Comments on: 10 Film Characters That Will Make You a Better Man

By: TeeTee

TeeTee — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:45:48 +0000

You forgot to include Edward James Olmos in Stand and Deliver.

By: CMo

CMo — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:51:44 +0000

Christopher Reeve as Superman in the original 1979 film is a strong figure from my very early childhood memories. He brought so much a warmth and nobleness to that role, and such good humour.

By: FPC

FPC — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:07:11 +0000

I like the lead character in a 1996 French film called “Ridicule”, starring Charles Berling in the lead role.

By: andy

andy — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:32:15 +0000

add harvey fierstein in torch song trilogy. amazing what you can learn about being a man from a guy in a dress.

By: Eivind F S

Eivind F S — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:34:58 +0000

Nice list. I haven’t seen all of them and appreciate the opportunity to go deeper with those films I have yet to see.

Some other movies which I would also include

- Into the Wild.
Although in some ways irresponsible and selfish, Chris McCandless’s yearning for freedom from bondage and inner revolution is something most men can relate to.

- Good will Hunting.
Great example of an elder acting as a young man’s inner king, restoring in him the sense of his own inherent goodness.

- Boy A
Incredibly powerful on society’s ignorance of boy’s plight – their struggle and their beauty.

- Fight Club
Helping us reconnect with our inner primal man.

I could go on. I hope it’s not seen as entirely inappropriate to offer the URL to my website where I write about men and masculinity in the movies. The full database of reviews is here: http://www.masculinity-movies.com/movie-database. Glad to see The Good Men Project also recognize the growth potential awaiting in movies.

By: christian

christian — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:53:12 +0000

Great compilation, fun read. I included this in my best of the week post: http://thirtymag.com/weekly-30/weekly-30-july-23/

thanks for sharing!

By: Weekly 30, July 23 - The best of the past week. | Thirty Magazine

Weekly 30, July 23 - The best of the past week. | Thirty Magazine — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:51:17 +0000

[...] 19. 10 Film Characters That Will Make You a Better Man [...]

By: David Wise

David Wise — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:03:09 +0000

Good list and clips. I really enjoyed it, wished I had more time to watch more.

By: Lydia Priest

Lydia Priest — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:36:42 +0000

Ben Kingley as Gandhi also comes to mind; also James Mason as Norman Maine in the old “Star is Born.” They both rose to the occasion.

By: Brian Mattix

Brian Mattix — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:31:36 +0000

One thing that struck me is how my far-right conservative friends and acquaintances who are in business admire Daniel Plainview from “There Will be Blood”…actually look to him as a hero who should be emulated.

By: Gil

Gil — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:28:55 +0000

Great list! The only person I would have worked in somehow is Homer Simpson. His undying love and loyalty to Marge, his love of life, and his unique humanity make him a great example (at times) of what it means to be a dad.

By: Marian

Marian — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:00:18 +0000

I don’t watch war movies, but for goodness in the face of a different kind of violence, I vote for Matt Damon as Rudy Baylor in the excellent film of Grisham’s The Rainmaker.

Clearly I could do this all day. You may have to tell me to stop.

By: Tom Matlack

Tom Matlack — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:33:26 +0000

I am thinking about men at war and trying to come up with role models of goodness in the face of violence. Saving Private Ryan (Tom Hanks character) comes to mind…

By: Marian

Marian — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:08:28 +0000

Interesting list, big YES to Atticus Finch. Interesting choice re Shutter Island, I really liked that film and his character, I’ll be seeing Inception soon. Good choices!

I vote for Chris Gardner, played by Will Smith, in The Pursuit of Happyness, very near the top. *sigh*