Netflix has no shortage of amazing content, but kidnapping movies in the list of must-watch Netflix titles bring an oomph factor to your streaming experience.
These days, we all need a little feel-good moment. There are so many things in the world that depress us and make us feel hopeless. On the other hand, humans are powerful creatures capable of persevering in the face of adversity. Nothing better exemplifies this than a film that reminds us of our strengths.
Inspiration is required at some point in one’s life. People, especially as the new year approaches, feel the need for a little incentive to kick-start the pursuit of larger hopes and goals.
Fans frequently look to movies for inspiration, whether based on true events or controversial works that are motivating. The point is that they make us happy. If you’re still looking for some motivational movies to watch over the holidays, here are a few inspirational movies on Netflix subscribers may watch right now.
The films have a special ability to move us, making us laugh, cry, and even become enraged. However, music can also stimulate and leave an effect that makes us feel inspired long after the credits have rolled. So get ready for a journey of excellence and self-acceptance with these movies!
1. Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (2016)
Director: Joe Berlinger
Writers: Joe Berlinger
Cast: Maria Menounos, Anthony Robbins, Julianne Hough
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
Tony Robbins spends six days at Date With Destiny taking down people’s fences to rebuild them into their true selves.
Witness the first-ever behind-the-scenes look at this massive event, the workshop’s approach, and the attendees’ life-changing, transforming experiences under Tony’s leadership.
2. Bennett’s War (2019)
Director: Alex Ranarivelo
Writers: Alex Ranarivelo
Cast: Trace Adkins, Michael Roark, Allison Paige
IMDB Rating: 6/10
Marshall Bennett is a young Army Motorcycle Unit soldier who survives an IED explosion overseas and is medically discharged with a broken leg and back before returning to the United States.
When he returns home to his family farm, he finds that his father, Cal Bennett, has fallen behind on his mortgage and is in danger of losing the farm. Marshall Bennett, despite all odds, vows to aid his family the only way he knows how: by getting back on his bike and doing what he does best.
3. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind (2019)
Director: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Writers: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lily Banda, Maxwell Simba
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
One of the best inspirational movies on Netflix in which William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, an African country. A catastrophic drought struck the town where he resided when he was fourteen years old.
There was no food available. A brilliant student interested in physics, William decides to save his native village from famine.
He discovers physics books in the library. He came up with the idea to create a wind generator to supply electricity to his family after studying the books.
4. Dumplin’ (2018)
Director: Anne Fletcher
Writers: Kristin Hahn
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Danielle Macdonald, Odeya Rush
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
“I’m not the Joan of Arc of big girls,” Willowdean Dickson says, urging another plus-size teen not to enter a beauty contest as she did.
Willowdean, the charming heroine of Netflix’s Dumplin’, attempts to persuade her tense mother, the previous Miss Teen Blue Bonnet of 1991, who now oversees the pageant and has ignored her daughter, to change her mind.
5. Blue Miracle (2021)
Director: Julio Quintana
Writers: Chris Dowling
Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Dennis Quaid, Jimmy Gonzales
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
Casa Hogar is rapidly running out of funds; if Omar fails to pay his bills, the property will be repossessed, and the children will be forced to return to the streets.
Wade Malloy is a retired captain looking for another tournament victory, as he holds the record for winning two years in a row during his golden days. Bisbee’s Black & Blue Fishing Tournament is the answer for both of them, and it is doubtful that Team Casa Hogar will win when the two parties are matched up on one boat.
In the end, Omar can catch a first-place blue marlin & win enough money to save the orphanage while also providing Wade with the victory he so desperately needs.
6. Greater (2016)
Director: David Hunt
Writers: David Hunt
Cast: Michael Parks, Neal McDonough, Leslie Easterbrook
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Brandon Burlsworth is arguably the best walk-on in college football history. Brandon aspired to play Division I football with the Arkansas Razorbacks but was told he wasn’t good enough.
Brandon was undeterred, and in 1994 he took a chance and walked on. Brandon, who his teammates and coaches had written off, showed tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds.
The shy child who was once an embarrassment to his teammates and an inconvenience to his coaches went on to become the program’s most revered athlete, affecting the lives of everyone he came into contact with.
7. The Prom (2020)
Director: Ryan Murphy
Writers: Bob Martin
Cast: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden
IMDB Rating: 5.9/10
Self-centered Broadway thespians Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman, the egotistical stars of Eleanor, The Eleanor Roosevelt Story, have devised a perfect strategy to generate some positive press in desperate need of a great cause to renew their public image and bounce back.
As a result, the flamboyant celebrity activists and two fellow struggling actors, Angie Dickinson and Trent Oliver, travel to the little town of Edgewater, Indiana, to help Emma, a bright-eyed high-school student. She has recently come out of the closet to realize her dream.
On the other hand, Emma merely wants to go to the prom with her sweetheart, & intolerance stands in the way of acceptance & happiness. Will the daring quartet be able to give Emma the prom she deserves?
8. Uppity: The Willy T.Ribbs Story (2020)
Director: Nate Adams
Writers: Nate Adams
Cast: Phillip Ribbs, Willy T. Ribbs, Geraldine Ribbs
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
Willy T. Ribbs was the Jackie Robinson of auto racing, breaking the color barrier in a formerly all-white sport. Mechanics and other racers referred to Willy as “Uppity” behind his back.
He endured death threats, unjustified suspensions, and engine sabotage to pursue his dream. Willy eventually triumphed over the naysayers, becoming the first black driver to win a Trans-Am race, test a Formula One car, & compete in the Indy 500.
9. Marriage Story (2019)
Director: Noah Baumbach
Writers: Noah Baumbach
Cast: Laura Dern, Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
Charlie, a brilliant New York City theatre director, & Nicole, a former Los Angeles movie actress, agreed to divorce after several unsuccessful sessions of marital mediation, terminating their decade-long marriage.
Divorce, on the other hand, is a terrible thing. As the once-close-knit couple tries to make it work for their eight-year-old son, Henry, caustic accusations and deep resentment threaten to destroy Charlie and Nicole’s ostensibly amicable split.
Now that intelligent and exorbitantly priced lawyers are in charge, things are bound to get messy. But why are the scars of love so deep and painful? Is love, in the end, always eternal?
10. Undefeated (2011)
Director: Daniel Lindsay
Writers: Daniel Lindsay
Cast: Bill Courtney
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Manassas High School in North Memphis never had a football team win a postseason game since its foundation in 1899. A veteran high school coach, Bill Courtney, who promised to assist the Manassas Tigers, turned things around in 2004.
Courtney’s efforts to develop his players’ physical and emotional qualities pay off in 2009, when the Tigers, led by star player O.C., appear to have a chance to end their school’s 110-year losing skid and win a playoff game.
11. Step Sisters (2018)
Director: Charles Stone III
Writers: Chuck Hayward
Cast: Lyndon Smith, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Eden Sher
IMDB Rating: 5.5/10
Jamilah appears to have everything. She’s the president of her sorority, the captain of the step dancing crew, the student liaison to the college dean, and a Harvard Law School admissions candidate.
When the school is embarrassed by the hard-partying white females from Sigma Beta Beta, Jamilah is tasked with saving the day by teaching the rhythmically challenged to dance in the hopes of winning the Steptacular, the most difficult of dance competitions.
12. The Karate Kid (2010)
Director: Harald Zwart
Writers: Robert Mark Kamen
Cast: Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, Jaden Smith
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
Dre Parker, 12, finds himself a stranger in a foreign world when his mother’s job requires him to relocate to China. Even though he knows a little karate, Cheng, the school bully, is no match for him.
Mr. Han, a maintenance guy also a martial-arts expert, becomes Dre’s friend. Mr. Han teaches Dre kung fu, hoping that he will defeat Cheng and win the heart of Mei Ying, a beautiful classmate.
13. Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India (2001)
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Writers: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Aamir Khan, Rachel Shelley, Gracy Singh
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
This movie comes on the list of the best inspirational movies on Netflix. The rains have failed, and the residents of a little Indian village in Victorian India expect to be exempt from paying the oppressive land tax imposed by their British masters.
Instead, the tyrannical British commander in charge challenges them to a game of cricket, a sport to which they are completely unfamiliar. If they win, their wish will be granted; the increasing tax load would wreck their lives if they lose.
The people are afraid, but one man believes the challenge is worth risking everything. Will he be able to persuade the locals to give it to them?
14. The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)
Director: Radha Blank
Writers: Radha Blank
Cast: Peter Kim, Radha Blank, Oswin Benjamin
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
One of the best inspirational movies on Netflix to watch wherein Radha, a down-on-her-luck playwright in New York, is anxious for a break before she turns 40.
When she squanders what appears to be her last chance at fame, she has no choice but to reinvent herself as rapper RadhaMUSPrime.
The Forty-Year-Old Version follows Radha as she navigates the worlds of hip hop and theatre in search of her authentic voice.
15. Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Vanessa Taylor
Cast: Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso, Amy Adams
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
J.D. Vance, a former Marine from southern Ohio & current Yale Law student, is about to start his dream career until a family emergency compels him to return to the home he’d tried to forget.
J.D. must navigate the tumultuous dynamics of his Appalachian family, including his tumultuous relationship with his addicted mother, Bev. J.D. comes to embrace his family’s indelible imprint on his journey, fueled by memories of his grandmother Mamaw, the resilient & whip-smart woman who raised him.
16. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Director: David O. Russell
Writers: David O. Russell
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Pat Solatano lives with his parents after losing his career and wife & spending time in a mental facility. He wants to get his life back on track & reunite with his wife, but his parents would be content if he only shared their love of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Things become more problematic when Pat meets Tiffany, who offers to assist him in reconnecting with his wife in exchange for doing something essential for her.
17. About Time (2013)
Director: Richard Curtis
Writers: Richard Curtis
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Domhnall Gleeson
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Tim Lake leads a happy life in Cornwall with his family, but he is uneasy among girls and has bad luck in love. His father reveals a family secret to him when he is twenty-one years old, telling him that the men in his family have the capacity to travel through time.
Tim, a skeptic, discovers that his father is telling the truth, and when he relocates to London to work as a lawyer, he falls in love with Mary & seduces her, correcting his relationship faults. Tim uses his skill to correct his own mistakes and those of his relatives and acquaintances throughout his life.
18. Soul Surfer (2011)
Director: Sean McNamara
Writers: Sean McNamara
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, AnnaSophia Robb
IMDB Rating: 7/10
In a shark attack, Bethany Hamilton, natural talent in surfing, loses an arm. She intends to return to competition, bolstered by her parents’ love and refusal to give up, despite her concerns about her future.
Bethany developed a higher purpose after witnessing the devastation wrought by the 2004 tsunami in Thailand: to make a difference in the lives of others.
19. Begin Again (2013)
Director: John Carney
Writers: John Carney
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Keira Knightley
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Begin Again is a heartfelt comedy about when two lost souls compose beautiful music. Gretta and her long-term boyfriend Dave are college sweethearts & songwriting colleagues who relocate to New York after signing a huge label deal.
However, the trappings of his newfound popularity lure Dave to wander, leaving Gretta reeling and lovelorn. Dan, a disgraced record-label executive, happens upon her performing on an East Village stage and is taken immediately by her natural talent.
A lovely depiction of a mutually transformational relationship arises from this unexpected encounter, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.
20. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Writers: Zoya Akhtar
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
Natasha is a new acquaintance of Kabir. They are engaged six months later. Since elementary school, he has wanted to embark on a three-week road trip with Imraan & Arjun, his two best buddies.
It’s a road trip they were supposed to take after graduation but never did — a road trip where each one gets to participate in the ultimate sport of his choosing, and the other two are forced to join him, whether they want it or not!
Kabir, Imraan, and Arjun meet in Barcelona and embark on a trip that will drive them to face their anxieties, change their perceptions, unravel their fabric, compel them to think outside the box, & teach them to seize the day. In other words, a vacation that will forever transform their lives.
21. Into The Wild (2007)
Director: Sean Penn
Writers: Sean Penn
Cast: Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
One can watch these inspirational movies on Netflix in which A young man bravely embarks on what turns out to be a magnificent adventure to discover the world’s beauty and magic.
Throughout his journeys, which eventually lead him into the wild & wilderness, he searches and discovers pleasure and delight, as well as a sense of truth & purpose that he had yearned for his entire life.
Along the journey, he meets and deeply affects a diverse group of people who, like him, are attempting to escape or move on from the past & enjoy life once more.
22. Lady Bird (2017)
Director: Greta Gerwig
Writers: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Saoirse Ronan
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, “Lady Bird,” is an inspirational movie on Netflix worth watching which reveals her to be a distinctive new cinematic voice, uncovering both the humor and the tragedy in the stormy interaction between a mother & her teenage daughter.
Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson fights against her mother, a fiercely devoted, deeply opinionated, and strong-willed nurse who works endlessly to keep her family afloat after her father loses his job.
“Lady Bird” is a moving look at the relationships that create us, the ideas that define us, and the unparalleled beauty of a place called home, set in Sacramento, California, in 2002, amidst a fast-shifting American economic environment.
23. Dangal (2016)
Director: Nitesh Tiwari
Writers: Nitesh Tiwari
Cast: Aamir Khan, Zaira Wasim, Sakshi Tanwar
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
This inspirational movie on Netflix shows that girls can go any sport regardless of gender. Mahavir Singh Phogat, headquartered in Balali, Haryana, is a former amateur wrestler & national champion.
His father compelled him to give up the sport for him to find work. He pledges to his unborn kid to win a medal for his country. He gives up hope after being disappointed by his four daughters.
When his older daughters, Geeta and Babita, return home after assaulting two boys in retaliation to disparaging remarks, dad recognizes their wrestling potential & begins coaching them.
24. Steve Jobs (2015)
Director: Danny Boyle
Writers: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet, Michael Fassbender
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
Apple Inc. co-founders Steve Jobs & Steve “Woz” Wozniak prepared to reveal the first Macintosh in 1984, with tremendous public anticipation. Jobs must also cope with his ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan & their young daughter Lisa’s concerns.
Jobs, after being fired, founded NeXT Inc. and planned to debut a new computer model in 1988. Jobs is back at Apple Inc. After ten years, the iMac is ready to shake up the industry once more. These Inspirational movies on Netflix are worth watching.
25. Come Sunday (2018)
Director: Joshua Marston
Writers: Marcus Hinchey
Cast: Jason Segel, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Condola Rashad
IMDB Rating: 6/10
The first scene of this fact-based drama takes place on a plane prepared to take off for Tulsa. A lawyer, who appears to be stressed based on her cell phone usage, takes a seat next to a man who quickly presents himself as a pastor.
Carlton Pearson is likely to be rejected by the lawyer, who is never identified but is well-played by Allie McCulloch. But he is so sympathetic and charismatic that he has her saved more or less by the journey’s conclusion.
26. Get On Up (2014)
Director: Tate Taylor
Writers: Jez Butterworth
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Viola Davis
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
James Brown was born into terrible poverty in South Carolina in 1933. He became one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century, despite being abandoned, abused, and imprisoned.
As a teenager, he joined a gospel quartet. Still, jazz and blues on the “chitlin’ circuit” catapulted him to prominence even though his backing musicians came and went, Brown’s ability to fascinate audiences with his music, characteristic motions, and sexual energy.
27. The Social Network (2010)
Director: David Fincher
Writers: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard undergrad & computer programming whiz, sits down at his computer on a fall night in 2003 and gets to work on a new concept.
What starts as a flurry of blogging and programming in his dorm room swiftly grows into a global social network and a communication revolution.
Mark Zuckerberg is the world’s youngest billionaire, with 500 million Facebook friends in just six years. However, success comes with personal and legal ramifications for this entrepreneur.
28. Padman (2018)
Director: R. Balki
Writers: Swanand Kirkire
Cast: Radhika Apte, Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
Best inspirational movies on Netflix highlights Lakshmikant Chauhan, concerned about his wife Gayatri’s menstrual hygiene, advises her to forego the cloth in favor of sanitary napkins.
Gayatri is hesitant to use disposable pads because they are costly. Lakshmi cringes as he obsesses about a ‘women problem,’ but he persists in bringing about a change by addressing the taboo subject.
Can the man overcome the opposition and get his point across after ruffling the religion and age-old views of those around him?
29. Dances With Wolves (1990)
Director: Kevin Costner
Writers: Michael Blake
Cast: Graham Greene, Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell
IMDB Rating: 8/10
It is a fantastic Western inspirational movie on Netflix from the 1990s. Lieutenant John Dunbar, a Civil War officer, befriends a band of Lakota Sioux and embraces their culture in the post-Civil War American West, is the story’s central character.
The portrayal of the Lakota Sioux people as sentiments, honorable distinctive customs, & human beings with human drives and instincts is outstanding. This film talks directly to the Native Americans’ hearts and souls.
30. Awakenings (1990)
Director: Penny Marshall
Writers: Steven Zaillian
Cast: Robin Williams, John Heard, Robert De Niro
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Awakenings is based on the true account of Dr. Oliver Sacks, a clinical neurologist. The latter used the experimental drug L-dopa to revive a group of post-encephalitic patients in a New York hospital in 1969.
These survivors of a post-World War I sleeping sickness outbreak had been catatonic for decades yet had remained “alive inside.”
In his book, Dr. Sacks described how his patients had a month of bliss before enduring horrendous side effects and fleeing to their isolated limbos.
Wrapping Up!
Though you can watch anything and everything on Netflix, including comedy, thriller, horror shows, Halloween movies, suspense, horror movies, classic, cartoon, action, romance, cooking shows, sci-fi, reality, kid movies, emotional drama, Marvel shows, and documentaries – it is time to enjoy the best inspirational movies on Netflix.
Many of us have been rescued by the world of cinema from situations for which there was no other solution. Netflix is likely the most popular deedbox for this purpose.
In recent years, the popular streaming site’s dimensions have only grown to incorporate more great entertainment content, including films that will astonish you with their unique narratives and leave you feeling inspired.
We’re confident that once you’ve finished checking off the titles on this list of Netflix’s most inspirational movies, you’ll feel the renewed drive to make great changes in your life, as well as a sense of the path you should take. So, without further ado, above is a carefully prepared list of the finest inspirational movies on Netflix.