Inspirational Movies to Watch on Fathers Day Celebration
Inspirational Movies to Watch on Fathers Day
Everybody around the world love inspirational movies, movies that inspire you, motivate you, and get your blood going. This list is some of many of our favorite inspirational and spiritual movies, and as all of us currently celebrate a happy fathers day, we’ve compile a list of inspirational movies to watch with your fathers and any other members of our family. We hope you like our list and please shout out some suggestion on the comment form if you know other inspirational movies that must be watched by us on this happy fathers day celebration.
1. Movie Title: Rudy
SYNOPSIS
This 1993 film by David Anspaugh (Hoosiers) is slowly building a reputation as a minor highlight of ’90s movies. Based on a true story, Rudy stars Sean Astin as Rudy Ruettiger, a blue-collar kid whose father (Ned Beatty) worships Notre Dame football but who would never dare to dream that any of his sons could be a part of the team. The film is entirely about Ruettiger’s ceaseless if sometimes wavering commitment toward that goal, despite tremendous obstacles in physical stature, education requirements, the dismissiveness of coaches, poverty, his father’s envy, and endless delays of one kind or another. This is the sort of film that looks back on a life and says the battle was its own reward, not the glory. Astin is very moving as a boy who becomes a man and watches his world change, often in unexpected ways, through painful determination. Great support from Beatty, Lili Taylor as a hometown girl, and Robert Prosky and Charles S. Dutton as two valuable mentors. (1993, 116 minutes, PG).
Review by Tom Keogh.
© 1996-2003, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: Rudy (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray]
MEMORABLE QUOTES
Sean Astin (Rudy): I’ve been ready for this my whole life.
Charles Dutton (Fortune): You’re 5 foot nothin’, 100 and nothin’, and you have nearly a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football team in the land for 2 years. And you’re gonna walk outta here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don’t have to prove nothin’ to nobody but yourself.
Charles Dutton (Fortune): You got your head so far up your ass about that damn football team, you don’t get the fact that you just got a year of top quality education! Waste? Quit wasting my time!
Jon Favreau (D-Bob): We’ve had a hell of a goddamn run haven’t we?
MAIN CAST
Sean Astin as Rudy Ruettiger
Jon Favreau as D-Bob
Ned Beatty as Daniel
Greta Lind as Mary
Scott Benjaminson as Frank
Mary Ann Thebus as Betty
Charles Dutton as Fortune
Lili Taylor as Sherry
Christopher Reed as Pete
Movie Title: 2. Dead Poets Society
SYNOPSIS
Robin Williams stars as an English teacher who doesn’t fit into the conservative prep school where he teaches, but whose charisma and love of poetry inspires several boys to revive a secret society with a bohemian bent. The script is well meaning but a little trite, though director Peter Weir (The Truman Show) adds layers of emotional depth in scenes of conflict between the kids and adults. (A subplot involving one father’s terrible pressure on his son–played by Robert Sean Leonard–to drop his interest in theater reaches heartbreaking proportions.) Williams is given plenty of latitude to work in his brand of improvisational humor, though it is all well-woven into his character’s style of instruction (1989, 128 minutes, PG).
Review by Tom Keogh.
© 1996-2003, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: Dead Poets Society
MEMORABLE QUOTES
Robin Williams (John): No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.
Robin Williams (John): Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.
Robin Williams (John): O Captain, my Captain.
Robin Williams (John): Sucking all the marrow out of life doesn’t mean choking on the bone.
Robin Williams (John): I thought the purpose of education was to learn to think for yourself.
Ethan Hawke (Todd): I close my eyes. His image floats beside me. A sweaty-toothed madman with a stare that pounds my brain.
Robin Williams (John): Phone call from God? Now if it had been collect, it would have been daring!
Robin Williams (John): I sound my barbaric YAWP over the rooftops of the world.
MAIN CAST
Robin Williams as John Keating
Robert Sean Leonard as Neil Perry
Ethan Hawke as Todd Anderson
Josh Charles as Knox Overstreet
Gale Hansen as Charlie Dalton
Dylan Kussman as Richard Cameron
Allelon Ruggiero as Steven Meeks
James Waterston as Gerard Pitts
Norman Lloyd as Mr. Nolan
Kurtwood Smith as Mr. Perry
Carla Belver as Mrs. Perry
3. Movie Title: Life is Beautiful
SYNOPSIS
Italy’s rubber-faced funnyman Roberto Benigni accomplishes the impossible in his World War II comedy Life Is Beautiful: he shapes a simultaneously hilarious and haunting comedy out of the tragedy of the Holocaust. An international sensation and the most successful foreign language film in U.S. history, the picture also earned director-cowriter-star Benigni Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor. He plays the Jewish country boy Guido, a madcap romantic in Mussolini’s Italy who wins the heart of his sweetheart (Benigni’s real-life sweetie, Nicoletta Braschi) and raises a darling son (the adorable Giorgio Cantarini) in the shadow of fascism. When the Nazis ship the men off to a concentration camp in the waning days of the war, Guido is determined to shelter his son from the evils around them and convinces him they’re in an elaborate contest to win (of all things) a tank. Guido tirelessly maintains the ruse with comic ingenuity, even as the horrors escalate and the camp’s population continues to dwindle–all the more impetus to keep his son safe, secure, and, most of all, hidden. Benigni walks a fine line mining comedy from tragedy and his efforts are pure fantasy–he accomplishes feats no man could realistically pull off–both of which have drawn fire from a few critics. Yet for all its wacky humor and inventive gags, Life Is Beautiful is a moving and poignant tale of one father’s sacrifice to save not just his young son’s life but his innocence in the face of one of the most evil acts ever perpetrated by the human race. (1998, 114 minutes, PG-13).
Review by Sean Axmaker.
© 1996-2003, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: Life is Beautiful
MEMORABLE QUOTES
Roberto Benigni (Guido): What kind of place is this? It’s beautiful: Pigeons fly, women fall from the sky! I’m moving here!
Roberto Benigni (Guido): Buongiorno, Principessa!
Roberto Benigni (Guido): You can’t imagine how much I feel like making love to you. But I’ll never tell anyone, especially not you. They’d have to torture me to make me say it.
MAIN CAST
Roberto Benigni as Guido Orefice
Nicoletta Braschi as Dora
Giustino Durano as Eliseo Orefice
Sergio Bini Bustric as Ferruccio Papini
Giuliana Lojodice as School principal
Amerigo Fontani as Rodolfo
Pietro De Silva as Bartolomeo
Francesco Guzzo as Vittorino
Raffaella Lebboroni as Elena
Giorgio Cantarini as Giosué Orefice
Marisa Paredes as Madre di Dora
Horst Buchholz as Dr. Lessing
Claudio Alfonsi as Amico Rodolfo
4. Movie Title: To Kill A Mockingbird
SYNOPSIS
Ranked 34 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 Greatest American Films, To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity, and loving, responsible parenthood. It’s tempting to call this an important “message” movie that should be required viewing for children and adults alike, but this riveting courtroom drama is anything but stodgy or pedantic. As Atticus Finch, the small-town Alabama lawyer and widower father of two, Gregory Peck gives one of his finest performances with his impassioned defense of a black man (Brock Peters) wrongfully accused of the rape and assault of a young white woman. While his children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Philip Alford), learn the realities of racial prejudice and irrational hatred, they also learn to overcome their fear of the unknown as personified by their mysterious, mostly unseen neighbor Boo Radley (Robert Duvall, in his brilliant, almost completely nonverbal screen debut). What emerges from this evocative, exquisitely filmed drama is a pure distillation of the themes of Harper Lee’s enduring novel, a showcase for some of the finest American acting ever assembled in one film, and a rare quality of humanitarian artistry (including Horton Foote’s splendid screenplay and Elmer Bernstein’s outstanding score) that seems all but lost in the chaotic morass of modern cinema. Universal’s Collector’s Edition DVD gives this classic all the respect it deserves, offering the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio, a full-length commentary by director Robert Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula, informative production notes, and an exclusive documentary about the making of this all-time great American film. Consider this a must for any respectable DVD library. (1962, 129 minutes, NR).
Review by Jeff Shannon.
© 1996-2003, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: To Kill a Mockingbird (Collector’s Edition)
MEMORABLE QUOTES
Gregory Peck (Atticus): If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.
Gregory Peck (Atticus): There’s a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep ‘em all away from you. That’s never possible.
Gregory Peck (Atticus): In the name of God! Do your duty.
Mary Badham (Scout): Well, it would be sort of like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?
MAIN CAST
Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch
Mary Badham as Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch
Phillip Alford as Jeremy ‘Jem’ Finch
Robert Duvall as Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley
John Megna as Charles Baker ‘Dill’ Harris
Frank Overton as Sheriff Heck Tate
Rosemary Murphy as Maudie Atkinson
Ruth White as Mrs. Dubose
Brock Peters as Tom Robinson
Estelle Evans as Calpurnia
Alice Ghostley as Aunt Stephanie Crawford
Paul Fix as Judge Taylor
Collin Wilcox Paxton as Mayella Violet Ewell
James Anderson as Robert E. Lee ‘Bob’ Ewell
William Windom as Mr. Gilmer, Prosecutor
5. Movie Title: Hoosiers
SYNOPSIS
One of the most rousingly enjoyable sports movies ever made, this small-town drama tells the story of the Hickory Huskers, an underdog basketball team from a tiny Indiana high school that makes it all the way to the state championship tournament. It’s a familiar story, but sensitive direction and a splendid screenplay helped make this one of the best films of 1986, highlighted by the superb performances of Gene Hackman as the Huskers’ coach, and Oscar nominee Dennis Hopper as the alcoholic father of one of the team’s key players. As the drama unfolds we come to realize that many of the characters (including Barbara Hershey as a schoolteacher with whom Hackman falls in love) are recovering from disappointing setbacks, and this depth of character is what makes the otherwise conventional basketball story so richly rewarding. Like Rocky, Rudy, and Breaking Away, this is a quintessentially American movie about beating the odds and rising above one’s own limitations. Just try to watch it without cheering! (1986, 115 minutes, PG).
Review by Jeff Shannon.
© 1996-2003, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: Hoosiers
MEMORABLE QUOTES
Gene Hackman (Coach Dale): Welcome to Indiana basketball.
Dennis Hopper (Shooter): I know everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented.
Dennis Hopper (Shooter): Don’t get caught watchin’ the paint dry.
Gene Hackman (Coach Dale): If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we’re gonna be winners.
MAIN CAST
Gene Hackman as Coach Norman Dale
Barbara Hershey as Myra Fleener
Dennis Hopper as Shooter
Sheb Wooley as Cletus
Fern Persons as Opal Fleener
Chelcie Ross as George
Robert Swan as Rollin
Michael O’Guinne as Rooster
6. Movie Title: October Sky
SYNOPSIS
Based on the memoir Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam Jr., October Sky emerged as one of the most delightful sleepers of 1999–a small miracle of good ol’ fashioned movie-making in the cynical, often numbingly trendy Hollywood of the late 20th century. Hickam’s true story begins in 1957 with Russia’s historic launch of the Sputnik satellite, and while Homer (played with smart idealism by Jake Gyllenhaal) sees Sputnik as his cue to pursue a fascination with rocketry, his father (Chris Cooper) epitomizes the admirable yet sternly stubborn working-man’s ethic of the West Virginia coal miner, casting fear and disdain on Homer’s pursuit of science while urging his “errant” son to carry on the family business–a spirit-killing profession that Homer has no intention of joining.As directed by Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer), this wonderful movie is occasionally guilty of overstating its case and sacrificing subtlety for predictable melodrama. But more often the film’s tone is just right, and the spirit of adventure and invention is infectiously conveyed through Gyllenhaal and his well-cast fellow rocketeers, whose many failures gradually lead to triumph on their makeshift backwoods launching pad. Capturing time and place with impeccable detail and superbly developed characters (including Laura Dern as an inspiring schoolteacher), October Sky is a family film for the ages, encouraging the highest potential of the human spirit while giving viewers a clear view of a bygone era when “the final frontier” beckoned to the explorer in all of us. (1999, 108 minutes, PG).
Review by Jeff Shannon.
© 1996-2003, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: October Sky (Special Edition)
MEMORABLE QUOTES
William Lee Scott (Roy): Let them have outer space. We got rock ‘n roll.
William Lee Scott (Roy): If this rocket don’t fly, you can kiss losing your virginity goodbye!
Jake Gyllenhaal (Homer): You know, it won’t fly unless somebody pushes the button. It’s yours if you want it.
William Lee Scott (Roy): I don’t know why they’d drop a bomb on this place, be a heck of a waste of a bomb.
Chris Owen (Quentin): What do you want to know about rockets? Jake
Gyllenhaal (Homer): Everything.
MAIN CAST
Jake Gyllenhaal as Homer Hickam
Chris Cooper as John Hickam
Laura Dern as Miss Frieda Riley
Chris Owen as Quentin Wilson
William Lee Scott as Roy Lee Cook
Chad Lindberg as Sherman O’Dell
Natalie Canerday as Elsie Hickam
Scott Miles as Jim Hickam
Randy Stripling as Leon Bolden
Chris Ellis as Principal Turner
Elya Baskin as Ike Bykovsky
Courtney Cole-Fendley as Dorothy Platt
David Dwyer as Jake Mosby
Terry Loughlin as Mr. Dantzler
Kailie Hollister as Valentina Carmina
7. Movie Title: Rain Man
SYNOPSIS
Rain Man is the kind of touching drama that Oscars are made for–and, sure enough, the film took Academy honors for best picture, director, screenplay, and actor (Dustin Hoffman) in 1988. Hoffman plays Raymond, an autistic savant whose late father has left him $3 million in a trust. This gets the attention of his materialistic younger brother, a hot-shot LA car dealer named Charlie (Tom Cruise) who wasn’t even aware of Raymond’s existence until he read his estranged father’s will. Charlie picks up Raymond and takes him on a cross-country journey that becomes a voyage of discovery for Charlie, and, perhaps, for Raymond, too. Rain Man will either captivate you or irritate you (Raymond’s sputtering of repetitious phrases is enough to drive anyone crazy), but it is obviously a labor of love for those involved. Hoffman had been attached to the film for many years, as various directors and writers came and went, but his persistence eventually paid off–kind of like Raymond in Las Vegas. Look for director Barry Levinson in a cameo as a psychiatrist near the end of the film. (1988, 133 minutes, R).
Review by Jim Emerson.
© 1996-2003, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: Rain Man (Special Edition)
MEMORABLE QUOTES
Tom Cruise (Charlie): Shut up! He is answering a question from a half hour ago!
Dustin Hoffman (Raymond): I don’t know.
Dustin Hoffman (Raymond): I’m an excellent driver.
Tom Cruise (Charlie): I’m gonna let ya’ in on a little secret, Ray. K-Mart sucks.
Dustin Hoffman (Raymond): K-mart sucks.
Dustin Hoffman (Raymond): 97X, bam! The future of rock ‘n’ roll. 97X, bam! The future of rock ‘n’ roll. 97X, bam! The future of rock ‘n’ roll.
Dustin Hoffman (Raymond): Ten minutes to Wapner.
Dustin Hoffman (Raymond): C-H-A-R-L-I-E, my main man.
MAIN CAST
Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt
Tom Cruise as Charles Sanford ‘Charlie’ Babbitt
Valeria Golino as Susanna
Gerald R. Molen as Dr. Bruner
Jack Murdock as John Mooney, will executor
Michael D. Roberts as Vern
Ralph Seymour as Lenny
Lucinda Jenney as Iris
Bonnie Hunt as Sally Dibbs, diner waitress
8. Movie Title: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
SYNOPSIS
Steven Spielberg’s 1982 hit about a stranded alien and his loving relationship with a fatherless boy (Henry Thomas) struck a chord with audiences everywhere, and it furthered Spielberg’s reputation as a director of equally strong commercial sensibilities and classical leanings. Henry Thomas gives a strong, emotional performance as E.T.’s young friend, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore make a solid impression as his siblings, and Dee Wallace is lively as the kids’ mother. The special effects almost look a bit quaint now with all the computer advancements that have occurred since, but they also have more heart behind them than a lot of what we see today. (1982, 115 minutes, PG).
Review by Tom Keogh.
© 1996-2003, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial (Widescreen Edition)
MEMORABLE QUOTES
E.T. : E.T. phone home.
Henry Thomas (Elliott): You could be happy here, I could take care of you. I wouldn’t let anybody hurt you. We could grow up together, E.T.
Henry Thomas (Elliott): You must be dead, because I don’t know how to feel. I can’t feel anything anymore.
Drew Barrymore (Gertie): I taught him how to talk. He can talk now.
Robert MacNaughton (Michael): We’re all going to die and they’re never going to give me my license!
MAIN CAST
Henry Thomas as Elliott
Dee Wallace-Stone as Mary
Robert MacNaughton as Michael
Drew Barrymore as Gertie
Peter Coyote as Keys
K.C. Martel as Greg
Sean Frye as Steve
C. Thomas Howell as Tyler
9. Movie Title: A River Runs Through It
SYNOPSIS
A lyrical and nostalgic film from director Robert Redford (Quiz Show, Ordinary People), based on the popular autobiographical novel by Norman MacLean, A River Runs Through It shows the best that modern filmmaking has to offer. The film chronicles two brothers coming of age in early-20th-century Missoula, Montana, under the stern tutelage of their minister father, played by Tom Skerritt (Top Gun). Their father instills in them a love of fly fishing, which for one brother (Brad Pitt) becomes a lifelong passion even as he sets out to become a newspaperman and struggles with his addiction to gambling. The other brother, Norman (Craig Sheffer), dreams of exploring the world outside of Missoula as he falls in love with a local girl (Emily Lloyd) who also dreams of broader horizons. Soon one brother must discover the true meaning of family loyalty when the other finds himself in deeper trouble than ever before. Redford, who also narrates the film, does a masterful job in re-creating the period and in drawing out affecting performances from his young cast. An Oscar winner for Philippe Rousselot’s luminescent cinematography, this is a poignant and special film. (1992, 124 minutes, PG).
Review by Robert Lane.
© 1996-2005, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: A River Runs Through It
MEMORABLE QUOTES
Robert Redford (Narrator): But when I am alone in the half light of the canyon all existence seems to fade to a being with my soul, and memories. And the sounds of the Big Black Foot River, and a four count rhythm, and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”
Robert Redford (Narrator): It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.
Craig Sheffer (Norman): Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.
Robert Redford (Narrator): It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.
MAIN CAST
Craig Sheffer as Norman Maclean
Brad Pitt as Paul Maclean
Tom Skerritt as Rev. Maclean
Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Maclean
Emily Lloyd as Jessie Burns
Edie McClurg as Mrs. Burns
Stephen Shellen as Neal Burns
Robert RedfordasNarrator (uncredited)
10. Movie Title: The Lion King
SYNOPSIS
Not an ideal choice for younger kids, this hip and violent animated feature from Disney was nevertheless a huge smash in theaters and on video, and it continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed Broadway production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is sabotaged by a rivalrous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the “circle of life” with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking, and the music is more palatable than in many Disney features. But be cautious: this is too intense for the Rugrat crowd. (1994, 88 minutes, G).
Review by Tom Keogh.
© 1996-2005, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Buy the DVD on Amazon: The Lion King (Disney Special Platinum Edition)
MEMORABLE QUOTES
Jeremy Irons (Scar): Well, forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back, you know.
Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa): They call me “Mister Pig”!
James Earl Jones (Mufasa’s Ghost): You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life.
James Earl Jones (Mufasa’s Ghost): Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king. Remember…
Nathan Lane (Timon): What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?
Matthew Broderick (Simba): We’ll always be together, right? James Earl
Jones (Mufasa’s): Simba, let me tell you something my father told me. Look at the stars, the great kings of the past are up there, watching over us.
MAIN CAST
Matthew Broderick as Simba (voice)
Joseph Williams as Simba (singing) (singing voice)
Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Young Simba (voice)
Jason Weaver as Young Simba (singing) (singing voice)
James Earl Jones as Mufasa (voice)
Jeremy Irons as Scar (voice)
Moira Kelly as Nala (voice)
Niketa Calame as Young Nala (voice)
Laura Williams as Young Nala (singing) (singing voice)
Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa (voice)
Nathan Lane as Timon (voice)
Robert Guillaume as Rafiki (voice)
Rowan Atkinson as Zazu (voice)
Madge Sinclair as Sarabi (voice)
Zoe Leader as Sarafina (voice)
PS: We will update the list if we found other worth to watch movies… Cause everybody loves inspirations… 
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