Sometimes it takes motivation to… well, get motivated. Many people struggle to get up every morning to hit the gym. Others have a big job interview coming up or a chat with their boss regarding a promotion that’s making them nervous. There are also folks that just want the energy to clean their apartment. Maybe you’re one of these people and the only energy you have is to put on a movie.
But what if that movie helps you get out of the blahs? Many film fans have their favorite movie that helps them get motivated, whether it’s a high-action movie that gets adrenaline pumping or a quieter yet inspirational tale that reassures you that good things are possible, even in the face of adversity and when the odds are against you. The right movie could help you get into the mindset to fight, to work, and push for success.
Here are a few favorites to add to your watch list when you’re feeling deflated.
Rocky
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This film is on several people’s pump-up list just for the soundtrack alone. The tale of Rocky Balboa is a story of sports, struggle, love, and the working class. While many cite the other films in the Rocky franchise, this is the one that started it all. To quote famed film critic Roger Ebert, “It’s about heroism and realizing your potential, about taking your best shot and sticking by your girl. It sounds not only clichéd but corny — and yet it’s not, not a bit, because it really does work on those levels.”
Rocky didn't focus on a person winning but just feeling and being worthy. To be validated and seen by their peers as a person worthy of time, love, and opportunity. How much more relatable can a character be?
Mad Max: Fury Road
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Let’s say you’re not in the mood for much talk and just want your brain shown images of bravery, badassery, and stuff blowing up to get endorphins flowing. Then Mad Max: Fury Road is there for you. Brilliant practical effects and adrenaline-bursting stunts thoroughly mixed with disgustingly beautiful creativity in a post-apocalyptic world. Make sure you’re not going into traffic after watching this movie or you’ll get a speeding ticket. Critic Jason Bailey of Flavorwire called the movie a “120-minute chase” which frankly is enough of a selling point.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Now, one might question how a documentary about a children’s TV show host is on a list of motivating, hype-up movies, but this one still checks those boxes but differently. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? shows a real-life example of a mild-mannered person who made a difference in many lives. Not for fame or for fortune, but just wanted to bring a semblance of good into the world. Mr. Rogers isn’t extraordinary of a person because of what he was but because of the impact of the small contributions he made. While the film is a “security blanket for our troubled times” as Entertainment Weekly put it, it can also stir up a person to stand up and be a “helper” like Fred Rogers was for their friends, family, and the community around them.
Mulan (1998)
- YouTubeyoutu.be
You may want to have a film that can motivate you but also is safe to watch with little kids around. If so, Mulan might be for you. Based on Chinese legend, Mulan is an inspirational story of a girl disguising herself as a male soldier in order to protect her older father from going to war. It’s not just a “girl power” tale but one that sees the title character grow as a person through strategy, hard work, and underestimated talent. There’s literally a song that starts with the lyrics “Let’s get down to business” and you’ll find yourself humming along with it as you do a push-up, wash your dishes, or do whatever needed task is in front of you. As a critic from Newsday stated, “Mulan is one of Disney's most daring animated features and, at the same time, it's the most child-friendly since The Lion King.”
RRR
- YouTubeyoutu.be
If you want a rush of adrenaline through a story of friendship mixed with highly cartoonish action and brilliantly frantic dance numbers, then RRR is for you. The three “R’s” stand for “Rise, Roar, Revolt” so with that alone it can burn a certain fire within a viewer. It’s a lengthy three-hour movie but doesn’t feel long as it is packed with a visual feast of fight scenes, dancing, and over-the-top melodrama that just doesn’t stop. If you’re looking for a bromance that “contains more exciting action scenes than all the Marvel movies put together” as NPR puts it, then enjoy the show.
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Female shopper looking for help
21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.