Our son is Sixteen, a sophomore who is interested in Ventriloquism, animation and theater. As parents we support him. But we know too little of any of these areas. That makes us a bit incompetent to advice.
We can help in pursuing a career in the industry we are in but his choices are things we know nothing about. As we try to support we fail, we argue, we become vulnerable, we become obnoxious, annoying and often go back to Grades and SAT discussions.
Now it is his Spring break and I said let us start something different. Watch some movies together and using that to start conversations about, life, career and more. We know he will find his path even with our inability to guide him. He is a good kid.
I made a list of 25 movies and we have started the journey. This will go beyond the spring break. More than him it is for me. To travel in time through some of the movies that have come back to me over and over in my life.
He is not in full agreement with my project. But he is a good kid and he thinks his old man can use some help 😁
Here is my list. Take this or make your own list if you wish to do something like this. It is worth it. The conversations these movies can open up is priceless. It is not easy as some of these movies mean a lot to you but not to them.
1. Goodwill Hunting
2. Pursuit of Happyness
3. Scent of a Woman
4. Dead Poet’s Society
5. Sleepless in Seattle
6. Rocky
7. Eat Pray Love
8. Born on the Fourth of July
9. Jerry Maguire
10. Saving Private Ryan
11. Casablanca
12. Forrest Gump
13. Shawshank Redemption
14. Enter the Dragon
15. Trading Places
16. Life Is Beautiful
17. The Truman Shoe
18. The Big Kahuna
19. The Bucket List
20. Pay It Forward
21. Friday Night Lights
22. Shaolin Temple
23. Kodachrome
24. Hector and the Search for Happiness
25. Papillon (The one with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman)
Note: He connected well with Goodwill Hunting and Pursuit of Happyness but he is still unsure of Scent of a Woman and wondering why I want him to watch. In fact I want him to watch the final monologue by Al Pacino. The entire movie is for that last scene. But I did not tell him that.
Finally when we were watching that last scene that is when he got the crux of the movie. About Integrity and not be a Sellout. The importance of courage to do what is right.
Vinod Narayan 
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