Movies

As Jack Nickolson’s character said in the 1997 movie As Good As it Gets, “You make me want to be a better man.” – Here you find my list of some great movies for guys. All of them provide insight and understanding into one or more of the following themes: Mentors, Father/Son, Male/Female, Self-discovery, Courage, Stepping Up, Friendship and more. The Purpose: to encourage, enlighten, give hope, direction, inspire, like the mentor that most of us men never had.

ADVENTUROUS, INSPIRATIONAL, HEROIC FAVORITES FOR GUYS:

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) – Action/Adventure – starring Errol Flynn The Bourne Identity (2002) – Action – Starring Matt Damon and Franka Potente
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) – Musical – Starring Topol
Field of Dreams (1989) – Fantasy/Drama – Starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, and James Earl Jones
Gladiator (2000) – Action/Drama – Starring Russell Crowe
Good Will Hunting (1997) – Drama – Starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, and Ben Affleck
Groundhog Day (1993) – Fantasy/Drama – Starring Bill Murray
I’m King Kong: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005) – Documentary on the amazing life of Merian C. Cooper
The Incredibles (2004) – Superhero/Adventure Comedy – Pixar/ Walt Disney animated film directed by Brad Bird
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – Drama – Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Henry Travers
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) – Epic Fantasy / Action / Adventure – Directed by Peter Jackson
The Matrix (1999) – Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure – Starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne
Mr. Smith goes to Washington (1939) – Drama – Starring James Stewart
The Princess Bride (1987) – Comedy/Adventure/Romance – Starring Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – Action/Adventure – Starring Harrison Ford
Rocky (1976) – Drama – Starring Sylvester Stallone
The Rookie (2002) – Drama/Sports Bio – Starring Dennis Quaid
Saving Private Ryan (1998) – War Drama – Starring Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, and Matt Damon
Secondhand Lions (2003) – Comedy/Drama – Starring Haley Joel Osment, Robert Duvall, and Michael Caine
Seven Samurai (1954) – Action/Drama (foreign film with subtitles) – Directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune
Star Wars (1977) – Fantasy/Action/Adventure – Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher
That Thing You Do (1996) – Comedy/Drama – Starring Tom Everett Scott, Steve Zahn, and Tom Hanks
Unbreakable (2000) – Sci-Fi/Thriller – Starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson
When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Romantic Comedy – Starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan
Mystery Men (1999) – Superhero/Action/Comedy – “My Guilty Pleasure” – Starring Ben Stiller, Paul Reubens, and William H. Macy

AN ASSORTMENT OF MOVIES THAT INSPIRE AND ENLIGHTEN:

42 (2013) – Jackie Robinson Bio/Sports Drama – Starring Chadwick Boseman
About A Boy (2002) – Comedy/Drama – Starring Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult
American Graffiti (1973) – Comedy/Drama – Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Charles Martin Smith
Art & Copy (2009) – Documentary about the advertising industry
The Avengers (2012) – Superhero/Action Adventure – Starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Samuel L. Jackson
Big Fish (2003) – Fantasy/Drama – Starring Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, and Billy Crudup
The Big Sleep (1946) – Film-Noir/Mystery – Starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
The Book of Eli (2010) – Action/Sci-Fi – Starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – Action/Superhero – Starring Chris Evans
Captain Phillips (2013) – Action/Thriller – Starring Tom Hanks
Castaway (2000) – Drama – Starring Tom Hanks

Chef (2014) – Comedy/Drama – Written, Produced, Directed by and Starring Jon Favreau

City slickers (1991) – Comedy/Western – Starring Billy Crystal, Jack Palance, and Daniel Stern

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) – Action/Adventure – Starring Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, and Richard Harris
Die Hard (1988) – Action – Starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011) – Drama – Starring Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and Max von Sydow
Fahrenheit 451 (1966) – Sci-Fi/Drama – Starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie
Father of the Bride (1950) – Comedy – Starring Spencer Tracy, Jona Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor
Father of the Bride (1991) – Comedy – Starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton
Forrest Gump (1994) – Fantasy/Drama – Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise
Frequency (2000) – Fantasy/Drama/Thriller – Starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel
Glory (1989) – Civil War Drama – Starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman
A Good Year (2006) – Romantic/Comedy – Starring Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, and Albert Finney
Gran Torino (2008) – Drama – Starring Clint Eastwood
The Great Debaters (2007) – Drama – Starring Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, and Nate Parker
The Great Escape (1963) – War Drama – Starring James Garner, Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn
The Green Hornet (2011) – Action/Superhero/Comedy – Starring Seth Rogen and Jay Chou
Gunga Din (1939) – War Adventure – Starring Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Victor McLaglen
His Girl Friday (1940) – Screwball Romantic Comedy – Starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell
Hitch (2005) – Romantic Comedy – Starring Will Smith
Invictus (2009) – Drama/Sports Bio – Starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman
Independence Day (1996) – Sci-Fi/Action – Starring Will Smith
In Good Company (2004) – Romantic Comedy/Drama – Starring Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, and Scarlett Johansson
The Last Samurai (2003) – Drama – Starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe
Lethal Weapon (1987) – Action – Starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover
The Natural (1984) – Drama – Starring Robert Redford, Robert Duvall and Glenn Close
North by Northwest (1959) – Thriller – Starring Cary Grant
Patton (1970) – Drama/War Bio – Starring George C. Scott
Pay It Forward (2000) – Drama – Starring Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment
Phone Booth (2003) – Suspense/Thriller – Starring Colin Farrell and Forest Whitaker
The Pursuit of Happiness (2006) – Drama/Bio – Starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith
Parenthood (1989) – Comedy/Drama – Starring Steve Martin, Tom Hulce, Rick Moranis, and Keanu Reeves
Play It Again, Sam (1972) – Comedy – Starring Woody Allen
Rush Hour (1998) – Action/Comedy – Starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker
Rudy (1993) – Drama/Sports Bio – Starring Sean Astin
The Searchers (1956) – Western – Starring John Wayne
Sense and Sensibility (1995) – Drama – “Chick Flick” but with old fashioned male role models – Starring Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman
Shawn of the Dead (2004) As the movie Tag Line says, “A Romantic Comedy with zombies” – Starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – Crime Drama – Starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman
Sherlock Holms (2009) – Action – Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law
Spider-Man (2002) – Superhero/Action Adventure – Starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst
The Sting (1973) – Comedy/Drama – Starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford
The Straight Story (1999) – Drama – Starring Richard Farnsworth
The Thin Man (1934) – Comedy/Mystery – Starring William Powell and Myrna Loy
True Grit (2010) – Western – Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin
United 93 (2006) – Drama – Retelling of 9/11 United Flight 93 events
The Untouchables (1987) – Crime Drama – Starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and Robert De Niro

The Way, Way Back (2014) – Comedy/Drama – Starring Sam Rockwell and Liam James

What Women Want (2000) – Romantic Comedy – Starring Mel Gibson

You’ve Got Mail (1998) – Romantic Comedy – Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan