A Summary Of The Best Life Lessons From Movies
Or, Everything "moviewise" Knows So Far
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If I have made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent.
Before we begin, I first want to point out that it’s hard to feel confident about what you think you know—at least, if you are not an ideologue who feels absolute certainty because you want to, or must, believe something is true. In that case, it’s very easy to be confident, or overconfident even, in what you think you know. This is not to suggest that being an ideologue is wrong. It may very well be that a person’s strong belief is an accurate and helpful description of reality. How can we know for sure that it’s not?
But for people who lack an ideology that guides them to believe with certainty, it’s actually pretty hard to feel that sense of knowing something without having even the slightest shadow of a doubt creep in to question it. After all, what’s true today may not be found to be true in the future. Haven’t you noticed this? Haven’t you ever changed your mind on something based on new information?
I’d like to think that being open to questioning what you think you know is an advanced stage of being because it allows you to grow, to learn, and to value truth and reality above lies and self deception. And if this is true, then not feeling too confident about what you think you know is a good thing. But, like astronomer Carl Sagan once said, “It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.”
You’ve got to have some anchor, something that you feel is true knowledge, true wisdom, that will outlast at least the duration of your lifetime, lest you float in confusion and indecision all day long.
In that spirit, I offer you a list of things that as far as I know are true, and the great movies that support them:
1) Cause And Effect Is A Force Of Nature
If you put effort into something, you’ll get better at doing it, and it will result in something good, or at least in something tangible. If you do nothing, you get nothing in return. If you halfheartedly try, then you’ll get mixed results. There is no magic involved. It’s simply the case that everything in the universe responds to Issac Newton’s third law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When you cause something to happen, there will be an effect, and if your energy is constructively directed, there will be a reward.
First Position (2011)
First Position (2011) is a documentary by director Bess Kargman about ballet students training for and competing in the Youth America Grand Prix, where winners can get full scholarships and job contracts.
Life Lesson: To become the best, push yourself harder than the rest.
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Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) is a documentary directed by David Gelb about Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old restaurateur who is a Shokunin, an expert craftsman who strives for perfection and feels great fulfillment and joy from yearning to improve bit by bit.
Life Lesson: “Find a job you enjoy doing,
and you will never have to work a day in your life.” — Mark Twain🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
2) Bonds Are Important, Powerful, And Helpful
Having your own family is a source of stability and strength that will help you achieve your goals. Don’t believe the lie that making connections with others, spending time with them, interferes with your dreams. Love is profoundly motivating, and you will accomplish more if you have the security found in the bonds that you have formed.
The Family Man (2000)
The Family Man (2000) is a drama directed by Brett Ratner about Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage), a very successful and wealthy investment broker who gets a glimpse into the life he might have had had he made the decision to stay with his girlfriend, Kate Reynolds (Téa Leoni), thirteen years before, instead of remaining a bachelor.
Life Lesson: The choices you make have a lasting effect on the rest of your life.
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50 First Dates (2004)
50 First Dates (2004) is a comedy directed by Peter Segal about Henry (Adam Sandler), a man who never wanted a long term relationship with a woman until he falls in love with Lucy (Drew Barrymore), a woman with anterograde amnesia who forgets who he is every morning.
Life Lesson: Loving someone will not keep you from your ambitions;
it will help you reach them.🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
3) You Can Choose To Be Happy
You can wallow, but that’s not much fun for you or anyone around you. The other option is to get over your troubles as quickly as possible and keep going. It simply works better to remain positive, to see the beauty in nature, and to let go of negative emotions stemming from the crippling pull of the past. Let go, move on, and look for the silver linings. It is a decision you can make.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Singin’ in the Rain (1952) is a comedy co-directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly about Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), a Hollywood superstar who falls in love with a dancer, Kathy Delden (Debbie Reynolds), which he tries to hide from his jealous onscreen partner Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen).
Life Lesson: Make the best of every situation.
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Matilda (1996)
Matilda (1996) is a fantasy based on the children’s book by Roald Dahl, and directed by Danny DeVito, about a girl who is driven to seek vengeance against her tormentors at home and at school, and develops psychokinetic powers to do so.
Life Lesson: “You make your own happiness.” —Tony Robbins
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
4) Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
This is ancient wisdom, “mens sana in corpore sano.” The mind is part of the body, and it’s not too difficult to understand what makes a healthy body: exercise, nutrition, sleep—which are all, in turn, prerequisites for a healthy mind. Stress doesn’t help, but you’ll be better able to handle problems, difficulties, and misfortunes if you remain committed to treating your body respectfully by taking care of it as you would the most precious possession you have. After all, as Count Rugen says to Prince Humperdinck, in the The Princess Bride (1987), “if you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything.”
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010)
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead (2010) is a documentary by directors Joe Cross and Kurt Engfehr about two men, Joe Cross and Phil Riverstone, who undertake a nutrition program to lose weight that consists in large part of consuming juiced fruits and vegetables.
Life Lesson: You will be healthier if your diet consists mostly of fresh fruits and vegetables. The foods highest in nutrients per calorie are: 1) green vegetables, 2) raw vegetables, 3) beans/legumes, 4) eggplant, mushrooms, 5) tomatoes, peppers, 6) fresh fruit. The most nutrient rich foods are: kale, collards, spinach and bok choy.
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Happy (2011)
Happy (2011) is a documentary by director Roko Belic about research studies on happiness, which features Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who explains his theory of Flow, what athletes call “being in the zone,” a state of fulfillment during demanding physical activity.
Life Lesson: People find happiness when they are: engaging in play, having new experiences, feeling connected to a community through friends and family, doing things that are meaningful (helpful), and appreciating what they have.
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5) Life Is A Gift, So Be Grateful
Look, simply put, you’re among the most fortunate ones. You’re beyond lucky to be alive. No matter what sadness encroaches upon you, another day awaits. And one day you’ll forget, quite magically, whatever current struggles beset you, so why not short-circuit this path and embrace life as it is, all the time, and be grateful—deeply and sincerely grateful—for the chance to find some enjoyment and happiness in it.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) is a fantasy co-directed by Victor Fleming, based on the book by L. Frank Baum, about Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), a farm girl from Kansas who travels to Oz, a strange city where she meets many unusual characters.
Life Lesson: You already have what you are looking for.
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It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) is a fantasy directed by Frank Capra about a kindly bank executive, George Bailey (James Stewart), who always tried to help others, even at the cost of his own dreams and ambitions, until a financial setback plummets him to despair when he realizes that he is worth more dead than alive, but a stranger, Clarence (Henry Travers), helps him see how valuable his life is by showing him what it would have been like had he never been born.
Life Lesson: Be grateful for your life; it beats the alternative.
🍿Movie Scene Link (movie quote)
Obviously, there are many more miles before we sleep, and lots more to learn, but this is a good start.
Onward we go!
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Love this list: I missed Happy and will search it out, particularly as personally knew Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and he gave me advice that changed my life. Great post!
This is lovely. Thanks for helping me start my day with a positive, happy outlook!