Learning at the Movies

There's a variety of reasons we go to the movies. Personally, I go to escape into a world that can only exist in my imagination. That's why I'm drawn to movies like Star Wars, or The Avengers, or Ghostbusters. Usually, I go, enjoy a bucket of popcorn and immerse myself into the story and visual effects.

Every so often though, there are moments in movies that register as particularly poignant to me. There's a bit of dialog, a look, an emotional resonance that I wasn't expecting. It rips me from the movie, ingrains itself, and then takes me back into the story.

Here are the most recent top 5 instances and what I drew from them:

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Let's be honest, Yoda is pretty much one of the greatest teachers in the history of cinema. His diminutive size belies the breath of his wisdom. I’ve found myself quoting Yoda just as much in my career as I have other, non-fictional mentors.

Yoda: We are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.

Here is where Yoda lays some real truth on a grizzled Luke about what it means to be a Jedi Master. It is not to empower yourself or to rise in power, it is to simply help propel your students to higher levels of achievement and greatness than you yourself have achieved. A true leader’s mark of success is not how many awards they’ve achieved, how high they’ve climbed, or what title they have. The true measure of a leader is in the leaders they help to mold and create. That is where the legacy of a true leader can be found.

The Black Panther

This movie was awesome on so many levels. The villain was relatable and complex, the hero just as much, and the setting was beautiful. I left the movie wishing that Wakanda could be real because of all that it represents. That being said, King T’Chaka wasn’t perfect, but he did pass on some sage advice to his son T’Challa.

T’Chaka: You’re going to struggle. So, you’ll need to surround yourself with people you trust. You’re a good man with a good heart, and it’s hard for a good man to be a king.

T’Chaka is basically telling his son here that being a leader will involve making hard choices that will weigh on his conscious and that it’s easy to let your moral compass slip. His advice to T’Challa is to surround himself with people that will not only help him manage the kingdom but will help him stay a good man. We all need people in our corners who remind us of what’s really important. To attempt to go it alone is a fool’s errand that can lead to the age old saying about absolute power corrupting absolutely.

The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

When Pirates of the Caribbean came out, it revitalized an entire genre of movies. Not only that, but it made being a rum-soaked, free-wheeling pirate seem like a career that we would’ve wanted to see at career days back in school.

Will Turner: This is either madness or brilliance.

Captain Jack Sparrow:It’s remarkable how often those two traits coincide.

Steve Jobs was fond to quote that people crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do. Here, in this scene, Will is amazed at Jack’s idea of creating an air pocket under water to walk the ocean floor and steal a ship. Jack as a character is the embodiment of Jobs’ quote – he was considered crazy by rational society, yet he went on to shape the future of the Caribbean in these stories. So don’t be afraid of a crazy idea, take risks, try things, push yourself to think from a new angle and you’ll be surprised at the ideas and solutions that await you on the other side.

Iron Man

This movie was pivotal in launching the uber-successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Robert Downey Jr seemed to fully embody the character of Tony Stark even before he was cast for the part. I honestly can’t ever imagine anyone else other than RDJ portraying Tony Stark.

Tony: Sometimes you have to run before you can walk.

Tony has just completed the all silver Mark II suit. When JARVIS suggests powering down to run a battery of tests, Tony instead decides to take it for an untested flight. Feeling the need to push the limits rather than wait for results of an extensive analysis isn’t always the right way to go. The way I view this scene is that shooting for incremental checks and improvements isn’t enough. To really push the limits, break the mold, and create something new – you have to run before you can walk.

Batman Begins

The Christopher Nolan Dark Knight series is hands-down my favorite, self-contained Batman movie series. That’s saying a lot too, because I remember going to see Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman in the movie and for the longest time, that was my gold standard of live action Batman.

Thomas Wayne:And why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.

I really appreciated Batman Begins for giving us more time with Bruce Wayne’s parents because in most cases, their deaths are mentioned as mere footnotes in Batman movies. This scene is crucial because it shows where Bruce learned to never give up, keep trying, and always pick yourself up – from his father, Thomas Wayne. This is a line I’ve shared with my daughters when they fall – that the reason we fall is to learn to pick ourselves up. Sure, there could be people that help you, but when you fall, you need to develop the strength of character and will to pick yourself up rather than wallowing in despair.

So those were some of my favorite moments in movies and the lessons I learned. I’d love to know if you had other insights from these movies or if you had any of your own that you’d like to share.

See you at the movies!