Here’s a list of movies that INSPIRE..(in some way..) Some of these are my all-time favorites, but other favorites didn’t make this list as they are not necessarily inspiring – just lots of fun. For sure i may have missed a bunch of goodies, so please comment with your favorite inspiring movies if they missed the list…(we are always on the lookout for good inspirational evening viewing options! : )
(if you click on the underlined movies, you will find Va’s reviews..)
- The Keys to the Kingdom (1944) Gregory Peck, Vincent Price
- The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) Ingrid Bergman, Robert Donat
- Chariots of Fire (1981) Ben Cross, Ian Charleson …
- Amazing Grace (2007) Ian Gruffudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, Albert Finney
- The Sound of Music (1959) Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
- Remember the Titans (2000) Denzel Washington, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst
- Paradise Road (1997) Glenn Close, Pauline Collins, Frances McDormand
- Return to Me (2000) David Duchovny, Minnie Driver, Bonnie Hunt
- Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier
- The Way (2011) Martin Sheen, Emilo Estevez
- It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
- You Can’t Take it with You (1938) James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore
- Driving Miss Daisy (1989) Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, Dan Aykroyd
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) James Stewart
- Dead Poets Society (1989) Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard
- Invictus (2009) Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon
- Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001++)
- Gandhi (1982) Ben Kingsley
- Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas
- Of Gods and Men (2010) (French) Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale
- Gallipoli (1981) Mel Gibson, Mark Lee
- The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) Anthony Quinn, Laurence Olivier
- As It Is in Heaven (Swedish, 2004) Michael Nyqvist
- Saint Anthony (2005) Daniele Liotti, Enrico Brignano
- Cry the Beloved Country (1995) James Earl Jones, Richard Harris, Tsholofelo Wechoemang
- Kings Speech (2011) Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush
- Freedom Writers Diary (2007) Hilary Swank
- Clare and Francis (2008) Mary Petruolo, Ettore Bassi,
- Mother Teresa (2003, TV) Olivia Hussey
- Pope John II (2005, TV) Jon Voight
- Karol: A Man Who Became Pope (2005, TV) Piotr Adamczyk
- The Passion of the Christ (2004) James Caviezel
- Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) Gregory Peck
- Romero (1989) Raul Julia
- The Cardinal (1963) Tom Tyron
- The Mission (1986) Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons
- Hotel Rwanda (2004) Don Cheadle
- Saving God (2008) Ving Rhames, Dean McDermott
- Valkyrie (2008) Tom Cruise
- Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace (2000) Ulrich Tukur
- The Scarlet and the Black (1983) Gregory Peck, Christopher Plummer
- A Man for All Seasons (1966) Robert Shaw, Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller
- Akeelah and the Bee (2006) Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, Keke Palmer
- The Final Inquiry (2006) Daniele Liotti, Dolph Lundgren, Mónica Cruz
- Father of Mercy: The True Story of Venerable Don Gnocchi (2009) Daniel Liotti
- The Patriot (2000) Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger
- Michael Collins (1996) Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Julia Roberts
- Lilies of the Field (1963) Sidney Poitier
- The Blind Side (2009) Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron
- The Mighty Macs (2011) Carla Gugino, Marley Shelton, Ellen Burstyn
- Believe in Me (2006) Jeffrey Donovan, Samantha Mathis, Bruce Dern
- Glory Road (2006) Josh Lucas, Derek Luke, Austin Nichols
- Beat the Drum (2003) Junior Singo, Mary Twala
- A Beautiful Mind (2001) Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly
- A Man Called Peter (1955) Richard Todd
- Bella (2007) Eduardo Verastegui, Tammy Blanchard
- Beyond the Gates (2005) John Hurt, Hugh Dancy
- City of Joy (1992) Patrick Swayze, Pauline Collins
- The Agony & the Ecstasy (1965) Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison
- St. Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor to the Poor (2010) ITALY Beppe Fiorello
- Friendly Persuasion (1956) Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire
- The Express (2008) Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid
- The Great Debaters (2007) Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker
- Awakenings (1990) Robin Williams, Robert De Niro
- Pay it Forward (2000) Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt
- Shadowlands (1993) Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger
- Captain Abu Raed (2007) JORDAN
- Avatar (2009) Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
- Behind Enemy Lines (2001) Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson
- Traitor (2008) Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Saïd Taghmaoui
- The Bucket List (2007) Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson
- Patch Adams (1998) Robin Williams
- The African Queen (1951) Katherine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart
- Letters to Juliet (2010) Vanessa Redgrave, Amanda Seyfried
- Warm Springs (FDR) (2005) Kenneth Branagh, Cynthia Nixon
- Evelyn (2002) Pierce Brosnan, Aidan Quinn, Julianna Margulies
- Tea with Mussolini (1999) Cher, Lily Tomlin, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench
- Secretariat (2010) Diane Lane, John Malkovich
- Band of Brothers (2001 TV miniseries)
- Philadelphia (1993) Tom Hanks
- Glory (1989) Mathew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman
- Rudy (1993) Sean Astin
- Beyond Borders (2003) Angelina Jolie, Clive Owen
- True Grit (1969 & 2010) John Wayne/ Jeff Bridges
- Have No Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II (2005 TV)
- Arranged (2007) Zoe Lister Jones, Francis Benhamou, Mimi Lieber
- Lean on Me (1989) Morgan Freeman
- Stand and Deliver (1988) Edward James Olmos
- Up the Down Staircase (1967) Sally Dennis
- Good Will Hunting (1997) Robin Williams, Matt Damon
- Finding Forrester (2000) Sean Connery, Rob Brown
- The Knights of South Bronx (tv 2005) Ted Danson, Keke Palmer, Clifton Powell
- RUST (2010) Corbin Bernsen
- The Ultimate Gift (2007) James Garner, Drew Fuller
- Faith Like Potatoes (2006) Frank Rautenbach
- The Nun’s Story (1959) Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch
- Braveheart (1995) Mel Gibson
- The Least Among You (2009) Cedric Sanders, Lauren Holly, Louis Gossett Jr.
- Steel Magnolias (1989) Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis
- The Joy Luck Club (1993)
- Seabiscuit (2003) Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges
- The Hiding Place (1975) Corrie Ten Boom (writer)
- Walk the Line (2005) Reese Whitherspoon, Joaquin Phoenix
- Miss Potter (2006) Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor
- Billy: The Early Years (2008) J. Thomas Bailey, Dan Beene, Cliff Bemis
- Julie & Julia (2009) Meryl Streep, Amy Adams
- Unstoppable (2010) Denzel Washington, Chris Pine
- The Maldonado Miracle (2003 TV) Peter Fonda
- Noëlle (2006) David Wall, Sean Patrick Brennan
- Letters to God (2010) Tanner Maguire
- Vision [the life of Hildegard von Bingen] (2009) Barbara Sukowa
- Flash of Genius (2008) Greg Kinnear, Alan Alda
- O Jerusalem (2006) JJ Field, Saïd Taghmaoui
- Juno (2007) Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner
- Expecting a Miracle (2009 TV) Jason Priestley, Teri Polo, Cheech Marin
- Fireproof (2008) Kirk Cameron, Erin Bethea
- Plainsong (2004 TV) Aidan Quinn, Rachel Griffiths
- Gospel Hill (2008) Angela Bassett, Adam Baldwin, Chloe Bailey
- An Unfinished Life (2005) Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez
- Waterproof (2000) Burt Reynolds, Whitman Mayo, April Grace
- Carol’s Journey (2002) SPAIN
- We are Marshall (2006) Matthew McConaughey, Mathew Fox
- WWII: When Lions Roared (1994 TV) Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, John Lithgow
- A Talking Picture (2003) Portuguese
- The 5th Quarter (2010) Aidan Quinn, Andie MacDowell
- We Were Soldiers (2002) Mel Gibson, Greg Kinnear
- Man on Fire (2004) Denzel Washington
- Munich (2005) Eric Bana
- Black Hawk Down (2001) Josh Hartnett
- I am David (2003) Jim Caviezel, Joan Plowright
- Mask (1985) Cher, Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliott
- The Breakfast Club (1985) Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald
- Places of the Heart (1984) Sally Field, Ed Harris
- A Time to Kill (1996) Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock
- The Miracle Worker (1962) Anne Bancroft, Patty Duke
- Regarding Henry (1991) Harrison Ford, Annette Bening
- Norma Rae (1979) Sally Field
- Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
- Erin Brockovich (2000) Julia Roberts
- Music of the Heart (1999) Meryl Streep
- Dangerous Minds (1995) Michele Pfeiffer
- Radio (2003) Cuba Gooding Jr., Ed Harris, Debra Winger
- Nell (1994) Jodie Foster
- Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009) Cuba Gooding, Jr.
- Jessica (1962) Angie Dickinson, Maurice Chevalier
- Joyful Noise (2011) Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton
- The Reading Room (2005) James Earl Jones
- Courage (2009) Jason Priestley
- Hunt for Justice (2005) Wendy Crewson, John Corbett
- On a Clear Day (2006) Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn
- Anthony Warrior of God (2006) Jordi Mollà
Roses in the Rubble 
Great list, VA! I would also add We Were Soldiers, Man On Fire, Munich, Black Hawk Down, Blood Diamond, Defiance, I Am David, A Few Good Men, The Insiders, Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Master and Commander, Slum Dog Millionnaire, Gladiator, Benhur, just to name a few…there are so many!
Also, Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino!
Great suggestions, Cin – will add to the list & watch the ones we haven’t seen (not all for the Savvy Saints, of course! 🙂
Really GREAT list sis! I haven’t seen quite a few of them, so I am looking forward to watching them! …A few I would add, (off the top of my head) are; The Mask (Cher) based on true story, Breakfast Club, (the Pretty in Pink actress with red hair..), Mr. Holland’s Opus, Places of the Heart (Sally Field), A Time to Kill (Grisham story), and the original story about Hellen Keller…the name escapes me…And the one with Harrison Ford where he is shot and has to re-learn everything..? …and of course March of the Penguins…best “nature film” (and commentary on parenting) EVER!
Ok, so the movie about Helen Keller is “The Miracle Worker”, and the one with Harrison ford is “Regarding Henry”. Also, a few others I thought of are: Norma Rae (Sally Field), Where the Heart Is (Natalie Portman and Sally Fields), Pursuit of Happyness (Will Smith), Diary of Anne Frank, Life Support, Dangerous Minds (Michelle P.), Erin Brokonvich (Julia Roberts), Music of the Heart (Merle Streep), Radio, and Nell. …Love this project!
Shere – these are great additions to The List! (can’t believe i forgot ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus’ – a total FAV!) & there’s a few on your list your sis HAS NOT SEEN! More business for the new DVD player (you & Cin are SO GENEROUS! : )
Hmm! I haven’t seen some of these! Gonna have to add them to my list of ones to watch…
Don’t be shy suggesting YOUR Inspirational favorites to add to the List!
Good list..also, add “Courageous” – a must-see!
Cynthia
hi Cynthia (LoLs!) – We are watching “Courageous” tonight (just in from Netfix : )
Will add it (For Sure! as we saw the preview on the “Mighty Macs” dvd) …
Thanx for the recommendation & if you have more, pls suggest away!
Virginia : )
Virginia
Have you seen Mao’s Last Dancer? It’s based on the true story of a Chinese dancer who danced for the Houston Ballet. And Soul Surfer is another true story about the teenage surfer in Hawaii that was attacked by a shark, survives, and goes back to be a sucessful surfer. And I don’t know if you are into animated movies. When my son was younger I saw several. Two of my favorite inspiring animated movies are Up and Finding Nemo.
Thanks for following The Quoting Catholic blog. 🙂
-Claudia
Hi Claudia — thanks for these movie recommendations. i have Soul Surfer from Netflix to watch … & will check out Mao’s Last Dancer… i cried my eyes out watching Up in the movie theater (!!!).. Finding Nemo was totally a fun flick. We also really liked Monsters Inc & Despicable Me & Toy Story … but one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIES (seen 4x in the movie theater) is Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. Still trying to sort out how it figures on the Inspirator-meter (but for sure, the laugh-o-meter gets high marks!)
Thanks for popping by – i will be updating this movie list in the not-so-distant future with some inspiring flicks seen over the summer. : )
grace, peace & Animated Fun – Virginia
I’ve never seen Nightmare before Christmas. I need to check that one out. Looks pretty creepy. I do agree Monster’s Inc, Toy Story, and Despicable Me are great, too. I just thought of another one. I think it is also by Tim Burton, but I’m not sure, anyway it’s his kind of dark movie. It’s called 9. That’s an interesting thought provoking animated one. I’ll come back to check for additions to your list and make some recommendations. I really like watching movies and so do my son and husband. 🙂
Your #88 — Stand and Deliver…absolutely! Picked up The Way from the library yesterday. Certain viewing this weekend, Virginia! Thanks.
Tim, if you like Stand & Deliver, you probably have seen Lean on Me? That’s an old favorite (& you might also like “The Reading Room” with James Earl Jones.) I compiled this movie list awhile back -updating it is on my ‘to do’ list (lots more to add!) My sister & her friends have used it, but methinks they’ve seen them all. 🙂
Plus “Bicycle Thieves”
Two films of Ingmar Bergman: “The Seventh Seal” and “Wild Strawberries”
Thanks for the recommendations- will have to check those movies out (& definitely need to update this list!!!) Cheers! 😎🍿🎥🍿😎
Thanks for the great movie suggestions. There are so many bad ones out there! I thought Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks was excellent.
Hi Mark — I also liked Bridge of Spies (it’s part of our DVD collection.) Brilliant movie – will add it to the list. (Sorry I haven’t updated this list for awhile, must put that on the ‘to do’ list!) – Virginia 🙂
First Reformed (2018) https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/first-reformed-2018/
If you haven’t seen “Powder,” 1995, starring Sean Patrick Flanery and Jeff Goldblum in a supporting role I think you would really like it and add it to your list! You might consider “Starman” from 1984 as well starring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen.
I will look those movies up. Thank you for popping by this page – I haven’t updated it for awhile, so should add movies from the last few years. We really enjoyed The Green Book last year and a host of others. Blessings!🍿 🎥🍿