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Beating a Rigged Game

A run of fact-based portraits of sharp outsiders who out-hustle the institutions built to keep them out — poker tables, front offices, corporate lawyers, and a class-obsessed sport.

Crowd-pleasers with awards-season polish and big lead performances — easy, energizing watches that go down smooth, though I, Tonya turns notably darker than its siblings.

• Moneyball (2011)
• Erin Brockovich (2000)
• Molly's Game (2017)
• I, Tonya (2017)
• Dark Waters (2019) — The overlooked one that rhymes hardest with Erin Brockovich — a corporate defense lawyer flips sides to spend decades bleeding a chemical giant over poisoned water, the same fact-based David-vs-institution grind, just quieter and grimmer.