Help Me Watch Some Movies
April 13, 2014 8:52 AM   Subscribe

I have a college course that is requiring me to watch 4 movies and write a report on them. They need to specifically have leadership, teams, or managing change as the over-riding theme.

Here are some examples provided below. What I'm looking for are movies that fit into these themes but are more interesting for me to watch. Out of this list, Heart Of Darkness, I am inclined to watch if I can find a copy. Maybe I'd use Hoosiers or Dead Poet's Society but not sure if I'm interested in sitting down to watch them again. Also, anything that happens to be on Netflix would be excellent !

Some (leadership) examples might be: “Patton”,“Heart of Darkness”, “Twelve Angry Men”, “The Blind Side”, “Lincoln”

Movies with teams as the over-riding theme include; “Glory”, “Henry V”, “Remember the Titans”, “A Few Good Men”, “Apollo 13”

Movies with managing change as the over-riding theme include: “Hoosiers”,“Dead Poet’s Society”
posted by zero point zero to Media & Arts (45 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Teams: Any heist film will get you there and be fun to watch. The Italian Job is in NFLX now.
posted by mochapickle at 8:57 AM on April 13, 2014 [3 favorites]


This sounds like a great assignment.

Most sports movies should fit any of the three categories; you've mentioned Hoosiers, but I'd go for The Mighty Ducks or Slap Shot. The latter is currently on Netflix streaming.
posted by Going To Maine at 9:01 AM on April 13, 2014


Fight Club
Office Space
Evita
Startup.com
Kill Bill
Bad News Bears
posted by asockpuppet at 9:03 AM on April 13, 2014 [2 favorites]


Sneakers would be fun for the "teams" category.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:03 AM on April 13, 2014 [5 favorites]


Also, are documentaries acceptable? If so, you can stream the CBC documentary Final Offer, which follows the negotiations between General Motors and the Canadian Auto Workers' union in 1984. It could also fit any of your categories.
posted by Going To Maine at 9:04 AM on April 13, 2014


This might sound weird, but the new Captain America would fit the bill.
posted by you're a kitty! at 9:05 AM on April 13, 2014


Your list is mostly either sports movies or war movies. What kinds of movies do you usually like, or what qualities are common in movies you like?

The thing is, though, this assignment is broad enough that it seems like almost any movie could be shoehorned into it. 'The Blues Brothers,' it's all about leadership and teamwork. 'Blackfish,' it's about how individuals and groups respond to changes in how we understand the minds of killer whales. 'Koyaanisqatsi,' it's about how humanity, as a whole, manages environmental and technological change.

This might be more of an English-major kind of approach than a business-school one, but it would probably be possible to just pick four movies you want to watch, then watch them with an eye to the requirements of the report.
posted by box at 9:12 AM on April 13, 2014


Maybe an odd choice, but Synecdoche, New York. Main character is a director who leads his cast. He has a lot of actors/assistants/etc. work with him in the production as part of the team. And lets just say a lot of things change over the course of the movie.
posted by fishmasta at 9:14 AM on April 13, 2014


Building on Heart of Darkness, if you want to use a "woods" angle...

I thought Defiance was a good movie about managing change.
Southern Comfort could be about teamwork or lack thereof.
The leader of the group changes in Deliverance.
There was a failure of leadership in The Blair Witch Project.
posted by 99percentfake at 9:23 AM on April 13, 2014


Glengarry Glenn Ross comes to mind.
posted by Evstar at 9:29 AM on April 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Titanic is back on NFLX and it's all about managing change -- protagonists navigating through social classes and expectations, dealing with a homicidal fiancee, getting trapped below desks, getting trapped above decks, etc. Many other characters adapting to or resigning themselves to the circumstance. Arguably, it could also be about leadership (or lack of) on different levels.

But you'd have to sit through Titanic.
posted by mochapickle at 9:31 AM on April 13, 2014


Fitzcarraldo
Aguirre the Wrath of God
Avatar
posted by ethnomethodologist at 9:33 AM on April 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Lean On Me broadly fits the leadership theme (Morgan Freeman) as well as the theme of managing change.
Milk
Seconding any heist film, e.g. Italian Job, Oceans xx, which should fit neatly into the "team" category.
posted by Geppp at 9:35 AM on April 13, 2014


Made in Dagenham.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 9:36 AM on April 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Where the Wild Things Are - Young boy Max becomes leader of the Wild Things
Noises Off! - Director (Michael Cain) tries to keep his actors in line to put on a farce on stage
The Commitments - Guy forms a soul band in Ireland and acts as their manager

Sadly, none of them are on Netflix streaming. The Commitments isn't even available on disc.
posted by Green With You at 9:37 AM on April 13, 2014


And not to be flip, but Sharknado covers all three.
posted by mochapickle at 9:41 AM on April 13, 2014 [4 favorites]


What kind of movies do you like to watch?

I'm looking at Netflix. Serenity fits for leadership, teams and managing change. Those are pretty big themes in a lot of Joss Whedon's work. I haven't see The Avengers, but I wouldn't be surprised if that would work, too. You could probably have some fun with using Mean Girls or Heathers for leadership and teams. (Toxic leadership and dysfunctional teams are still leadership and teams, right?)
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:51 AM on April 13, 2014


Chicken Run!
posted by matildaben at 9:51 AM on April 13, 2014 [2 favorites]


Moneyball, The Social Network, and Margin Call are great movies that cover leadership, managing change, and teams to some extent (particularly Moneyball). None are on Netflix, but you can "rent" The Social Network and Margin Call on amazon streaming.

All three are based on real events, so that might make them even more relevant/interesting.
posted by jeoc at 9:54 AM on April 13, 2014


I'd recommend trying to watch at least two movies about women in leadership roles, since all the example movies in your list (provided by your professor?), and many of the suggestions in this thread, are almost exclusively male-focused.

Made in Dagenham, recommended above by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED, is a good movie about women's leadership. So is Norma Rae. They'd both work well for your assignment, but are also entertaining.

Others:

A League of Their Own (teams)
9 to 5 (managing change)
All I Wanna Do (aka Strike!) (managing change)
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:00 AM on April 13, 2014 [3 favorites]


Management Change: "Take this Job and Shove it"
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:42 AM on April 13, 2014


I think there would be a lot to talk about in Master and Commander.
posted by starman at 10:46 AM on April 13, 2014


Lord Of The Rings certainly has lessons on leadership, teamwork, management and change.
posted by Gorgik at 10:53 AM on April 13, 2014


Are you supposed to pick from the list or are you allowed to suggest you own?

Of the ones in your list, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed 12 Angry Men. I don't usually like "philosophical movies" but this one was riveting. And the idea of leadership is intriguing in it.

Not on the list, but about teams: Up in the Air.
posted by Milau at 10:58 AM on April 13, 2014


The Sting
M*A*S*H has a lot to say about leadership, though maybe not in the way you want.
The Dirty Dozen
PT 109

A lot of WW2 movies.
posted by SemiSalt at 11:08 AM on April 13, 2014


What about Remember the Titans? I think it touches on all these themes and is a great story to boot.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 11:09 AM on April 13, 2014


Ronin for either teams or leadership
posted by Jahaza at 11:15 AM on April 13, 2014


Leadership, Teams: The Warriors.
posted by cashman at 11:25 AM on April 13, 2014


Teams and leadership: In the Loop and The Ladykillers (the original 1955 version, not the execrable 2004 remake).
posted by HandfulOfDust at 11:53 AM on April 13, 2014


North Face (or Norwand) is about mountain climbers, and it's good for leadership and managing change.
Apollo 13
Lagaan
Desk Set is good about change.
Gandhi about leadership
posted by Ideefixe at 12:06 PM on April 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Good Will Hunting for change.
posted by kathrynm at 1:36 PM on April 13, 2014


I just saw "Be Kind Rewind" last night, and it touches on all of these themes, but perhaps especially managing change and teamwork.
posted by a fiendish thingy at 2:23 PM on April 13, 2014


The Avengers is a) a movie I could be easily persuaded to watch again basically whenever, and b) really centrally about the way that different people's skills contribute to the success of a team. The Iron Man movies generally have dealt a bunch with the idea of changing Stark Industries from a company that focuses on building weapons to a company that produces things that actually produce good in the world, or the new Captain America has the whole thing with building a new life in the present? I'm just saying, not that necessarily they're the best examples ever, but if you're so inclined, it's pretty easy to make an awful lot of movies like that fit somehow.
posted by Sequence at 2:41 PM on April 13, 2014


Dude, watch Cube. It's all about exploring the responsibilities that come with assuming the role of leadership and how the stress of such a role can wear down on a person's decisions and judgement.

(I may have made most of that up; it's been a while since I've seen the movie. There's definitely teamwork involved, though.)
posted by Qberting at 3:27 PM on April 13, 2014


Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.

Hornblower is the captain of a British frigate during the Napoleonic War, and much of the story is about him as captain.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:30 PM on April 13, 2014


This movie is virtually made with this assignment in mind and in fact, that's how I came to know about it - the same sort of assignment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_O'Clock_High
posted by blaneyphoto at 3:32 PM on April 13, 2014


Moneyball, The Social Network, and Margin Call are great movies that cover leadership, managing change, and teams to some extent (particularly Moneyball). None are on Netflix, but you can "rent" The Social Network and Margin Call on amazon streaming.


Social Network is so on Netflix- Netflix Canada. Amazon streaming does not exist here. We can't assume OP is in the US since s/he does not say so. OP, this is vital info that we need from you.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 3:33 PM on April 13, 2014


slightly outside the box suggestions if you want to get away from the sports/war movies:

leadership: The Lion King, Stand and Deliver
teamwork: The Goonies
managing change: Good Bye Lenin!
posted by emd3737 at 3:40 PM on April 13, 2014


Really nice question! If you're thinking of teamwork, sports movies are indeed good as someone said above..maybe Cool Runnings?

Music is also something that might work...Sister Act has leadership and teamwork.

In the vein of Dead Poet's Society - inspirational teachers.. Mr Holland's Opus.
posted by cornflakegirl at 4:34 PM on April 13, 2014


12 O'Clock High was required viewing at U.S. service academies for its leadership lessons.
posted by chrisulonic at 6:47 PM on April 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Leadership - "The American President"
Teams - "Bad News Bears"
Managing Change and possibly leadership "Kings Speech"
posted by Jewel98 at 6:52 PM on April 13, 2014


OP is in the US (he's my husband).
posted by Madamina at 7:35 PM on April 13, 2014 [1 favorite]


Since I just watched it last night and really, really liked it, I'm going to suggest Snowpiercer. A lot of your themes are present, in an interesting way I might add.
posted by mannequito at 8:58 PM on April 13, 2014


12 O'Clock High is a great suggestion.

The 2012 Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Christopher Walken movie A Late Quartet would be a good one for managing change.
posted by Jahaza at 7:19 AM on April 14, 2014 [1 favorite]


Strangely enough: White Christmss
posted by SemiSalt at 11:57 AM on April 14, 2014


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