Movies

Here are some great inspirational movies -- some make you want to be a better person, and others show how great people did great things--and maybe you could do something great, too!  Note that I use ClearPlay to filter out objectionable content.  Also note that all of these movies listed here are based at least somewhat on true stories, though there are many movies as well that are inspirational that are not.

Chariots of Fire [PG] is an inspiring movie.  In this movie, determination exhibited through runners going for the Olympics.

Cool Runnings [PG] is also inspirational.  Instead of a movie about running, however, this movie is actually about bob-sledding.  In this movie, Jamaicans decide to create a bob-sled team.

Field of Dreams [PG] is an inspiring movie as well.  In it, a man believes that if he builds a baseball field out in the middle of a corn field, that people will come.  "If you build it, they will come."

The Greatest Game Ever Played [PG] is an inspiring golf movie based on a true story.

Julie & Julia [PG-13] is actually based on two true stories.  Two people who are crazy about food.  One a famous cook, and the other a blogger about food.

Miracle [PG] This is a true story about the US Olympic hockey team.

Moneyball [PG-13] is actually more about the money side of the game than it is the actual baseball.  Very interesting how a kid turned the game on its head by focusing on pure statistics instead of what people thought were good baseball players.

October Sky [PG] is about the determination to build a rocket.

Pirates of Silicon Valley [PG] is a great one.  It's the true story of Bill Gates, creator of Microsoft, and Steve Jobs, creator of Apple, and their interactions.  Very interesting.  Lots of interesting facts here.  Xerox, makers of the Xerox photo-copiers, had think tanks, and they did a lot of thinking and came up with a lot of ideas, including the Graphical User Interface (GUI), such as the windowing environment in Windows and Mac Operating Systems.  Steve Jobs saw this and created the Mac.  Bill Gates saw this, and asked questions about it to Steve Jobs.  Some developers start talking about how the mouse works, and Steve Jobs says, "OK, that's enough," and has them leave.  Bill Gates keeps telling Steve Jobs that it's IBM that's the enemy, not him.  Oh, and before all that, it shows how Bill Gates was a great poker player--literally and figuratively.  He set up a contract to sell instances of DOS, the Disk Operating System, to IBM.  In this part of the movie, everything freezes, and Bill Gate's partner gets up and talks to the camera.  He explains how they didn't even have DOS yet.  After the meeting with IBM, they go to the owner of DOS and buy it from him for a couple thousand or something.  And the rest is history...  Very interesting history.  Oh, it also mentions how Wozniak, Steve Job's partner, said that before they sell a personal computer, they'd have to get permission from Hewlett-Packard, because that's where he worked.  The movie shows the folks at HP saying that it was ok, and "who would ever want a personal computer?"  Hind sight is 20-20.  Great movie...

The Rookie [PG] is an inspiring movie about a baseball pitcher who pitches really fast, and his trying to get into the game at a late age.  Based on a true story.  This, like many other DVDs based on a true story, is very interesting to watch, especially with the bonus material.  It is interesting to see the actual people--how different they look from the Hollywood actors.

Seabiscuit [PG-13] is a horse story, based on a true story.

Secretariat [PG] is another horse story.  It has funny as well as dramatic parts.  It's interesting to see the determination that the people have and what they go through to make it happen.  It is also interesting to see what they sacrifice as far as their family life and life balance goes.  Sometimes it makes you wonder if it's worth it, and where do you draw the line.

The Social Network [PG-13] is intense--even when watching it with ClearPlay.  It's interesting to see how Facebook evolved.  The creator started with a website that showed pictures of girls and people would give them a thumbs up or thumbs down.  This was on the Harvard campus.  Mark Z., who eventually started Facebook, was at Harvard at the time.  He worked for two guys to come up with a website for Harvard, and but kept the project for himself.  It's interesting to see, also, his friend early on who goes looking for funding, but gets the short end of the stick.  Lots of interesting things in this one.  Based off of the true book called "Accidental Billionaires."

Sound of Music [G] is the fun, classical story of the Vontrap family singers, based on the true story.

We Bought a Zoo [PG] is a fun family movie.  It shows how rewarding a lot of hard work can be, even if you don't know the domain to begin with.  It also shows some family/teen struggles.  It's interesting to note the differences in the real story (in Europe) and the movie (California).  It's also interesting to see the real people vs. Hollywood.

What other movies do you find inspiring?