Joy Is Where You Find It: Inspirational Movies

Inspiration is where you find it. Sometimes that’s in the movies. My favorite theme for both books and film is what I refer to as passing the torch. It’s pretty simple actually. You can identify a passing the torch story because by the end of the movie one character is far better off as a result of the influence of another character.

I haven’t included it in this piece but Titanic is the perfect example of a passing the torch movie. After “old” Rose tells her story of the fateful night the Titanic sunk she says this of Jack, “But now you know there was a man named Jack Dawson and that he saved me... in every way that a person can be saved.

Prior to meeting Jack, Rose was a rather spoiled and despondent rich girl who was reluctantly on her way to marrying a self-centered businessman to maintain her family’s upper crust status. The short time she spent with Jack allowed her to see that there was far more to life than social status.

Sometimes it’s good to look beyond our own back yard for inspiration, to escape for a couple of hours and fantasize just a little. The following two movies have meant a lot to me and have been very inspiring as well. They’re not both passing the torch stories though the second one is and it’s one of my favorites. Let’s see what we have.

Groundhog Day

This offbeat science fiction flick could be a metaphor for many of our own lives. It’s about a Pittsburgh weatherman named Phil Connors. Phil is the quintessential ego freak, whose claim to fame is a perpetual motion obnoxious personality. He’s sent to the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania along with Rita, their station’s news producer, played by Andie MacDowell and Larry, their camera man played by Chris Elliot.

Their mission is to cover a widely publicized local event. That is to film and report on whether Punxsutawney Phil, the local groundhog, sees his shadow on Groundhog day. The town is decked out in celebration mode for the annual event with a live band along with streamers and banners all over the place. There are many regional TV, radio and newspapers present to cover the festivities as a slice of Americana story.

The three TV journalists arrive early in town and record a brief report on the event. Phil Connors goes about his business as a condescending twit as they set out to cover the story. After reporting on the groundhog they hurry to leave town as a huge snowstorm is heading their way. Despite their efforts, they end up stranded ove
ight due to the storm. Each retires to their respective rooms in various lodging facilities. Connors stays at a bed and breakfast. Upon waking the following day he finds that it’s once again Groundhog day.

He goes through the same routine as the day before with only slight variations. Connors is the only one of the three news team who experiences the day again. And at day’s end he once again finds his way back to the bed and breakfast. And once again, the following morning is Groundhog day. This is repeated perhaps hundreds of times throughout the movie until Phil finally gets it. Gets what? Read on.

Connors finds himself in his own personal hell having to repeat the same day over and over. But eventually something interesting happens. He has a major change of heart and decides to be a nice person. And every day he is forced to repeat makes him an even better man. I won’t spoil the movie for any who haven’t seen it but there is a very profound lesson to take from this flick.

Many of us live or have lived much like the main character in this movie. We repeat the same day over and over, the only difference is, for us the dates actually change. There’s an expression that goes something like, keep doing what you've always done and you'll keep getting what you've always got. Phil Connors was a self centered jerk. It was apparent that he knew it. He had no desire to change.

But after repeating the same day endlessly he’d run out of options. He’d robbed an armored car, driven off a cliff and made other attempts at suicide numerous times to end his ete
al torment. And still, he’d always wake up to find it was the same day. Perhaps out of desperation he tried a kind, loving and nurturing approach to life and it eventually stuck. If you feel like you’ve been living the same day over and over forever why not try something new and refreshing? Try love. It worked for Phil.

Sister Act

This one was a very popular movie and falls under the category of passing the torch. But the way it happens if pretty unlikely and that's what makes it special. Whoopi Goldberg plays Deloris, a Reno lounge singer who witnesses a mob hit ordered by her boyfriend. She enters the federal witness protection program and is sent to a San Francisco convent to masquerade as a nun while she waits for the murder trial to begin.

Being somewhat on the wayward side of things and prone to mischief, and to also keep Deloris in line, the mother superior assigns her the dubious duty of coaching the choir as they are a dreadful display of musical chaos. The church and congregation these nuns serve are located in a tough San Francisco neighborhood and the parish has little money.

Deloris finds that the choir is in pretty rough shape. Their performances at mass are most often embarrassing as they all sing dreadfully off key and out of tune. Still, she takes the task of transforming these women to heart and goes to work. Deloris is naturally gifted in music and intuitively assigns new positions to each of the choir members. Then they follow a strict rehearsal routine. And they not only get better, they perform as angles.

But there’s far more to the story than what meets the eye as both musical and spiritual transformations take place among all conce
ed because they’re not the transformations you might expect. Rather than the nuns exercising their holy influence over Deloris, it is she who transforms them. Under her tutelage they change. For the first time many of them realize the true goodness inside of them. They each have their individual awakenings at the hands of this scruffy, rough around the edges outsider. Perhaps the nun who realizes the most profound change is the rigid, mother superior, a harsh disciplinarian.

Not only is this an inspiring pass the torch film, the music these unlikely songbirds produce is truly heavenly. For me the most moving moment in the movie is the new choir’s debut where they sing Oh Maria. They start the piece with traditional religious reverence but half way through the tempo changes to light rock and roll.

During this number we get to literally see the many transformations that have taken place with the various members of the choir. I believe that making this movie actually had a real influence on these women well outside of what the script called for. You can see it in their faces as they sing. Just writing about it gives me a great feeling.

In traditional Hollywood style, there are serious life lessons for each of the players in the way that Deloris, an unlikely angel, has positively influenced all she touched. I’ve often said, wisdom, beauty and truth can be found almost anywhere and occasionally, even in Hollywood.