Many of you know that I am an actor
and that I’ve been in the theater, tv and films for almost thirty years. Some of you may know that I started as a Salsa dancer in NYC and eventually dance classical ballet.
Can you imagine how exciting it is to travel around the world and meeting great people while doing something that you are passionate about…and being paid?!?!
It is very hard work, but I’ve learn
so much from these experiences.
My passion for life, people, theater,
dance, and acting energize my passion for teaching and martial arts. I’m sure
you can see this when I teach or do an event.
One of my favorite things to do is
watch movies that have powerful life lessons in them.
One of the things that I will be
doing in my 2012 summer program is teaching life lessons and character enhancement
skills using movies, vignettes and role-playing.
So one of my research assignments in
preparation for the summer program is to watch many, if not all, of my favorite
movies. Very cool…
So, today’s post is different from
usual. We’re going to take a journey into the topic of movies – specifically,
movies with meaningful life lessons for us to learn. Not all the movies may be
appropriate for all ages, however, we can draw some valuable life lessons from
them.
So, get some popcorn before you
continue reading! :)
I’ve put together a list of top
movies with important life lessons for us to learn. The films complete with
trailers, descriptions, and some with my personal reviews if I’ve watched them
before. Following that is a condensed list of more movies with meaningful life
lessons which I will be adding to as I move forward in my preparation for my 2012Summer program. There are videos throughout this post.
If you’ve watched any of them, feel
free to give your reviews/take in the comments area
(no spoilers please!). Also feel free to recommend
your favorite inspiring movies so I (and others) can check them out.
I dislike spoilers, so there aren’t
any here (nothing that gives away the film anyway). Read on without reservations :)
Not in any order of importance.
Bruce Almighty is a fun film with a meaningful message
embedded in it. It’s about a TV reporter who has a constant string of bad
things happen to him. He complains that God is doing a poor job as a God – at
which point God appeared to him and offered him all his powers to see if he can
do a better job. Along the way, he learns lessons that changed his life.
On the whole I think the messages
can be played up more – the humor tends to take over the film sometimes,
possibly to cater to the mainstream audience. Great weekend film to watch with
friends.
A while back my wife rented the
movie Peaceful Warrior thinking that I would enjoy it. Boy was
she right (as always). I love this movie and it’s one of my favorites. I also
got turned on to the work, books and writings of the writer, Dan Millman.
Based on Way of The Peaceful Warrior (book), the film features Dan,
a student from U.C. Berkeley who has everything a college student could
possibly want – the looks, fame, great friends, attention from every girl and
talent in his gymnastics, his passion. Yet, he’s unhappy, deeply troubled and
has trouble sleeping at night. One night, he meets a spiritual guide and from
there his journey of self-discovery begins.
I like the Peaceful Warrior and
there are many meaningful messages littered throughout the movie. In fact, I’ve
also included several of the quotes in my upcoming inspiring
quotes of all time series. Some of my favorites are:
·
“There is never nothing going on.
There are no ordinary moments.”
·
“The ones who are hardest to love
are usually the ones who need it the most.”
·
“Death isn’t sad. The sad thing is:
most people don’t live at all.”
·
“A warrior is not about perfection
or victory or invulnerability. He’s about absolute vulnerability. That is the
only true courage.”
There’s definitely some good stuff
in this movie, especially evidenced by the rave reviews by others. For those
who are looking for a deeper meaning in
life, this is a great movie to get you started.
The Family Man is a comedy drama about a highly successful,
single investment banker who gets to experience how his life would have been if
he made a different decision 13 years ago (i.e. choosing to stay with his
girlfriend over a fast-lane career). It’s a movie with a ‘what if I had done
this instead?’ experience and contrasts the life of one with great wealth and
success vs. a quiet family life.
It’s a great movie to that sparks
thoughts about your life, though I’m not exactly in agreement with the indirect
message the movie sends that life has to be an either/or scenario (in this
case, wealth vs. family). It encourages people to justify not pursuing career /
wealth goals because they have a family or that they shouldn’t pursue love /
have a family because they’re busy with their career. Both are achievable (or else
top business people/CEOs/the best performers in their fields would all be
singletons, which isn’t the case) – it’s a matter of growing and expanding our
capacity.
What I do like is it gets you to
reflect on what you’re currently doing in your life. If you continue what you’re
doing today, where is it going to lead you? A life of achievements and wealth
but with no real friends or loved ones to speak of? A life spent conforming to
norms and never taking action to pursue your real goals and dreams? A life just
living for others but not for yourself? Someone bitter at life and at the end
of it all, yourself? And is this life what you want? If not, what are you going
to do to change this outcome?
Click is about a man who receives a magical remote
controller that allows him to flash back, stop and fast forward through time.
He uses it to skip past moments in life that he finds mundane/boring (e.g.,
family dinner, shower, time taken to get to the next promotion, when he’s
sick). Initially it seems fun, but after a while he found it comes with
unexpected consequences, which you have to watch to find out.
Forget the demeanor of the
trailer/marketing that comes across as your typical Hollywood, slapstick
comedy. This really isn’t. At first it may seem like that, but halfway through
you realize there’s something deeper that the story is driving. It gets you to
think about life’s moments and how every moment is no less important than
another. IMO, it drives home the message that “every moment is a moment to be
lived” more strongly than Peaceful Warrior.
I really, really love this
film and highly recommend this to everyone.
Forrest Gump is another movie that I really, really
love. Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on
the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by
Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise.
The story depicts several decades in the life of
Forrest Gump, a naive and slow-witted native of Alabama who witnesses, and in
some cases influences, some of the defining events of the latter half of the
20th century.
I was so emotional as I could connect with Forrest
on so many levels. Growing up I always felt like the underdog and I persevered
like Forrest to achieve some success / significance in my life. Now for some of
the lessons:
- Honesty is the best policy – throughout the movie Forrest is always honest and even though people do take advantage of his honesty it builds his integrity as a person.
- Follow your heart – Forrest never gives up on his dreams and when he starts some new project he sees it through to the end.
- Help other people – while in Vietnam Forrest saves many of his fellow soldiers in a selfless act that wins in the Congregational Medal of Honor.
- Love unconditionally – Forrest loved his mother and Jenny unconditionally. He wins the love of Jenny in the end but he always gave more then he received.
I’m interested to hear what others liked about this
movie which won Tom Hanks his 2nd Best Actor Oscar.
A non-fiction movie on Law of
Attraction and positive thinking. Law of Attraction refers to the idea that
both your conscious and subconscious thoughts affect your outcomes in life,
whether through the sub-consciousness and consciousness. The movie took the
world by storm and has been featured on Oprah, The Ellen Show, Larry King,
among countless other mainstream media.
I watched this movie when I heard
about it from friends on www.the100.me back in
2009. At that time I was new to the concept of the LoA, so learning it from the
show was definitely intriguing. I’ve since learned more about LoA from reading
other blogs and came to appreciate it even more. Basically the concept of LoA
syncs with a lot of things I’ve come to conclude from my own experience, so it
was more of an affirmation for me.
20 minute clip of the beginning of
The Secret
The combination of the imagery,
music and the idea of a loose story line weaved in a documentary style with
examples drove a very powerful message. Throughout watching the show and
afterward, I felt more conscious than my usual self. Just watching this once a
week/month can create an upward shift in your consciousness in the long-term
(of course, don’t fall into the trap of a self-help junkie – ultimately
self-help resources are meant to accentuate actions you’re taking in life – of course
this is my humble opinion, as always). I recommend all of you watch this and maybe
even get the DVD, since
it has high replay value. The core message applies to you no matter what stage
of life you’re at.
There are many LoA detractors out
there who feel LoA is a hoax. Based on what I’ve read, their thoughts and
opinions seem to be a result of a misunderstanding of the concept.
There’s also a companion book of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I haven’t read it before but I
gather it’s similar in its overall message with the film.
The Bucket List
(movie) is about 2 terminally ill men who cross paths in a hospital after they
were diagnosed with lung cancer. Through their treatments, they befriend each
other. They decided to embark on a trip to fulfill their bucket list – a list
of things they want to do before they die.
I’ve not watched The Bucket List before but I read about the idea
elsewhere. I embrace the concept of bucket lists personally.
The winning point of the movie is
really the simplicity. It drives home the values of determination, persistence /
never giving up, hard work, self-belief and friendship. I love the opening
(watch clip above) which shares Jordan’s childhood scene with his Dad, and then
the transition to the present day Michael. I got goose bumps watching it. R
Kelly’s I Believe I Can Fly is a perfect theme song for the movie.
There is a joke on piracy in the
middle of the film (when Bugs and Daffy are in Michael’s house) which I lol-ed
when I heard it. You have to watch to find out what it is :D.
Lion King is an all-time classic and
hands down the best hand-drawn animated film of all time. Even with all
the 3-D films released today (which are great in their own right), none of them
come close to matching Lion King in terms of raw quality and appeal. 
If you haven’t watched Lion King
before, please rent/buy/borrow a copy and watch it. I’ve probably watched over
10 times – maybe it’s because I
have kids…hmmm I wonder. I never fail to get emotional during the key
scene in the 2nd quarter of the film (those who watched it before will know
which one). I continue to re-watch the film once every every so often (again,
with the kids? Hmm..) and continue to be moved each time because the story just
never gets old. It speaks of love, responsibility, courage and strength.
Pay It Forward is about a young boy who creates a good-will
movement, where he helps 3 people with something they can’t do themselves. The
recipient cannot return the favor and must “pay it forward” by helping 3 other
people. The film starts off a little slow, but does pick up mid-way. 3/4s
through the film, everything starts to fall into place and the ending is a tear-inducing
one. I like how the things unexpectedly reconnect throughout the film. It’s a
film of kindness, generosity, warmth and gratitude.
The
Pursuit of Happyness is about a salesman who undergoes defeats, challenges
and hardship (his wife leaving him, being rendered homeless) to secure a better
living for his son. Throughout his journey, he never once gave up, and stood
firm to his goals. The mood of the show is slow and somber, intended for the
audience to experience more fully what the character is going through. Besides
determination, self-belief, persistence and going after our dreams, the story
also speaks strongly of a dad’s love for his child.
If you feel like you’ve been down
and out in life and just about had enough of it, you should check out this
film. It’s based on Chris Gardner‘s true story.
Yes Man! is about a bank employee
(Jim Carrey) who kept saying no to everything in his life until an experience
in a motivational seminar changes him to say Yes! to everything that comes his
way.
How many times do you say no in
life? Do you shut out opportunities without even realizing? Is it about time
you say yes to things that come your way? This movie will get you thinking.
More Films
With Lessons To Learn
· Shawshank
Redemption – A story showing how your hope and outlook in life is what
shapes your life experience, regardless of where you may be (prison or “free”
in the world). (It’s quite evident that creators of Prison Break drew
inspiration from this film!)
· Memento – A psychological thriller, except that it’s
not your typical one. It’s about a man with anterograde amnesia (a condition
where the brain unable to store new memories) who seeks to find justice for his
wife’s murder. The fact is I don’t watch thrillers at all, but a friend
recommended this to me and I was very impressed by it after watching. For one,
Memento is a very smart film executed in a very unique fashion. The film’s
events unfold in two separate, alternating narratives — one in color, and the
other in black and white. The black and white scenes are told in chronology,
while the color scenes are in reverse chronology. By the time the film ends,
both narratives converge to shed light on whole investigation. There are different
takeaways depending on the viewer. For me it spoke how people put themselves in
a state of self-denial and the self-created fantasies, and because of that they
pursue a hollow life, putting themselves in pain/anguish.
· The Butterfly Effect – This is a
film of a man who desperately goes back in time to try to change the future for
the better, with unexpected consequences each time. The butterfly effect is the
phenomenon whereby one little action (the flutter of a butterfly) magnifies
over time into a huge effect in the long-run (think along the lines of a
tornado). I have the DVD and I have only watched it once because the show is
overall very somber and depressing. However, it does have an important message
in the film. Many people often wonder “What if I did this?” “What if I did
that?”. The point is, we can’t change something without affecting something
else in our life. Every decision we make comes with its downsides and upsides,
and it’s our role to make the best out of the outcome, rather than regret and
wish we did something else (because it is already in the past). Looking
backwards prevent us from truly living our life. In the film you can see the
character oblivious to everything that’s happening in the present because he is
too busy trying to go back in time to change things. I won’t spoil the ending
for you – watch the film and catch the outcome yourself.
· Groundhog Day
(recommended by reader Sumit) – A disgruntled TV weather man finds repeating a
day over and over again, where only he himself remembers the past day’s events.
At first he uses it for his personal advantage; but after a while he starts to
evaluate his life and priorities.
· Rocky
series – An underdog club fighter who overcomes all odds to become the
world heavyweight champion of all time.
· The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button – An interesting tale of a man who is born in his
eighties and ages backwards. Through the film, he experiences the human joys of
love, departure, life and death
· Up in the Air
– It’s about a corporate downsizer who travels around the world helping
companies lay off people. His life philosophy is about being non-commitment –
detaching oneself from things, locations, and especially relationships. Through
the course of the film, he meets people who gets him thinking otherwise. I
watched Up in the Air but felt that the film didn’t resonate with me. Instead, I
felt I was being set up throughout the film for an outcome which never took
place. I’m putting it here as there seem to be many rave reviews of it – You
might get a different experience watching it.
· Inception
– Of course, who can forget Inception, the 2010 hit film. While it has been
better remembered as an action/heist film, there are many personal development
lessons to take away from it too.
There was a man named Dale. Dale spent over 70 years of his life learning ways to win friends and influence people. He became highly skilled and well respected. In the process, he took careful notes and eventually wrote a book.
There was another man by the name of Vic. Vic went to college to become a doctor. He then continued his education and became a psychiatrist. He too spent about 70 years of his life researching and learning. He concentrated on learning the meaning of life and helping others find meaning in their lives. Along the way, he also took careful notes and wrote a book.
There was once a poor black girl who liked to read. Today Oprah Winfrey is one of the wealthiest and most influential women in the world. 
