Watching a movie based on a true account gives the viewer a sense of wonder. Maybe things aren't as bad as the viewer thought. Maybe, just maybe, the viewers dreams can come true also. Life can turn around and give them a second chance.
Will Smith stars in "The Pursuit of Happyness". After his girlfriend leaves him to raise their son (Will's own son Jaden Smith), Chris Gardner must find a way to successfully succeed. Chris happens across a man who is driving a nice car and asks what his profession is. The man replies "A stockbroker".
Chris applies for an unpaid position as an intern in the fast paced world of Wall Street. He becomes homeless during this internship and he and his son begin to live in shelters. He does all of this because he is competing for one paid position as a broker at the end of the internship.
Set in Los Angeles after the Rodney King verdict, a young teacher reaches out to teach a classroom full of interracial students, who live with the fear of gangs and mistrust of all others not of their own kind. These students don't expect to live past the age of eighteen.
Erin Gruwell (portrayed by Hillary Swank) in "Freedom Writers" is the true account of one teacher's effort to make a difference in the lives of her students. She listens and then teaches. She counts them as individuals not a group. She originally doesn't understand the world these students live in , but through encouragement she gets the kids to write their stories.
The students learn that they are not so different from one another.
Through death, sorrow, fear and anger, Erin Gruwell succeeds. The students find their worth and believe that perhaps eighteen is a lot younger than they thought.
Both of these movies are wonderful examples of what is available to view for the family. Both are rated PG-13 due to thematic situations, violence and language. The end result however of each movie will spark conversations of determination and over coming all obstacles.
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