Anything Goes
I was recently assigned to review and analyze a movie that I would consider to be one of my favorites. So I started to think about my favorite movie and the more I thought about it, the longer the list grew. While I was looking at the list of my favorite movies, I noticed a common theme that really struck a cord with me.
For this blog post I will talk about three of my favorite movies: Moneyball (2011), Whiplash (2014), and The Incredibles (2004). These films are all special in their own ways, but they do share some common themes. I want to talk about what I think makes these movies such great films and why they resonate with me.
2011’s Moneyball tells the true story of the Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, and his mission to assemble a winning baseball team against heavy odds. Brad Pitt stars as Beane, with Jonah Hill playing his Ivy-League assistant GM. The movie is brilliantly written and realistically acted. I really enjoy this film because it tells a great sports story differently. Unlike most other sports films, the film does not spend a whole lot of time on the field in big games. Instead, the bulk of the film takes place in meeting rooms and executive offices. The story is the team building, the different approach the organization takes, and the resistance of the baseball world to new ways of thinking. We watch as Billy Beane ignores criticism and conventional wisdom in order to achieve something great. There are scenes when his faith in what he is doing is shaken and at times it looks like he may give up, but he continues to believe in himself. A great part of this film is the relationship between Beane and his daughter, and you can see that he draws a lot of inspiration from her. He ends up not being able to accomplish his goal, with his team eventually being knocked out of the playoffs. My favorite scene in the film is when Hill’s character, Peter, shows Beane that he has accomplished more than he set out to, and ends up changing the game of baseball.
Whiplash, starring JK Simmons and Miles Teller, is a critically acclaimed drama about a determined music student and his tormenting teacher. Teller’s character Andrew is determined to be “one of the greats”, and at the best music school in the country, he hopes to play with Fletcher’s (Simmons) studio band. Fletcher invites Andrew to play in the band, and proceeds to torture Andrew with relentless emotional and physical abuse. After reaching a breaking point, Andrew gets kicked out of school. Month’s later, Andrew runs in to Fletcher who has since been released from the school. He tells Andrew he only ever tried to push people to be great, instead of mediocre. My favorite scene from the movie is when Andrew agrees to play in Fletcher’s band for a one-off, and Fletcher intentionally sabotages him in order to embarrass him. Andrew Responds with a drum solo that stuns everybody in attendance except for Fletcher, who is cheering Andrew on and conducting the band around Andrew. The scene is one of the most exciting and intense endings to a film in recent memory, and Andrew and Fletcher end up in the same relationship that had fallen apart earlier in the film. The film is really a look at greatness, and what it takes to become legendary. It comments on the sacrifice it takes, and whether or not greatness is worth it. During his struggle, Andrew loses relationships and puts himself in danger and is pushed to a breaking point; but he ends up becoming greater than he could have imagined. I really like this movie because it fast paced and brilliantly acted. The editing is intense and gripping. JK Simmons plays his part to perfection, and the relationship between his and Teller’s characters is the focal point of the film.
The Incredibles, is a 2004 animated film about a family with unique superpowers. The protagonist, Mr. Incredible/Robert Parr, is a middle aged, retired superhero, who is unhappy with his mediocre life as an insurance agent. He truly misses the “glory days” of stopping bad guys and saving citizens. He is eventually given the chance to return to his former glory, but ends up putting his family in danger. The real story of the film is about Robert’s struggle to stay relevant and avoid mediocrity. My favorite quote from the movie is when Robert talks about his son having a 6th grade graduation:
“They keep finding new ways to celebrate mediocrity.”
The movie is really about Bob’s struggle to matter again. And it’s something that everyone struggles with because everyone wants to be important. It is a really great lesson to learn from a children’s movie. On top of that, The Incredibles is fun, funny, and my favorite animated film.
The main thing that all three films have in common is the theme of trying to achieve greatness. All of the main protagonists are on this journey to do great things, but along the way have to face questions about what they are willing to give up. For Billy Beane, there is a chance he loses the game he loves if what he is trying to do doesn’t work. For Andrew, he is so obsessed with greatness that he loses relationships and puts his life at risk. For Mr. Incredible, he puts his family at risk in order to be great again. It’s a question that everyone has to face sooner or later if they want to be great at something.
Another theme I found in all three films was motivation. I thought about why these characters wanted to be great so bad. For Billy, A disappointing playing career, and his hatred for failure fueled him more than anything. Andrew’s motivations for why he wants greatness are subtle. I believe he wants to be great because his mother left him and his father when he was a baby, and he needs to prove to her and more importantly himself that she made a mistake. Mr. Incredible’s motivation was relevancy. He wants to be important again by being superhero, but he doesn’t realize he already matters to his family as a husband and father.
These characters are all trying to find their place in the world. They each have goals they are striving toward and struggles to overcome. At this point in my life, I’m in the same position. I think I love these films because I can relate to the characters. As I strive to accomplish goals that I set for myself, I will face many of the struggles these characters face in one form or another. These films tell great stories, and I think they tell my story as well. That’s why these films are on my list, and I’m sure many other lists as well. They serve as a perfect example of what great film and storytelling can bring to the world, and films like these are why I’m okay spending $10.50 at the movies.