There are movies we see for a good laugh, movies we watch for the excitement, chick flicks we see for a ladies' night out, and there are movies we watch because they inspire us. These movies inspire us because they are about true events and real people who went through these experiences. We can learn a lot from movies inspired by true stories. Perhaps one of these or all of these 7 Great Movies Inspired by True Stories has taught you a life lesson or two...
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1. The Sound of Music...
I couldn't imagine helping to take care of a family with this many children as well as having to flee your country because of the Nazi takeover. Maria wasn't sure where she was going in life but she found her true calling when she met the Von Trapp Family. "The Sound of Music" is a classic movie that will inspire many with it's songs and love story, but this movie inspired by true stories moved me because they looked out for one another and fled for their freedom.
2. Hoosiers...
Small town sports teams always have big hearts and big dreams to get to the top and though there are many movies out there with this theme, "Hoosiers" is a sports movie inspired by true stories about second chances as well as a small town team trying to make it to the state championship. When you have a coach with a past and a town drunk as a team player's father, no one wants to believe in you and you don't believe in yourself. But this coach is determined to fight and help his team find that winning attitude.
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3. Dangerous Minds...
This is my favorite scene in "Dangerous Minds". This is a movie inspired by true stories that many of us will never understand but like Michelle Pfeiffer's character says, "There are no victims in this classroom", meaning that everyone has a choice. The students in her classroom make a choice to get on the bus to go to school instead of dealing drugs or getting into trouble. They will continue to struggle to make the right choice, but they will always give a good fight trying and making that choice for themselves.
4. Men of Honor...
When someone tells you that you can't that means you try harder and you never give up. Whether he's a football player in Jerry Maguire, a counselor at a correctional facility in the Hallmark movie Firelight, or portraying the first African-American US Navy Diver in "Men of Honor", Cuba Gooding Jr. always plays an inspiring character to believe after. Some actors are just meant to star in movies inspired by true stories as they make the audience feel the passion and soul of the real life character.
5. Catch Me if You Can...
If there wasn't a movie inspired by true stories about Frank Abagnale Jr.'s life and the way he lived as a con man tricking people to believing he was a pilot, doctor, or lawyer at the age of 18, you wouldn't believe it! "Catch Me If You Can" may not move you in the way "The Sound of Music" moves you, but it does make you think and wonder how one person, a teen at that, could pull of all this off!
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6. Radio...
I told you Cuba Gooding Jr. knows how to touch our soul and play inspiring characters in movies inspired by true stories! This story is not just about the character "Radio", but also about the football coach who opened his heart and let this young man into his life. No one really understood the mentally challenged back in the 60s or 70s nor did they take the time to understand them and realize that they are no different than the rest of us. However, Coach Jones never gave up and his story and the story of Radio will live on to teach us all a valuable lesson.
7. Finding Neverland...
Peter Pan is a story about believing in yourself and finding that happy place within your heart. One can never truly imagine what goes on in the mind of a writer when he's inspired to make up a story, especially as one as amazing as Neverland. In this movie inspired by true stories of J.M. Barrie we get the chance to see the little boy and the woman who captured his heart and made us all believe. I wonder if they knew that they would live on forever in movies like "Finding Neverland".
8. North Country...
No woman should be told to just stand there and take it like a man when she is being harassed or be told she should leave the job if she can't take it. In "North Country" Charlize Theron's character just wants to work and be treated with respect and women every where can relate to this movie inspired by true stories because it is their story too.
9. The Pursuit of Happyness...
"The Pursuit of Happyness" may be a great because it is a movie inspired by a true story, but I also love it because of the connection Will Smith and his adorable son Jaden share on screen to bring the real life story of Chris Gardner to the hearts of everyone watching. You can feel the love and the determination Will has as the character on screen and as a father off screen and this is something that can never be made up, which is why Chris Gardner's life is all the more fascinating.
10. The King's Speech...
Could you imagine being a Royal in charge of a country but not being able to make powerful and moving speeches because you had trouble speaking? For those of us who get nervous in front of small classrooms and crowds, "The King's Speech" is a movie inspired by true stories that will encourage all of us to never give up and to never be afraid to share our thoughts. Movies like this make the Royals, Presidents, and even celebrities seem more approachable because they have insecurities just like we do.
Whether the movies inspired by true stories are about sports, a writer's inspiration, the first African American Navy Diver, or teens struggling to make the right choice, they will always move us and push us to be greater because of the real life characters that are portrayed in these movies. It's not about the actors in these movies inspired by true stories, but it does help when you have actors like Will Smith, Cuba Gooding Jr., or Charlize Theron who help make these true events more believable and the characters more likable. What are some movies inspired by true stories that made a difference in your life?
