Top 10 Inspirational Movies

With so many amazing movies out there, it is hard to come up with 10 that we think are the most inspirational.  In some ways, we agree with AFI’s Top Inspirational Movies, but we added a few of our own.

If you’re curious, we used a rating system based on the five major components of inspirational movies:  a likeable hero, the overcoming of obstacles, acts of selflessness, and (most importantly) whether or not you feel good after watching.  At the prompting of the author’s husband, we added a category for inspirational music.  Because truthfully, doesn’t really go down in history as a crazy-inspirational movie if the music doesn’t do that thing to your belly.

It’s also good to be inspired to do something with this newly acquired inspiration.  We didn’t count that as part of the grading criteria, because we didn’t want to have to include An Inconvenient Truth or that Sarah McLaughlin ASPCA commercial.  We decided to keep it light(ish).  Without further ado, here are the top ten inspirational movies.

10.  Star Wars IV:  A New Hope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHfLyMAHrQE

Bottom Line:  do you feel good when this movie is over?  Never better, right?  It’s a combination of a truly inspirational theme song, a likable bunch of heroes (Han Solo being the MOST likeable, of course), overcoming obstacles like Darth Vader and a whole Galactic Empire, and did we mention the inspirational music?  Bonus points for the triumphant whinny of Chewbacca upon receipt of his medal.  Pretty darn inspirational.

9.  My Left Foot

My Left Foot actually ranked on par with Good Will Hunting, scoring higher in the Overcoming Obstacles category, but lower in the Hero Likability category.  We don’t remember any particularly inspirational tunes, and the main character wasn’t particularly selfless.  We can’t deny the awesomeness that 1) this is based on a true story and 2) the guy learned to paint and write with ONLY his left foot, so this ranks higher on the list than Damon and Affleck’s Opus.  Do we feel good when it’s over?  Sure.  We’re not dancing, but sure.

8.  Cinderella Man

Where did we get the term “Cinderella Story”, anyway?  Well, it comes from the fairytale about a poor unloved girl who sleeps in the fireplace but overcomes all odds to become a princess who lives happily ever after.  In the case of James J. Braddock, his victory did not come at a ball that he traveled to and from in a converted pumpkin.  It came in the boxing ring as a washed-up boxer who went on to become a world champion.  Obstacles?  Oh, just the threat of failure, a previously broken hand and a little thing we called The Great Depression.  Inspirational music?  Not so much that we remember.  Selflessness?  Not as much as some, but more than others.  Do we feel good?  We feel awesome!

7.  Chariots of Fire

Inspirational tunes?  Check.  Overcoming obstacles like anti-Semitism in the 1924 Olympics?  Check.  Acts of selflessness?  Not so much, especially in sports movies.  Chariots of Fire is a classic inspirational movie from back when they tried to make every movie an inspirational movie (what other explanation do you have for the end of Teen Wolf?).  Do we feel good at the end of it?  You betcha.  Bonus points for the Flying Scotsman and his running mission from God.

6.  Good Will Hunting

Will Hunting is likeable enough, though his fits of outrage rank him lower than some of our heroes on this list.  He did overcome the obstacle of his meager beginnings to show off his big ‘ol brain, but wasn’t particularly selfless in the process.  Do you feel good when it’s over?  Sure.  He goes after the girl, he’s really smart, his friends will understand…Does the music make you want to pump your fists in the air.  Not so much, though we don’t ever disparage Elliot Smith.  We’re just glad they never made the sequel joked about in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back…or are we?

5.  It’s A Wonderful Life

Say what you will, but this is a movie about a guy who gets to see what the world would be like without him.  And, lucky for George Bailey, the world is a pretty crappy place without him, so he gets another chance to come back and appreciate his life.  As a side note, how hard could life be if you’re married to Donna Reed?  I guess we could ask Tony Owen…

Music?  Not so much.  Selflessness?  Well, George did stay home from college so his brother could go, but he did so much bellyaching about it we don’t think it counts.  But ol’ George was pretty likeable, Mr. Potter was a fairly decent-sized obstacle to overcome, and we sure do feel good when that bell rings.

4.  The Pursuit of Happyness

Now, we realize that some people might say that this movie belongs at number one.  Others might argue that it doesn’t belong on the list at all.  We give it a ten for overcoming obstacles, because to go from being a failed bone density scanner salesman to being the crazy entrepreneur that Chris Gardner turned out to be is pretty amazing.  We give it an in-between rating for selflessness, because the short-term homelessness, etc. could have been avoided if it weren’t for that unending ambition, but then the movie wouldn’t have rated as high in the overcoming obstacles category.  You can’t have your cake and eat it too, people.  Will Smith was pretty likeable as Chris Gardner, and you felt good at the end, mainly because you felt so crappy through most of the beginning and middle of the movie.

3.  La Vita E Bella (Life Is Beautiful)

If you know nothing else about this movie other than Roberto Benigni’s exuberant Oscar acceptance speech you should stop reading and head directly to your video store.  Do not pass Go.  If you have seen it, you will agree that the Hero-Likeability-a-Meter is off the charts for this movie, as Benigni’s Guido is charming and loveable all the way through.  Acts of selflessness abound as Guido and his son are taken to a concentration camp, where Guido convinces his 5-year-old that they are playing a great game and that the prize will be a tank with guns.  He keeps up this charade to minimize the horror going on around them, and because of this obstacles are defeated.  Do you feel good?  Yeah, you’re laughing through your tears.  Music?  You don’t even notice it.  What happens?  Not telling.

2.  Stand & Deliver

It was hard to pick from all the “difficult class with inspirational teacher” movies.  Coach Carter was in the running, as was The Freedom Writers and Lean On Me.  Stand & Deliver won by a margin, mainly because of the stunning performance of Edward James Olmos as Jamie Escalante and partially because the author is a rabid Battlestar Galactica fan (joke…or is it?).  Based on a true story, Jamie Escalante taught math and hope and passion to a group of dispassionate high school kids and we believed every minute of the movie.  The music?  It’s a wash.  There are some great songs by Los Illegals, but the theme song was by Mr. Mister, so it’s null.  Did we feel good when it was over.  Heck yeah.  Bonus points for making us all want to be teachers, just for that five minutes.

1.  Rocky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj0jzepk0WA

We really hate to be predictable, but it’s undeniable.  Rocky is perhaps the biggest, feel-goodest inspirational movies of all time.  Amazing theme song, underdog champion, Sylvester Stallone…you can’t get any better than that.  He is likeable, even if he is unintelligible, and you are rooting for him…really rooting for him…even when he does the raw egg drink thing.  You think “Man, that is dedication there”.  And it is.  Do you feel good when it’s over?  You’re ready to go a few rounds with Apollo Creed yourself.  Well?  Aren’t you?

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