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Inspiring Movies

Mia Thermopolis is a bright but terribly shy and gawky teenager whose goal in life is to survive each school day with a minimum of attention and embarrassment. Unfortunately her wish to be invisible is thwarted when her estranged grandmother, Queen of Genovia, arrives and delivers the shocking news that she’s a real-life princess – heir to the throne of Genovia. Furious and incredulous, the reluctant royal agrees to take “princess lessons” and make the biggest decision of her life in three weeks.

Jimmy Morris dreams of being a major league baseball player. Plagued by elbow and shoulder injuries his dream is shelved, and he settles to be a high school teacher and coach until he makes a bet with his championship baseball team and tries out for the big leagues. He is more than decade older than the other hopefuls when he tries out.

Trevor, a 12-year-old boy is faced with a daunting social studies assignment: "Think of an idea to change our world and put it into action." Trevor’s plan is to show an act of kindness to three people, then ask each of them to "pay it forward" -- to do unto others some kind of good deed rather than pay the favour back.

Jerry is a sports agent who is driven to write a mission statement that suggests “less clients, better relationships”. He prints the statement and distributes it to everyone in his office. This leads to him losing his job and scrambling to survive.

Helen’s love life and career hinge on whether or not she catches a train. The movie simultaneously shows Helen’s life if she caught the train and her life if she didn’t catch the train. The experiences lead to the same ending, just a different way of getting there.

8 year boy is truck with a life-threatening form of brain cancer. During the course of his treatment, he shocks the world by breaking the Guinness World Book of Records for receiving 1.3M cards from well wishers around the globe. Based on a true story.

Werner Huntington III (Mathew Davis) dumps his girl friend Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) and heads for Harvard Law School. Elle a California sorority girl and fashion designer, a most unlikely candidate for law school, will do anything to keep her man, including going to law school. You'll have to see the movie to find out if she wins Werner back.

This movie is based on a true story about Bill Porter (William H. Macy) a man with cerebral palsy who takes a salesman's job. He is impaired in body, but not in spirit as he makes his door-to-door salesman rounds during his nearly 50 year career. This is a touching movie demonstrating patience and persistence in an extraordinary life.

While on a ten day vacation in Tuscany, a San Francisco writer, Frances Mayes is captivated by its beauty and warmth. She impulsively buys an aging but very charming villa. She finds herself immersed in a life-changing adventure filled with unexpected surprises, friendships and romance.

This is a film about a young couple who want to run a family farm in Iowa. Ray and Annie Kinsella (Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan) have tested the fast track and had enough of it, and they enjoy sitting on the porch and listening to the grass grow. The farmer is standing in the middle of a cornfield when he hears voices "If you build it, he will come." He looks around and doesn't see anybody. This is the beginning of an interesting adventure for Ray and Annie.

This is a film about a teenage girl called Jess who chooses between following the traditions of her Indian family or following her dream of becoming a soccer star. Jess aspires to achieve the success of her idol, soccer superstar David Beckham. This movie leaves audiences in a feel good mood.

Is there an inspiring movie you recommend be added to this list? Email us: info@bigpictureinstitute.com

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Focus on Who You Can Be

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