Have Yourself an Entrepreneurial Film Fest Weekend

kick off the weekendGood movies inspire. Heck even bad movies can inspire. The power of a good story is incredible. Even corporate films can be rousing. Ask Director Tom.

So how about kicking off your weekend with some movies that ignites that spark inside to follow your dreams?

My favorite “Entrepreneurial” Films – The Good, The Bad, Yet Strangely Inspiring

I’m a film buff. Indies are my favorite, but I’ll watch almost anything. Some movies consistently tug at that inner entrepreneur, every time I watch them. So I thought I’d share a few and also find out what movies inspire you.

A couple of these are hokey – one or two maybe even really bad. But campy or not, these are a few of my favorite “going after your dreams” films.

The Big Picture – This is one of my all time favorites and I’ve seen it more times than I can remember. A little quirky (which I like) Kevin Bacon is a filmmaker doing his best to do his film his way. He stumbles a lot, and gets caught up in the rush, but comes back to what really matters. Oh, and it’s a Christopher Guest flick. It may sound silly, but there have been times when this flick got me going again.

Field of Dreams – A classic. It’s never easy following that voice inside, but if you can get James Earl Jones to help, you’ve got it made.

Coyote Ugly – Yep. It’s one of my guilty pleasures. As bad as it is, I love the way Violet goes after her dreams despite all that’s against her. Besides, Tyra Banks and Maria Bello – worth the price of entry.

The Last Starfighter – The tagline – “In his wildest dreams Alex never suspected that tonight he would become…” Maybe kind of bad, depending on your tastes – but who wouldn’t want to know that playing video games might actually make them qualified to be a hero? It also contains one of my favorite quotes about getting your chance, one that I actually used here before. “Important thing is, when it comes, you’ve got to grab with both hands, and hold on tight!“

Rudy – Another classic, and more obvious choice. My wife still doesn’t get why I didn’t cry at the birth of our kids, but still get choked up at Rudy.

Primer – This one is a little different. I loved the movie, but it’s not for everyone. This is on my list because of the story behind it – a guy who taught himself filmmaking and did it all on his own. A true indie that went on to win the Grand Jury Award in 2004 at Sundance.

Okay, these are a few of mine. Everyone has their own favorite inspirational movies.

What are yours?

12 comments

  4. It’s funny how movies I saw back in the ’70’s still inspire me. In addition to “Rocky,” as several people have mentioned, I’d add “The Way We Were,” especially because of the path Barbra Striesand’s character chose.

  5. Eartha – I almost added Secret of My Success. That’s a good one.

    Debbie – Great movies do seem to stick with us and stand the test of time. I wish I can remember where I read it, but someone wrote that a short scene they saw in a movie years ago triggered a change that impacted their life from that point on.

  6. I just saw Facing the Giants yesterday. Everybody needs to go to your favorite rental place and check it out this weekend.

    In general I like war movies and classic thrillers more than any other genre. Tony, may I deviate from your theme for just a second? Here are two handfulls I can watch all day long…To Catch A Thief, Saving Private Ryan, Tha Longest Day, Patton, Force Ten From Navorone, Fly Boys (saw it right before Facing the Giants), The Maltese Falcon, Lawrence of Arabia, Ghandi, Enter the Dragon (Bruce Lee could kick a mountain in half if he wanted to).

    By the way Tony, please favorite me in between flicks this weekend and check out my latest post on personal finance. Thanks.

  9. Shane – All great flicks. Finding Forrester was on my list but I wanted to whittle it down. Being a movie fan, it’s always hard to pick just a few 🙂

  10. Al — you win for Papillon. Great flick.

    I instantly thought “Boiler Room” but honestly, that’s not how I do business. *smile*

    Great idea here Tony.

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