Looking for a good movie to show a boy about what it means to be a man? Try these ones out. You might want to check the rating on a couple of these. You should also consider the worldview of each but overall these movies present some key lessons for boys to learn. I say we need more movies like these.
Jumanji (1995)
Not the dumb remakes. This is a fun tale of magic and adventure around a mysterious board game. The adventure is set in the midst of a breakdown between a father and son who get angry at each other. At the end of the adventure the father and son reconcile with each other. The son specifically apologizes to his father. I will note that the son apologizes first. The father also apologizes. But the example of a son apologizing to a father is a rare occurrence in movies. This is a great example for young boys to see.
Tall Tale (1995)
A fun adventure that incorporates the American Myths of Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, and John Henry. The story is framed around a father and son. The father runs a farm and is trying to persuade his son that the farm is something to be proud of. The son rejects that idea, telling his father, “I hate the farm!” The father is shot by the bad guys who are trying to steal the deed to the farm. The father gives the deed to the son to protect it and the son is sent on a fantasy adventure trying to keep the deed from the bad guys who are chasing him down. Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, and John Henry help the son escape. When the son finally gets home he apologizes to his dad (who recovers from his wound). The son admits, “l told Pecos you were stupid for standing up like you done, but l was the one who was being stupid, Pa. l was being a fool.” The great theme of forgiveness and reconciliation between father and son is solid. The story also elevates something it calls The Code: “Respect the land, defend the defenseless, and don’t you never spit in front of women and children.” The idea that true men live up to a code is a key lesson for young boys.
Warrior (2011)
This is a great boxing movie that pits two brothers against each other. All sides are played sympathetically which makes the clash at the end that much more excruciating. The reality the story drives home is that there are some things that are more important than family. This means that a man needs to know when it is time to fight his own family. This doesn’t always mean you have to use physical force but it does mean keeping your priorities straight. Family can only work when it is subservient to a higher law. The story hints at the end that the brothers actually do reconcile with each other and they do it through the fight. This is another masculine reality. Sometimes the only way to reconcile men is for them to fight each other.
Jungle Book (1994)
Not the Disney versions. This is the 1994 live action version directed by Stephen Sommers. It is my favorite Jungle Book by far. It is a great adventure that has some Indiana Jones moments set in the jungles of India. I think Rudyard Kipling would actually recognize this movie as something like his original story. The movie presents a clear clash between good and evil. The movie underlines the reality of natural law (Jungle Law as the movie calls it). Natural law is moral because it comes from God. A man must understand this law in order to rule the world well. Natural Law will eat you alive if you don’t respect it.
Bridge of Spies (2015)
In this historical movie, the main character is a lawyer who is given the job of defending a Russian spy who has been caught living in America. The movie does well presenting the lawyer as a moral man who understands the importance of the US Constitution. There is a law over our land. The plot thickens when the lawyer is sent over to Germany to negotiate a prisoner exchange between Germany, Russia, and America to bring home a young American pilot. The lawyer’s family (wife and kids) doesn’t even know he is over there doing this dangerous job. After this complex exchange of prisoners, the young American pilot talks with the lawyer insisting that he gave no American secrets away. The young pilot says, “I gave them nothing. I gave them nothing.” The lawyer tells the young man, “It doesn’t matter what people think. You know what you did.” That’s a really insightful lesson for boys to learn: you know what you did. Frequently, that is all that really matters. You have a job to do and you have to do it, even if nobody sees you do it. That is a key part of the world: God is always watching, He knows what you did. A young man is unstoppable if he understands that goodness is its own reward.
