Eisha Mehtab 231453357

Professor Saima Majeed

PSYC 300: Positive Psychology

Midterm: Movie Reviews and Character Strengths

Movie 1: October Sky

This movie inspired me with hope, serenity and made me misty-eyed, and that means a

lot considering movies of today don’t really do that for me anymore. This movie is not just about

a boy who dreamt of looking up at the stars instead of digging the mines below ground, its about

family dynamics, and how community builds you up, and how without people helping you out,

you would be lost. The story begins with Sputnik’s launch into the world, and how it inspired

Americans to follow the lead too. The space race is depicted in really raw emotions, from

Americans feeling jealous over the Russians to boys dreaming about going to the stars,

especially boys who lived in a poor area like Coalwood. Homer H. Hickam’s journey was so

uplifting, because he went from being one of the boys who people don’t expect much from to a

boy who had the entire town rooting for him. The parental love depicted in the movie, both with

the mother’s undying support to how difficult it was for the father to support his child. How

Homer dealt with his dad was remarkable as well, Jake has really played the character so well, it

made me cry at distinct points in the movie. The way he develops his friendships, relationships

and how he stands up for himself is definitely a lesson I have learnt. Especially considering how

this movie is based on a true story, it makes it even more compact with emotions. The Rocket

Boys really made me happy, with their will and zest to push through and find the motivation in

themselves to get up and do something with their lives, all because Homer asked them to. The

actors worked superbly to make everything feel so homey.

The character strength in the movie that truly stands out is Homer’s perseverance. He

approached Quentin, a smart kid in class and very unpopular, and he goes against all odds to sit

with him and learn with him to build his rocket. He tells his friends that he is going to get the
scholarships, and if they want to do something with their lives as well, its on them to make a

decision. That motivated his friends to join too. It really shows how one mindset can change so

many. The character of Homer also shows leadership qualities, when he takes charge in front of

his friends, his class, his parents and his teacher even his school principal. Homer did whatever it

took from him to get this rocket made, to understand all techniques so well that everyone wanted

him to go to Indianapolis when it was time. He brought his A game and he fought his own father

to build the life he dreams of, and turns out, his father ended up respecting him for it. Miss

Riley’s character also felt so uplifting, because of how proud she was in her students and Homer.

It shows how if teachers have a little faith in you, you can quite literally touch the sky.

Words: 509

Movie 2: Forrest Gump

Forrest is unlike any character I have ever seen, with his zeal and zest, with his intellect,

with his way of perceiving the world in absolutes, and his way of living. This movie has

everything in it from sadness to happiness to laughter. This man involves himself in every major

event in history that happened in America between 1950 till 1980. It was probably a good thing

that Forrest lacked cynicism, because we got to see the world through his eyes, and believe me,

it’s beautiful. I love how this movie was filled with extremely big laughter moments and then

there were moments where you keep thinking about the depth of what just unfolded right before

your eyes, and you discover a quiet truth that moves you.

From his braces falling off till he was able to run like the wind, Forrest never ever failed

to completely leave me awe-struck. He lives in a way he knows how and he loves in a way he

knows how, and while people say that Forrest doesn’t know how to be normal, to me its people
who don’t understand what normal is. Forrest does anything that makes sense to him, and he acts

in loyalty and compassion and does anything to eliminate any unnecessary suffering. He has

actually taught me how a meaningful life can be lived. When Jenny says Forrest doesn’t know

what love is, all I could think about was how he truly does love her, in a way he understands –

what is love if not thinking about them all the time, mentioning them to others, writing them

letters while in Vietnam for war and defending them when they are hurt? My favourite line in the

movie is when Forrest grapples with a philosophical existential crisis beyond his understanding,

and he talks about it like this: “I don't know if we each have a destiny or we're all just floatin'

around accidental like on a breeze. Maybe both happening at the same time...”

Forrest’s greatest strength was his coping mechanism and his coping statement of “Run,

Forrest, Run” which Jenny says to him as he first gets bullied. He is on braces for his legs but he

still makes a run for it, and similarly runs like this whenever he needs to run out of situations to

process overwhelming stress: to save a friend, to be safe, to relieve his energy physically. He

feels empowered this way. Even with below average intelligence and not being able to

understand abstractions and metaphors, he is able to cut through the ugly parts of life, which is

hypocrisy or complications. His character strength of using his coping statements, and the idioms

his mother taught him makes him live his life so immensely. The central theme in the movie is

definitely love, love for the relationship Forrest fosters, love for his mother, his friend Jenny and

his friend Bubba and his Lieutenant Dan and love for Jenny’s son. He deals with the meaning of

his life in absolutes: he is all in or all out. For life to feel positive, I learnt that you must give it

your true self, your genuine self in service of others if you really love them, and surely, love will

come back to you.

Words: 545
Movie 3: Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting is one of those stories that touches your very soul, peeks into it and

calls it home. I have not seen such a beautifully put together cast, who acted so realistically, truly

dissolving within their characters. It’s a movie about a beyond intelligent boy who has past issues

with his parents and childhood, which brings him deep abandonment issues and attachment

anxiety that he pushes people away that love him. He is gifted with a mathematical genius, but

he does not know what to do with it. The journey of him struggling with who he is what and

what does he owes to himself is so exceptional that its haunting. There was one scene in the

movie that got me teary eyed, and it is when Will’s psychologist repeatedly mentions to him that

what happened to him as a kid was not his fault. He keeps repeating “It’s not your fault” until

Will truly understands and accepts it before we see his guard down and cry for the first time.

This shows how Will had really internalized that what happened to him with his father was his

fault. His past with abuse and foster homes made him a troubled child. Being a mathematical

genius becomes his saving grace, from not just jail but to gain a chance to make amends with his

past, what he wants for his future and what holds meaning for him. There was once instance

where Ben Affleck’s character tells Will that he will be happy when he sees what Will is not

responding at the gate, because it will mean Will is actually making something of his life. One

day, it actually happens and that brings me so much joy.

Will’s character strength is being compassionate towards people he really cares about. He

would fight for people he loves any chance he gets. He would fight for his love, as he also did

towards the very end. He would drive all the way to his therapist’s house before he leaves to do

something his heart wants. Will was also very confident in his abilities and that was his greatest

strength as well, he believed in himself and he knew what he didn’t want from his life because he
was self-aware enough. Will is also a gifted student, and he is able to show a quick

comprehension of concepts. He is a curious person, and his curiously is also a character strength

because that drives him to change his life for the better. It was clear at the very beginning of the

movie that Will is a person that looks for a challenge, and he makes very conscious decisions to

see what’s best for him. This movie showed me how it is okay to be different, that its okay to get

therapy, that it’s okay to accept change and let it be known to you that it’s not your fault that life

was mean to you. Will’s love for Skyler also shows how he was ready for change after therapy.

Words: 507

Movie 4: Billy Eillot

Billy Elliot is such a heartwarming movie about a boy who wants to be a ballet dancer

and to go against all odds to become one, and to have his father absolutely hate the profession

and to come to absolutely loving it was the greatest arc development ever. The thing I loved most

about the movie was how ballet dancing was an overarching theme, and how Billy’s grandma

could have been a professional dancer if she had the chance to go to a formal school. The

relationship of Billy and his father was the purest development. Although it started out to be

violent and unhealthy, after understanding what Will wants from his life, his father entered an

entire shift in his personality to let his boy go to a ballet school, after being so fiercely against it

meant a lot to Billy and even the audience. The way this movie displays this is beyond beautiful.

The entire movie theme revolves around identity and how even though it’s a child exploring his

life and his future career, the societal constructs apply to him too and the world around him is not

ready to accept that the boy wants to be a dancer when he grows up. I also love Billy’s teacher,

how she notices that Billy is gifted, how she notices that there is a scholarship that Billy would

be good for, how she fights for his right to go for the audition in front of his family that was
being unreasonable and rude towards her. This movie also shows how teachers can either make

or break your life – and how a good teacher can pull you closer to your dreams. Billy’s

relationship with his brother was also little to nothing, but it was so uplifting to see that even his

brother saw how his on father had to give up on what he believed in to collect money for Billy to

go to London, and he realized that if his father can choose to find reason to believe in Billy, he

can too. Throughout the movie, everyone tells Billy how his late mother would have let him go

for the ballet school without question. This emphasizes that everyone also loved the mother so

much they chose to honor what her choice would have been if she were alive. It was truly

heartwarming. The character development in this movie was insanely beautiful and I will never

get over it.

Billy’s strongest characteristics are that he is headstrong, determined and wise to go for

the life he wants. He knows how to talk to people that might reject the idea. He is sure of

himself, and its hurtful to see his family being unsupportive of it – but as the movie progresses,

that changes completely. What else is really important here is the community – the people who

support you other than your family. It is such an important aspect of your career and to be able to

be happy with it needs support from community.

Words: 502