My last chapter on movies that epitomize the American Dream deals with the aspirations of the American youth. The naive mentality and innocence of youth is where new American Dreams start. The classic cinematic coming-of-age stories and movies of rebellious youth are great examples for this theme.
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The second decadent route to the American Dream is through performing arts, a very 20th and 21st century version of the American Dream. Between singing, dancing, or acting, the quest for notoriety through one's "fifteen minutes of fame" onstage or onscreen is path to greatness.
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Two of the more decadent routes to achieving the American Dream are sports success and stardom through performing arts. In sports, everyone wants their name in the record books, that moment playing a kid's game in front of thousands of cheering fans, or the chance to earn millions of dollars.
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People come to this country and love this country for the freedoms they enjoy and the right to be a part of the voting and change that occurs. Citizenship and leadership is part of the American Dream and many of the movies that epitomize it.
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Through Pitt’s performance, Moneyball has that outstanding character study that all great sports movies have to have. In a way, Moneyball feels like Jerry Maguire without the romantic comedy, where the smoothly-written business side of a sport trumps the game and players on the field. For those looking for a sports movie with a brain, that will impress you and spark your interest. If you need thrills and camaraderie, you're going to have to look somewhere else.
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Plenty of people (and plenty of movies show it) achieve the American Dream of being self-made or financially successful purely by way of achieving power and dominating those around them. By taking that route, the power corrupts and becomes their only goal to achieve.
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This country is known for its ingenuity and the men and women who brought their genius to the world, thanks to the democracy and freedom they worked in. Some did it for the money and others did it for the betterment of society. Either way, they made that version of the American Dream come true.
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Contagion is at its best as an examination on the realistic levels of fear and paranoia that would strike our world if a disease came around that all of our Purell and flu shots couldn't beat. The movie keeps a very methodical scientific point-of-view and depicts a broken-down order that doesn't coddle the formula to make good guys and bad guys out of the situation. Everyone is a victim on some level and the movie keeps that compelling tone very well.
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Once the cage doors start closing, the bells start ringing, and the fists fly, Warrior hits an even higher gear. The matches and fight scenes generate thrills, chills, cheers, and even some tears.
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These are just my favorite 10 that I find to be the best (sorry front-runners, you won't find The Blindside). Also, to fit the hook and theme of my reviews, each movie on the list will be coupled with the top life lesson one can extrapolate from some good movie hard knocks.
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