Great & Inspiring Movies About ...
Life Stages
The Eight Stages of Life & Evolution
This page lists my personal take on inspiring, informative and useful movies which deal with the eight phases of life. Many point out the critical tasks and challenges that each phase presents.
I hope you enjoy this list and find the links to additional information helpful!
Exploring Movies
The Runaway Bride
A hardware store manager realizes after being researched by a newspaper journalist that she has so conformed to meet the expectations of others she has never found out who she is and what she loves. And in seeking herself she finds a passion and talent for creating artistic lamps.
Info: 1999, PG, Romantic Comedy, Julia Roberts, Richard Gere
Keywords: store manager (life path 4), newspaper journalist (life path 7), artisan (life path 3), gifts and talents, self discovery, who am I, passionate work
Link: wikipedia - The Runaway Bride (film)
Focusing Movies
Breaking Away
A young man dreams of living a more interesting life as struggles against his fate of following in his father's footsteps. He starts to create the life he wants by impersonating an Italian college student following his passion for bicycle racing.
Info: 1979, PG, light hearted Drama, Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid
Keywords: athlete (life path 5), car salesman (life path 2), gifts and talents, create life you want, fate and destiny, activities you love
Link: wikipedia - Breaking Away
Dead Poet's Society
A teacher inspires his students to make their lives extraordinary by creating their own destiny and following their life calling as they struggle with the coming of age obstacles of overcoming self limiting beliefs and family job preferences.
Info: 1989, PG, Drama, Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke
Keywords: teacher (life path 6), mentor (life path 9), life calling, fate and destiny, potential (Life Way 9), self discovery
Link: wikipedia - Dead Poet's Society
October Sky
A group of young boys are inspired by their teacher and the space race in the 1950s to follow their passion and change their destiny by choosing the life they want to live instead of what fate has dealt them.
Info: 1999, PG, Drama, Jake Gyllenhaal, Laura Dern
Keywords: astronauts (life path1), passionate work, fate and destiny, potential (Life Way 9), create life you want
Link: wikipedia - October Sky
My Brilliant Career
A young woman begins a journey of self discovery and struggles against poverty and social expectations of marriage to explore her gift for storytelling and become a writer.
Info: 1979, G, Drama, Judy Davis, Sam Neill
Keywords: writer (life path 3), gifts and talents, potential (Life Way 9), create life you want, passionate work
Link: wikipedia - My Brilliant Career, imdb
Rudy
A young man realizes his dream of becoming a college athlete at Notre Dame playing football despite a lack of education, physical size and family support.
Info: 1993, PG, Drama, Sean Astin, Ned Beatty
Keywords: athlete (life path 5), places you love, activities you love, passionate work, work that inspires
Link: wikipedia - Rudy (film)
Bend It Like Beckham
A young girl struggles to follow her talent for playing soccer which conflicts with her East Indian culture.
Info: 2002, PG - 13, Comedy, Parminder K. Nagra, Keira Knightley
Keywords: athlete (life path 5), obstacles, gifts and talents, potential (Life Way 9), create life you want
Link: wikipedia - Bend It Like Beckham
Finding Forrester
A young student finds a mentor to help him develop his potential to become a writer (life path 3).
Info: 2000, PG-13, Drama, Sean Connery, Anna Paquin
Keywords: writer (life path 3), mentor (life path 9), gifts and talents, potential (Life Way 9)
Life Calling Movies
I also have more movies listed in my Find Your Life Calling section.
Billy Elliot / Dancer
A young man struggles against cultural taboos to explore his passion for dancing and realize his potential as an 11 year old boy with a gift for dancing.
Info: 2000, R, Drama, Jamie Bell, Julie Walters
Keywords: dancer (life path 3), teacher (life path 6), gifts and talents, potential (Life Way 9), create life you want
Link: wikipedia - Billy Elliot
Working Movies
Kiki's Delivery Service
A young girl seeks to find her place in the world by traveling to the city and working to discover her talent and learning how to turning it into a livelihood -- a delivery service business.
Info: 1988, G, Action Comedy, Anime
Keywords: business entrepreneur (life path 8), gifts and talents, create life you want
Link: wikipedia - Kiki's Delivery Service
That Thing You Do!
Four young musicians write a hit song and undergo a fast rise to the top of the charts as they struggle to keep their band together with the help of their manager.
Info: 1996, PG, Musical Drama, Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler
Keywords: musicians (life path 3), talent manager (life path 3 and 8), mastery (life phase) in the form of the concierge, manager and jazz greats
Link: wikipedia - That Thing You Do!
Excelling Movies
Chariots of Fire
Professional athletes compete to win races for different reasons (issues).
Info: 1981, PG, Drama, Ben Cross, Ian Charleson
Keywords: athletes (life path 5), issues you love, work great at, excelling (life phase)
Link: wikipedia - Chariots of Fire
The Spirit of St. Louis
A young adventurer, explorer and mail pilot overcomes physical obstacles and assumptions about what is humanly possible to be the first to fly across the Atlantic (issue).
Info: 1957, NR, Drama, James Stewart
Keywords: adventurer (life path 5), pioneer (life path 1) and mail pilot (life path 5), obstacles, potential (Life Way 9)
Link: wikipedia - The Spirit of St. Louis
Working Girl
A secretary struggles against a lack of the right background and work taboos to not to rise above her low status in order to follow her passion for business mergers and acquisitions and become an executive in financial advising using her gifts for seeing connections, opportunities & asking pivotal questions.
Info: 1988, R, Comedy, Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford
Keywords: secretary (life path 4), financial advising (life path 2), executive (life path 8), gifts and talents, potential (Life Way 9), create life you want, passionate work, work great at
Link: wikipedia - Working Girl
Good Will Hunting
A construction worker finds he has a gift for learning and mathematics but must struggle to overcome his past, self limiting beliefs, and a lack of the right credentials and background in order to change his destiny and develop his potential.
Info: 1997, R, Drama, Matt Damon, Robin Williams
Keywords: construction worker (life path 4), mathematics (life path 7), gifts and talents, obstacles, create life you want, potential (Life Way 9)
Link: wikipedia - Good Will Hunting
Mastering Movies
The King of Masks
An aging street performer who is a master of mask-changing adopts an orphan in order to pass along the secrets of his art, and discovers love that overcomes many obstacles.
Info: 1996, Drama, Zhu Xu
Keywords: street performer, mask maker (life path 3), mastery (life phase and Life Way 10), love (Life Way 6)
Link: wikipedia - The King of Masks
Tampopo / Dandelion
A woman seeks to become a chef and build a business learning how to master the art of making the perfect soup soba with the aid of a truck driver.
Info: 1985, Comedy, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ken Watanabe
Keywords: chef (life path 2), noodle shop owner (life path 8), truck driver (life path 5), need (perfect soup), mastery (life phase and Life Way 10)
Link: wikipedia - Tampopo (film)
Pushing Tin
Two air traffic controllers who are gifted at their work, become rivals.
Info: 1999, R, Drama, John Cusack, Billy Bob Thorton
Keywords: air traffic controllers (life path 5), sage (life path 9), gifts and talents, mastery (life phase and Life Way 10)
Link: wikipedia - Pushing Tin
James Bond Films
A spy uses his many gifts and technical gadgets to fight evil and protect Britain's interests.
Info: 1962 to present, PG, Action, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan
Keywords: spy (life path 5), gifts and talents, things you love
Link: wikipedia - James Bond (character)
Sherlock Holmes Films
A detective and a doctor apply their skills for logic and deduction to solve crimes and mysteries.
Info: 1940s to present, Basil Rathbone
Keywords: detective (life path 7), doctor (life path 6), gifts and talents, mysteries (Life Way 5), justice (Life Way 11)
Link: wikipedia - Sherlock Holmes (character)
Hellfighters
A man establishes a world class company to put out oil well fires filled with masters of their trade -- based on the real life story of Re:d Adair.
Info: 1968, Drama, John Way.ne, Katharine Ross, Jim Hutton
Keywords: adventurer / firefighter (life path 5), gifts and talents
Link: wikipedia - Hellfighters (film)
Mostly Martha / No Reservations
A master chef is passionate about her work, but her single mindedness throws off her work-life balance. When her sister dies and she has to take on the care of her young niece, the problems with her life start to show up as she learns about love outside of work. Original German film (Mostly Martha) has English subtitles, US remake (No Reservations) is in English.
Info: German - 2001, Comedy, Martina Gedeck, Maxime Foerste
Info: US - 2007, Comedy, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron EckhartKeywords: chef (life path 2), balance (Life Way 14), mastery (phase and Way 10)
Link: wikipedia - Mostly Martha and No Reservations (film)
Transcending Movies
Phenomenon
A man has a mystical experience which opens up his potential, reveals unusual gifts and talents and challenges the cultural taboos of what is possible for humans.
Info: 1996, PG, Drama, John Travolta, Robert Duvall)
Keywords: potential, gifts and talents, self discovery, mystery (Life Way 5)
Link: wikipedia - Phenomenon
Tin Cup
A professional athlete regains his passion for golf and finds he has a gift for making impossible shots.
Info: 1996, R, Comedy, Kevin Costner, Rene Russo
Keywords: athlete (life path 5), passionate work, gifts and talents, mastery (life phase and Life Way 10)
Link: wikipedia - Tin Cup
Re-genesis Movies
The Matrix Series
A computer programmer joins with warriors and an oracle to find his life calling and undergoes a complete cycle from exploring the world around him to undergoing a regenesis into a new way of existing within the Matrix.
Info: 1999, R, Science Fiction, Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Laurence Fishburne
Keywords: computer programmer (life path 6), warriors (life path 5), oracle (life path 9), life calling, transcendence and regenesis (life phase), create life you want
Link: wikipedia - The Matrix
Cast Away
An executive's life is changed dramatically when he is marooned on a deserted island, and he learns to survive and create a new way of being in the world.
Info: 2000, PG-13, Drama, Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt
Keywords: executive (life path 8), excelling (life phase), life transitions, life balance (Life Way 14), journey of self discovery, create new life
Link: wikipedia - Cast Away
The Emperor's New Clothes
Napoleon Bonaparte puts his strategic and tactical skills to use when he escapes from his exile and becomes a fruit seller in Paris. As reality sets in, he has to choose between his old life in ruins or a new life.Info: 2001, PG, Historical Comedy, Ian Holm
Keywords: general (life path 5), fruit seller (life path 8), gifts and talents, create new life you want
Link: wikipedia - The Emperor's New Clothes
Regarding Henry
A legal counselor is seriously wounded and the tragic event prompts his rediscovery of his potential and making choices for the new life he wants.
Info: 1991, PG-13, Drama, Harrison Ford, Annette Bening
Keywords: legal counselor (life path 2), potential, create the life you want
Link: wikipedia - Regarding Henry
Under The Tuscan Sun
A newly divorced writer falls in love with Tuscany on a vacation and struggles to build a new life for herself filled with the people and activities she loves.
Info: 2003, PG-13, Drama, Diane Lane, Sandra Oh
Keywords: writer (life path 3), places you love, people you love, activities you love, life you want
Link: wikipedia - Under The Tuscan Sun
Baghdad Café / Out of Rosenheim
A woman stranded in the desert finds she has a gift for connecting with people and a talent for magic which transforms a local truck stop and the life of its owner.Info: 1988, PG, Drama, Marianne Saegebrecht, CCH Pounder
Keywords: cafe owner (life path 2 and 8), magician (life path 3), self discovery, gifts and talents
Link: wikipedia - Baghdad Café
