Being a huge movie fan (I could actually list all the movies and actors from period 1995 to 1999!) I have watched plenty of movies. Some just to pass the time and some that really made an impact.
I picked up some life lessons from movies that made a personal difference in my views and way of thinking. This is a list of my personal choices and my understanding of the messages being relayed in the movie.
There may be some disagreement with how I’ve chosen to take these lessons and use in my everyday life but I hope it helps some people who get to read this list and maybe discover your own lessons in movies you’ve watched.
Personal Lesson
Chasing Amy (1997)
Best friends and comic book artists Holden and Banky meet a girl. It seems simple and you might think it’s one of those love triangles but it’s not. Not in the way that you think at least.
Life Lesson: It is your right to keep to yourself what you want to keep to yourself. Even in the happiest of relationships and marriages you’re allowed a semblance of privacy. I honestly believe that there is no need to over share especially when it comes to past relationships. That is your choice and your choice alone.
Just remember your past actions have helped to make you the person you are today and though there may be some regrettable decisions, experiences will always make you a better person as long as you take away something positive and tangible from it.
Marriage Lesson
The Story of Us (1999)
Ben and Katie are married 15 years and it seems like the end but what qualifies as enough?
Life Lesson: Marriage is one of the most toughest yet enjoyable journeys. Getting on your marriage you are faced with challenges that can make or break you.
My takeaway from this movie is that in the midst of your stress, tension and madness when your partner calls you to talk about a memory jump at the chance. Those are moments worth taking.
Life Lesson: When something great or wonderful happens to you, usually you want to call your other half and share that. So why not the struggles, the loneliness and the desperation as well.
Cheating isn’t limited to the sexual act it’s also when you share your intimate thoughts and emotions with someone other than your partner. Now, I know some might disagree but we all know that when you talk about marital problems with a “friend” of the opposite sex you’re calling out for attention and assurance which may lead you down the road to “Cheatsville”.
Bonus:Â Rachel’s explanation of the differences in a man’s and woman’s body when making up after a fight!
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Parent Lesson
White Oleander (2002)
It’s not an easy movie to watch and it may actually bore some who have no relation to the topic. Yet, if you stick with it their may be some realizations you pick up with Astrid and her journey to realizing she can decide her own fate.
Life Lesson: I admire parents that don’t leave their children with invisible scars. I hope I’m able to leave my children intact and with a positive promise of tomorrow. As I watched White Oleander I began to realize and accept that my father couldn’t be the man I wanted him to be.
I remember a raging fight between my dad, mom, brother and I in a hotel no less, when my dad was sitting beaten down with all the arguments, he said to me “Break the cycle…” and I did just that. There are still hints of my father in me but I’m lucky to have a husband who has shown me love, support and genuine sincerity in my well being. He has made me a stronger person and because of him I’m able to look past my faulty childhood and my deep insecurities and worries.
Family Lesson
The Family Man (2000)
It’s one of those “What if” movies that hits the heart and home. Jack is successful but he lacks something he doesn’t even realize. Jack gets a glimpse of life and what might have been.
Have you ever had one of those dreams where you lose something or someone that you love and are devastated? I sometimes take my husband for granted and when I had a dream where I lost him it woke me up and literally I woke up crying because I thought it was real.
Life Lesson:Â
Life isn’t about settling but about living the life you want to live. If you’re lucky you realize early on what that is exactly and are able to take steps to achieve it. I personally believe that all the amount of success and money can’t live up to a life filled with love of a family and personal contentment.
Friendship Lesson
Standby Me (1986)
Four friends go on a search of for the missing body of a boy reported missing and possibly dead. Their journey there reveals their personal struggles and the strength they find in each other.
Life Lesson:Â Have you ever had a friendship you thought would last till the end? I’m sure we’ve all had friends we thought we would grow old with and in the end, end up growing apart from. It’s a sad realization that people change, you change and a connection once so solid can be replaced with so much unfamiliarity.
Life Lesson: We have no control over someone’s life. Their life is their own and their choices are their own.
What movies have you gotten life lessons from? Please share! I’d love to watch it!
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this is exciting! i’ve seen a good chunk of these movies and you’ve life-lessoned them very well. especially white oleander. i read the book first, which is why i could possibly get through the movie. 🙂
Thanks for the visit! I’m glad I did justice to the movies I listed. 🙂
You certainly have a vast knowledge of movies! I’m impressed that you can name that many actors! And you have presented some very good life lessons that you gleaned from movies. Well done!
Thank you Alli! I’m not as good with movies anymore but still love movies!
I learned a lot from The Help about how I think about and treat others. Sometimes all of society can say that something is right when the truth is that it is very, very wrong.
Thanks for sharing Jenn! I had watched that movie and it was well made and played out. I completely agree that’s why social media and media itself can be a dangerous tool because of the credibility it immediately establishes. Sometimes we just don’t know what is what.
I love how you have taken parts of movies and applied it! While most of these I haven’t seen, I LOVE Stand By Me!! Most of the actors I “grew up” with and admire their work!! Thanks for posting!!
Thanks Felicia! I hope you get a chance to watch the other movies!
I am not much of a movie buff (that’s my husband’s area of expertise!) so I actually haven’t seen a single one of these. I’m sure there’s something terribly wrong about that! I’ll have to check them out. Thanks for sharing!
Hi LeeAnn I hope you do get to check them out. They made a vast impression on me.
Thank you! What a fun idea to use movies to teach life lessons. I actually haven’t seen all the movies, but I do think we are a generation that learns from media, so thanks for sharing! It may motivate me to go view a few of the ones I haven’t seen! 🙂
I’m glad I was able to encourage you Elizabeth. I believe in watching movies that have an added value rather than just movies that have no practical or purposeful point.
I LOVE to find life lessons in movies and TV shows. The ones I’m thinking of now are shows… hope that counts!
I am currently in love with White Collar. I think the father-son type relationship is incredible, especially as the wayward “son” is given so much grace and so many chances. It’s how we all ought to live and how God interacts with us, I think. 🙂
Thanks for the recommendation Brittany! I will definitely check out that show. Have actually seen it in previews but didn’t know it had that dynamic.
“Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner” – Dirty Dancing, 1987 – NOTHING should stop ANYBODY from ANYTHING!
Great recommendation Andi! Thanks!
White Oleander was one of my favorite movies! I need to check out some of the others – thanks for sharing these valuable life lessons they imparted!
I love the way that you have broken down movies and the life lessons that you have learned from each of them. I am a huge fan of movies and so often think about what some movies have taught me like “Finding Nemo” taught me to never give up and keep swimming! Some classic movies like the ones that you have mentioned remain in your heart forever, and these are lessons that I plan to pass on to my children too.
I agree Toiia, and Finding Nemo is another example of a movie that leaves many lessons with you.
I agree 100% with the friend theme and “Stand By Me.” It is one of my long-time favorite movies and it is very true when they say you will never have friends like those you had when you were 12. It’s such an influential and discoverable age. While I have had a lot of great friends in my life, I’ll never have ones like those I met when I was 12.
How neat to find life lessons in movies like that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of those, but I might have to see if I can hunt them down at the library or something similar!
It is really nice that you had a take away from each of these movies. Peopl usually watch a movie, then that’s it. They don’t give it much that, never mind think of how they could apply any lessons to their own life. Very nice!
Clearly, there’s a lot to be learned from the movies.
Every movie has a worldview! They all have a message that we take away from them whether we want to or not.
I’ve seen most of these movies. I still love Family Man. Maybe I’ll watch it this weekend 🙂
Just watched Family Man a month ago! 🙂
I am terrible at knowing actors names and si gers/ bands too. I can’t believe you know that many. That’s I incredible! I don’t get much time to watch movies but when I do I want to check a few of these out! They sound good. Thank You for sharing them and their lessons.
I have seen quite bit of movies myself! I love how each movie related to you in a personal way. I think one of the most inspiring movies for me was Fireproof and Courageous. I loved how this movie (Fireproof) helped a lot of marriages that I knew of, just by watching and applying it to their own marriages. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the recommendations Mystiqua! I haven’t heard of these movies yet and will definitely check these out. 🙂
I just watched The Vow, which made me think about how if my life changed and I forgot about everything that happened since I got pregnant with my son, would I go back and do it over or choose the path that I was on, not remembering the pain of losing my second son. I would hope that I would choose this path. It’s been hard and arduous, but it’s a life that I’ve built for myself and I want to live it.
I admire your takeaway from that movie. Sometimes we are able to internally reflect and become thankful for the life path we have chosen. Thank you for sharing April.
I’m actually not a big movie person, but now I am super intrigued by White Oleander and can’t wait to watch it!
I always say that movies have a deeper meaning than what’s at the surface. I like how you dig deep to find the lessons in each movie and how it can be applied to everyday life.
Good idea. I also am a movie lover. 🙂 Thanks for the post it is very nice and well written.
Thank you Becka!
This reminded me to have a break and watch a movie this weekend 🙂 I’ll try one of your recommendations 🙂 Thanks for sharing your insights 🙂
Fun post, thanks for sharing your insight! I haven’t seen all of these movies, so will definitely add the ones I haven’t seen to my ever growing “movies to watch” list 🙂
You can draw life lessons from almost anywhere, they can be about what to do or what not to do. It is important to always be open to learning to improve.
Now I have to watch The Story of Us. Never seen it- need to see it! I agree with you the the cheating thing. Emotional affairs are considered cheating, imo. I would be torn if my hubby had an emotional affair with another woman and not share those emotions with me, his wife.
I think that no matter what you watch, you can learn something from it. It’s good to do that with our kids too–what can we learn, good or bad, from what we just watched!
Nice way to break down life lessons from movies. I have only seen Stand by me, out of your list. I have found that many movies have some good lessons if we really think about the message they are sharing.
Visiting from Commentathon.
Interesting perspective! I haven’t seen these movies but can see how you would get “lessons” from them. Thanks for sharing!
I admit that I haven’t seen most of these movies. Movies are something I still need to “catch up” on. I would consider printing this post or add the titles to a list of movies to see for future reference. 🙂
Very astute observations and poignant moments you’ve recalled. Thanks for your transparency, you may have just touched a nerve here. Just a grateful thanks to you right now.
The marriage lesson was especially powerful. Sometimes, we only think of physical cheating, but emotional cheating is just as harmful. Thank you for the reminder!
These are all wonderful movies! My biggest life-lesson movie was Under the Tuscan Sun. It gave me the courage to leave my comfort behind and go on a great big adventure!! So glad I did it 🙂
I’ve also been wanting to see that movie especially since it’s in Italy. Will check that one out soon!
Oh man, I have not seen a single one of those movies! I seriously think I live under a rock (and have for my entire life). I’m just not a movie watcher, ya know? HOWEVER. I absolutely LOVE it when people can take life lessons from things like tv shows or movies. Especially when it’s not an obvious lesson that the movie is trying to get across!
One of my 3 all-time favorite movies is Finding Nemo. This is a pretty obvious lesson, but it really is a great reminder that persisting against all odds can really pay off sometimes! “Just keep swimming” is one of my mantras, and is pretty much the theme of the whole movie, really.
One recent movie that I found really impacting was “HappyThankYouMorePlease” all one word I would highly suggest watching it. Other good ones I LOVED where “Pheobe in Wonderland” and of course “eat pray love”
Thanks for the suggestions! Titles alone are intriguing. 🙂
What a creative way to use movies to get people’s attention on unique topics. Thank you for taking me back in time. Since I was born in 1975 “Stand By Me” is my favorite in the list.
I’m ashamed to say I don’t think I’m seen any of those movies but I really liked your reviews of the lessons. I think I learn lessons from movies too. You have made me want to see White Oleander now. I have the same wish for my children not to have scars too.
I absolutely love movies, so this post is right up my aisle! I always say that I have learned so much from movies (and TV for that matter). I really love this list and I whole heartily agree with it!!