6 Life Lessons I learned from movies growing up

In my previous blog post, I mentioned the famous 'Our Deepest Fear' quote I first learned about while watching the movie Coach Carter. This inspired me to do a post on Life Lessons I learned from movies growing up.

Making this list was a pretty intensive process, and it could have been much worse. As a student, I became an avid DVD collector (who still does that?), meaning I had to not only go through my personal collection but also consider movies that I no longer have in my collection or never found on the cheap in the 5 Euros or less bin at the Free Record Shop. To narrow it down a bit, I focussed mainly on movies I watched before I started working full time and movies that were actually made in the late nineties, early two thousands. So just to narrow the selection, these are all movies that came out between 1995 and 2006.

Also, I very peculiar when it comes to movies. I like suspense and comedy, not big on thrillers and horrors. There has to be some relatability and it should allow me to think and reflect on life a little bit as well. So, I'll introduce each movie first, a little info, and use a quote from the movie to introduce the life lesson. To be clear, this isn't necessarily a list of the best movies, nor movies with my favorite or the best actors. I wanted to do a top 10 list first, but that would require much more research. Also, Kevin Spacey and Denzel Washington are two of my favorite actors, but bumping their movies to the top didn't make any sense (except for 1 movie). I almost snuck in a Will Smith movie as well, but the last time I did that, it felt a little weird. Lastly, there is a surprisingly high amount of Matt Damon movies on this list (and yes, I removed one). This either means that I'm either a much bigger Matt Damon fan than I thought or Matt Damon is secretly not only a great actor but has a knack for choosing really meaningful movies (and/or really corny ones).

1. People aren't always who they say they are
Movie: The Usual Suspects
Year Released: 1995
Box Office: $33.4 million
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Quote: "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist."

The Usual Suspects was great on so many levels. For me, Kevin Spacey's acting played a large role in him becoming one of my favorite actors. In my early 20s I learned that for many, a lie told often enough often becomes the truth. I was also housemates with a scammer who created his own Wikipedia page once and have seen a lot of fakes and trickery through the years, making me more skeptical when somebody puts a shiny object in front of me. The biggest problem. People love shiny things. And they want to believe stories. Something which keeps becoming a bigger aspect of daily life.

2. You can't learn everything from books (or the Internet)
Movie: Good Will Hunting
Year Released: 1997
Box Office: $225.9 million
IMDB Rating: 8.3
Quote: "You're just a kid, you don't have the faintest idea what you're talkin' about."

This was a massively successful movie and I wonder whether or not people born after 1997 have actually seen this movie, because much of what is portrayed in this movie is pretty much still relevant in the world today. It tells us that going to university doesn't make you smarter or more knowledgeable than those who can not afford it. But it also tells us, that certain experiences in life can't be learned by reading books (or in today's age, through browsing on the Internet). It is without a doubt one of my favorite movies to watch and I even used the quote to describe the world of Pseudo Profound Wisdom that currently flows through Social Media.

3. If you are good at something, you will recognize those that are on your level
Movie: Rounders
Year Released: 1998
Box Office: $22.9 million
IMDB Rating: 7.3
Quote: "Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker."

Rounders is a true cult classic. During my student years, Texas Hold Em Poker became one of the most popular games in the world. A couple of my friends actually paid off their studies with Poker earnings. I was a pretty good recreational player but realized quickly that I did have a 'tell' (meaning really good players would be able to tell by looking at my face or posture whether or not I'd have a good hand) and I wouldn't make it really far on a professional level. Bur, for many Rounders was the start of a poker craze that saw anyone with the slightest interest in card games dreaming of winning a million dollars in Las Vegas.

The movie, which included great acting by Edward Norton, and yes... Matt Damon, became a must-watch for many of my friends (and myself) and gave some great insights into gambles people were willing to take in their life as well as people who decided to take it safely. The key however for me was is recognizing the difference between being desperate, being cautious and being great. For me, it was clear that I wasn't great, but wasn't desperate either. The interesting part, this doesn't count for Poker alone. Throughout life, you will find yourself at a table or in a room surrounded by like-minded people, whether they are friends, family, co-workers, competitors. If you aren't able to recognize who knows what they are talking about or not able to read their actions based on a particular skill or on a topic that you consider yourself an expert in, you might not be as skilled as you think.

4. Everything has a price
Movie: Ocean's Eleven
Year Released: 2001
Box Office: $450.7 million
IMDB Rating: 7.7
Quote: "Because the house always wins. Play long enough, you never change the stakes, the house takes you. Unless, when that perfect hand comes along, you bet big, and then you take the house."

Since we are talking about card games, gambling and Las Vegas, let's dive into one of the most prolific Vegas movies ever. The original, Ocean's Eleven. A movie that almost inspired me to do my Masters in Nevada, this movie was not only a box office hit, it was another movie that gave ideas to youngsters whether or not something was worth the risk. At the same time, it made it very clear. Everything has a price. And if you are willing to pay the price and take the risk, you might get rewarded. However, every move you make that destroys someone else will come back at you. And the movie ends on a positive note, but with just enough cliffhanger to know that not everything is really settled. Like the quote suggests, in the end, the house always wins. Most of us spend our entire life waiting for the perfect hand, which for many never comes, or they around able to bet big when the moment is finally there.

5. You have to stand for what you believe
Movie: Coach Carter
Year Released: 2005
Box Office: $76.7 million
IMDB Rating: 7.3
Quote: “Then I guess we’ll have new leading scorers this season, huh?”

I have already featured Coach Carter, so I'll keep it short. I could have gone with the 'Our Deepest Fear' quote, but we have been through that one. There is also a great statistics quote about how the educational system is built for minorities in the periphery to fail. But I decided to go for a quote which is really used by websites when they mention quotes about this movie. As Coach Carter first announced his rules for being on the school team, a lot of star players from the previous season walked away. When one of the players noted that the two leading scorers from last year left, Coach Carter simply stated that it was obvious that it would mean they'd have new leading scorers in the upcoming season. It is a simple but very effective idea.

Would you rather be a star of a losing team or a role player of a winning team. Would you rather be a terrible number 1, or a highly successful number 4. A problem a lot of us deal with on different levels in life. Coach Carter stood for what he believed in. A better team, meaning personal pride had to take a backseat. He was willing to risk it all, for doing the right thing. And we often take the easy way out.

6. There are always people that are willing to sacrifice more than you
Movie: The Departed
Year Released: 2006
Box Office: $291.5 million
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Quote: "I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me."

Within my friend group. This quote has been thrown around many times. No, not neccesarily because one of my friends wanted us to be a product of him. But, it was a perfect quote for a mob movie, at the same time quite close to home when it comes to power struggles a lot of adults go through when getting older. Are you being lived, or do you get to decide what you do in your life. We often hear that we are the average of the 5 people that we spend the most time with. So, do you want to be the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, or do you want to decide what 5 people spend the most time with you?

Times up for me for today. Feel free to share your take on that last question with me.

We'll talk about something new tomorrow.

#lobi
@jeanlucsr