Movies reflect human needs: Joy

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Movies reflect human needs... 

Joy

Image from storyblocks.com

Dictionaries define joy as a feeling of pleasure and happiness. But joy is much more than that. Feelings of pleasure and happiness are fleeting, whereas joy is (or can be) long-lasting. When I think of times I've wept with joy, it's a much deeper, more spiritual condition than happiness. 

Joy is that holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow. (Hellen Keller)

Joy is the serious business of heaven. (C.S. Lewis)

I define joy as a sustained sense of well-being and internal peace - a connection to what matters. (Oprah Winfrey)

We can find joy even when life is bumpy, in fact, sometimes we need the bumpy times to recognize joy (as mentioned in my post: Gratitude). 

Father of the Bride (1991)

• As much as George Banks (Steve Martin) struggles with his daughter's engagement, he experiences joy in parenthood.

Inside Out (2015)

• Joy (Amy Poehler, voice) is represented as the main emotion and strives to keep the other emotions in balance.

Beautiful music touches my soul, so it's not surprising that these films make my heart soar with joy...

Broken Hill (2009)

• In Australia, a young man's father wants him to follow in the sheep-ranching business, but his heart yearns to compose music. During a mandatory community service, he utilizes prison inmates and make-shift instruments to form a band and choir. Their performance fills me with joy! (That scene found on youtube, here.)

Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

• I love almost every song in this musical!

Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

• A man dreams of being a composer, but his opus gets put on the back burner while he spends years, time, and energy teaching high school music classes. When he is ready to retire, many of the students he taught over the years get together and perform the opus he had been working on. It's another musical finale that makes my heart sing! (Found on youtube, here.)

I follow The Joyspotters Society on Facebook. I asked the group for recommendations for movies with joyful characters or movies that bring them joy, expecting maybe five or six movie suggestions, but the number of responses blew me away! 

I gleaned almost 80 movie titles from their comments. That's too wonderful to keep to myself, so I made a Google Doc with their recommendations to share. You can find it here.

What movies invite joy for you?

(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)

Movies reflect human needs: Integrity

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Movies reflect human needs...

Integrity

Image from storyblocks.com

Yes, integrity is on the list of universal human needs. 

Integrity means that you are the same in public as you are in private. (Joyce Meyer)

When I was a young single gal applying to rent an apartment, the landlord was hesitant to rent it to me because he'd had a bad experience with other renters my age. But, he looked over my completed application and when he saw my name, it turned out he knew my father. The man told me, "He is a man of integrity and I know he would raise you the same. The apartment is yours." 

You better believe I always paid the rent promptly and took care of the property. I didn't want to reflect poorly on his view of my dad!

Here are some movies reflecting integrity, and some reflecting the lack of it...

Big Eyes (2014)

• A man takes credit for his wife's paintings. (Based on a true story.)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

• An Olympic athlete, a devout Christian, stays true to his beliefs and refuses to race on a Sunday. (Based on a true story.)

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

• A young man's religious convictions keep him from carrying a rifle into combat, and despite the bullying and abuse he takes from other soldiers, he stands for what he believes is right. (Based on a true story.) (I used this film in a post about loving your enemies, found here.)

It Could Happen to You (1994)

• After dining in a cafe, a man realizes he doesn't have enough money to tip the waitress, so he reveals a lottery ticket and promises that if he wins, he will split the money with her. Will he keep that promise?

The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)

• During a golf competition, a man's ball moves ever so slightly as he removes a twig next to it. He is determined to add a penalty stroke, even when others encourage him to ignore it.

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

• Although Edward (Hugh Grant) is deeply attracted to Elinor Dashwood (Emma Thompson), he made an engagement promise to another, years prior, and feels duty-bound to follow through with that commitment.

The Words (2012)

• A writer steals another man's work and it comes with a steep price.

What movies come to your mind regarding integrity?

(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)

Movies reflect human needs: Humor

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Movies reflect human needs...

Humor

Images from storyblocks.com

Laughter is universal. Sure, what's funny to some might not be funny to others, but we all need a sense of humor. I can't count how many times humor has diffused tension or arguments in our home, or how many times humor pulled me out of a deep-blue funk. 

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road. (Henry Ward Beecher)

I think the scariest person in the world is the person with no sense of humor. (Michael J. Fox)

And this one tickles me:

God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. (Garrison Kellor)

Some of my fondest times of prayer have been when He's helped me see something amusing about a situation, and I sensed Him laughing with me. 

Last year after surgery, when friends asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?" I responded, "Share funny stories."

There are abundant comedy films available, but I wanted to showcase movie characters who put their sense of humor to good use, or find value in laughter.

Follow Me, Boys! (1966)

• In a fun scene, the scout troop wants to surprise their scoutmaster (Fred MacMurray) with a clubhouse they built out of junk and scrap lumber, but before he enters, it completely collapses. There's an awkward moment... and then... he starts to laugh, the embarrassed boys relax and join in the laughter, too. (A clip of the scene found here.)

Patch Adams (1998)

• Based on a true story of a doctor who uses humor to treat patients. 

Sleepwalk with Me (2012)

• Comedian Mike Birbiglia finds the humor in the way his body reacts to stress (sleepwalking), and incorporates it into his standup routine.

The Stooge (1951)

• Bill Miller's (Dean Martin) musical vaudeville act falls flat until he discovers a comic foil, Theodore "Ted" Rogers (Jerry Lewis). He needs that humor to add life to his performances.

Sullivan's Travels (1941) 

• Tired of directing comedy films, John Sullivan (Joel McCrea) wants to direct a serious movie about the poor. Problem is, he doesn't know what it's like to be penniless, so he tries to live like a hobo to gain experience. He definitely gains empathy for the poor, but along the way he gains a better understanding of the importance of humor.

Last year for the A to Z Challenge, my theme was Humor in Film--what makes me laugh. Here are the links to those topics:

Awkward situations.
Breaking the fourth wall.
Confusion.
Deadpan delivery.
Exaggeration.
Fish out of water.
Gallows humor.
Honesty or blunt truth.
Incongruity.
Juxtaposition.
Kid humor.
Laughter.
Mistaken identity.
Nonsensical dialogue.
Oblivion.
Physical comedy.
Quirky characters.
Running gags.
Sarcasm or irony.
Timing.
Understatements and unexpected moments.
Visual humor.
Wordplay.
Xyresic wit.
Yoicks!
Zanyism.

What tickles your funny bone? Do you use humor to diffuse tension? Has something funny happened to you lately?

(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)

Movies reflect human needs: Gratitude

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Theme: Movies reflect human needs...

Gratitude

Image from storyblocks.com

 

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. (Marcus Tullius Cicero)

At the age of 18, I made up my mind to never have another bad day in my life. I dove into an endless sea of gratitude from which I've never emerged. (Patch Adams)

When I think of being grateful in all circumstances, I immediately think of Pollyanna (1960) and her "glad game" -- finding something to be glad about in every situation. Pollyanna is not naive (as some mistakenly believe), she is fully aware of life's difficulties and chooses to find something to be glad about anyway. (Ah, another example of using Agency.)

Last year during the April A to Z Challenge, I experienced severe, crushing, leg pain for nearly three weeks. I was not grateful for the suffering at that time, but by the end the year I cried tears of gratitude for that very pain. 

You see, because the pain was so severe and because it lasted so long and because specialists couldn't tell me what was wrong, I became very desperate to solve the mystery, and wondered if maybe, just maybe, the fibroid cyst in my uterus had grown and was pressing on a nerve or something. 

So I made an appointment with a gynecologist to have it checked. Due to the pandemic, I couldn't get in until July. The pain was long gone by then, but I kept the appointment anyway.

Well... checking on the fibroid led to an ultrasound in August and the discovery that the cyst had not grown... but the lining in my uterus was too thick. So, that led to a D and C (removing the tissue) in September, which led to a radical hysterectomy in November, and the discovery that I had endometrial (uterine) cancer. 

Typically, there are symptoms that indicate that type of cancer, but I didn't have any of them. If it hadn't been for the leg pain causing me to wonder about the fibroid cyst, there would have been no reason to do an ultrasound of my uterus. The doctor thinks the cancer probably would have spread to other organs before symptoms alerted me.

I still don't know what caused the leg pain, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and I'm grateful for it.

Some movies with characters who learn appreciation:

As Good as It Gets (1997)

• Cantankerous Melvin (Jack Nicholson) expresses appreciation for Carol (Helen Hunt), "I might be the only one who appreciates how amazing you are in every single thing that you do, and how you are with Spencer, "Spence," and in every single thought that you have, and how you say what you mean, and how you almost always mean something that's all about being straight and good. I think most people miss that about you, and I watch them, wondering how they can watch you bring their food and clear their tables and never get that they just met the greatest woman alive."

Big Fish (2003)

• A son learns to appreciate his father and his stories.

Front of the Class (2008)

• Although Brad Cohen (James Wolk) would welcome a cure for Tourette's Syndrome, he is grateful for the things he's learned through the struggle and refers to it as his greatest teacher. (Based on a true story.)

Inside Out (2015)

• Joy (Amy Poehler, voice) learns to appreciate Sadness (Phyllis Smith, voice) because times of unhappiness can bring about times of tenderness and caring.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

• Scrooge learns to appreciate Christmas, his employees, and family. (Of course, this applies to all versions of The Christmas Carol, but the Muppet version is my favorite.)

What movies comes to your mind regarding gratitude? Is there someone or something in your life that you didn't appreciate initially, but now you do?

(Note: The movies listed might not be completely family-friendly. See my "Movie Content" information on the blog's sidebar.)