Because they are all sourced from the one great story. The larger story. Our story. The giants of culture have been borrowing our story for years in the films they direct and produce. By identifying the redemptive stories embedded in all those great films, we feel like we are taking it back, one review at a time.
This modern-day “It’s a Wonderful Life” tale has a successful stockbroker turning in his single life and sports car for a wife, kids, and a minivan…
Who knew, but it turns out that Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama were best friends! These two giants of their respective faiths interact with such contagious joy that I couldn’t stop smiling through most of this documentary. They kidded around with each other like a couple of schoolboys and even joked about each other’s differing beliefs about the afterlife and other issues. Such a great feel-good and redemptive experience! Highly recommend.
IMDB 8.1
Rotten Tomatoes 83%/100%
(NR)
I love coming-of-age movies and this is one of my favorites. Cameron Crowe’s biopic about a boy growing up way too fast is very familiar to my experience as a young man. The soundtrack of great music and the “friends” you find in your vinyl collection was the experience of many young men and women.
Not typically a fan of RomComs, but this one was a pretty good ride. William Thacker is an unsuccessful travel bookstore owner in Notting Hill and falls into a relationship with Anna Scott, the most famous actress in the world. This one is hilarious, endearing, and full of redemptive turns. Anna famously reminds William that despite her fame and fortune,
A former gunslinger has to decide whether or not he wants to change his life by taking on some cattle rustlers and protect some ranches. Charley Watts (played by Kevin Costner) finds that becoming an honorable man cannot only redeem his past misdeeds and troubled life, but possibly lead to the love of a woman he thought he would never deserve.
In what became one of the best selling gospel recordings of all time, Aretha Franklin performed at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Los Angeles in 1972. The film footage was never released until over 45 years later. As the critics describe in the trailer, “it is like you are looking into the face of God” and “everybody deserves to have Aretha take them to the moon”.
What if you magically became the only person in the world who remembered all the Beatles songs? Would you pass them off as your own? This is exactly the conundrum that Jack Malik is facing in this movie. Full of great music, funny circumstances, and a hard realization that way more important than all the fame
The general who becomes a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an empire. Sound familiar? This allegorical film presents Maximus as a Christ figure that sacrifices his own life for the ransom and rescue of all of those in slavery. Winner of 5 Academy Awards out of 12 nominations. One of the best big budget epics ever made.
John Dunbar has to reject his identity as a civil war hero and soldier in order to get his life and heart back. In the process of befriending, earning the trust, and fighting for the hearts of the local Lakota Indians, he discovers a deeper understanding of who he is. Everyone feels like we are sometimes living a life that is not our own. John Dunbar’s journey requires that you think more deeply about your own life and its’ meaning.
This movie, based on the novel by Stephen King, takes us on a coming-of-age journey with a group of young boys to solve the mystery of a dead body. With an all-star cast featuring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss, and John Cusack.
In this movie from 1982, Robert Redford leads a team of misfits with complementary skills that test security systems. They’re hired by an imposter CIA operative to steal a secret black box that has powerful encryption ability. This predecessor to the “Oceans” franchise is full of mystery, adventure, and a lot of laughs.
A beautiful story about an immigrant trying to find a better life for her family colliding with a wealthy and dysfunctional family in California. This one deals with power of fidelity, the cost of infidelity, and how stories can be completely redeemed through the love of others. Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, and Cloris Leachman are perfectly cast.
A great comedy that doesn’t seem to fit in the cinematic canon with all John Hughes other teen films from the 80’s, but carries a similar sensibility that you will recognize. If you look past all the slapstick, you will find a powerful redemptive story. The ability to look past our own frustrations can often provide the simple path to overcoming…helping someone else with theirs.
This animated film is no Disney movie, but it has much of the heart and sentimentality that you would find in one. Sometimes we assume the worst and seek to destroy the things we do not understand.
One of the quirkiest and worst reviewed movies I have ever reviewed, but something about it has me returning to it again and again. Maybe it is protagonist's awkward optimism. Maybe it is his idealistic belief that love can truly conquer all. But I think the thing I remember most is that he more courageously, sacrificially, and completely fights for the heart of his beauty in a way I‘ve never seen in film. In a way that not only rescues her,
This one is very different and quirky, but one of my favorite romantic comedies ever. What if your life was an inexplicable story that somebody else was writing? And what if that very boring and disinteresting story was just starting to get really enjoyable and worth living?
Sometimes the best way to understand someone you don’t really know is to walk the path they have walked. A father (Martin Sheen) walks the last steps of his son’s life as a way of understanding and redeeming his loss. As you might imagine, he gets his life transformed in the process.
Not exactly loved by the critics, but probably suffered from the incredibly high expectations of Ridley Scott’s direction and their inability to accept Russell Crowe in a RomCom. Max Skinner is a successful investor, womanizer, and narcissist. But deep within him there is an embedded memory of a glorious childhood, being deeply loved, and a yearning for a better life.
This one takes its’ time telling the story, but it will stay with you for a very long time. Turns out that the notorious hermit of Caleb County has a lot more to his story than they realized. All those decades of weird behavior are rooted in the shame of a tragedy he believes is unforgivable.
Before you skip this one just because it is a documentary on the Jonas Brothers, here me out. They were as surprised by their meteoric rise to success as many of their most outspoken critics. Turns out that fame is very costly and even destructive, but when the heart of the artist is good enough and grounded enough, there is always a path back home.
Toward the end of the movie, a man in Nashville tells Rose that he didn’t understand a word she is saying. I could relate. Understanding the “English” of the characters in their deep Glasgow Scottish accents could be challenging, but worth the strain. This one follows the familiar trope of an unknown finding stardom, but not in the way you typically expect.
Longfellow writes that “often times we call a man cold when he is only sad”. That is certainly the case with Russell Durwitz. He is an image consultant who helps other find success in the world’s eyes despite the fact that any form of happiness has eluded him. A surprise visitor on his 40th birthday takes him on a adventure of remembering, healing and restoration.
This one is sneaky fantastic. A woman who appears to be ill-equipped and not too interested in raising her pre-teen son, drops him off to live with two crack-pop and mysterious distant relatives. They regale with tales of adventure and heroism and help him on the journey to manhood in very unorthodox fashion.
Many of our own redemptive stories are a result of someone giving us a chance at just the right time. The reason some of us are given those unlikely chances is due to the paying forward from others own redeemed brokenness. Eric Marsh gives a young man a chance that no one would and risks lives,
A young sailor, Antwonne Fisher, appears to be angry at everyone and everything. What he is really longing for is a sense of home, family, and fathering. The love of a great woman and an unlikely father figure allow him to journey back through his story of brokenness to find healing and a family he had only dreamed existed.
Professor Keating has returned to his own prep school, Welton, to shake things up a bit. His mission is to awaken beauty, passion, and love in the collection of future doctors, lawyers, and bankers that attend. It is a beautiful story of awaking and the slumbering coming alive.
While Alex “Hitch” Hitchens may have a lot of experience and tricks up his sleeve to help a man with the heart of a woman, true love still comes down to old fashioned chemistry. True love can overcome impossible odds where even the best strategic approach can fail. Hilarious and endearing journey for both Will Smith (Hitch) and Kevin James (Albert).
This is one of my favorite documentaries of all time. It turns out that even the greatest guitarist in rock history (Jimmy Page, Bono, Jack White) all have a childhood and an origin story tied to their genius. If you didn’t know that these three men are the lead guitarists of Led Zeppelin, U2, and the White Stripes, you might want to skip this one.
This true story immortalized the words “Houston, we have a problem.” This is one of those classics you probably can’t even remember seeing, but should probably see again. Edge of seat suspense, great story telling, with the entire NASA space program and several lives hanging in the balance.
Turns out there quite a few Spider Men of different varieties and from different dimensions. Most notably, young teen Miles Morales who is trying to figure out his superhero body at the same time that his friends at school are trying to figure out their human ones.
Leigh Anne Tuohy is both big-hearted and ferocious. She steps into the story of a homeless boy who is trying to survive a broken family situation with drug-addicted mom. This true story is about a life that would have been likely lost or discarded, but became a successful college and pro football career.
Matt King has been made trustee of the estate that holds his family’s 25,000 acres of undeveloped land on Kauai. While the family’s extensive descendants want to sell the land before the trust ends in seven years, Matt is distracted by a much bigger problem. HIs wife’s coma related to an accident associated with an affair, has his immediate family and his relationship with his daughters in a shamble.
Based on a true story, this is the tale of a poor farmer named Trywell who has an enduring faith and big dreams for his land and family in dusty Malawi. When his hope begins to fade with each subsequent setback, he finally bets all on his sons dreams and ingenious plan to restore the farmland by “making the rain”. While there are some mature themes dealt with,
Pete and Ellie have pretty much a perfect apart from one thing. Ellie starts to realize she experiencing a void that can only be filled by children. Entering into the local foster to adopt program turns out to be the most heartbreaking and fulfilling experiences of their lives.
What do you do if you are a classically trained African American pianist in the 60’s? You decide to take a tour of the deep South…and bring along a mafia tough guy to be your bodyguard. Beautiful story of how two men overcome hatred, anger, and fear to find a deep and loving lifetime friendship.
Alex Honnold may have just completed the most audacious athletic feat in the history of the world. His 9 year journey into climbing the 3,200 feet of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley with any ropes, harness, or anything else other than his hands, was so audacious that no one else had ever considered it before or since.
Red is an institutional man. His only reality is what is contained within the walls of Shawshank. Andy Dufresne begins planning his life beyond from his first day in the prison. While this movie contains many of the things a typical prison movie does (definitely not for the kids) it is actually one of the most profound cinematic expressions of freedom ever filmed. That is why it is the highest rated film of all time on IMDB.
I am not particularly a fan of the whole comic book genre of Marvel the DC universes. Based on box office, pretty much everyone else in the world disagrees. What I did love about this one was the incredible telling of the origin story. We all come from somewhere and are a product of that journey we have taken.
There isn’t a more controversial topic in the country than race. And let’s face it, some of the history around this topic is pretty ugly. Some of the movies that have dealt with this topic have been appropriately horrifying. What I most appreciate about this movie is that it introduces in the issue in a way that still felt appropriate for my children.
What happens when an angry former auto worker who has just lost his wife has an asian family move into the house next door? Well first, a lot of anger and repressed racism, but then our protagonist (Clint Eastwood) experiences an aesthetic conversion of the heart.
What makes a holiday film an enduring classic? The Hallmark channel is working overtime this time of year to figure out that formula, but it is very rare that a new Christmas movie becomes a classic. What if someone made a movie where the hero was the very epitome of light coming into the darkness of the world?
Breakout performances for Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are just part of the incredible ensemble cast. This hilarious and poignant movie answers the question: What happens when two really broken people meet? Pat (Cooper) thinks that the path to happiness will come from restoring the life before his bipolar disorder and resulting violence had him institutionalized.
The 2009 animated feature from the folks at Pixar may have the most beautiful and poignant picture of both the joy and heartbreak of marriage ever captured on film. And that is just in the first 10 minutes! The rest of the film is about fulfilling the dreams of a lost loved one. In the process of that huge adventure, a wounded heart is restored, a man finds a new reason to live, and a young boy finds the father figure that he desperately needs.
It took 14 years to bring this sequel to market because director, Brad Bird, didn’t want to make the typical “money grab” parlaying the success of a film with a quick sequel, but waited until the right story emerged to follow up the first one…and it shows. This one packs a serious combination of doing the right thing, caring for others, and the love of family.
What if it turned out that the stereotypically nicest and most passive seeming man, was action a warrior with the heart of a lion? And what if so fiercely lived out his faith through the loving of God’s children that nearly everyone who encountered him was changed by the experience? That is the “rest of the story” of Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) beautifully told through this award winning documentary celebrating his life.
Ray Kinsella thinks the voice he is following is all about the restoration of Terence Mann, Shoeless Joe, and Dr. Moonlight Graham. He thinks he is supposed to mend their broken stories of an abbreviated association with baseball. But the journey Ray is taking is about something much deeper, the inexplicable restoration of his relationship with his father.
Fourteen year old Duncan’s life sucks and having to spend the summer at the beach house of his mom’s new boyfriend. His desire to escape the house, the boyfriend, and some unsettling things going on there, leads him to the local waterpark.
This fantastic coming of age film is one of my favorite of the last few years. Three young boys seeking the natural independence that adolescence requires, embark on starting a new life and a new home. With salvaged materials from construction projects, they create a semi-permanent home and organize under their own rules and laws.
What would you do if you found out you only had a few weeks to live? Well, Henry decided to drop out, return to his childhood neighborhood and anesthetize the pain until the inevitable occurs. When a simulacra (religious imagery in natural phenomena) appears on the side of his house, people in the neighborhood start making a pilgrimage to his backyard.
Saw this one at the Aspen Film Festival in very limited release. A women recovering from a recent divorce purchases a home on the North Shore of Oahu to start a new life for her and two teenage boys. Their home soon houses a surrogate family for a couple of dozen boys with broken stories and big dreams of becoming professional surfers.
The true story of how four poor hispanic high school students in Arizona form a robotics club with their substitute teacher who is a recently laid off engineer. With only 800 dollars, some used car parts, and other inexpensive spare parts, they take on returning champ MIT and many other prestigious university team’s with college students and budgets more than ten times the size of theirs.
Okay, there aren’t a lot of RomComs (romantic comedies) that can really qualify as redemptive, but this one hits the mark. Not only is it a movie about relationships that won’t make you blush, it is a story about two half-hearted people both becoming more fully alive. Ben has an unhealthy obsession with the Boston Red Sox that keeps him from love and life.
The unrealized dreams of some can often motivate them to help others realize theirs. But when the pain of those lost dreams doesn’t find much healing or redemption, that desire to help others can look pretty brutal. One of the more difficult movies for me to watch had me celebrating and enjoying the redemption the story found all the more.
What are parents supposed to do when extraordinary gifting and ability is revealed in their child? That is precisely the dilemma of Josh Waitzkin’s parents. A well-meaning father wants to develop the child’s genius while a good-hearted mother wants to protect the innocence of her child’s good heart.
If you are unfamiliar with the Avett Brothers or their music, this documentary about their musical journey and their lives will make you an instant fan. As the celebrated producer Rick Rubin says in the movie, “It seemed that just being around them would make life matter.”
Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of the tortured, but redeemed Johnny Cash was so good that it inspired a whole new generation of fans for the deceased singer. Like any great biopic, the original story of this incredible singer brings understanding and tremendous empathy to his very public challenging journey.
20 year old Francis Ouimet doesn’t know that golf is an elitist sport not intended for his kind. He just knows that he loves the game and seems to posses God-given gifting for the sport. This true story about the winner of the 1913 U.S. Open is a little slow moving, but is inspiring and appropriate for the whole family.
The documentary about the man who inspired 1998’s Horse Whisperer with Robert Redford. Buck Brannaman redeemed years of his own child abuse into helping people with horse problems actually realize that they really have horses with people problems.
This family friendly movie features a young Dakota Fanning as Cale Crane, who believes a broken down disappointment of a horse, “Sonador”, deserves a second chance. While it appears she is rescuing and restoring a lost horse, she is really doing the same thing for someone far more important, her father.
James Braddock is a boxer down on his luck like every other Depression era American. Despite being banned from boxing due to some injury-related performances in the ring, he gets a back-door opportunity to fight again. This time, he is not only fighting for the health and safety of his family, but for the hopes and dreams of every other man in America.
If you don’t need a lot of action, adventure, or even dialogue and you love modernist architecture, this might be the film for you. The buildings, bridges, and other structures take center stage as two young people befriend one another through their different relationships with both architecture and family.
One of the most famous stories of WWII comes for film in extraordinary fashion. One story told in three separate chronologies (one week, one day, one hour) that all weave together cohesively into one story in the end. From the austere landscapes, the pervasive sense of desperation, and eerily droning soundtrack by Hans Zimmer,
A nice little Disney film based on the true story of a down-on-his-luck professional sports agent who thinks that the most popular sport in one of the most populous countries in the world might be the source of the next great baseball player.
One of those small independent films that almost no one saw. A quirky caper with a truly odd-ball protagonist and a good ensemble cast of some really flawed people that all find a way to endear themselves by the end of the film. The film rests on this newspaper ad: “WANTED: Someone to back in time with me. This is not a joke. You’ll get paid after we get back.
When Frank Adler promises to give his niece a normal upbringing, he has no idea what challenges he will face once her abilities as a mathematical prodigy are revealed. A beautiful film about how the love of a parental role model can conquer anything. The scene where Frank teaches her about what it was like when she was born is one of the most touching scenes I have seen in a film in a long time.
We all eventually learn that the success that the world offers doesn’t hold a candle to the fulfillment we find in love, family, and home. Hassan Kadam has to travel from complete obscurity to the pinnacle of culinary success in order to learn this simple lesson. A delightful family film that will leave you soul satisfied and possible searching for some good Indian food.
This is the true story of how Molly Bloom’s career-ending crash in the U.S. Olympic trials triggered a series of events that led her to run the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade in Los Angeles and New York City. It definitely has some language and one pretty violent scene, but the redemptive climax of the movie involving Molly’s father is one of the best I’ve ever seen in a film.
Pamela Travers is terrified of Walt Disney making her beloved “Mary Poppins” into a whimsical cartoon like other Disney movies she’s seen. She completely resists every attempt by Walt to win her over until Walt realizes something very important: treating the story well means treating Pamela’s own life story well.
Oakland A’s GM, Billy Beane has a problem. The budget he has to field a team is only a fraction of the teams he is competing against. But he makes a huge bet on Peter Brand’s mathematical approach by building a team with lower cost players to replace superstars in the aggregate. While thumbing his nose at 100 years of baseball tradition,
Based on the true story of a man in Texas who planned to launch himself into orbit. This is well before some well-known billionaires decided to throw their hat in the same ring. Farmer still carries the childhood belief that he can be anything he wants to be. For him, that is an astronaut. Okay, so I can’t really recommend you watch the movie, it is pretty mediocre, but the trailer is fantastic.
What happens when an undersized horse, an oversized jockey, a broken-hearted owner, and a crackpot trainer get together? Movie magic. The incredible true story of how three people and a horse cooperated in the restoration of one another and the inspiration of everyone in Depression era America.
A sadly overlooked tale about a Scottish ichthyologist and lover of salmon fishing who encounters a visionary sheik with a similar love and desire to bring the sport to the most unlikely of places - the deserts of Yemen. Though the tale is around the mission of bringing this project to fruition, it is really a story about a person really stuck finding faith, love, and a life worth living.
From the incredible mind of Wes Anderson comes a stop action masterpiece that is as entertaining as it is visually stunning. Despite the fantastical tale that provides backdrop to the story, the tale really is about a boy, the love of his lost dog, and his heroic quest to locate him.
P. T. Barnum is a serial entrepreneur in all the best and worst of ways. He is a man of compromised character who wants worldly riches and personal acclaim. This whitewashed Disney-like depiction, however, is a family friendly joy-ride from start to finish. An overriding theme of finding purpose and value in someone despite their limitations is the prevailing theme.
Phiona sells corn on the streets of rural Uganda when she discovers the game of chess at 10 years of age. A natural aptitude and the love and dedication of a coach help her develop into a champion and escape the impoverished conditions of her life. Queen is the powerful true story of overcoming unbelievable obstacles to find a better life. This one is from Disney and for the whole family.
Walter lives a very tedious professional and personal life and compensates by regularly daydreaming a more significant story. One small decision leads him on a life-changing adventure that leads him to life, love, and becoming a completely different man. One of the more uplifting and inspiring films in recent years.
The men in Tim’s family have an incredible secret; they can travel back to any point in their life. While time travel is a tried-and-true movie technique, this story takes a uniquely redemptive turn. At first Tim goes back to right the wrong of things in the past. But what Tim ultimately realizes is that he lives every day as if he were living it over again,
From a desire to start over after the loss of his wife, adventure writer Benjamin Mee moves his two children to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo. A beautiful story of healing and restoration for Mee’s family, the zoo, and many others. Based on the true story of a zoological park in Devon, England. Appropriate for most of the family.
It isn't until Bobby Walker loses everything that he values (title, income, car, status) that he finally realizes what really matters. Once he finds out that what he values doesn't have anything to do with his job, he is able to go back to a similar role, but as a different and better man.
The true story of a 5-year old Indian boy who gets separated from his family on the streets of Calcutta, gets rescued through adoption by an Australian family, and then as a young adult goes on an unlikely journey to find his way home. A beautiful story of restoration and the power of a family's love.
This is one of those great redemptive stories that you can also watch with the older kids. A coach getting a final chance, Kevin Costner, gives the local migrant working children their best chance at a better life by starting a cross-country team. While trying to change their lives his life gets changed in the process.
With Hitler rampaging across Europe, the newly elected Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill, must convince his countries leaders to not negotiate but stand in the face of tyranny. One of 2017's most redemptive films was also one of my favorites.
This one really caught me by surprise. I though I knew what I was getting after I had seen the documentary, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” last year. Rather than a movie about the life of Mr. Rogers, it is the true story about the affect of this incredible man’s life on an angry and cynical journalist, Tom Junod.
The mostly true story of how one entrepreneurial cowboy, Carroll Shelby, and a racing purist, Ken Miles, took on the vaunted Ford Motor Company, Enzo Ferrari, and Le Mans…and won. A beautiful story of two men pressing through fear to find transformation in their industry and their own lives. One of the most fun movie experiences I have had in years.
This final episode in the vaunted series had everything you would pretty much expect. All the old gang appears in one way or another, there is a final battle, and the good guys prevail when all hope is lost. But there is something much larger going on here, something mythic and parable like. The First Order is our spiritual enemy, the final battle feels like Armageddon, and in the end, the garden gets restored. Sound familiar.
War is hell and the first World War was no different. In the same way, you may be experienced war for the first time through the lens of Steven Spielberg’s epic recreation of the invasion on Normandy in Saving Private Ryan, you get at taste of WWI in this one. The main difference is that director Sam Mendez has the advantage of technology over 20 years newer.
William Wallace was a man of peace that was drawn into war to protect the people of Scotland from the tyranny of England. The loss of everyone he loved set the table for him to form rebel force to take on the mighty English army. Along the way, he inspires all his people, gave his life, and left a legacy that inspired the world well beyond his death.
Roy Hobbs gets lost from baseball after “some mistakes you pay for the rest of your life”. He magically reappears as a middle-aged man to lead an improbable charge to the World Series with a losing team. Not only has he rediscovered his swing from his youth, but the love of his life as well. This one is magical and has plenty of redemption to go around for everyone.
Astronaut Mark Watney is left for dead on Mars as the rest of his team narrowly escapes the planet. He has to learn to survive on 31 days worth of provisions with an estimated 4 years until he can be rescued. He says he is going to have to “science the $#(! out of it” in order to survive.
The trailer quotes a movie reviewer that called it “The sweetest damn film of the decade.” I couldn’t have said it any better myself. In this parable of the “Wizard of Oz”, we find three characters looking for a heart, a brain, and their courage. Their journey not only redeems the characters lives, but actor Shia LaBeouf attributes the movie to saving his.
Possibly one of my favorite films of all time. Young JoJo, who doesn’t really understand the horrors of the Nazi regime, is training to be a soldier at the age of 10. He is accompanied on his journey with a sanitized version of an idiotic Hitler as an imaginary friend. While JoJo personally experiences some of the horrors of the Nazis, he escapes with much of his innocence intact, a more tender heart, and a desire to love.
As a child of divorce, I really hate divorce. The redemptive experience of this movie is that it might cause you to be less selfish, learn to overlook your differences, and not let this become your marriage story. When love starts to fail in this one, it seems like everyone from therapist to friends seems to just encourage the breakdown.
(First of all, if you haven’t heard the version of “Heavenly Father” by Bon Iver and the Staves featured in the trailer, you should check it out here.) The real redemptive story doesn’t always come from winning the big game in a sports based film. Sometimes, the most redemptive part of a good story is someone winning their life back.
The line between genius and crazy turns out to be pretty thin. And for one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, his genius comes from spending times on both sides. In this true story, you see how the abusive control of a father and desire for power of an abusive therapist almost destroys a man’s genius and his life.
Be warned. While it is one of Quentin Tarantino’s least violent movies, it is still a Quentin Tarantino movie. But the one real violent scene is a rewriting of history. And what if that rewritten version had some of history’s real baddies getting back what they perpetrated in real life? That is the movie's surprising turn. Beautifully acted, incredibly scripted, and full of great music.
An abandoned auto plant in Ohio is given a second chance by a Chinese glassmaker. It is challenging to watch the incredible clash of cultures happen in our increasingly global economy. The distribution of wealth is on full display as formerly middle-class American auto workers have to adjust to wages comparable to McDonald's workers offered by a Chinese billionaire.
This is a rare look at the edge of the world that Westerners rarely see and likely don’t know exists. At first, it was hard to watch and wrap my mind around the level of poverty and the desperate nature of Hatidze’s survival. But this last female beekeeper in Europe, as she is referred to, carries an uncommon dignity in her struggle.
For a Christian film, this one is full of great music and good performances. It shows how staying true to who you are can be a painful adolescent journey, but the only one that stands a chance to change lives. A pure and innocent heart can change the lives of even those that seem the most unredeemable.
Based on the book by the Christian author, Bryan Stevenson, the movie focuses on one of the many true stories captured in the book. It turns out that Equal Justice Initiative featured in the movie has played a part in overturning over 140 death row convictions.
It was impossible to avoid this true story of the 13-year old champion female surfer who lost her arm to a shark attack. Bethany Hamilton’s journey is one of the best your family will ever watch together. Partly because so many movies of this type are not family-friendly, but also because her faith is given a lot of the credit for her ability to make the journey.
I don’t know how we missed this one when it was first brought to screen almost a decade ago, but it was a fun Saturday afternoon watch on a rainy day. It feels like a mash-up between The Goonies, Stranger Things, and ET. It has all the storytelling you expect from Stephen Spielberg and the explosive action of a J.J. Abrams film (since they were both involved).
I don’t think I quit smiling throughout this whole film. So unexpected and full of life. Not only is he the best fly fisherman in the world, he is an author, advocate, and evangelist for the sport and the environment. One of the most infectious lives you will ever witness in a documentary. He still makes an annual trek to Arkansas to try to catch an elusive world record 20 pounder at 90 years of age. Magical.
My wife and daughters caught this during the Christmas break, but I didn’t catch it until it was available for stream. The four sisters immediately elicited comparisons to my four daughters. A classic story, brought to screen many times,
Sometimes, there are valid reasons why the critics hate a movie when the public wildly disagrees. But more often than not, it is because the movie is overtly hopeful, redemptive, and paints Christianity in a positive light. That certainly was the case with this film. A rare find of a film that takes on more challenging issues like homelessness, racism, and cancer,
What happens when five best friends united by their love of surfing start a rock band? In this documentary about the band “Switchfoot” you see an honest behind look at what it looks like to wrestle with fame and role of husband/father. Journey with five incredible people who want to change the world through their music as they travel to some of the most beautiful beaches in world on tour with their surfboards in hand.
Okay, this one is a little art-house-like, but it is beautifully acted, well-scripted, and plays like a love letter cinematically to San Francisco. It is beautiful, poignant, and unfolds like a modern fairy tale. It is the common quest for identity and a sense of home that goes places you don’t expect and delivers a powerful punch in an unexpected direction.
One of the more hopeful and invigorating documentaries we have seen in a really long time. “Rags to riches” is a very familiar movie trope, but this one plays out very differently than most. A 7-year old Kenyan orphan somehow survives and claws his way to wild financial success.
If you are fans of the Coen Brothers (Fargo, Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona) you will likely love this one. Great music, an incredible cast, whimsical dark comedy, and George Clooney’s comic sensibility on full display. Although it is often applied in darker, more desperate narratives, the Coen brothers' brilliant storytelling has never been more fun.
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it…I am haunted by waters.” Some of the more iconic phrases from a film from the writing of Norm Maclean. Like in most families, some children seem to model the life/values while others seem to push away from them. This journey for the Maclean brothers is bittersweet, but there is something simple, nostalgic, and beautiful about how their story is told.
The true story of a group of young boys in small coal who become fascinated by the space race with the Russians. When they break ranks with their intended future to enter a science fair and dream of a career outside of the coal mines, it inspires many but antagonizes some of the most important people in their lives.
A child believed by his mother to have died in childbirth spends his life in an orphanage never losing hope that he will be reunited with his parents. What he doesn’t know is that his parents, both musicians never spent more than one night together. The boy, Evan, has a natural musical gift and can hear music wherever he is.
You are either going to really love this one or barely remember it after you see it, but given the lack of new film available in this season, I found this one a very enjoyable ride. It has the small town eerie sensibility of a twilight zone episode or an old radio drama but uses some incredibly innovative camera work to develop a sense of movement and momentum.
The best selling book by Louis Sachar has become a movie! Stanley Yelnats IV looks to be the next in the long line fulfilling the 100-year curse of his family. After being charged with a crime he didn’t commit, he gets sentenced to Camp Green Lake to be rehabilitated with a rogue’s gallery of other boys.
An annual gathering of 1,000 high school boys in Texas, designed to replicate the state government, felt like some sort of SNL parody at the outset of the film. Turns out it is a cultural phenomenon that occurs in many of the other states in the union as well. This documentary is fun, youthful, and full of the hopefulness found only in youth.
Little League was nationally segregated in 1955, but Florida was still dragging its’ feet a bit. An all-black team wins by default all the way to the state tournament without ever playing a game. An all-white team, minus one coach who refused to participate, played this historical game. Over 60 years later,
A fascinating prohibitive tale for our times. The incredible story of the making of America’s youngest female billionaires and the incredible fraud perpetrated through her company Theranos. Not your typical redemptive turn in a film,
This award-winning film is a winner for anyone who loves great music and redemptive stories. World-class Cuban singers and musicians disappear into obscurity in Castro’s Cuba. They go from performing at the Copacabana in New York City to shining shoes and cutting hair.
Will Hunting is a genius and a janitor that roams the halls of MIT at night. His solving of “unsolvable” problems left on chalkboards by professors at this Ivy league school draw the attention of officials. His fighting draws a similar level of attention from the law.
Skeeter Stone has returned to her life In 1960’s Mississippi. She turns her world upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have served the elite of local society. Although initially guarded , she earns their trust, collects the stories, and helps form an empowering community among the women.
I’ll never forget watching the powerful reenactment of the Normandy invasion near in this film. I can still hear the muffled cries of the elderly sitting around us who must have known and lost people in that bloody landing.
A funny and entertaining film borne of one of the more dysfunctional father/daughter relationships ever. Bill Murray pulls off his typical magic and plays the difficult-to-pull-off endearing rogue role to perfection. Murray projects his rakish behavior on his son-in-law,
A redemptive story littered with tragedy. Many of us remember them as a punchline lampooned on Saturday Night Live and one of the unfortunate targets of the “disco sucks” movement. What you might not know is that their success on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack was a highlight of only one of three very successful and distinct careers.
Yet another live-action remake of a Disney classic. While it wasn’t reviewed well, we really enjoyed this retelling of the beloved animated film. Yifei Liu is fantastic in the title role as a girl who disguises her gender in order to save her family and their family honor.
Okay, so things are bleak in this dystopian story about people trying to escape earth to flee a global-wide pandemic. The critics aren’t wrong. But the way things are trending, it didn’t feel too far-fetched! I am not sure I would wholeheartedly recommend this one,
A minister ends up doing the horrifying things that many soldiers have to endure during the Civil War. He believes the hardship and treachery he is experiencing in his life is a punishment from God for all he did.
King George must ascend the throne and offer his country a strong voice of authority in its’ most troubled hour. The problem is that he stutters horribly and has a confidence that is equally fractured. He meets an unconventional Australian actor that he believes is a medically trained speech therapist.
Vincent Papale has never known darker times. It is 1978 and he has lost his job and his wife has just left him. He is a broken man that decides to risk all on a one-in-a-million shot at walking on to his favorite Philadelphia Eagles.
One of the best movies I will probably never watch again. It is the incredible true story of a single father who claws his way from homelessness to huge financial success. The perilousness of this father’s journey to protect his child made it a very hard viewing for this father.
The okay movie from the unbelievable book. If you are a reader, don’t miss the experience of this incredible true story of Louis Zamperini. There is so much incredible narrative that this could have filled an entire season of a TV drama or at least a trilogy of feature films. If you read, please go grab a copy of this book.
Rudy is undaunted by his size, his circumstance, and the incredulousness of everyone he knows. He is going to go to Notre Dame and run onto the field as part of the Fighting Irish Football team. He doesn’t have any money, academic qualification, or athletic ability. His dream couldn’t feel any more improbable.
Everybody loves an underdog story and this is certainly one of them. Akeelah finds none of the traditional champions you would expect a child to find in their home or close relations.
One of my closest friend’s favorite family movies has now become one of mine. It is the source of frequently quoted one-liners and even dance parties in his home and it is easy to see why.
One of our favorite rom-coms of all time. It is quiet, sweet, and full of redemptive perspective. Lucy works at a toll booth for the Chicago “L” commuter train who harbors a secret crush for a man who passes by every day.
I had a close friend talk about their love of this movie for so long, that I had to finally give a viewing. Typically not a fan of foreign films with subtitles, this one was worth putting up with that inconvenience.
While this documentary is not rated, it would likely be given an “R” rating if it were assigned for some images later on in the film. That is a bit of a shame because this explosion artist’s ability to paint canvases in the sky with fireworks and create large-scale images with ignited gunpowder is amazing to witness.
The Ted Talk superstar, author, and much sought-after speaker finally made her way to Netflix. As a clinical social worker, she approaches topics like courage, vulnerability, and shame like the subject matter expert that she is.
This New Zealand film fits in a very narrow vein of humor that will either make you love this film or not be able to get through very much of the footage. I happen to love the director Taika Waititi and this type of humor and really enjoyed this ride.
It was only a matter of time before this tragic and inspiring story made it to film. A plane crash carrying virtually every member of the Marshall University football team and coaching staff is the most tragic event in the history of sports in the U.S.
Told through the vehicle of a grandfather’s reading a story to a grandson, this one is great fun and a favorite of many. This may be the highest-rated romantic comedy of all time and is filled with heroes, villains, and the rescue of a princess.
Some critics hated this film because they felt it glossed over some of the uglier and more controversial aspects of this difficult time in American history. While it clearly had an opinion, it also presented the story openly enough to show that this is not as black and white as people like to remember the story.
Not sure how I missed this one for ten years, but our family really enjoyed this movie. It contains redemptive turns all over the place. Several key characters go on transformational journeys during the 100 minutes of this really entertaining ride.
Not exactly a redemptive movie, but a spot-on depiction of my high school and hometown. Maybe my older sister’s circa high school and hometown, but very familiar.
A little grittier than your typical Disney film, but feeling very familiar with other stories produced by them. I would call this one a solid double, maybe a triple if you are in the right mood.
This was an obscure little documentary that I almost accidentally began to watch. A surfing documentary described as uplifting and inspiring was a pretty easy choice for me. Four young orphan surfers from opposite corners of the globe are invited on the kind of epic global surfing journey they have only seen in their favorite movies.
This is the fictional story of Muhammed Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown spending one evening together discussing their various roles and positions regarding the civil rights movement.
It isn’t easy being a poster child for anything, including science. Love by most, really disliked by others, Bill has had a fascinating journey from television personality to political activist.
Critics are loving this film and it is easy to see why. It sort of has everything, but unfortunately for me, sometimes feels like it has too much. My teenagers enjoyed this one a whole lot more than I did.
Still can’t figure out why the critics hated this movie so much, but we really enjoyed the film. Maybe it was the slower paced sweet sentimentality of the film as it dealt with some very challenging issues. Critics hate “nice”.
This one is very fresh off the farm and no one has really rated it, but I had been hearing about it for quite some time. I was riveted. What do you call a man who does gourmet pop-up meals for hundreds in all 50 states and 18 different countries
One of the best-reviewed movies of 2019 and it is easy to see why. A phenomenal cast, great screenplay, and loads of entertainment and suspense. It is full of twists, plot turns, and misdirections.
While not reviewed as well as the very similar “Once”, I really enjoyed this one. It has the 9/11 terrorist attacks as a quiet but clear backdrop to the story. Like “Once”, the main characters are musicians, not actors.
What happens when a somewhat obscure big wave surfer discovers the largest wave in the world? He literally reinvents the sport in order to ride that wave. He tells everyone he knows about this magical wave that breaks right on top of the shore; 3 times as deep as the Grand Canyon just below the surface of the water.
This extraordinary documentary stirred me like no other film I have seen in years. It rests on a set of governing principles that are foundational to everything we do in coaching.
The amazing true story of the “creation” of the Williams sisters. In Richard’s eyes, he wasn’t raising the Tiger Woods of tennis, he was raising two of them.
The life of this orphan chess genius is not always easy to watch. Like many of us, she finds different ways to medicate her pain. But also like all of us, if we are willing to accept the helping hands available, all have plenty of opportunities to transcend our pain.
While this movie played on a lot of the cliches of many military films, it differentiates itself in some very important ways. It works hard at showing the challenges and humanity of the soldiers on both sides of the war.
Funny, adventurous, and hopelessly romantic, this movie somehow made it to release during all the chaos of movie offerings in 2020. This one is a little young and formulaic, but a nice ride nonetheless.
Definitely not one for the kids. This gritty tale of desperation finds an unorthodox but redemptive conclusion. A lost caregiver signs up for a young man with cerebral palsy who hates his life and everyone who cares for him.
Ruben’s entire life revolves around music. His girlfriend is the singer in his band and his entire identity and career revolves around his ability as a drummer.
One of the highest-rated and powerfully filmed docu-series of all time. This disaster, 35 years in our rear window, has unfortunately taught us very little.
Okay, this one isn’t redemptive at all, directly anyway. This movie confirms what we already knew, in times of tragedy, the last place we can turn for hope is the educational industrial complex, the ineptitude of our political system
A breathtaking true story that will have you on the edge of your seat until the end…even if you already know the outcomes. While it does address the rescue attempt of the Wild Boars youth soccer team in Thailand
I am always a sucker for parent-child stories, but this is one of the freshest takes I have ever seen on that idea. Borrowing directly from Field of Dreams, Good Will Hunting, About Time,
I heard some of the Oscar buzz around this for Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball, but what got me to tune in is the screenplay credit for Aaron Sorkin. He is responsible for some truly great films and his quick sharp dialogue never disappoints.
This story has a very redemptive turn, but it comes at the end of a very long and difficult journey. It might be hard for some of you to make the trip. But I think it is a tour de force performance for Sandra Bullock.
Okay, so this plays a little bit like an international version of a Lifetime flick. It could also have come straight out of Disney, but it is not quite shiny enough and lighthearted for them.
Something about this one kept me from clicking on it until a close friend suggested that I would really love it, and I did. Though there was some heartache,
I’ve never seen a movie so ridiculously hyped that lived up to the expectations. Tied itself to the original story, but didn’t feel contrived. Was clearly rooted in the other film, but improved on the classic in every category.
While this surf documentary is about the history of big wave surfing, its’ most controversial spokesman experiences incredible redemption and transformation in the film’s most poignant moment.
This last installment of the Daniel Craig version of James Bond didn’t disappoint. At this point in this well-established franchise, you pretty much know what you are getting into when you sit down for a viewing.
This one has such a tried and true Disney formulaic-ness about it that it almost didn’t seem real. But the story was true and sort of serves as a “rest of the story” for those who grew up in the era when Kurt Warner was a successful professional quarterback.
A Batman for the present age? It seemed right vs. wrong wasn’t always clear, the world felt gritty and compromised, and our protagonist didn’t seem like he even wanted the job of superhero.
Confession, if my future son-in-law’s brother wasn’t the editor of this film, I would have never probably seen it, but I am glad I did. As beautifully filmed as all those incredible National Geographic documentaries
A delightful documentary about Magnus Carlson who became a chess grandmaster at the ripe age of 13 and a world champion before his 23rd birthday. It is a crown he hasn’t relinquished since he first won it in 2013.
The trailer drew me in, but I was second-guessing the decision to watch pretty early into this one. But it just continued to sneak up on me and surprise me.
Never saw this coming. What felt like a superficial land grab for attention actually turned into a delightful journey. When movie stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney announced they were buying a lower-level English Soccer club
My wife was super excited about this one and I likely wouldn’t have seen it otherwise. I kept thinking, “This could have been so good.”, but it just wasn’t.
There wasn’t anything about another Nicolas Cage vehicle that would have interested me, but I kept hearing good things about this movie.
Watered down in my subconscious by all the less-quality sequels, a rewatch of this movie immediately brought me back to how fun this ensemble story was. Humor,
What does the pursuit of excellence look like? It might come in the form of 85-year-old Jiro Ono who runs what many believe to be the best sushi restaurant in the world.
I was not really a fan of her or her music, but I have definitely turned the corner on her as a person and an artist. At the heart of this story is a shockingly normal family.
My initial interest had to do with the fact that it was filmed in the frigid waters off the coast of the Western Cape of South Africa, but this film drew me in immediately.
This remake of several previous editions is my favorite. And while Bradley Cooper pulled off his singing better than Lady Gaga did her acting, they both did surprisingly well.
