English
Change is the reality of the contemporary world.
Therefore, you must expect to learn no matter how old you are, start a new career if you're dissatisfied with the old one, and achieve everything from scratch, even if people around you arch their eyebrows in scepticism. Today, success is achieved by those who adapt and, changing themselves, change their environment, niche, and profession. The key is to be brave and find your inspiration. Our selection of films in which the heroes also had to take risks, learn, and adapt will help you do just that.
Moneyball (2011)
The plot tells about the manager of the "Oakland Athletics" baseball team, which is on the verge of splitting up after losing a crucial game to the "New York Yankees." To get his team out of trouble, manager Billy hires economist Peter Brand from Yale, whom he meets on a business trip. Brand is convinced that the team can be reorganised by mathematical calculations based on players' usefulness and personal statistics. Thus begins a whole new training session with a different format for the Oakland Athletics team and a new era.
Who should watch it? Those facing a crisis (personal, company, team or any other) and wondering how to fix it. The film clearly shows how the most unexpected at first glance methods and innovative approaches can fundamentally change the situation. The central protagonist starts to approach the game of baseball from the point of view of analytics, identifies the weaknesses and strengths of players and implements a fundamentally new system. This film will help you look at old things differently and maybe even infect you with a love for life-saving mathematics!
Coco Before Chanel (2009)
Coco Before Chanel is a biographical drama about the life of the woman who founded the most famous fashion house in the world. Her humble beginnings start with her time in an orphanage, and then getting a job in a provincial bar. Next, Gabrielle (Coco's actual name) takes on two jobs at once to support herself and her sister. Gabrielle is both a singer (for which she received the nickname Coco) and a seamstress for performers. However, her forte is as a milliner. That's all thanks to her acquaintance with Baron Étienne Balsan that Coco becomes part of the high society of France and gets the opportunity to develop her design skills. Thus begins her journey in the world of fashion.
Who should watch it? Creative people who doubt that art is really worth doing and that it can feed you. It is much easier to realise your creative potential in today's world than in the 20th century, and if Coco was able to take risks and achieve her goals with such persistence, so can you. The film also tells about getting rid of co-dependence, finding inner freedom and self-sufficiency, and their embodiment in creativity. It is interesting to watch the changes in the personality of Coco Chanel, played by Audrey Tautou, and try them on yourself to realise that change is always for the better.
Secretariat (2010)
Sometimes, we don't find our life's work, but rather it finds us. It is the true story of housewife Penny Tweedy, who inherits her parents' nearly ruined stables. They once raised the best racehorses in the United States, and instead of selling them off, Penny decides to try to keep the family business going. She leaves her four children to her husband and runs the farm on her own. As a result, Penny becomes the first female breeder of her time and owner of a talented stallion named Secretariat, who went down in history as a three-time winner of the legendary Triple Crown races.
Who should watch it? Those who are thinking of dropping everything and starting to venture into a completely unfamiliar industry but are afraid. Or those who want to take on more responsibility but aren't sure they're ready for it. Penny sets an example of listening to your heart without forgetting your judgment. She has to learn to take care of wayward horses and how to manage, count expenses, and solve crises. In short, to run a business and be a home-maker simultaneously. The film will definitely help you to believe in your abilities and to look closely at new industries (and also to love animals).
The Billionaire (also known as Top Secret: Wai Roon Pan Lan) (2011)
"The Billionaire" is a biographical film about how a Thai teenager named Top Itthipat founded a snack food startup whose value today exceeds several billion dollars. It started simply by wanting to help his family recover from a million dollars in debt after his father's construction business went bankrupt. At first, a gamer, Itthipat earned money from online games, and at seventeen, he dropped out of school and started selling roasted chestnuts on the streets of Thailand. He is mainly responsible for making this treat so popular. Itthipat invested the first profits from the chestnuts in an innovative project - producing deep-fried seaweed snacks. These snacks are exported today to Japan, the USA, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Who should watch it? Those who think outside the box but don't know how the world will take it. Or those who find themselves in a difficult financial situation and realise that if they do nothing, the situation will worsen. In case you're wondering, Itthipat did end up paying off the family's debts in full (and they totalled about $1.3 million). He also overcame many hardships to make his company a "unicorn," as no one initially took the underachieving high school student seriously, the same with his fried seaweed. The film also helps you think about the importance of learning. Due to his lack of education, on several occasions, Itthipat lacked the basic knowledge for his job. Yet, he revolutionised his life and the snack industry, and it all started with the idea of simple and quick snacks!
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Will Smith's film "The Pursuit of Happyness" is universally acclaimed as one of his finest, most poignant and memorable films to date. The plot is based on the true story of entrepreneur Christopher Gardner and is about a single father in the 1980s America who is left holding a young son after his wife leaves. He has no place to live or job, but the main character, Chris, can't get discouraged because his child looks up to him! So Chris has to go from office to office in search of a job and at the same time smile, enjoy the little things, and learn to communicate, come to a compromise, cope with stress and manage everything.
Who should watch it? Those who do not recognise their strengths and feel a lack of soft skills, as well as experience emotional or professional burnout, but do not know what exactly needs to be changed. This film is about how to "max out" your professional and personal advantages, convince people, and simultaneously look at things only from a positive side. The hero has to not only knock on closed doors and not quit but also adapt to the harsh American realities and, somewhere, on the contrary, change them with the help of his eloquence, positive thinking and charm.
The King's Speech (2010)
"The King's Speech" is a historical drama with Colin Firth in the lead role. Firth plays the future King of Great Britain, George VI, who suffers from stuttering. He had to make a speech at his coronation and become a leader for his people during such problematic wartime in the 1940s. To do this, George VI has been seeing speech therapists since childhood, but all in vain until he meets the Australian doctor Lionel Logue. Thanks to him, George VI conducted his first radio programme almost without a stammer.
Who should watch it? Those who doubt they can and are willing to give up their dreams because of their physical, financial, professional or any other limitations. Stuttering is a problem that people often fail to solve throughout their lives. George VI and his parents would also give up but then try new approaches: to never give up, to try, try, and try again! Indeed, it wasn't until George VI was thirty-five that he could finally speak in public so that his performance would not once again become an embarrassment to the royal family and a nightmare. As the film's hero, George VI also analyses his actions and the past, struggles with complexes and fears, and learns to speak and negotiate. After all, the modern world requires him to be public despite his ailment - and George VI needs to adapt to it.
The Intern (2015)
70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker is determined to make a fresh start in life instead of retiring. He takes a job as an intern at the online shop of young housewife Jules Ostin, where, of course, no one takes him seriously. But Ben is not discouraged and tries his best to get accustomed to modern realities. He learns new technologies, observes, builds communication with colleagues, and, in the end, turns out to be the one who gives a new lease on life not only to Jules' startup but also to herself.
Who should watch it? Those who think it's too late to learn and don't want to change anything, just because "it's not serious enough"/"it's risky"/"people will laugh". In this film, you should note both the story of Ben Whittaker, who proves that a person can find his place everywhere and learn anything despite his age, and the story of Jules Ostin herself. No one believes in her project. Her life is peppered with new professional and personal problems, and she experiences a personal crisis on her way to finding her life's work. Building a profitable business from scratch always presents new challenges - Jules will show you how to overcome them, and Ben will teach you how to love change and adjust.
Yes Man (2008)
The best motivational comedy starring Jim Carrey is about a closed-minded banker whose "glass is always half empty." A life-long pessimist, he is used to the word "No" until he accidentally attends the seminar of an eccentric coach. The latter makes a bet with the protagonist: from now on, he must say only "Yes" all his life, and for every "No" life will punish him severely. So, the life of the sullen bureaucrat changes radically, and he is forced to agree to even the most insane adventures, which, nevertheless, eventually lead him to personal happiness.
Who should watch it? Those who are afraid to try new things and never take risks because they fear regretting it or losing something. As the example of Jim Carrey's character shows, when we refuse to take risks, we only lose fabulous opportunities and our own freedom. Of course, his story is exaggerated. No one is asking you to say yes to a drunken biker riding up on a motorbike or to phone scammers. But try at least one day to say "Yes" at least five times in a row to any offers - and see what new nuances it brings to your life and career.
Learning by topic
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Frank Abagnale Jr. was a pilot, a lawyer, and a doctor by age 18. He skilfully forges signatures and bank cheques, imitates other people and turns on the charm where needed. Thanks to this, Frank earns millions - or rather, steals them. But one day, an experienced FBI agent named Carl comes on his trail, and so begins their race of years: Frank runs away, changes identities, professions and cities, while Carl pursues him and tries to drive him to a dead end.
Who should watch it? Those who think it's too hard to change, pump up a skill and become someone else. Just look at how Frank Abagnale changes images, character, and behaviour at the snap of his fingers! And his skills change too: he learns them to maintain the image he wants, adapt to his surroundings and find a common language with people, jumping over any social, financial and psychological chasms. Of course, you shouldn't abuse this adaptation and turn it into a tool for lying and manipulation, as Frank does, but taking his flexibility and creativity to heart is clearly worth it!
The Founder (2016)
"The Founder" is the real-life story of Ray Kroc, who created and nurtured the world's most popular fast food chain, McDonald's. The film's events begin in 1954, when, having worked for many years as a salesman, Ray Kroc constantly gets involved in various adventures and goes bust. During one of these ventures, Kroc sells the owners of a diner with the surname McDonald's multi-mixers, which can prepare five milkshakes simultaneously. Interested in his customers' business, Kroc joins them and franchises.
Who should watch it? Those who lack cunning, persistence and a little "chutzpah" (audacity). Ray Kroc can hardly be called a positive hero. He even acts as an antagonist in this story, as he ends up cheating the McDonald's brothers. However, here we should pay attention to his purposefulness and business thinking: he knew that the fast-food restaurant chain would become popular only if it kept McDonald's because this surname (the one of real founding brothers) embodies true Americanism. Kroc is also a "long-term player", a strategist and a good analyst with a fair share of self-confidence and wit. The early bird gets the worm, as they say. Instead of procrastinating and waiting to sink your teeth into new opportunities, this film helps you learn how to take action!
