Inspiring movies of Hope, Passion and Perserverance
Lately, theaters have been overflowing with movies about mobsters, monsters, murder, muscles and mayhem. Dark, bleak themes are the norm today.
Instead, I thought it might be time to list some uplifting movies of (fairly) normal characters who keep hope alive. Facing overwhelming odds with only their wit, will and humanity (or animality in some cases!), these movie characters do not resort to guns, gore or graphic gruesomeness to solve their dilemmas. Not an Avenger or Jedi in sight!
This list is not all-inclusive and is in no particular order. There are many, many more fabulous "hopeful" movies not on this list. These are just some of my favorites. I hope you can see and experience hope and joy today. Enjoy! :-)
Instead, I thought it might be time to list some uplifting movies of (fairly) normal characters who keep hope alive. Facing overwhelming odds with only their wit, will and humanity (or animality in some cases!), these movie characters do not resort to guns, gore or graphic gruesomeness to solve their dilemmas. Not an Avenger or Jedi in sight!
This list is not all-inclusive and is in no particular order. There are many, many more fabulous "hopeful" movies not on this list. These are just some of my favorites. I hope you can see and experience hope and joy today. Enjoy! :-)
List activity
34K views
• 28 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
54 titles
- DirectorKirsten SheridanStarsFreddie HighmoreKeri RussellJonathan Rhys MeyersA musically gifted orphan, Evan, runs away from his orphanage and searches New York City for his birth parents. On his journey, he's taken under the wing of the Wizard, a homeless man who lives in an abandoned theater.
- DirectorPete DocterBob PetersonStarsEdward AsnerJordan NagaiJohn Ratzenberger78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.
- DirectorMichael O. SajbelStarsDrew FullerJames GarnerAbigail BreslinA deceased billionaire leaves his spoiled adult grandson a series of odd tasks to perform in order to receive "the ultimate gift," with the resentful grandson having no idea what that might be.
- DirectorPeter ChelsomStarsJohn CusackKate BeckinsaleJeremy PivenA couple search for each other years after the night they first met, fell in love, and separated, convinced that one day they'd end up together.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsIoan GruffuddAlbert FinneyMichael GambonThe idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTom HanksBill PaxtonKevin BaconNASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.
- DirectorChris NoonanStarsJames CromwellMagda SzubanskiChristine CavanaughGentle farmer Arthur Hoggett wins a piglet Babe at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner, Babe bonds with motherly border collie Fly and discovers that he too can herd sheep. But will the other animals accept him?
- DirectorAlex KendrickStarsAlex KendrickKen BevelKevin DownesWhen a tragedy strikes close to home, four police officers struggle with their faith and their roles as husbands and fathers. Together they make a decision that will change all of their lives.
- DirectorJon TurteltaubStarsJohn CandyLeonDoug E. DougWhen a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsGreg KinnearLaurie MetcalfMaria PitilloWhen letters written to God start getting results, and replies, people everywhere are amazed. The post office, however, is annoyed.
- DirectorAlex KendrickStarsAlex KendrickShannen FieldsJason McLeodA losing coach and his underdog football team face their giants of fear and failure on and off the field, with surprising results.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsJennifer BealsMichael NouriLilia SkalaAn 18-year-old female amateur dancer who performs nightly at a dancing bar, and works as a welder during the day, dreams of joining the Pittsburgh ballet school.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsKevin BaconLori SingerJohn LithgowA city teenager moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.
- DirectorClyde BruckmanBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonMarion MackGlen CavenderAfter being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.
- DirectorEricson CoreStarsMark WahlbergGreg KinnearElizabeth BanksBased on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1976.
- DirectorCharles HaidStarsMackenzie AstinKevin SpaceyDavid Ogden StiersA brave young man is thrust into adulthood as he and his courageous team of sled dogs embark on a grueling and treacherous cross-country marathon.
- DirectorAndrew GalleraniStarsSherilyn FennJeremy PivenJoBeth WilliamsA Hollywood tour bus driver poses as a screenwriter to romance an up-and-coming young actress.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobert RedfordRobert DuvallGlenn CloseA middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.
- DirectorIrwin WinklerStarsHayden ChristensenKevin KlineKristin Scott ThomasWhen a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsJim CarreyMartin LandauBob BalabanIn 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town where he is mistaken for a long-lost son.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsKurt RussellPatricia ClarksonNathan WestThe true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.
- DirectorJay RoachStarsRussell CroweBurt ReynoldsHank AzariaThe residents of a small town get over-excited when their hockey team gets chosen to host a televised event.
- DirectorJon TurteltaubStarsNicolas CageDiane KrugerJustin BarthaA historian races to find the legendary Templar Treasure before a team of mercenaries.
- DirectorBrad BirdJan PinkavaStarsBrad GarrettLou RomanoPatton OswaltA rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant.
- DirectorDavid AnspaughStarsSean AstinJon FavreauNed BeattyRudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.
- DirectorFred SchepisiStarsSteve MartinDaryl HannahRick RossovichThe large-nosed C.D. Bales is in love with the beautiful Roxanne; she falls for his personality but another man's looks.
- DirectorJohn Lee HancockStarsDennis QuaidJD EvermoreRachel GriffithsA Texas baseball coach makes the major league after agreeing to try out if his high school team made the playoffs.
- DirectorMichael McGowanStarsAdam ButcherCampbell ScottJennifer TillySaint Ralph is the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth-grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.
- DirectorChristopher SpencerStarsDiogo MorgadoAmber Rose RevahGreg HicksThe life story of Jesus is told from his humble birth through his teachings, crucifixion and ultimate resurrection.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungA small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsJim CarreyEd HarrisLaura LinneyAn insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.
- DirectorAudrey WellsStarsDiane LaneRaoul BovaSandra OhFrances Mayes, a 35-year-old San Francisco writer, gets a divorce that leaves her with terminal writer's block and depression. Later, she decides to buy a house in Tuscany in order to change her life.
- DirectorMcGStarsMatthew McConaugheyMatthew FoxAnthony MackieWhen a plane crash claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team's new coach and his surviving players try to keep the football program alive.
- DirectorAndrew StantonLee UnkrichStarsAlbert BrooksEllen DeGeneresAlexander GouldAfter his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
- DirectorRich MooreStarsJohn C. ReillyJack McBrayerJane LynchA video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.
- DirectorJohn BadhamStarsMatthew BroderickAlly SheedyJohn WoodA young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.
- DirectorRon ClementsJohn MuskerStarsScott WeingerRobin WilliamsLinda LarkinA kind-hearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.
- DirectorSamuel ArmstrongNorman FergusonWilfred JacksonStarsSterling HollowayEdward BrophyHerman BingRidiculed because of his enormous ears, a young circus elephant is assisted by a mouse to achieve his full potential.
- DirectorJames GartnerStarsJosh LucasDerek LukeAustin NicholsIn 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
- DirectorNiki CaroStarsKevin CostnerMaria BelloRamiro RodriguezJim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach, and at his new school he turns seven disappointing students into one of the best cross-country teams in the region.
- DirectorBoaz YakinStarsDenzel WashingtonWill PattonWood HarrisIn 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.
- DirectorMarc ForsterStarsJohnny DeppKate WinsletJulie ChristieThe story of Sir J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsBrenton ThwaitesJeff BridgesMeryl StreepIn a seemingly perfect community without war, pain, suffering, differences or choices, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man, the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.
- DirectorWilliam DearStarsDanny GloverBrenda FrickerTony DanzaWhen a boy prays for a chance to have a family if the California Angels win the pennant, angels are assigned to make that possible.
- DirectorEric LeightonRalph ZondagStarsD.B. SweeneyJulianna MarguliesSamuel E. WrightAn orphaned dinosaur raised by lemurs joins an arduous trek to a sanctuary after a meteorite shower destroys his family home.
- DirectorCharles Martin SmithStarsMorgan FreemanAshley JuddHarry Connick Jr.A boy finds a dolphin that was injured in a trap. They become friends, but the dolphin needs to have its tail amputated to survive. With the help of a biologist and a prosthetics specialist, the boy tries to save the animal.
- DirectorVictor SalvaStarsScott MechlowiczNick NolteAmy SmartDan, a college student and a world-champion gymnast, is disturbed and wants to add some meaning to his life. A chance encounter leads him to discover an enlightened way ahead.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsViggo MortensenOmar SharifZuleikha RobinsonIn 1890, a down-and-out cowboy and his horse travel to Arabia to compete in a deadly cross desert horse race.
- DirectorBrian HelgelandStarsChadwick BosemanT.R. KnightHarrison FordIn 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faces considerable racism in the process.
- DirectorStephen DaldryStarsJamie BellJulie WaltersJean HeywoodA talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family.
- DirectorMorten TyldumStarsBenedict CumberbatchKeira KnightleyMatthew GoodeDuring World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.
- DirectorNora EphronStarsTom HanksMeg RyanGreg KinnearBook superstore magnate Joe Fox and independent book shop owner Kathleen Kelly fall in love in the anonymity of the Internet, both blissfully unaware that he's trying to put her out of business.
- DirectorRoger MichellStarsHugh GrantJulia RobertsRichard McCabeA set of circumstances makes Anna Scott, a famous actress, fall in love with William Thacker, owner of a bookstore in Notting Hill. But the paparazzi's fascination with her complicates their bond.