Top 5 Inspirational Oscar Nominees

Five Films That Inspired Us in 2010

By Evan Derrick

The Oscars are upon us and with them the glitz and glamour of Hollywood’s annual celebrity extravaganza. Amidst the sea of famous faces, the red carpet fashion shenanigans, and political drama of who got snubbed (seriously, no best director nod for Christopher Nolan?), it can be difficult to remember what all the fuss is actually about – the movies.

And this year, much more than any other in recent memory, many of the nominees are inspirational stories that lift you up rather than soul crushing meditations on depression that make you question the point of life.

Here are the top 5 inspirational films that have been nominated for an Academy Award this year. If you’ve missed out on any of them, make a date with your local movie theater posthaste.

5. True Grit

The Coen brothers latest gem is about revenge and the cold violence that accompanies it. At least on the surface, that is. Looking past the barren western landscape and Rooster Cogburn’s emotionless attitude towards life and death, you’ll find that "True Grit" really becomes a simple, touching story about an unlikely surrogate father and his even unlikelier surrogate daughter.

Rooster (Jeff Bridges) and Mattie Ross (newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) are each as independent and stubborn as a tree stump, but the emerging subtext in their brief, clipped conversations is that they need one another. Mattie has just lost her father and Rooster lost his family long ago, and despite their gruff exteriors they each fill a void, if for only a brief moment, within the other. This culminates in the moment when Rooster, a lawman who at the beginning of the film cared not one whit for another soul, puts his own life on the line for Mattie’s.

Click here to purchase the "True Grit" DVD

Image Courtesy Paramount Pictures

4. The King's Speech

World War II films are often dominated by the era’s larger-than-life personalities: Hitler, Stalin, Eisenhower, Churchill. “The King’s Speech,” however, examines one of its unsung heroes, King George VI of Britain, and his quiet determination to overcome a debilitating speech impediment.

Thrust onto the throne due to his father’s death and his older brother’s subsequent immaturity, King George (played masterfully by Colin Firth) finds himself in front of a microphone that connects his voice to an entire nation, a voice marred by a lifelong stutter. Enter Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an unconventional speech therapist tasked with helping the king overcome his handicap.

As in “True Grit,” “The King’s Speech” quickly becomes about the close relationship that two unlikely people form with each other. In the case of King George and Lionel, their friendship helped to rally a nation. Inspiring cinema doesn’t get much better than this.

Click here to purchase "The King's Speech" DVD

Image Courtesy The Weinstein Company

3. Toy Story 3

Pixar can do no wrong. Whereas most major animation studios tend to milk their moderately successful franchises into oblivion, each iteration becoming more and more shameful than the last, Pixar is deeply protective of its creations. The third entry in the saga of Woody and Buzz could have been a fourth of the quality and it still would have raked in the dough, but Pixar chose to avoid the easy route and ended up creating one of the most moving films of the year.

Andy is going off to college and the fate of the toy chest is in question. Will they be indefinitely consigned to the attic, or will they be thrown away with the garbage? Although it seems silly to feel an emotional connection to plastic toys whose greatest concern is whether they’ll be played with, that’s exactly what happens. “Toy Story 3” shows us the importance of purpose; the power of loyalty; and the enduring, sacrificial love that comes from true friendship. Woody and Buzz can teach us more about humanity than most humans can.

Click here to purchase the "Toy Story 3" DVD

Image Courtesy Disney/Pixar

2. The Fighter

David O. Russell’s lean boxing biopic of “Irish” Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg) is understandably predictable. Down on his luck sportsman who just can’t seem to get a break? Check. Drug, alcohol, and run-ins with the law? Check. Training montage showing underdog getting ready for comeback fight? Check check check.

But what elevates “The Fighter” beyond its predictability is the redemptive story at its core. Christian Bale is stunning as Ward’s older brother, Dicky, and his plunge into violent addiction, subsequent jail time, and eventual rebirth are what grant the movie its real power. “The Fighter,” for all of its crass language and face-pummeling violence, has the most beautiful, genuine scenes of forgiveness in any film this year.

Click here to purchase "The Fighter" DVD

Image Courtesy Paramount Pictures

1. How to Train Your Dragon

Given my slavish devotion to all things Pixar, this is an odd pick for my most inspirational film of the year. Part of it has to do with expectation: I knew “Toy Story 3” would be great (it was), but I did not expect “How to Train Your Dragon” to register more than a ‘meh’ on the excitement scale. Boy was I wrong.

Eschewing the standard Dreamworks animation playbook, which favors big name casting and borderline-unacceptable pop culture humor, “How to Train Your Dragon” focused instead on the story (I know, shocking). The tale of Hiccup, the miniscule Viking who begins a taboo friendship with a wounded dragon, is simple and moving, and leads to one of the most touching moments in cinema this year. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it yet, but the final shot where we discover what Hiccup has truly lost was so unexpected, so shockingly beautiful, that tears welled up in my eyes.

I never would have expected it from Dreamworks, but “How to Train Your Dragon” was the most inspiring film of the year.

Click here to purchase the "How to Train Your Dragon" DVD

Image Courtesy Dreamworks