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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
Hopefully, you have already seen this film. I believe it is a must-watch for anyone in this season of the human story, especially those with kids.
In maybe the most improbable redemptive story of all time, this celebrated documentary completely caught me off guard.
I love musical documentaries and this one about Abbey Road Studios almost 90-year history definitely caught my attention.
