Things I Learned From My Favorite Movies

Growing up, movies and books were my escape. As I got older, I turned more and more to movies. They took less effort, and once a movie had been watched, rewatching it felt so comfortable, like the school uniformed track sweatsuit I stole from my boyfriend during my freshman year of high school.

Today, I wanted to light-heartedly reflect and share what I pulled from my seven favorite movies from my teens and 20s.

  1. You’ve Got Mail — If I could only take one movie from this list into my future, it would be You’ve Got Mail. This movie is better than any princess fairy tale. It felt so real to me. The rawness and beauty behind the two main characters are qualities I hope to portray in life. My biggest takeaway from this movie was that love doesn’t mean sex. Which I feel was super crucial to teenage Jo. Watching Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly fall in love will never get old.
    Other reflections I have gathered from this lovely movie are that we must be adaptable, learn to embrace the challenges life throws our way, and it is essential to stay open to new opportunities and relationships because they might lead us to unexpected happiness.

  2. Love Story — I didn’t know what unconditional love was until I watched this movie. I devoured this movie and probably never put a word to what I was seeing, but I knew I wanted what I was seeing. Growing up, I learned unconditional love is tough to come by. I don’t think I ever felt it until I had my son Lincoln. My favorite quote from the movie is, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry,” because true love is about acceptance, forgiveness, and support. It is a good reminder to stand by the ones you love.

  3. Pretty Woman — I am unsure exactly what I took away from this movie. I think it mostly opened my eyes to another world. You might be down, but there is always a way up. It might appear that you have no options, but there are always options.

  4. Save the Last Dance—I grew up mostly in Kansas, in a place that lacked adversity and diversity. I loved watching Sara’s rise as we watched her connect, self-express, grow, and heal. I loved watching a strong female character. I feel in many movies, the woman isn’t strong enough. I saw strength in Sara that I carried with me into young adulthood.

  5. Dirty Dancing — I sit here playing this movie back in my head and thoughts flood. We don’t have to fit into a square box. We get to choose who we want to be. Life is full of so many choices. Every single moment of our life is a choice — what a gift.
    Other reflections: This movie tells a story about stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks. I obviously love the love story, and the forbidden aspect was fun, but what is fabulous about this movie and Baby discovers a new passion and gains confidence in herself that she didn’t know she lacked.

  6. The Notebook — I think I found this movie later in life, and while I didn’t love it as much as everyone else at the time, I remembered enough about it, to seek it out once the craze had passed. The storytelling in this movie is full of passion, and I cry every time I watch it. I loved this movie because it teaches us that true love is worth fighting for. Excuses do not get in the way of true love.

  7. 10 Things I Hate About You—Growing up, I so desperately wanted to “be cool.” This movie had nothing but cool characters, even the ones who didn’t fit into the societal norms. I loved this movie for its music, and Kat's showing that it is okay to be different. Different is still cool.

  8. Love & Basketball — From a very young age, I wanted to find true love. It took me onto a path I wasn’t yet mature enough to be on, and a path I was prepared to be on. I have a lot of regrets, and I wish my parents would have protected me from the pain that came along with them, but that’s life. I don’t think I would have become the woman I was supposed to be without every single experience and regret. My biggest takeaway from this movie was seeing what pure passion looked like outside of romance.

Other favorites on my list include Serendipity, Sleepless in Seattle, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Armageddon.

I don’t think I realized it then, but these movies opened windows into other people’s lives. Although they were fictional portrayals of other people’s lives, they helped me realize that beyond the entertainment value, they were my teachers, companions, and sources of comfort during a formative time in my life. They taught me about love, resilience, and the importance of being true to oneself. They showed me that life is full of choices and that every moment presents an opportunity to grow and learn.

To all the movies that have touched my life — thank you.

What are your favorite movies?

With love,

Jo

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