10 Movies That Will Inspire You

There are a lot of reasons why we watch beautiful people pretend to be other beautiful people on our computer screens, HDTVs and at the cinema. In particular, it relieves boredom; it makes us laugh and cry (hopefully at the same time!); it provides a wholesome alternative to getting sloppy drunk on a Saturday night. Most importantly, movies can give you hope in an otherwise insane world. Looking for an escape from the troubles in your life? Check out these 10 movies that are sure to inspire you!

1.Forrest Gump (1992)

Trivia time: His name is Forrest Gump. And you know what people call him? Forrest Gump. Duh. This one-of-a-kind movie, starring Tom Hanks as the titular character, follows the fictional life of a mentally slow man who experiences all of the chaos and turmoil of the 1960s through 1980s, from the Vietnam War through the AIDS epidemic. Full of memorable quotes (“I have to pee”), this film took home six Oscars, inspired a Weird Al song, and demonstrably proves that a big heart more than compensates for a little brain. Probably.

2. Office Space (1998)

Tired of the daily grind that is your meaningless job? Me too! Let’s be friends! Or at least acquaintances. Although it originally bombed at the box office, Office Space has since become a cult hit about employers at a software company who are sick and tired of the crap they have to put up with at work. Feeling completely free following a hypnosis session in which the therapist dies in the middle of it, Peter (Ron Livingston), discovers that less he cares about his job, the more his oblivious bosses reward him. If that doesn’t inspire you to be your worst self, nothing will!

3. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

No movie list would be complete without a nod to the past. Let’s go with this Christmas classic, starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man with serious financial troubles who intends to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. His guardian angel Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) intervenes and reveals to him what life would have been like to those close to him had he never been born. Turns out, things would have been pretty sucky! Realizing how much he means to others, he rushes back home and all sorts of happy, inspirational, Christmasy things happen! Hooray!

4. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Loosely based on the true story of siblings who were killed in combat during WWII, Saving Private Ryan tells the story of a company of rangers lead by Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) who are tasked with locating Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) so that he can be brought home. This Steven Spielberg-directed movie is renown for the realistic way in which it depicts the storming of Omaha Beach in Normandy and the general horrors of war.