10 Movies To Watch If You Loved The Queens Gambit

10 Movies To Watch If You Loved The Queen’s Gambit

Fans of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit will love these other prodigy, underdog, and chess movies – from classics to new offerings.

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The Queen’s Gambit is Netflix’s latest offering, a stellar show about a chess prodigy who rises in the world rankings. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. As Beth rises in the chess world, her personal life begins to crumble as she suffers from a big ego, detached friends and family, and persistent alcohol and drug use. By the time she’s one of the top players in the world, she’s dancing alone in her underwear in an alcoholic stupor.

It makes for a great story, and these are some movies to check out if you loved what the show offered.

10 The Luzhin Defence (2000)

The Luzhin Defence also concerns chess and a mentally tormented protagonist. The movie stars the always incredible John Turturro as a troubled and eccentric chess grandmaster, while Emily Watson plays his love interest, Natalia Katkov. The movie shares a lot in common with The Queen’s Gambit, and it contains some great performances from Turturro and Watson. Before The Queen’s Gambit, The Luzhin Defence was the movie about troubled chess players, their obsession with the game, and the way this obsession clashes with reality.

9 Searching For Bobby Fischer (1993)

Also known as Innocent Moves in the United Kingdom, Searching for Bobby Fischer is another excellent movie regarding a chess prodigy. The movie contains a great cast – including the likes of Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fishburne – and it follows the life of real-life chess prodigy Joshua Waitzkin. Waitzkin won the U.S. Junior Chess championship in both 1993 and 1994, and in 1996 he became an International Master of chess. The movie was based on Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess, a book written by Waitzkin’s father Fred.

8 Queen Of Katwe (2016)

Based on a magazine article from ESPN writer Tim Crothers, Queen of Katwe is a brilliant chess movie that concerns the real story of Phiona Mutesi. A prominent Ugandan chess player, Mutesi rose from poverty and played in various Chess Olympiads (representing her home country of Uganda) before becoming a Woman Candidate Master. Mutesi is played by Madina Nalwanga, who herself hails from Kampala, Uganda. The always amazing Lupita Nyong’o plays Mutesi’s mother, Harriet.

7 Amadeus (1984)

Amadeus is another stellar “prodigy” movie – only this one involves music, not chess. As the title suggests, this movie follows the life of Amadeus Mozart – perhaps the world’s most famous composer. While the movie is named after Mozart, it mostly concerns Antonio Salieri, a rival composer who grows jealous of the young musical prodigy. There are many parallels with The Queen’s Gambit, including Mozart’s natural talent and the competition he shares with a fellow genius.

6 Pawn Sacrifice (2014)

The title is a little goofy, but Pawn Sacrifice is another chess movie that is well worth watching. Unlike Searching for Bobby Fischer, this movie actually concerns the real Bobby Fischer. Played by Tobey Maguire, the movie follows Fischer’s career as a chess wizard and culminates in the World Chess Championship of 1972.

Played in Iceland, that year’s World Chess Championship (dubbed the Match of the Century) saw Fischer defeating Boris Spassky and ending the Soviets’ 24-year reign. The movie also shares a time period with The Queen’s Gambit, spanning the early ’50s to 1972.

5 The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game was one of the hottest movies of 2014, scoring eight Academy Award nominations and one win (Best Adapted Screenplay). The Imitation Game doesn’t concern chess (or any sport, for that matter), but it still shares a lot in common with The Queen’s Gambit. It shares a similar period setting (late ’30s through to the ’50s), and it too follows a genius who turns people away owing to his cold and detached personality.

4 Emma. (2020)

Anya Taylor-Joy was excellent in The Queen’s Gambit. Really, she’s excellent in everything. She also has a tendency for period pieces, including 2015’s The Witch and 2020’s Emma. The latter is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s iconic novel, which was originally published in December of 1815. Of course, the period detail of Emma goes way back to the early 1800s, but Taylor-Joy still fits it perfectly. If someone wants more period stuff, more Anya Taylor-Joy, and more Anya Taylor-Joy in period stuff, then Emma is their movie.

3 My Fair Lady (1964)

The costume design and fashion of The Queen’s Gambit was highly praised, so what better movie to recommend then My Fair Lady? This movie is largely concerned with high fashion and high society, as it follows Eliza Doolittle throughout her journey of becoming a member of London’s elite.

Bonus points – My Fair Lady is also a period piece, taking place in 1912. The movie is a certified classic and won eight Academy Awards at the 1965 ceremony, including Best Picture.

2 Rocky (1976)

One of the greatest aspects of The Queen’s Gambit is the underdog nature of Beth Harmon. Yes, she is a genius and a chess prodigy, but she also faces many obstacles – including her gender and general inexperience within the chess community. If the underdog aspect of The Queen’s Gambit is enjoyed, then one should definitely check out Rocky. Perhaps the most iconic underdog movie of all time, Rocky follows a poor and lonely boxer who is given the chance to fight the world champion.

1 Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Another great underdog story comes in the form of Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby. Based on the short stories of F.X. Toole, Million Dollar Baby concerns a poor waitress named Maggie Fitzgerald who is trained in boxing by an old, cranky trainer. Like The Queen’s Gambit, she makes her way up the ladder and slowly makes a name for herself in the sporting world. Unlike The Queen’s Gambit, this one doesn’t have a very happy ending. It’s a tragic movie, but a beautiful one nonetheless.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/queens-gambit-best-similar-movies/

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