi tyranny during World War II in this drama based on his memoirs. In spite of his well-known talent, Szpilman spends several years holed up in Warsaw, clinging to life.
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The Longshots
2008 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsWhen plucky 11-year-old Jasmine Plummer becomes the Pop Warner League's first female quarterback, she raises eyebrows in her small Illinois town -- until she takes her team to the brink of gridiron glory.
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The First Grader
2010 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsBased on a true story, this inspirational drama profiles the amazing determination of 84-year-old Kenyan Kimani N'gan'ga Maruge, a Mau Mau freedom fighter who wants to take advantage of a new universal education decree by learning how to read.
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Maria Di Nazaret
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsMary, Mother of God. Mary is an ordinary young woman who works in the olive groves and spends time with her friends. If she only knew that these three little words -- Mother of God -- would one day be synonymous with her name. Humbled by the role she is asked to play as the mother of the Messiah, she unwaveringly fulfills the mission assigned to her. An ordinary girl chosen for an extraordinary role unlike any other.
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Freedom Writers
2007 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsWhile her at-risk students are reading classics such as "The Diary of Anne Frank," a young teacher asks them to keep journals about their troubled lives -- hoping they can apply history's lessons to break the cycle of violence and despair.
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Little Red Wagon
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsArmed with his beat-up red wagon and a blazing spirit of philanthropy, 8-year-old Zach sets out to help homeless children in the wake of Hurricane Charley by walking from his house in Florida to the White House.
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The Legend is Born: Ip Man
2010 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsThis martial arts biopic follows the early years of Ip Man -- the master who would one day become Bruce Lee's mentor -- as he perfects his Wing Chun style of combat against a small army of villainous foes.
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American Me
1992 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsA life of violence is traced from the Zoot Suit riots of the 1940s to the bloody streets of East Los Angeles in the '90s. Three friends born in poverty create their own capitalist dream as gang members who, despite being jailed, control the streets.
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The Hammer
2010 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsBased on a true story, this drama follows the career of wrestler Matt Hamill, a keen athlete and avid student who is deaf. Raised by his hearing grandparents, Matt feels like an outsider in the deaf community but perseveres with his dreams.
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Hotel Rwanda
2004 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsAmid the holocaust of internecine tribal fighting in Rwanda that sees the savage butchering of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children, one ordinary hotel manager musters the courage to save more than 1,000 helpless refugees.
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The Wave
2008 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsTo give his students a real-world example of how dictatorships can grow powerful, a high school teacher starts a social experiment that gives some of his students a strong advantage while leaving others subservient and powerless.
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The Untouchables
1987 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsG-Man Eliot Ness will stop at nothing to take down legendary gangster Al Capone -- even if it means bending some rules -- in director Brian De Palma's period crime drama penned by playwright David Mamet.
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