Top 10 Motivational Movies for Students

Everyone needs a little push now and then; you can only sometimes stay motivated. Sometimes you work hard at something and become stuck; it's natural to question yourself. To help you get a little break from the classes, assignments and socialising, we have listed the top 10 motivational movies for students like you. Everything that you consume has the potential to have an impact in some way. These motivating movies will lift you when you begin to doubt your talents.

Dead Poets Society

You saw it coming! Dead Poets Society, a 1980s classic, is a fan favourite. Even if it continues to make us cry, Dead Poets Society is an absolute must-see and motivational movie for students. Aside from social commentary, it projects valuable statements on misogyny, friendship, youth, and education. Dead Poets Society is still relevant, and not in a good way, as the issues addressed in the movie of the 80s are the issues we still face today!

About Dead Poets Society

The film was directed by Peter Weir, written by Tom Schulman, and starred Robin Williams. Dead Poets Society is set in 1959 at a conservative boarding school Welton Academy. It follows the story of an English Teacher (Williams) who inspires his students through his unconventional teaching style. The film emphasises the significance of living on your own terms because you only live once.

Life Lessons from Dead Poets Society

This is one of the motivational movies for students for a reason. The classic Dead Poets Society inspired a generation to live passionately and is still going strong after 30 years! Some of the key points are 

1. It's not who you are but what you do that defines you. 
2. Act as if you have nothing to lose. 
3. Change the perspective. 
4. Seize the day. 
5. Strive to find your own voice.‍

A famous dialogue from the Dead Poets Society

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”

Forrest Gump

Want to take on the soul-searching bus? Forrest Gump is a wholesome movie to watch! It's a wonderful story with an inspirational message that will never go out of style. This is one of the most motivational movies for students as it follows the remarkable and unexpected life journey of a man that is as relevant today as it was in the 90s.

About Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump, starring tom Hanks, was released in 1994 that portrayed the life of an intellectually handicapped and kindhearted guy for 30 years. The film covers Gump's life adventures, from growing up to entering the army to opening a shrimp business, as he tells his complete life narrative to a stranger he met on a bus stop bench. The film is a brilliant comical drama and slice-of-life story that inspires audiences with each viewing due to the heart, kindness, and life lessons sprinkled throughout.

Life Lessons from Forrest Gump

Everyone may learn something from Gump's narrative, no matter their life stage. When we look at the world through his eyes, we can learn a lot.

1. Don’t be afraid to try something new.
2. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
3. Grow through what you go through.
4. You never really know what you are capable of.
5. Intelligence isn’t everything.

A famous dialogue from Forrest Gump

“..And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason, I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going.”

Prefer a book instead? Check out the 10 best self-help books.

The Pursuit of Happyness

This motivational movie for students touches on happiness, something you can't put a number on but can definitely feel. You may share your joy with those you care about; in most circumstances, you will also make them happy. The definition of happiness changes from time to time, and very few people stay happy throughout their life, and it is okay if you are not one of them.

About The Pursuit of Happyness

Will Smith leads in an upbeat movie based on the true story of a single father who rose from homelessness to achievement. Chris Gardner (Smith) eventually gets a job as an intern at a famous brokerage business, but the position pays nothing. The father-son duo must live in shelters and face numerous challenges, but Chris refuses to give up hope as he works to provide a better life for himself and his son.

Life Lessons from The Pursuit of Happyness

This motivational film for students explains that "the road to success is built with hard effort, determination, and sacrifice." Such life lessons provide a deeper perspective and demonstrate the importance of patience and persistence as key potentials for transformation.

1. Consistency is the key to success.
2. Setbacks are a part of life.
3. Happiness is short-lived.
4. Be the master of your own density.
5. Keep a positive attitude no matter what.

A famous dialogue from The Pursuit of Happyness

“You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves; they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period.”

Good Will Hunting

Should we prefer knowledge or experience? This has always been a popular question, and this film slightly answers that. This film addresses issues like educational stereotypes, making it a must-see motivational movie for students. Will (Damon) comes from a low-income family and is not enrolled in college, yet he possesses a very special skill that provides him with the tools he requires to change his life.

About Good Will Hunting

The film Good Will Hunting, directed by Gus Van Sant and written by its stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, is about Will, a brilliant young adult. This is a motivational movie for students as it follows the story of Will Hunting from a poor Boston neighbourhood and is discovered by chance by Gerald Lambeau, a mathematics professor at MIT. Will's search for the proper path continues in the film, with hurdles occurring and parts of his previous background reappearing.

Life lessons from Good Will Hunting

"Good Will Hunting" is, above all, a story about finding. The main character felt he understood who he was after years of working in construction. Still, it wasn't until fate placed him in the hands of the therapist that he fully realised his inner potential. There are many life lessons in Will Huntings journey,

1. Put yourself first.
2. Fear of failure can halt your growth.
3. Wisdom is greater than intellect.
4. It is okay to rely on your people.
5. Explore the things that hold you back.

A famous dialogue from Good Will Hunting

“People call these things imperfections, but they're not, that's the good stuff. And then we get to choose who we let into our weird little worlds.”

The Theory of Everything

This is a motivational movie for students as it explains the journey of Stephen Hawking's accomplishments despite his sickness. He survived, prospered, and achieved success individually and for humanity's benefit. Hawking had a two-year life expectancy, and instead of giving up and waiting for time to pass, he used his important and limited time to follow his dreams, no matter how difficult or seemingly impossible they appeared to be.

About The Theory of Everything

"The Theory of Everything," James Marsh's biopic of British theoretical scientist Stephen Hawking, the most brilliant and acclaimed physicist of our time. The film shows a wonderful guy digging into his thoughts, emotional life, and battle with illness. The Theory of Everything follows the story of the scientist and his wife, Jane, defying terrible odds to create a new territory in medicine and science, accomplishing more than either could have imagined.

Life lessons from The Theory of Everything

There are days when we often say, 'It's too late' or 'I'll never be able to do that,' but if ALS and a bleak prognosis didn't deter a brilliant guy from reaching great heights, what is stopping us?

1. You are going to be alone in most of your struggles.
2. Search for happiness; don’t wait for it.
3. Strong willpower can help you conquer everything.
4. You are stronger than other people think you are.
5. Be curious.

A famous dialogue from The Theory of Everything

“There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. However bad life may seem, where there is life, there is hope.”

The Social Network

The movie follows a story of a Harvard freshman and computer genius Mark Zuckerberg who begins work on a new notion that will eventually become Facebook, the global social network. Six years later, he is one of the world's youngest millionaires. This movie will motivate you to become an incredible genius like the man himself. Like the story of Zuckerburg, any student may make their ambition a reality.

About The Social Network

The Social Network follows the founding of Facebook and the lawsuits that followed, providing insight into how the idea for the website came to be, and what it took to get it up and running. The founder of the challenge Mark Zuckerberg faced along the way. David Fincher directed the film, which starred Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg and Andrew Garfield as co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

Life lessons from The Social Network

The Social Network is a motivational movie for students as it has allowed viewers to learn about the foundation of one of the most prominent social networking websites of our time, Facebook. Some life lessons to take away are

1. Consistency brings success.
2. Confidence gets the job done.
3. Its not about who has an idea but who can execute it well.
4. Keep your eyes on the prize.
5. Not everyone is going to be happy with you.

A famous dialogue from The Social Network

“We Lived On Farms, Then We Lived In Cities, And Now We're Going To Live On The Internet”

Inside Out

It is not easy for humans of any age to deal with world-changing events like a pandemic or moving out of the country. . This movie revolves around the story of Riley adjusting to a new life, Riley's journey to restore her important memories and "personality" islands teaches us a lot about recognising, respecting, validating, and processing our own complicated and ever-changing emotions. Inside Out has been praised by critics and enjoyed by moviegoers since its release. Still, arguably its most significant triumph has inspired young and old viewers to peek inside their own heads, making it another motivational movie for students.

About Inside Out

Inside Out is directed by Pete Docter and follows the tale of Riley, an 11-year-old girl who moves to San Francisco and her five emotions, Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger, as she tries to adjust to her new life. Riley's emotions are controlled by the five emotions who live in headquarters. When Joy and Sadness are accidentally booted out of headquarters, they embark on an adventure to return.

Life lessons from Inside Out

Inside Out reminds us to embrace our completeness, to permit ourselves not to be "okay," and to allow those around us to work through their emotional understandings.

1. Embrace Sadness
2. Emotions aren’t good or bad.
3. Don’t hear, listen
4. Tap into your core memories.
5. You cannot control others' reactions.

A famous dialogue from Inside Out

“Alright everyone, fresh start. We are going to have a good day, which will turn into a good week, which will turn into a good year, which turns into a good life!”

Freedom Writers

Another great true story of a teacher, Erin Gruwell, and her incredible students. Erin devised a unique teaching strategy to help her underachieving yet promising kids. She is dedicated and focused on her work, which yields good results. The message is meaningful; it says that life can be difficult in many ways, but it is what you make of it. One must continue to achieve their goals. As a result, this is one of the most motivational movies for students and teachers. 

About Freedom Writers

The film is adapted from the New York Times Bestseller that covers the inspiring journey of a teacher with her 150 students. Teachers at Freedom Writers believe that everyone has a unique story to tell. They encourage the students to discover their own passion and share it with the rest of the world. This is a motivational movie for students as it teaches general academic and life skills while taking responsibility for your own life and happiness.

Life lessons from Freedom Writers

Erin Gruwell encourages her students in the film Freedom Writers to reflect on their experiences while also encouraging them to fight for what they believe is right. The film teaches us that we may all be heroes in our own ways.

1. Create awareness.
2. Stay informed to speak your mind.
3. Learn from others’ experiences.
4. Your potential is limitless.
5. Be true to yourself.

A famous dialogue from Freedom Writers

“It would be easy to become a victim of our circumstances and continue feeling sad, scared or angry; or instead, we could choose to deal with injustice humanely and break the chains of negative thoughts and energies, and not let ourselves sink into it.”

The Breakfast Club

Five distinct kids must spend the day together, forcing them to open up and learn new things about themselves and others. The film encourages the breaking down preconceptions and social boundaries as a means of identification and greater communication, and the characters' honesty has always struck a chord with many real-life teenagers. The Breakfast Club is a lighthearted comedy/drama about one day in high school detention. It's humorous and illustrates how to make friends even in the most unlikely settings.

About The Breakfast Club

John Hughes wrote, produced, and directed The Breakfast Club, a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film. The Breakfast Club uniquely portrays the hardship and confusion caused by the social order constructed by teenagers. Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy star in the film. The movie follows five kids from various high school cliques who serve Saturday detention under the supervision of their autocratic vice-principal.

Life lessons from The Breakfast Club

The film about five somewhat disjointed kids teaches every youngster a few life lessons simply by spending a Saturday in detention together. Here are some of the life lessons,

1. Everyone is different.
2. Open up to someone; it helps.
3. Labels are irrelevant.
4. Own your weakness.
5. Observation before judgement.

A famous dialogue from The Breakfast Club

“You ought to spend a little more trying to do something with yourself and a little less trying to impress people.”

The Internship

After old-school salesmen Billy and Nick are downsized, Billy believes they should work for Google despite their lack of technological skills. The buddies land internships with the Internet powerhouse and immediately relocate to Silicon Valley. The story revolves around a group of interns who work together. Each intern possesses unique qualities that help the team to function well. A major theme in the film is Vaughn and Wilson's struggle to understand modern technology compared to the younger interns. However, their soft skills eventually enabled the team to win their assignment. People would want to help you succeed if you approach every circumstance with a smile.

About The Internship

It is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and written by Vince Vaughn and Jared Stern. The Internship follows Billy and Nick, two middle-aged salesmen played by Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, who lose their employment owing to the introduction of the digital age and how they manage to land an internship with Google and prove their worth.

Life lessons from The Internship

While the film is easy to watch and entertaining, it holds some important lessons for students looking to start an Internship regardless of age.

1. You are never too old to dream.
2. Transform troubles into opportunities.
3. The future is uncertain.
4. It's never too late to change paths.
5. It's okay to make mistakes and learn from them.

A famous dialogue from The Internship

“For whatever it's worth, your imagination is so wild, reality's gonna be a breeze, if not a letdown”

There is a way to deal with your difficulties, whether they are exam nerves, the stress of applying to colleges or simply feeling lost. So sit back, snuggle to your favourite blanket and watch these motivational movies for some self-reflection.