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Movies That Capture the Spirit of the Underdog

Movies That Capture the Spirit of the Underdog

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Movies That Capture the Spirit of the Underdog

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

49. The Outsiders (1983)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

48. Adventureland (2009)

Courtesy of Miramax

47. About a Boy (2002)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

46. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

45. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)

Courtesy of Miramax

44. Elephant (2003)

Courtesy of Fine Line Features

43. Clueless (1995)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

42. Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

41. School of Rock (2003)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

40. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Courtesy of Code Red

39. Slacker (1990)

Courtesy of Orion Classics

38. Barfly (1987)

Courtesy of The Cannon Group

37. Let Me in (2010)

Courtesy of Overture Films

36. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

35. Knocked Up (2007)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

34. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

33. Polyester (1981)

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

32. Female Trouble (1974)

Courtesy of Saliva Films

31. Hairspray (1988)

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

30. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

29. The Full Monty (1997)

Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

28. Happiness (1998)

Courtesy of Good Machine

27. Raising Arizona (1987)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

26. Ghost World (2001)

Courtesy of United Artists

25. Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)

Courtesy of Columbia TriStar Home Video

24. Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

23. Zombieland (2009)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

22. Superbad (2007)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

21. Adaptation. (2002)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

20. American Splendor (2003)

Courtesy of HBO Films

19. Clerks (1994)

Courtesy of Miramax

18. Juno (2007)

Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

17. High Fidelity (2000)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

16. Barton Fink (1991)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

15. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

Courtesy of Avenue Pictures Productions

14. The Big Lebowski (1998)

Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures

13. Rushmore (1998)

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

12. The Breakfast Club (1985)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

11. The Social Network (2010)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

10. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

9. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

8. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Courtesy of Focus Features

7. American Beauty (1999)

Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

6. Groundhog Day (1993)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

5. Trainspotting (1996)

Courtesy of Miramax

4. Stand by Me (1986)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

3. The Elephant Man (1980)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

2. Paris, Texas (1984)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

1. Taxi Driver (1976)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Movies That Capture the Spirit of the Underdog
49. The Outsiders (1983)
48. Adventureland (2009)
47. About a Boy (2002)
46. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
45. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)
44. Elephant (2003)
43. Clueless (1995)
42. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
41. School of Rock (2003)
40. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
39. Slacker (1990)
38. Barfly (1987)
37. Let Me in (2010)
36. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
35. Knocked Up (2007)
34. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
33. Polyester (1981)
32. Female Trouble (1974)
31. Hairspray (1988)
30. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
29. The Full Monty (1997)
28. Happiness (1998)
27. Raising Arizona (1987)
26. Ghost World (2001)
25. Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
24. Boys Don't Cry (1999)
23. Zombieland (2009)
22. Superbad (2007)
21. Adaptation. (2002)
20. American Splendor (2003)
19. Clerks (1994)
18. Juno (2007)
17. High Fidelity (2000)
16. Barton Fink (1991)
15. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
14. The Big Lebowski (1998)
13. Rushmore (1998)
12. The Breakfast Club (1985)
11. The Social Network (2010)
10. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
9. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
8. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
7. American Beauty (1999)
6. Groundhog Day (1993)
5. Trainspotting (1996)
4. Stand by Me (1986)
3. The Elephant Man (1980)
2. Paris, Texas (1984)
1. Taxi Driver (1976)

Movies That Capture the Spirit of the Underdog

People who have quirky personas are often defined as losers and outcasts, but are often just misunderstood. Many famous celebrities who are beloved today describe themselves as former outcasts. But what about movies that capture that same spirit?

Movies about underdogs are films that highlight characters with unique personalities who aren't typically accepted by their peers or society. It doesn't make them bad people. It just means they usually march to the beat of their own drum.

To determine the best movies that capture the spirit of the underdog, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of May 2024, weighting all ratings equally.

Only movies with at least 1,000 reviews on IMDb were considered, and documentaries were not excluded. Director information is from IMDb.

This post was updated June 20th, 2025, to reflect additional information.

Here are the best movies that capture the spirit of the underdog.

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