This is a list of movies and scenes that I like and I find inspiring and moving in one way or another. Enjoy!

Boiler Room

Why I love it:

This is a kick ass, testosterone packed movie about a college dropout who is running an illegal casino from his own home.  His entrepreneurial skills get picked up by a couple of stock brokers who recruit him and teach him to sell and become a millionaire.  This movie contains a lot of great speeches about having the right attitude to make a sale.

Some Favorite Quotes:

“Pick up your skirt, grab your balls, and lets go make some money”

“They say money can’t buy happiness? Look at the fucking smile on my face. Ear to ear, baby”

Balboa (Rocky 6) Inspirational Speech

Why I Love It:

It’s Rocky, what’s not to love? It’s the ultimate underdog story, he’s the unlikely hero with a big heart who always wins against all odds.  I especially like this particular scene when he talks about life to his kid.

Al Pacino’s Half Time Speech in Any Given Sunday

Why I Love It:

In this scene Al Pacino talks about how it’s the little things in life (the inches) that matters.  No one can pump a crowd better than Al Pacino.  Everyone things that this movie is just about American Football, it’s much more than that.  The movie is about change, you can see the change in the characters throughout the movie, and what the game meant to each one of them: from the owner, to the coach, to the players, to the doctors, to the families.

Some Memorable Quotes:

“On any given Sunday you’re gonna win or you’re gonna lose. The point is – can you win or lose like a man?”

“No intensity, no victory.”

“That’s what a leader’s about: sacrifice. The times he’s gotta sacrifice because he’s gotta lead, by example. Not by fear and not by self-pity.”

Pursuit of Happyness – Protect Your Dreams

Why I love it:

I can’t say enough good things about this movie.  It’s about a struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he’s poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.  Chris Gardner (Will Smith) is a loving father and failing businessman. He is chosen for a competitive internship at Dean Witter, a stock brokerage. The internship, which offers Chris a very long shot at a better life, doesn’t pay any salary. Chris has to live without a salary for six months while risking just about everything for that long shot gamble.

His car is towed. His wife walks out on him, leaving him with a five year old son. He is arrested for unpaid traffic ticket… and the way he handles everything is nothing short of spectacular.

Some memorable quotes:

“Hey. Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. All right?”

“You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.”

Glengarry Glen Ross

Why I like it:

Every character in the movie is one that I recognized from my office experiences…the mega-closer mouth piece (Baldwin), the complainers who always complained about the leads (Lemon and Arkin), the office manager who’d never actually sold anything before but had a little rub (Spacey), the hotshot salesman (Pacino)… it’s just so real…

Some Favorite Quotes:

Shelley Levene: The leads are weak.
Blake: “The leads are weak.” The fucking leads are weak? You’re weak

Jerry Maguire – Show Me The Money

Why I like it:

Romantic part of the movie aside, what I like about this is that Tom Cruise’s character, Jerry Maguire a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent with the only athlete who stays with him. It’s about loyalty, friendship, watching your ass, money and love.

Some Favorite Quotes:

“Show Me The Money”
“Help Me, Help You”

Layer Cake

Ok it’s about a drug dealer but it’s more than that.  I like the main character’s principles, affluence and the way he carries himself.  The way he out thinks his competitors and his enemies and the way he handles challenges and problems that come up. All important traits of a successful entrepreneur.

Some Favorite Quotes:

“Have a plan. Stick to it.”

“Life is so fucking good I can taste it in my spit.”

“It is vital that we work to a few golden rules. Always work in a small team. Keep a very low profile. Only deal with people who come recommended. And it’s like selling anything else: washing machines, hand made shoes, blowjobs. As long as you don’t take the piss people will always come back for more. And that is not to say we don’t have that special kind of magic that makes two kilos into three. But never be too greedy.”

“A Roman general once said, “If you want peace, plan for war.”"

Wall Street

(trailer – couldn’t find the right scene on youtube)

Why I Like It

The movies is about Bud Fox, a young stock broker who only wishes to excel in life.  Wall Street is about those for whom material wealth takes precedence over morality, and those for whom it does not. Moreover, it is the story of one who is struggling to decide which of the two he is: greedy or ethical.  The struggle between ethics and finance is something that we all encounter when we’re in business, which way will you go?

Some Favorite Quotes:

“Stop going for the easy buck and start producing something with your life. Create, instead of living off the buying and selling of others.”

“Lunch is for wimps….”

Bud Fox: “How much is enough?”
Gordon Gekko: “It’s not a question of enough, pal. It’s a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn’t lost or made, it’s simply transferred from one perception to another. ”

Do you suggest any other movies?