32 Movies That Are Really Just Very Engaging Conversations

Is it possible to make a great movie out of a story that is, fundamentally, not much more than just two or more people talking? Absolutely, and we have assembled plenty of examples of the most riveting conversations captured on film to prove it. The following are just a few of our picks for the best dialogue-heavy movies ever made.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Writer and director Quentin Tarantino proved he had a knack for crafting captivating dialogue by debuting with a movie that was little more than dialogue called Reservoir Dogs. The unique crime thriller is the story of a jewelry heist that we never actually see but learn about through conversations between the violent thieves involved (some of which were improvised) in scenes taking place before and after the ill-fated job.

Coherence (2013)

The less you know about co-writer and director James Ward Byrkit's Coherence – which follows a disastrous and confusing dinner party on the night a comet passes over a quiet suburb – the more rewarding the experience is. The cast, including Emily Baldoni and Nicolas Brendan, improvised 100% of their dialogue in one of the most cleverly constructed Multiverse movies ever made.

Before Sunrise (1995)

Co-writer and director Richard Linklater redefined romance movies in the mid-1990s with Before Sunrise, in which a young American man (Ethan Hawke) and a French woman (Julie Delpy) share an adventure through Vienna after a chance meeting on a train. It was followed by 2004's Before Sunset and 2013's Before Midnight, which follows later pivotal moments in their romance nine years apart.

Breathless (1960)

Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless is one of the most important films from the experimental French New Wave movement for its realistic approach to prioritizing dialogue over plot. It stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a crook on the run trying to persuade an American student journalist (Jean Seberg) to run away with him to Italy.

12 Angry Men (1957)

The most interesting moments in a legal case do not take place in the courtroom, as demonstrated in Sidney Lumet's directorial feature debut, 12 Angry Men. The film features a star-studded cast as a jury that erupts into a heated frenzy when one man (played by Henry Fonda) disagrees with the nigh-unanimous decision to convict an 18-year-old of murdering his abusive father.

Clerks (1994)

Kevin Smith became an inspiration to aspiring indie filmmakers everywhere with his debut feature, Clerks – a comedy that is simple in concept but uproarious in execution. Save one action-packed rooftop hockey match, some sick dance moves courtesy of Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), and one unexpected death, the film consists mostly of conversations between convenience store cashier Dante (Brian O'Halloran), video store employee Randal (Jeff Anderson), and others about love, the Star Wars movies, and other minor and morbid topics.

Women Talking (2022)

Based on the true story that inspired Miriam Toews' 2018 novel of the same name, Women Talking is a drama about a group of female Mennonites who discuss whether or not they should leave their village after a heartwrenching case of abuse in 2010. Writer and director Sarah Polley received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for crafting a captivating and timely drama out of this harrowing story.

Conclave (2024)

Never could we have imagined that a film about the democratic selection of the Catholic Church's next Pope would be considered one of the best movies of 2024, yet here we are. Director Edward Berger's adaptation of Robert Harris' 2016 novel, Conclave, is a thoroughly riveting thriller offering profound commentary on faith and political discourse, featuring stirring performances by Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini.

Mass (2021)

One of cinema's most powerful statements about gun violence comes from a movie by writer and director Fran Kranz (of The Cabin in the Woods fame) called Mass. The acclaimed, low-budget drama depicts a conversation between the parents of a school shooting victim (played by Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton) and a couple (played by Ann Dowd and Reed Birney) whose son was the perpetrator.

My Dinner With Andre (1981)

Perhaps the quintessential example of how a simple conversation can amount to a moving and memorable cinematic experience is director Louis Malle's My Dinner with Andre. Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn (who also penned the screenplay) portray fictional versions of themselves discussing various funny and provocative topics over a meal at a New York City restaurant.

Phone Booth (2002)

Imagine the most awkward and frustrating phone call of your life. It is probably not nearly as bad as what transpires when New York City publicist Stu Shepard (Colin Farrell) answers a ringing phone booth in Times Square only to find a deadly sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) on the opposite end who threatens to kill him if he hangs up. As tensions escalate and the police try to intervene, Stu struggles to negotiate with the psychopath for a chance to save his own life in director Joel Schumacher's Phone Booth.

The Two Popes (2019)

Andrew McCarten adapted his own play, The Pope, into director Fernando Meirelles' acclaimed Netflix original film, The Two Popes. Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce give powerhouse, Academy Award-nominated performances as Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (the future Pope Francis), who try to reach common ground during a pivotal turning point for the Catholic Church.

Locke (2013)

In the underrated, great A24 movie, Locke, Tom Hardy stars in the title role of a construction foreman taking an evening drive to London that will change his life forever. Told in real-time, writer and director Steven Knight's drama is a thoroughly absorbing one-person show told entirely through Locke's phone conversations with people played by Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Tom Holland, and more.

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Quentin Tarantino took the dialogue-heavy concept of 1992's Reservoir Dogs and, somewhat, reimagined it into one of the best Western movies of the 21st Century, The Hateful Eight. An all-star ensemble – including Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Oscar nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh – plays a group of people holed up in a cabin during a snowstorm, where no one is quite who they claim to be, in post-Civil War Wyoming.

The Invitation (2015)

One of the best horror movies that meaningfully address grief is Karyn Kusama's The Invitation, starring Logan Marshall-Green as Will, who is attending a dinner party hosted by his former wife (played by Tammy Blanchard) and her new husband (Michel Huisman). As time goes by and conversations bring unusual revelations to light, Will begins to suspect that there is a sinister ulterior motive to this gathering.

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967)

One of the best and most important Sidney Poitier movies is Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in which the Academy Award winner plays John Prentice – a Black doctor who travels with his white fiancée, Joey Drayton (Katharine Houghton), to meet her parents (played by Spener Tracy and Katharine Hepburn). Eventually, the Draytons meet John's parents (played by Roy Glenn and Beah Richards) and what ensues is a staggering, groundbreaking discussion that ultimately proves love breaks through all racial barriers.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Teenagers are often categorized by different superficial designations – i.e. brains, athletes, basket cases, princesses, and criminals – but if you were to put one of each group in a room and let them talk amongst themselves, they would come to realize they are not so different underneath. Evidence of this social experiment lies in, arguably, the greatest high school movie ever made, John Hughes' The Breakfast Club, which takes place during one life-changing Saturday morning detention.

The Big Chill (1983)

Few films have captured the essence of catching up with old friends more authentically than co-writer and director Lawrence Kasdan's influential dramedy, The Big Chill. The likes of Kevin Kline, Jeff Goldblum, Glenn Close, and more star as a group of thirty-somethings coming together for the first time since college for the funeral of a friend, where they learn more about each other, and themselves.

Carnage (2011)

The hilarious, Tony Award-winning play, God of Carnage, follows two couples who, after discovering their respective children got in a fight, agree to discuss the incident for a meeting that grows increasingly volatile as the conversation goes on. The film adaptation, simply titled Carnage, stars John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, and Kate Winslet and expertly captures its satirical depiction of disputes over class, parental philosophies, and more provocative themes.

Rope (1948)

One of the more underrated Alfred Hitchcock movies, Rope (which is amusingly shot to appear as one continuous take), is the story of two men (played by John Dall and Farley Granger) who try to convince themselves that they can get away with murder by hosting a party just moments after committing the crime. However, as the night progresses, their old school teacher, Rupert Cadell (James Stewart) begins to suspect that something is afoot.

Coffee And Cigarettes (2003)

Coffee and Cigarettes is a movie anchored by, not just one conversation, but a series of conversations that each have the eponymous objects in common. Each of writer and director Jim Jarmusch's grayscale vignettes stars a different pairing or trio of celebrities as fictionalized versions of themselves discussing a myriad of topics in a hilariously surreal fashion.

Sleuth (1972)

Anthony Shaffer adapted his own Tony Award-winning play, Sleuth, into a film starring Sir Laurence Olivier as a detective novelist who invites his wife's younger lover (played by Michael Caine) to his estate where he challenges him to a diabolical battle of wits. Caine would also star in Kenneth Branagh's 2007 adaptation, this time playing the older gentleman opposite Jude Law.

The End Of The Tour (2015)

Jason Segel gives one of his best serious performances as David Foster Wallace in director James Ponsoldt's The End of the Tour. Instead of a conventional biopic, the A24 and Sony-produced drama provides a mere snapshot of the life and career of the late Infinite Jest author by dramatizing a revealing interview he had with Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) in the mid-to-late 1990s.

The Guilty (2018)

When a German police officer (played by Jakob Cedergren) assigned to work as a dispatcher receives an alarming call from a woman claiming to be kidnapped, he cannot help himself but attempt to take matters into his own hands from behind the phone in co-writer and director Gustav Möller's The Guilty. Three years later, director Antoine Fuqua released an English-language adaptation on Netflix starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role.

Tape (2001)

One of director Richard Linklater's darkest and most intense cinematic experiments (and most overlooked films of his career) is Tape. The drama takes place entirely in one motel room and features only three characters (played by Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, and Uma Thurman) who discuss the most unsettling moments from their pasts.

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (2022)

In the Hulu-original dramedy, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Daryl McCormack plays the title role – a male escort hired by the widowed Nancy Stokes (Oscar winner Emma Thompson) to help bring some adventure into her life. While the content does get racier with each of the characters' intimate sessions, the film's most powerful moments come from their intimate conversations with one another, lending beautifully to this inspiring story of self-discovery.

Buried (2010)

Ryan Reynolds has shared in interviews that he is claustrophobic, which is why it is shocking that he agreed to star in director Rodrigo Cortes' Buried. The entire film takes place in a coffin placed six feet underground where Reynolds' Paul Conroy, equipped with a cell phone and little else, struggles to negotiate with his captors and find help before he runs out of oxygen.

Malcolm & Marie (2021)

From writer and director Sam Levinson, the Netflix original movie Malcolm & Marie is far from your typical romance film. It stars John David Washington as a filmmaker who returns home after his latest movie premiere with his girlfriend (played by Zendaya), with whom he engages in a challenging conversation regarding the state of their relationship throughout the night.

Circle (2015)

Writing and directing duo Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione's Circle is a movie kind of like Saw but more appropriate for those who prefer psychological thrills over gore. The story follows a group of 50 strangers who wake up in a mysterious chamber where they must collectively decide who among them deserves to be the sole survivor.

Lifeboat (1944)

John Steinbeck wrote the story for Alfred Hitchcock's Oscar-nominated, World War II-era thriller, Lifeboat. It is a survival story of more than one kind, following a group of people struggling to survive their harsh environment and each other while floating on open water.

Margin Call (2011)

The beginning of the 2008 financial crisis is seen through the eyes of employees at a Wall Street investment firm over the course of 24 hours in Margin Call. From writer and director J.C. Chandor, the drama features Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, Jeremy Irons, and others as financial analysts who must rush to save their company from the brink of collapse.

Slacker (1990)

Richard Linklater made his directorial feature debut with Slacker. He also stars in the quirky comedy as one of several young Texans discussing god-knows-what, one conversation at a time, over the course of one day.