At some point, everybody's got to take a break. For your breaking pleasure, here's a list of five great films for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs-to-be. No matter what's going on in your business, one of these is sure to hit the spot.
Mr. Holland's Opus
Musician and composer Glenn Holland takes a teaching job to support his growing family, but he always means to get back to his music. Life gets in the way, the years turn into decades, and it seems like our hero never gets his dream. Or does he?
Richard Dreyfuss' Mr. Holland is one of his very best performances.
Watch when: You need to be reminded it's never too late. When you need to be reminded that you're making a difference.
Jerry Maguire
Jerry (played by Tom Cruise) is a shiny, snazzy, greedy sports agent who has a middle of the night revelation – his industry is getting it all wrong. He drafts a mission statement and mails it out company wide, which promptly gets him fired. He's forced to go out on his own with hilarious and heartwarming results.
From “Show me the money” to “You had me at hello”, this script is virtually perfect, and Cuba Gooding Jr. got a much-deserved Oscar.
Watch when: You've made a Career Limiting Move. You want to start making some MONEY.
Slumdog Millionaire
At 18, Jamal Malik has gone from penniless orphan raised in the slums of Mumbai to a contestant on India's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Arrested on suspicion of cheating, we watch his history unfold through his interrogation and find out how he knows the answers to seemingly impossible questions.
But Dev Patel's Jamal has no apparent desire for riches. Why is he putting himself through all of this? You'll have to wait and see. (Hint: It's about a girl.)
Watch when: You need to remind yourself that ANYONE can succeed.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
And speaking of Dev Patel, here we meet bumbling retirement hotel manager Sonny. In charge of a dilapidated facility that he has marketed… optimistically, Sonny is going to make his enterprise a success come hell or high water. His fight is hilarious, and his youthful dreams are perfectly balanced with the on-screen gravitas of such acting greats as Dame Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and more.
The quotes will knock your socks off. “Everything will be all right in the end. If it's not all right, then it's not yet the end.” It's worth it for that one alone.
Watch when: You dream big, and you dream weird. When everything's going wrong and you need to have a laugh about it.
The Full Monty
Laid off steel worker Gaz, played by Robert Carlyle, is down and out and behind on his child support. With no job in sight, the future looks bleak, until one day, Gaz runs across a line-up of women waiting to get into a Chippendale's show. Energized, he embarks on a campaign to convince his mates to create a hometown version that will give him enough cash to keep seeing his son.
A surprise hit among critics and audiences, the film was nominated for four academy awards, including Best Picture.
Watch when: It's time to start getting creative. You're close to giving up.
It's the weekend and it's hotter than Hades out there. Time to find some air conditioning and watch a movie, yes?
Naomi founded IttyBiz in 2006. You can find her IttyBiz business products in the Karma Store.
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