Have you ever felt unmotivated or thought, “I’m only one person, I can’t make that big of a difference.”? Most of us have at some point. Next time you catch yourself feeling this way, re-visit JPD! Movies are a great way to become inspired, and here are short descriptions of some of the most inspiring movies about people, just like you and I, who have made great strides in our history or within their own lives:

The Pursuit of Happiness is a great, inspirational movie that will motivate you to never give up. Starring Will Smith as Christopher Gardner, this film relays Gardner’s struggle with money and divorce. Throughout the movie, Gardner faces struggle after struggle with losing even more money than he was earning through investments, and eventually, it begins to negatively impact his family, and he is forced to leave his home. After seeing how accomplished Gardner turned out to be after all that struggle will inspire viewers greatly. The message is that no matter the hardship you face, you too can be successful with hard work and positivity.

Coach Carter is another inspirational movie starring a determined and driven character, Coach Ken Carter. In this movie, Ken decides to coach a basketball team from the “wrong side of the tracks”. The behaviour of the players caused coach Carter to become frustrated and impatient with them quickly, but with an optimistic mindset and a lot of motivation, he was able to push them to the finals, winning every game in their season.

Steve Jobs is a well-known, modern movie that stars Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs. Jobs was immensely successful in his 56 years in the world. After his death, the cast and crew came together to commemorate his life and his success in this movie. Jobs had countless accomplishments throughout his life, but perhaps his biggest accomplishment was being the CEO, chairman and co-founder of Apple. Despite his big successes, Steve Jobs faced struggles before this. He dealt with cancer for over 10 years, struggled to launch Apple, along with other things described in this popular, inspirational movie.

Hidden Figures is an excellent movie that depicts the adversity of racism and sexism, especially in the past. There are three main characters; Katherin, Dorothy and Mary, who are loosely based on real people. These characters face immense struggles with the society they were living in, yet they strived for their goals despite these challenges and were rewarded for their hard efforts, despite their race or gender. This movie gives viewers a clear glimpse into the past and how some people were forced to live because of the colour of their skin, and it shows how strong these 3 female leads were to succeed despite these challenges.

Into the Wild is a commonly known movie about renewing oneself while exploring the wild. This movie is about Christopher McCandless. In 1990, he set out on an adventure with minimal supplies to survive the wild. He was only 22 when he started this journey to escape the hardships he was facing at home and in his life. His journey lasted approximately 2 years. However, during this time he found himself through Alaskan nature and surviving on his own for a long time. Since the non-fiction book and movie have been released, many people have travelled the same path he walked to find themselves and to figure out their lives as he did. However, the people who take this journey nowadays come much more prepared, and most don’t stay out for as long as McCandless did. This movie is inspirational and has inspired many people to take a risk and to be bold to find their love for themselves alone.

Lastly, a movie that has inspired countless people is Blindside. This movie is about a homeless teenager named Michael who meets a family that takes him in and helps him to achieve his goals. They enroll him in school, help him with his interest in football and Michael goes on to be a very successful football player. This heartwarming movie is sure to make you feel motivated and inspired, just as Michael’s story has inspired others.

References:

1. https://dejareviewer.com/2016/06/07/the-glaring-omission-at-the-end-of-the-pursuit-of-happyness/
2. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/
3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0393162/
4. https://www.quora.com/What-did-Steve-Jobs-struggle-with-when-creating-Apple
5. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-McCandless

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/