Movies can inspire you in many different ways. They can spark new and creative ideas. They can change the way that you perceive the world. They can alter your emotional outlook. And, they can even potentially change you physically. After all, there are a number of films in Hollywood history that one can look to for motivation to get in shape.
To prove the latter point, we’ve put together this special feature. Feel like you need to start treating yourself better and improve your well-being? Try giving any of these films a watch and see if they can’t get you excising more and eating better.
Brittany Runs A Marathon
Of all the movies mentioned in this feature, Brittany Runs A Marathon probably embodies the larger spirit of the piece better than anything else. Jillian Bell’s Brittany Forgler is an exceptionally relatable protagonist who comes to recognize that taking better care of herself is a path that can lead to her living a happier life.
Captain America: The First Avenger
No, Chris Evans was never as scrawny as Steve Rogers is at the start of Captain America: The First Avenger, and yes, the Super Soldier Serum is kind of the ultimate cheat to getting in ridiculously great shape… but what you should be motivated by is the spirit of the titular hero and how he ends up expressing his inner goodness on the outside.
Rocky IV
There is surely at least one gym in the world at this moment that has Rocky IV playing on a television screen to motivate patrons – and with good reason. For one thing, it doesn’t have the downer ending with Rocky Balboa losing at the end, but more significantly, it has some of the best training montages in the entire Rocky franchise (and that includes the work of both Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren in the Cold War-era showdown).
Creed III
Ryan Coogler’s Creed would also be a good fit for this feature, but I’ve selected the Michael B. Jordan-directed installment of the boxing series instead – primarily because of the plotline that sees Adonis Creed have to come out of retirement for a revenge match against his childhood friend. He has deeper and greater adversity to face in Creed III than in the first movie, arguably making it more motivational.
Batman Begins
The vast majority of people don’t have the resources of Bruce Wayne to travel to the Himalayan mountains and get trained by a secret society of elite warriors… but just think about what you could accomplish if you exerted even a fraction of the effort of the Dark Knight! If a spoiled punk can travel halfway around the world to get ripped so that he can save the soul of his city, you can wake up an hour earlier every morning to do a jog around your neighborhood.
G.I. Jane
Putting aside unfortunate legacy aspects like a Razzie Award and a memorably bad Oscar joke, Ridley Scott’s G.I. Jane is a movie that sees Demi Moore morph into a warrior. She doesn’t just shave her head; she is put through rigorous training that sees her transform into an intimidating figure.
Rudy
Movies don’t really get much more motivational than David Anspaugh’s Rudy – a film based on the true story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger’s efforts to play football at the University of Notre Dame. It’s one of the all-time great underdog movies, and if you ever need something to remind yourself of the power of human will, it’s an ideal title to recall.
42
As depicted by Chadwick Boseman in writer/director Brian Helgeland’s 42, Jackie Robinson is one of the all-time great examples of emotional fortitude, as what he went through breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball took incredible strength. Not to be ignored in that fact’s shadow, however, is that Robinson was also an exceptionally gifted athlete, and his awesome athletic skills on the diamond are well illustrated in the 2013 biopic.
Bleed For This
Based on the true story of former world champion boxer Vinny Pazienza, Bleed For This unfurls an astonishing comeback story that sees its protagonist break his neck in a car accident and actually recover to the point where he is able to restart his career as a pugilist. Witnessing what he’s able to overcome would motivate anyone to get into better shape.
Fight Club
This article is in no way advocating that anybody should try and get in shape by joining an underground bareknuckle boxing club. That being said, it’s hard to watch David Fincher’s Fight Club, compare one’s own body to Brad Pitt’s, and not instantly wish that you had the insane muscles that he had going on in the 1999 cult classic.
Scream
Here’s a reality check for you: if you’re ever being pursued by a serial killer, they aren’t just going to amble along as they chase you, a la Michael Myers in the Halloween movies. Instead, they are going to be moving toward you at a full sprint like Ghostface in Scream. You’re not going to survive long if you don’t have any endurance – so let that thought get you to spend a bit of time on a treadmill a couple of days a week.
28 Days Later
If a zombie apocalypse breaks out, there are no guarantees that the brain-eating monsters will be shambling along like those in George A. Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead. There is an equal chance that they will be rampaging around at full tilt like those infected with the Rage Virus in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later… and if that’s the case, you need to be ready to outrun them.
Furious 7
I’m going to be honest: while there are many muscle-bound heroes in the Fast & Furious franchise, James Wan’s Furious 7 gets the special recognition on this list simply because of the scene where Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs opts to remove the cast on his broken left arm by simply flexing his awe-inspiring muscles. I think we  can all say that we wish we could do that.
T2: Judgement Day
You want to talk about finding motivation to work out? Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor is a poster child for the concept in James Cameron’s T2: Judgement Day. She knows that the artificial intelligence-caused apocalypse is coming, and she needs to protect her kid, so what does she do? She gets crazy buff – even while locked up in a mental institution. You don’t have to have the same motivation as Sarah, but you can use her journey to help you find your own big reason to get in shape.
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Prior to joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Pratt was best known as the silly, chubby guy from Parks and Recreation, but he transformed himself when he got the role of Star-Lord in James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, and we have not looked at him the same way since then. Obviously most people aren’t going to be able to achieve what he accomplished, but seeing what he was able to do can at least push you to attempt a percentage.
Deadpool & Wolverine
There’s a joke around the middle of Deadpool & Wolverine that Hugh Jackman is wearing his full yellow costume because he isn’t in his prime fighting form… but that idea is wholly dismissed by the time the film gets to its third act climax and Jackman finally loses his shirt. Jackman may be over 50 years old now, but you can still probably grate cheese on his chest.
Enter The Dragon
The vast majority of us don’t require the dangerous martial arts skills of Bruce Lee in our everyday lives, but when you watch what the man is able to simply physically accomplish in the action scenes in Enter The Dragon, it does at the very least make you wonder about just how awesome your own body could potentially be.
Run Lola Run
You know what’s funny about life? On a random day, your significant other might call you and tell you that they will be killed unless you can sprint around your neighborhood in under 20 minutes collecting a scary amount of money that you don’t have legal access to. Ok, I am admittedly describing the plot of Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run, but among other things, the film is a cinematic reminder that your life might one day require you to demonstrate some extreme physicality. Ask yourself: are you ready for that day?
Eternals
Chloe Zhao’s Eternals makes it on to this list for a reason you can probably guess: the transformation of Kumail Nanjiani. The actor seriously committed to altering his physique for his role as Kingo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’s admirable.
The Whale
Taking care of your physical well-being is an important part of everyday life, and if you let things slip too far in that regard, there can be serious consequences. This is disturbingly illustrated in Brendan Fraser’s controversial turn in Darren Aronofksy’s The Whale, as the film is a depiction of extreme darkness at the end of that path.
Southpaw
I could have included Doug Liman’s Road House on this list for similar reasons as Antoine Fuqua’s Southpaw, but the boxing movie beat the Patrick Swayze remake to release by nearly a decade, so I’m giving it the highlight. It’s not a particularly good film (in truth, it’s pretty generic), but it’s impossible to watch it and not be impressed by the results of the training star Jake Gyllenhaal went through in preparation for the role.
300
I’m not sure I need to explain why Zack Snyder’s 300 is on this list. The Spartan lifestyle should never be advocated, but just about everyone in the film is crazy ripped and represent fitness goals.
Thor
Being an Asgardian, Thor probably didn’t have to really work for the muscles that Chris Hemsworth possesses in MCU’s first God of Thunder movie – but if you’re ever going to be both worthy of possessing Mjolnir and properly use it, you should get up off your couch right now and start planning out tomorrow as Arm Day.
Forrest Gump
I’m not sure that there is any doctor on Earth who would recommend that anyone run back and forth across the continental United States, a la Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump in Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump… but the film does make one wonder if one could personally accomplish what the character achieves. You don’t have to start with a plan for a 6,000 mile jog, but you can start by going four miles in a day and see how you feel after.
Eddie The Eagle
Dexter Fletcher’s Eddie The Eagle is a silly and fun movie about one of the worst Olympic competitors in history – English ski jumper Michael David Edwards – but above all else, it’s a story about perseverance and not letting naysayers stand in the way of you and your goals. If you’re determined to take better care of yourself and get in better shape, Eddie The Eagle is actually a fantastic person to emulate.
The Karate Kid
With enough focus, training, and determination, people can achieve incredible things, and that’s the essence of Daniel LaRusso’s story in John G. Avildsen’s 1984 classic The Karate Kid. It also obviously helps to have a great support system, so let this movie inspire you to go out and find your personal Mr. Miyagi.
Cool Runnings
It’s not difficult to pick up on the core moral at the heart of Jon Turteltaub’s Cool Runnings – based on the true story of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics. While people might dismiss you or even laugh at you, if you believe in yourself enough, you can achieve legendary things. This can not only be applied to taking care of yourself and getting in better shape, but in all aspects of life.
Chariots Of Fire
Truth be told, you probably don’t even need to watch all of Chariots Of Fire to be motivated by it. Just listening to the iconic instrumental theme from the film written and recorded by Vangelis should be enough to get you out of the door and running (preferably on a local beach).
Run Fatboy Run
To be totally honest, David Schwimmer’s Run Fatboy Run is a film that shares a lot in common with Brittany Runs A Marathon and is not as good – but it is a movie that can be said to have its moments, and it still provides the audience with a nice touch of inspiration. The movie was released the same year as Hot Fuzz and sees star Simon Pegg play an emotionally weak man who tries to prove himself to his ex by training for and running a marathon.
Police Story
Jackie Chan’s legacy is as a true maximum effort performer. The man (often literally) throws himself into his movies, and seeing what he pushes himself to do is inspiring. Police Story is one of many titles in his filmography where he pulls off feats that utterly drop your jaw, and if he can push himself like that, why can’t you do something similar to drop a few pounds?
The Fighter
In the case of David O. Russell’s The Fighter, you’re definitely going to want to focus on the story of Mark Wahlberg’s Micky Ward instead of the dark tale of Christian Bale’s “Dicky” Eklund. It’s an excellent sports film about battling back against adversity and it has a strong message about working hard to achieve your ultimate goals.
Million Dollar Baby
With Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, you may only want to watch about two-thirds of the film if you’re simply going for workout motivation, as the end of the movie isn’t going to do you any favors in that department. That aside, Hilary Swank morphs into a force playing Mary Margaret “Maggie” Fitzgerald in the Oscar-winning boxing film, and she makes for a positive spirit to channel as you get into your own routine.
Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of our film-centric features, and for a look at all of the titles heading to theaters and streaming in the coming months, check out our 2024 movie release calendar.
