Movies with a Message

 

Whether you’re facilitating a parenting class, want to reinforce the Four Foundations with your family or just love movies that inspire… some of these might fit the bill.  Feel free to message me with the movies your family watches over and over and over.

 

Akeelah and the Bee –Akeelah Anderson, 11, is accustomed to hiding her intelligence from the other middle school students in her South Central neighborhood.  Inspiring story of her unsought journey to the Scripps spelling bee.

Blindside – Michael Oher, a homeless teen, is taken in by an affluent Memphis couple, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.  Michael embarks on a remarkable rise to play for the NFL.

Door to Door – The story of salesman Bill Porter who did not allow his cerebral palsy to stop him from pursuing a career.

Elf – After being raised as one of Santa’s elves, Buddy travels to find his roots.

Fly Away Home – Orphaned Canada geese imprint on humans who attempt to teach them how to be geese.

Finding Nemo – A clownfish sets out on a journey to bring back his son.

How to Cook Your Life

I Am Sam – A grown man with the mental capacity of a 7-year-old fights to prove to Child Protective Services that he is a competent and loving father to his young daughter.

Knights of the South Bronx – Unemployed businessman turned teacher connects with and inspires students through chess.  Based on a true experience.

Lady and the Tramp

Lion King

Miracle – A ‘motley group’ of college athletes accomplishes the impossible, defeating the Soviet Union’s unbeaten hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Mr Holland’s Opus

Other Sister (The) – A young woman perseveres against long odds to overcome both her disability and her parents’ fears to establish a life of her own.

Paper Clips – A surprisingly uplifting documentary about  an experiment  in Holocaust education that not only taught a Tennessee community about  the enormity of the tragedy but united them with  Holocaust survivors from around the world.

Patch Adams – Medical student Hunter “Patch” Adams uses humor and compassion to cure people despite the fact that his methods could jeopardize his future in medicine.

Pay it Forward – A student responds to a school assignment with a plan to help three people who will, in turn, help three more, and so on, in an ever-widening circle.

Pursuit of Happyness (The)– A struggling single parent who’s determined to build a better life for his family. Based on the story of Chris Gardner.

Rudy – Scrawny high schooler Rudy Ruettiger dreams of playing football at Notre Dame and overcomes enormous obstacles in pursuit of his dream.

Secretariat  – The inspiring story of a Triple Crown winning race horse and the humans who helped it happen.

Seabiscuit – An under-sized Depression-era racehorse comes up big.

Short Circuit – An experimental military robot is struck by lightning, developing self-awareness and a need to prove he’s alive.

Stand and Deliver – The ‘mostly true’ story of famed East L.A. math teacher Jaime Escalante  who changes lives with AP Calculus.

Radio – A small-town high school football coach befriends a developmentally disabled man in a movies based on the real-life experiences of James Robert Kennedy.

Wall-E – A robot on an adventure provides an light-hearted look at social norms.

Young@Heart  – A group of singing senior citizens (with an average age of 80) prepare for and then perform a rock concert.