The 20 Best Motivational And Self-improvement Movies
There are films to excite us, make us afraid, provoke us… and there are also those that can have an effect on us beyond the screens or movie theaters, when the final credits have already ended and we move away from these fictional worlds to immerse ourselves in the daily routine of our lives.
These are the motivational and self-improvement movies which not only tell us inspiring stories but they often transform our way of seeing things and making decisions. These are pieces of cinema that seem to have been created to motivate all types of audiences and fuel the fire of their willpower.
By the way, don’t miss our collection of phrases: “The 30 best motivational phrases”
In this article you can find a selection of 20 motivational and self-improvement films that you can “self-administer” when you believe that a small stimulus can be helpful to tackle projects with renewed strength.
Motivating and self-improvement movies for all tastes
1. In search of happiness
Will Smith plays a father who has to face financial ruin and abandonment by his wife to continue providing good care for his son The helplessness and lack of help provided by the individualistic society in which he is immersed will not make him throw in the towel in his fight to find a future in which his son and he can live with dignity. A life lesson that teaches us the importance of continuing to fight even when the circumstances are not very flattering.
2. The diving suit and the butterfly
One of our most notable inclusions in the Psychology and Mental Disorders Movies article is also one of the best self-improvement movies This feature film tells the story of a former editor-in-chief of the magazine elle, who was trapped in his own body due to an accident, being able to move only one eye. That won’t stop him from blinking at a nurse and writing an autobiographical book.
3. The Indomitable Will Hunting
Will Hunting is a man with a unique talent who prefers to dedicate himself to his modest life goals rather than fully squeezing his full potential. A teacher will help you get out of this situation of blockage born of conformism One of those films of personal improvement especially suitable for those people who believe that they can give more of themselves. If you need an extra dose of motivation, you should meet Will Hunting as soon as possible.
Acclaimed film in which the character played by Bradley Cooper He is learning to cope with the difficulties that come with living with Bipolar Disorder when he meets Jennifer Lawrence in the role of tiffany. This improvised duo will discover how mutual support is capable of transforming reality and decisively improving their lives.
5. A wonderful mind
One of the most famous and remembered films about improvement is the one that tells the story of how John Forbes Nash began his successful academic and research journey in the world of mathematics and geometry, coping with his mental problems and fitting into society
6. Ratatouille
Remy is a rat who dreams of becoming a great chef despite his family’s opposition and the fact that, well, it’s a rat. However, all this will not prevent her from partnering with a young chef and undertaking an ambitious project with him that could cost her her life if the clients or the rest of the kitchen staff discover her. Motivational movie for all audiences: It teaches us that everything is within our reach if we put our minds to it
7. Forrest Gump
It could not be missing from a compilation of motivational films. The actor Tom Hanks He plays a young man with a low IQ who, thanks to his good faith and an exemplary desire to improve, lives a thousand adventures and earns a place in people’s hearts A classic among self-improvement films; It shows us that an intellectual disability is not an obstacle to leaving a mark in this world.
8. Dead Poets Society
In one of the papers Robin Williams most remembered, he plays a teacher who teaches classes at an institute for upper-class young people and who, going far beyond the role expected of him, acts as a true inspiring force so that its students discover for themselves the meaning of their lives through poetry. A moving story told with incredible sensitivity that thrills and leads to reflection in equal parts.
9. Untouchable
One of the most successful films about personal improvement, and it is also based on real events Philippe He is a man of good economic position who becomes quadriplegic and begins to need someone to take care of him This person turns out to be Driss, a sub-Saharan man who lives in a marginal environment and has a criminal record. The cultural clash that occurs between the two of them will at the same time be the spark that will lead them to provide mutual support to overcome the different barriers that each of them has to overcome.
This feature film tells the story of king george vi who ascended the British throne in the mid-1930s and had to face the challenge of being an authority at the height of the House of Windsor despite its marked stammering The monarch is not alone in his fight against speech blocking, since he has the help of a brilliant speech therapist named Lionel Loguewhich fulfills a role similar to that of a modern coach.
11. Life of Pi
The life of the young Hindu Piscine Patel It takes a big turn when the ship he is traveling on capsizes and he is left adrift in a boat full of wild animals. On its long journey to nowhere, Piscine He will have to manage to share his boat with a tiger using a mixture of ingenuity, hunger for adventure and good faith
12. Life is beautiful
The film that catapulted the director and actor to world fame Roberto Benigni Gido He is a Jewish man who is sent with his family to a concentration camp during the decline of Nazism. In these difficult conditions of subsistence, will aim to protect the psychological integrity of your child creating a fantasy about everything that happens around them. Exceptional portrait of father-son love despite the most dire circumstances.
13. Rocky
The feature film that made famous Silverter Stallone It is also a great example of what self-improvement films should be. Rocky He is a young Italian-American from a lower class who box to become heavyweight champion In addition to being a classic, it tells us one of the most inspiring and motivating stories in history.
14. Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot He has a passion for dance, and more specifically for ballet This energetic hobby is not exactly well regarded in the England of the 80s, but Billy will dedicate all his energies to combating the social pressure that could lead him to give up on his dream. A film that addresses topics such as social stereotypes and identity
Here the story is told of how the famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking During his youth, he faced the diagnosis of the disease that would leave him confined to his wheelchair , and how the complications that arose from this did not prevent him from focusing on an ambitious journey of learning and discoveries while he began a relationship with his first wife. An essential biographical film to motivate yourself and become what you want to be… despite everything.
Brilliant film directed by Roman Polanski It is the story of a Polish pianist of Jewish origin who lives in a peripheral neighborhood of Warsaw, right at the time of the Third Reich. The Nazis enter the city, so The protagonist will have to survive hidden and with the only company of his piano and a constant fear of being discovered and sent to the death camps.
17. Million Dollar Baby
A veteran boxing trainer played by Clint Eastwood He is the owner of a gym on the outskirts of the city. A good day, Maggie Fitzgerald, a poor but very willful girl, shows up at the gym asking to be trained. A film that shows us the protagonist’s extraordinary capacity for sacrifice, who will have to push herself to the maximum to become a professional boxer and abandon his old and unhappy life. Determination and motivation to fight against a gray life.
18. Invictus
A film that tells the life of Nelson Mandela who after spending long years imprisoned for his political ideals, becomes president of South Africa and declares the end of the apartheid. With the excuse of the rugby world cup celebration, reconciliation between blacks and whites is possible and Mandela will do everything necessary to promote values such as respect and peace
19. Moneyball: breaking the rules
In this curious film, a sports director of an American baseball team (Brad Pitt ) uses a rigorous methodology of working with its players. Despite having fewer financial resources than the rest of the teams in the league, Motivation, cunning and thousands of hours of work invested in improving team performance will pay off A motivating film that will make you enjoy it a lot if you like the field of Sports Psychology.
20. Life sentence (Dreams of freedom)
The Shawshank Redemption It is a classic among classics. A masterful film in every sense, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman , two prisoners in an American prison in the 1950s who will forge a beautiful friendship. An optimistic view of life, even in especially unfair and dramatic circumstances. Robbins will only be able to escape from routine thanks to his determination and his desire to live.
