Top Ten Underdog Movies

The underdogs. Those who are at the bottom of the heap and have to climb their way out. They challenge themselves, they persevere, they overcome great odds to achieve their purpose or goal. It isn't easy for them, because they don't have the same advantages as everyone else. In this article, you will learn about ten underdog movies, where you just want to cheer on the underdog over and over again. These are also motivational movies, in that they help you believe that you too, can achieve anything you set your mind to.

1. Forrest Gump (1994). This is quite likely everyone's favorite underdog movie. Forrest Gump has all kinds of handicaps. His legs are in braces, his intelligence is far less than even average, and he's got a group of bullies who love to make fun of his shortcomings. What could be worse? But Forrest Gump has a great Mama, who teaches him what he needs to do and shows him right from wrong. He stands up for himself perhaps much better than those of us who have many more gifts. He is able to overcome his problem with his legs, and then takes on a whole new meaning to the phrase 'running cross country.' He even ends up finding love and finds out he has a child. You just want to root for Forrest Gump, and you want him to win. In the end, you realize that intelligence may not be the only way to happiness and success. Score one for the underdogs of the world.

2. The Miracle Worker (1962). Helen Keller was very unlucky. She was stricken with Scarlet Fever and ended up being blind, deaf and mute as a young child. Not a great way to start out your life. However, she didn't give up. She learned everything she could about how to communicate with her world and make a life for herself. That took such great courage. Any time you start giving yourself that POOR ME speech, do yourself a favor and watch this movie.

3. Rocky IV (1985). Rocky is one of our favorite underdogs for the underdog movie category, and is a top pick for any motivational movie that can uplift your spirits. Rocky came out of nowhere, right off the streets of Brooklyn, and made something out of himself. He used pure guts and courage, and the old school way of learning how to fight and get ready for the ring. He didn't have all the technology and equipment of his Russian counterpart in the fight, so he was perhaps at a disadvantage. But, he had heart, and he made things work to get the training and endurance he needed for the fight. He overcame great odds, letting us all know that we have this courage within ourselves as well.

4. The Color Purple (1985). Celie, you have my vote for a top underdog. It is unbelievable what some people had to go through in their lives. Can you imagine being raped and having your babies taken from you and never knowing where they are? Can you imagine having a husband chosen for you, one who doesn't treat you very well? And then watching as he invites his mistress to stay with you? Miss Celie went through alot, and this epic story shows what many persons in a situation similar to hers had to undergo. However, she persevered, she learned, and eventually she got free of that husband and was reunited with her children. What an inspirational, motivating underdog movie.

5. Philadelphia (1993). Tom Hanks stars as an employee who was fired for having AIDS. The movie is about his court battle for his rights as a human being with AIDS in the workplace. He had to fight while getting sicker and sicker. He couldn't just enjoy the last of his days, because his court battle went on and on. This underdog movie makes the top ten because it shows how someone with a disease can be treated, and what obstacles and hurdles they will then face in their lives as a result, such as job loss and stigma.

6. Pretty Woman (1990). I include this movie in the underdog movie list because it shows how someone who has never really had much can end up with something great, her sense of self and identity. At the beginning of the movie, Julia Roberts hasn't had a great life. She kept hooking up with the wrong guys, and she never finished high school. As a result, she ended up becoming a hooker because working fast food joints just didn't pay the bills. But then, she meets Richard Gere, a wealthy man without a real purpose. In Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts, who plays Vivian, realizes that she is worthy of much more than she has been giving herself, and she decides she will no longer be on the fast track to nowhere. She will go back to school, and turn down the offer for Richard Gere to put her up in an apartment and see her once in awhile. Sometimes, you really have to believe in yourself to get where you need to be. The movie has a great ending.

7. Rainmaker (1997). Everyone loved this movie, because the main character, played by Dustin Hoffman, wasn't very smart. He had all kinds of peculiar things about him. But there were some things that he was just incredible doing, like counting. So, Tom Cruise's character realizes in the movie that his brother is actually a great man, despite his shortcomings. He is perhaps a better person than most of the people Tom Cruise has ever met, actually.

8. Waterboy (1998). Adam Sandler plays a very slow and backwards waterboy for a football team. He is made fun of all the time by the players, who find him very odd. However, his fifteen minutes of fame come when the coach realizes he has this awesome talent for tackling really big football players. So, he gets a chance to shine in his life finally, and gain the respect of those who had nothing good to say about him previously.

9. Revenge of the Nerds (1984). Noone really cares for the nerdy group of college students who form their own fraternity. However, the nerds use their intelligence and savvy to beat out the jocks, and one of the nerds actually gets a beautiful blonde sorority student to fall for him. In the end, it is the nerds who prevail.

10. The Blind Side (2009). The Blind Side is a newer movie about a homeless boy who has been taken in by a nice woman and her family. With her help, he ends up becoming an all american football player. This underdog movie shows you that with the help of friends and family, you can overcome many odds.

What are your favorite underdog movies?