6 Best Career Change and Reinvention Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 13, 2026

Walking away from an old life to build a new one is a universal fantasy, and these films treat it with warmth. Wild follows a grieving woman on a solo hike to rebuild herself, Eat Pray Love sends a divorcee around the world in search of balance, and Julie & Julia intercuts a blogger’s cooking project with Julia Child’s own culinary start. Military Wives, Under the Tuscan Sun and Baby Boom show other ways to start fresh.

Military Wives (2019)

TMDB ★ 6.7

Women on a military base form a choir to cope with the stress of their deployed partners.

Directed by Peter Cattaneo · 1h 53m

Where to watch

Stream: Wonder Project Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Wild (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 88% Metacritic 74

A grieving woman hikes eleven hundred miles alone to rebuild herself from nothing.

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée · 1h 55m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars13 wins & 70 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Eat Pray Love (2010)

IMDb ★ 5.9 RT 34% Metacritic 50

A recently divorced woman travels the world in search of pleasure, faith and balance.

Directed by Ryan Murphy · 2h 13m · Rated PG-13

2 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Julie & Julia (2009)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A modern blogger cooking through a legendary chef's cookbook finds her story intertwined with the chef's.

Directed by Nora Ephron · 2h 03m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

TMDB ★ 6.5

A recently divorced writer impulsively buys a crumbling villa in Italy to rebuild her life.

Directed by Audrey Wells · 1h 53m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Baby Boom (1987)

TMDB ★ 6.4

A high-powered career woman's life is turned upside down when she unexpectedly inherits a baby.

Directed by Charles Shyer · 1h 50m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Career Change and Reinvention Movies

Military Wives (2019)

Wild (2014)

Eat Pray Love (2010)

Julie & Julia (2009)

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

Baby Boom (1987)

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