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Characters: High IQ, prodigies, geniuses

by lpetrequin • Created 2 years ago • Modified 3 months ago
This collection explores the blessings and burdens of extraordinary intellect across an eclectic range of films and shows. From gifted musicians and codebreakers to remarkable savants, we gain insight into lives ruled by uncanny mental abilities. Titles feature real-life figures like chess masters Bobby Fischer and Josh Waitzkin, physicist Stephen Hawking, mathematician John Nash, computer pioneers like Steve Jobs, and many more fictional characters endowed with rare gifts. Prepare to be fascinated by these candid portraits spanning biopics, dramas, thrillers, and documentaries about some of history’s most brilliant minds.

More characters to explore:
Characters: Monarchs
Characters: Rebels
Characters: Polymaths
Characters: Writers
Characters: Singers
Characters: Filmmakers
Characters: Politicians & Influencers in History
Characters: Gangsters
Characters: Pioneers
Characters: Poets
Characters: Fashion Designers
Characters: Teachers
Characters: Painters & Sculptors
Characters: Pirates
Characters: Music Composers
Characters: Mafioso / Mobsters


*Some descriptions might have been enhanced by AI.
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  • 163 titles
  • Robin Williams and Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting (1997)

    1. Good Will Hunting

    19972h 6mR71Metascore
    8.3 (1.1M)
    Will Hunting, a janitor at MIT, has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.
    DirectorGus Van SantStarsRobin WilliamsMatt DamonBen Affleck
  • Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Abigail Breslin, Asa Butterfield, and Hailee Steinfeld in Ender's Game (2013)

    2. Ender's Game

    20131h 54mPG-1351Metascore
    6.6 (261K)
    Young Ender Wiggin is recruited by the International Military to lead the fight against the Formics, an insectoid alien race who had previously tried to invade Earth and had inflicted heavy losses on humankind.
    DirectorGavin HoodStarsHarrison FordAsa ButterfieldHailee Steinfeld
  • Andrea Parker and Michael T. Weiss in The Pretender (1996)

    3. The Pretender

    1996–200086 epsTV-14TV Series
    7.5 (18K)
    A specially gifted man, with the ability to instantly master any skill, escapes from a secret testing facility and travels the country taking on different jobs and helping strangers while hiding from his kidnappers.
    CreatorsSteven Long MitchellCraig W. Van SickleStarsMichael T. WeissAndrea ParkerPatrick Bauchau
  • August Rush (2007)

    4. August Rush

    20071h 54mPG38Metascore
    7.4 (113K)
    A musically gifted orphan, Evan, runs away from his orphanage and searches New York City for his birth parents. On his journey, he's taken under the wing of the Wizard, a homeless man who lives in an abandoned theater.
    DirectorKirsten SheridanStarsFreddie HighmoreKeri RussellJonathan Rhys Meyers
  • Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx in The Soloist (2009)

    5. The Soloist

    20091h 57mPG-1361Metascore
    6.7 (56K)
    A newspaper journalist discovers a homeless musical genius and tries to improve his situation.
    DirectorJoe WrightStarsJamie FoxxRobert Downey Jr.Catherine Keener
  • Eddie Marsan, Sally Hawkins, Rafe Spall, Jo Yang, and Asa Butterfield in A Brilliant Young Mind (2014)

    6. A Brilliant Young Mind

    20141h 51mPG-1365Metascore
    7.1 (31K)
    A socially awkward teenage maths prodigy finds new confidence and new friendships when he lands a spot on the British squad at the International Mathematics Olympiad.
    DirectorMorgan MatthewsStarsAsa ButterfieldRafe SpallSally Hawkins
  • Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, Bruce Willis, and Loren Dean in Billy Bathgate (1991)

    7. Billy Bathgate

    19911h 46mR
    5.9 (13K)
    In the year 1935, a teen named Billy Bathgate finds first love while becoming the protégé of fledgling gangster Dutch Schultz.
    DirectorRobert BentonStarsDustin HoffmanNicole KidmanLoren Dean
  • Hilary and Jackie (1998)

    8. Hilary and Jackie

    19982h 1mR78Metascore
    7.3 (11K)
    The tragic story of world renowned classic cellist Jacqueline du Pré, as told from the point of view of her sister, flautist Hilary du Pré-Finzi.
    DirectorAnand TuckerStarsEmily WatsonRachel GriffithsJames Frain
  • Vitus (2006)

    9. Vitus

    20062h 3mPG63Metascore
    7.6 (5.3K)
    A twelve-year-old piano prodigy who suffocates from his parent's big dreams for him decides to make his escape--and with the aid of his grandfather--chase his own dreams instead.
    DirectorFredi M. MurerStarsFabrizio BorsaniBruno GanzTeo Gheorghiu
  • Together (2002)

    10. Together

    20021h 56mPG60Metascore
    7.4 (4.5K)
    A violin prodigy and his father travel to Beijing, where the father seeks the means to his son's success while the son struggles to accept the path laid before him.
    DirectorKaige ChenStarsYun TangPeiqi LiuHong Chen
  • Entrusted (2003)

    11. Entrusted

    20032h 10mTV Movie
    6.3 (737)
    Hoping to entrap Maria von Gall, who runs a courageous underground railroad for Jews in France, the Germans kidnap her son Thomas, a brilliant 11-year-old chess master. An exchange arrangement goes awry and he sees her die in a hail of bullets; but he is rescued by his American father, whom he has never met before, and who plans to flee with him to Spain. However, Queen Maria had solemnly entrusted her little pawn Thomas with a precious secret and a terrifying mission, and it was time for him to move. A pawn may become an important piece by slowly, quietly, advancing all the way through the enemy's ranks, or a pawn may die trying. Retreat is what a pawn can never do.
    DirectorGiacomo BattiatoStarsKlaus Maria BrandauerThomas Brodie-SangsterGiovanna Mezzogiorno
  • Sergey (2016)

    12. Sergey

    201623mShort
    8.1 (9)
    We follow Crimean born chess prodigy Sergey Karjakin on his quest for the world championship title and the struggles of being in the middle of the political conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
    DirectorAlexander Armas Kereklidis TurpinStarsSergey KarjakinRuslan PonomariovTatyana Karjakina
  • Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Ryan Gosling in The Big Short (2015)

    13. The Big Short

    20152h 10mR81Metascore
    7.8 (512K)
    In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the United States mortgage market. In their research, they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.
    DirectorAdam McKayStarsChristian BaleSteve CarellRyan Gosling
  • Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game (2014)

    14. The Imitation Game

    20141h 54mPG-1371Metascore
    8.0 (854K)
    During World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.
    DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew Goode
  • Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind (2001)

    15. A Beautiful Mind

    20012h 15mPG-1372Metascore
    8.2 (1M)
    A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
    DirectorRon HowardStarsRussell CroweEd HarrisJennifer Connelly
  • Bill Gates and Magnus Carlsen in Magnus (2016)

    16. Magnus

    20161h 18m52Metascore
    7.1 (2.8K)
    Magnus Carlsen, Norwegian chess prodigy, becomes a grandmaster at age 13 and world champion in 2013.
    DirectorBenjamin ReeStarsMagnus CarlsenGarry KasparovViswanathan Anand
  • Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel, and Johnny Whitworth in Limitless (2011)

    17. Limitless

    20111h 45mPG-1359Metascore
    7.4 (631K)
    A mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100% of his brain's abilities transforms a struggling writer into a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with many dangers.
    DirectorNeil BurgerStarsBradley CooperAnna FrielAbbie Cornish
  • Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Strong, and Rachel McAdams in Sherlock Holmes (2009)

    18. Sherlock Holmes

    20092h 8mPG-1357Metascore
    7.6 (691K)
    Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.
    DirectorGuy RitchieStarsRobert Downey Jr.Jude LawRachel McAdams
  • Amadeus (1984)

    19. Amadeus

    19842h 40mPG87Metascore
    8.4 (449K)
    The life and work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart seen through the eyes of his contemporary and rival, Antonio Salieri.
    DirectorMilos FormanStarsF. Murray AbrahamTom HulceElizabeth Berridge
  • Chris Evans and Mckenna Grace in Gifted (2017)

    20. Gifted

    20171h 41mPG-1360Metascore
    7.6 (152K)
    Frank, a single man raising his child prodigy niece Mary, is drawn into a custody battle with his mother.
    DirectorMarc WebbStarsChris EvansMckenna GraceLindsay Duncan
  • Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network (2010)

    21. The Social Network

    20102hPG-1395Metascore
    7.8 (792K)
    As Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.
    DirectorDavid FincherStarsJesse EisenbergAndrew GarfieldJustin Timberlake
  • Max Pomeranc in Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

    22. Searching for Bobby Fischer

    19931h 49mPG89Metascore
    7.4 (44K)
    A prepubescent chess prodigy is encouraged to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.
    DirectorSteven ZaillianStarsJoe MantegnaBen KingsleyMax Pomeranc
  • Rebecca Ferguson, Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Radu Spinghel, Ilia Jessica Castro, Zac Efron, Martha Nichols, Christina Glur, Shannon Holtzapffel, Zendaya, Keala Settle, Jonathan Redavid, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Luciano Acuna Jr., Daniel Everidge, Skylar Dunn, Timothy Hughes, Cameron Seely, Sam Humphrey, Yusaku Komori, and Danial Son in The Greatest Showman (2017)

    23. The Greatest Showman

    20171h 45mPG48Metascore
    7.5 (331K)
    Celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
    DirectorMichael GraceyStarsHugh JackmanMichelle WilliamsZac Efron
  • Ethan Hawke in Tesla (2020)

    24. Tesla

    20201h 42mPG-1367Metascore
    5.1 (11K)
    A freewheeling take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla, his interactions with Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan's daughter Anne, and his breakthroughs in transmitting electrical power and light.
    DirectorMichael AlmereydaStarsEthan HawkeEve HewsonEli A. Smith
  • August Rush (2007)

    25. August Rush

    20071h 54mPG38Metascore
    7.4 (113K)
    A musically gifted orphan, Evan, runs away from his orphanage and searches New York City for his birth parents. On his journey, he's taken under the wing of the Wizard, a homeless man who lives in an abandoned theater.
    DirectorKirsten SheridanStarsFreddie HighmoreKeri RussellJonathan Rhys Meyers

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