Once in a blue moon, Hollywood releases a conservative movie, or at least a film that resonates with conservatives in a particular way. Because conservatives love movies — and especially debates about movies — we decided to produce a list of the 25 best conservative movies of the last 25 years. Our approach in selecting them doesn’t rise to the level of an actual methodology, but there was a method to it. We asked readers of National Review Online to submit nominations. Hundreds of suggestions came in, along with explanations and arguments. We considered each one, tallied them up, and consulted a number of film buffs and professional movie-makers.
We do not claim that the writers, directors, producers, gaffers, and key grips involved with these films are conservative. We certainly make no such assertion about the actors. Yet the results are indisputable: Conservatives enjoy these films because they are great movies that offer compelling messages about freedom, families, patriotism, traditions, and more.
4. Forrest Gump (1994): It won an Oscar for best picture — beating Pulp Fiction, a movie that’s far more expressive of Hollywood’s worldview. Tom Hanks plays the title character, an amiable dunce who is far too smart to embrace the lethal values of the 1960s. The love of his life, wonderfully played by Robin Wright Penn, chooses a different path; she becomes a drug-addled hippie, with disastrous results. Forrest’s IQ may be room temperature, but he serves as an unexpected font of wisdom. Put ’em on a Whitman’s Sampler, but Mama Gump’s famous words about life’s being like a box of chocolates ring true.
8. Juno (2007): The best pro-life movies reach beyond the church choirs and influence the wider public. Juno was a critical and commercial success. It didn’t set out to deliver a message on abortion, but much of its audience discovered one anyway. The story revolves around a 16-year-old who finds a home for her unplanned baby. The film has its faults, including a number of crass moments and a pregnant high-school student with an unrealistic level of self-confidence. Yet it also exposes a broken culture in which teen sex is dehumanizing, girls struggle with “choice,” and boys aimlessly try — and sometimes downright fail — to become men. The movie doesn’t glamorize much of anything but leaves audiences with an open-ended chance for redemption.
— Kathryn Jean Lopez
12. The Dark Knight (2008): This film gives us a portrait of the hero as a man reviled. In his fight against the terrorist Joker, Batman has to devise new means of surveillance, push the limits of the law, and accept the hatred of the press and public. If that sounds reminiscent of a certain former president — whose stubborn integrity kept the nation safe and turned the tide of war — don’t mention it to the mainstream media. Our journalists know that good men are often despised by the mob; it just never seems to occur to them that they might be the mob themselves.
— Andrew Klavan is the author of Empire of Lies.
20. Gattaca (1997): In this science-fiction drama, Vincent (Ethan Hawke) can’t become an astronaut because he’s genetically unenhanced. So he purchases the identity of a disabled athlete (Jude Law), with calamitous results. The movie is a cautionary tale about the progressive fantasy of a eugenically correct world — the road to which is paved by the abortion of Down babies, research into human cloning, and “transhumanist” dreams of fabricating a “post-human species.” Biotechnology is a force for good, but without adherence to the ideal of universal human equality, it opens the door to the soft tyranny of Gattaca and, ultimately, the dystopian nightmare of Brave New World.
— Wesley J. Smith is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute.
i know!
i couldn't stop giggling at some of these.
Think of Wormtongue as Keith Olbermann.
I think they might want to watch Brazil again.This, and I can't grasp at how Ghostbusters is conservative...
You know what's missing after the write-up for each of the movies? :smug, that's what.
I am not a big Keith fan but it does not did make any sense at all. Olbermann was a traitor to the nation who eventually did the right thing and killed off a bad guy?QuoteThink of Wormtongue as Keith Olbermann.
what the fuck?
1. The Lives of Others (2007): “I think that this is the best movie I ever saw,” said William F. Buckley Jr. upon leaving the theater (according to his column on the film). The tale, set in East Germany in 1984, is one part romantic drama, one part political thriller. It chronicles life under a totalitarian regime as the Stasi secretly monitors the activities of a playwright who is suspected of harboring doubts about Communism. Critics showered the movie with praise and it won an Oscar for best foreign-language film (it’s in German). More Buckley: “The tension mounts to heart-stopping pitch and I felt the impulse to rush out into the street and drag passersby in to watch the story unfold.”
— John J. Miller
So guys, what would be the best liberal movies?
Cheech and Chong up in smoke?
Didn't they spend the whole second act of Master and Commander gathering proof of evolution?
most potheads i know are libertarian
Didn't they spend the whole second act of Master and Commander gathering proof of evolution?
Evolution is a problem for religious social conservatism in the US, but not conservatism in general.
Evolution is a problem for religious social conservatism in the US, but not conservatism in general.
Yes, and isn't this an American publication? It's not like We Were Soldiers really belongs on this list if we're not talking about American conservatism [dur, I'm going to play dumb by ignoring two important modifiers and by pretending the sentence was specifically about the National Review]
As for the National Review it hasn't until recently seemed to have an anti-Darwinist bent. I think Buckley was trying to foster an upper-crust, North Eastern form of conservatism throughout the years. I guess (not having read the magazine in a decade) it has moved to the social right (one of the reviews, as I noted above, was from an author at the Discovery Institute).
Ship of fools: Johann Hari sets sail with America's swashbuckling neocons
The Iraq war has been an amazing success, global warming is just a myth – and as for Guantanamo Bay, it's practically a holiday camp... The annual cruise organised by the 'National Review', mouthpiece of right-wing America, is a parallel universe populated by straight-talking, gun-toting, God-fearing Republicans.
<snip>
Buckley is an urbane old reactionary, drunk on doubts. He founded the National Review in 1955 – when conservatism was viewed in polite society as a mental affliction – and he has always been sceptical of appeals to "the people," preferring the eternal top-down certainties of Catholicism. He united with Podhoretz in mutual hatred of Godless Communism, but, slouching into his eighties, he possesses a world view that is ill-suited for the fight to bring democracy to the Muslim world. He was a ghostly presence on the cruise at first, appearing only briefly to shake a few hands. But now he has emerged, and he is fighting.
"Aren't you embarrassed by the absence of these weapons?" Buckley snaps at Podhoretz. He has just explained that he supported the war reluctantly, because Dick Cheney convinced him Saddam Hussein had WMD primed to be fired. "No," Podhoretz replies. "As I say, they were shipped to Syria. During Gulf War I, the entire Iraqi air force was hidden in the deserts in Iran." He says he is "heartbroken" by this "rise of defeatism on the right." He adds, apropos of nothing, "There was nobody better than Don Rumsfeld. This defeatist talk only contributes to the impression we are losing, when I think we're winning." The audience cheers Podhoretz. The nuanced doubts of Bill Buckley leave them confused. Doesn't he sound like the liberal media? Later, over dinner, a tablemate from Denver calls Buckley "a coward". His wife nods and says, "Buckley's an old man," tapping her head with her finger to suggest dementia.
I decide to track down Buckley and Podhoretz separately and ask them for interviews. Buckley is sitting forlornly in his cabin, scribbling in a notebook. In 2005, at an event celebrating National Review's 50th birthday, President Bush described today's American conservatives as "Bill's children". I ask him if he feels like a parent whose kids grew up to be serial killers. He smiles slightly, and his blue eyes appear to twinkle. Then he sighs, "The answer is no. Because what animated the conservative core for 40 years was the Soviet menace, plus the rise of dogmatic socialism. That's pretty well gone."
This does not feel like an optimistic defence of his brood, but it's a theme he returns to repeatedly: the great battles of his life are already won. Still, he ruminates over what his old friend Ronald Reagan would have made of Iraq. "I think the prudent Reagan would have figured here, and the prudent Reagan would have shunned a commitment of the kind that we are now engaged in... I think he would have attempted to find some sort of assurance that any exposure by the United States would be exposure to a challenge the dimensions of which we could predict." Lest liberals be too eager to adopt the Gipper as one of their own, Buckley agrees approvingly that Reagan's approach would have been to "find a local strongman" to rule Iraq.
<snip>
18. The Edge (1997): Screenwriter David Mamet uses a wilderness survival story about friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness to present a few truths rarely seen in movies: Knowledge has its limits, fortitude is a weapon against hardship, and honor can motivate even the shallowest man to great sacrifice. Some have interpreted the film as a Cold War allegory because it features a menacing bear. The main characters (played by Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin) understand that there is neither wisdom nor nobility in waiting for others to save them, and that they must take responsibility for their own lives and souls. Life is unfair, but to challenge life on its own terms is an exhilarating reward, no matter the outcome.I just watched this movie the other day and was really amused by how Alec Bawldwin is constantly condemning the wealthy and corporate types. I suppose Anthony Hopkins was supposed to stand in for Donald Trump and show that sometimes the ruthless cut-throat is the one to turn to.
— Michael Long is a director of the White House Writers Group.
Ah yes. The movie was fiction and WMD's turned out to have been completely fictional.
11. The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003): Author J. R. R. Tolkien was deeply conservative, so it’s no surprise that the trilogy of movies based on his masterwork is as well. Largely filmed before 9/11, they seemed perfectly pitched for the post-9/11 world. The debates over what to do about Sauron and Saruman echoed our own disputes over the Iraq War. (Think of Wormtongue as Keith Olbermann.) When Frodo sighs, “I wish none of this had happened,” Gandalf’s response speaks to us, too: “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
— Andrew Leigh is a screenwriter and producer in Los Angeles.
13. Braveheart (1995): Forget the travesty this soaring action film makes of the historical record. Braveheart raised its hero, medieval Scottish warrior William Wallace, to the level of myth and won five Oscars, including best director for Mel Gibson, who played Wallace as he led a spirited revolt against English tyranny. Braveheart taught that freedom is not just worth dying for, but also worth killing for, in defense of hearth and homeland. Six years later, amid the ruins of the Twin Towers, Gibson’s message resonated with a generation of American youth who signed up to fight terrorists, instead of inviting them to join a “constructive dialogue.” Liberals have never forgiven Gibson since.
— Arthur Herman is the author of How the Scots Invented the Modern World.
So guys, what would be the best liberal movies?All the good ones.
Cheech and Chong up in smoke?
and how is anti-govt. = conservative all of a sudden for this movies?
Weren't conservatives for the last 8 years going "SUPPORT OUR PRESIDENT OR YOU AREN'T A REAL AMERICAN" and mocked anyone who said anything negative about the government? lol
The incredibles = Atlas Shrugged
Evilbore pwnd
The incredibles = Atlas Shrugged
Evilbore pwnd
ah yes, atlas shrugged, the story of how people with special talent... devoted themselves to the public good by performing acts of individualism
To begin with the basics, the movie revolves around a hero -- a concept that Rand greatly lauded over the muddy protagonists of most modern work. Mr. Incredible is by no means flawless, but he is shown to be exceptional in a world of mediocrity, as are the movie's other superheroes. The movie begins with the superheroes in their classic, comic book-esque roles: battling evil to the adoration of the general public. But the heroes are eventually cast in a bind by endless lawsuits, at which point public opinion turns against them and they are forced into hiding behind anonymous everyday lives.
And so we find the Incredible family -- Mr. Incredible working as a pencil-pushing insurance claims adjudicator, Mrs. Incredible (aka Elastigirl) as a housewife, and their children Dash and Violet forced to ignore their powers and meld into an unnatural school life. Mr. Incredible is repeatedly chastised for trying to do his job well and help people at the expense of the bottom line, at one point getting a demeaning lecture from his boss about being a cog in a giant clock. Dash is denied the opportunity to play sports because his power of super-speed means that he might excel. When he fights with his mother, pointing out that he is special, she insists that "everyone is special." Dejectedly, he looks down and mumbles, "then no one is." Similarly, Mr. Incredible gets in a fight with his wife, trying to intercede on his son's behalf, and bemoans the fact that the school stages a fourth-grade "graduation." This, he insists, represents the constant modern-day effort to find new ways of rewarding mediocrity.
These are classic Randian themes -- while Rand did not emphasize any concept that certain people were born better than others, she did lash out repeatedly against a world that celebrated mediocrity over achievement, norms over exceptionalism. And the active hatred of success, the theme upon which Atlas Shrugged's plot was built, is the very quandary in which the movie's superheroes find themselves.
On its flip-side, the movie's villain is also a classic Objectivist foil. Voiced expertly by Jason Lee, Syndrome is everything that Rand deplored in her novels -- a conniving, manipulative man who seeks personal gain without honest work or achievement. Also of note is that Syndrome is without superpowers (used to parallel talent), and actively begrudges those who carry their powers. At the movie's conclusion, Syndrome lauds that which Dash had bemoaned in the movie's opening -- his master plan to kill all the superheroes and stage a false save-the-world story for himself. At this point, he says, "Everyone will be special, and then no one is."
There are some challenging exceptions to the movie's Objectivist parallels. First, Mr. Incredible places high value on his family, a schema over which Rand frequently glossed in her works. Indeed, Mr. Incredible values his wife and children to the extent of frequently jeopardizing his life and his missions to protect their well-being. Rand provided room for such a scheme of values in her ethics, but seemed to be personally baffled by them, and none of her novel's "heroes" were people of family. A second exception is that the movie's heroes exist for more than their mere rational self-interest. To these men and women, protecting and benefiting their fellow humans is seen as an end in itself, whereas Rand's works viewed it as more of a neutral byproduct of rational behavior.
In this context, The Incredibles would perhaps best be seen as a form of "neo-Objectivism," taking the core concepts of achievement and self-esteem and working in a more explicit space for family and community. Doubtless, part of this effect is due to the need to make the movie palatable as family viewing, but in large part it is likely the true intent of the filmmakers to even out their message -- the individual should achieve and believe in their own power, but such does not preclude deep love or sacrifice.
neocon was about his foreign policy not about how he wasn't a real conservative on domestic issues.and how is anti-govt. = conservative all of a sudden for this movies?
Weren't conservatives for the last 8 years going "SUPPORT OUR PRESIDENT OR YOU AREN'T A REAL AMERICAN" and mocked anyone who said anything negative about the government? lol
The last 8 years wasn't real conservatism, hence the phrase neo-con. Traditionally conservatism stands for smaller government
Oh and Pixar is liberal hippie land so the comparison is a joke.
Yeah, if the Incredibles had been an objectivist parable, they would have demanded payment for the use of their "special abilities" to better the populace at large.
neocon was about his foreign policy not about how he wasn't a real conservative on domestic issues.and how is anti-govt. = conservative all of a sudden for this movies?
Weren't conservatives for the last 8 years going "SUPPORT OUR PRESIDENT OR YOU AREN'T A REAL AMERICAN" and mocked anyone who said anything negative about the government? lol
The last 8 years wasn't real conservatism, hence the phrase neo-con. Traditionally conservatism stands for smaller government
Almost all of Pixars movies are either direct Ayn Rand storiesoh dear
Almost all of Pixars movies are either direct Ayn Rand storiesoh dear
you realize the pixar folk aren't libertarians right? Lasseter the big wig at pixar supported Barry Hussein.Almost all of Pixars movies are either direct Ayn Rand storiesoh dear
Awesome response.
No, because objectivism is about making a bunch of money at any cost. It's about doing what makes you happy. And using his powers is what makes him happy
you realize the pixar folk aren't libertarians right? Lasseter the big wig at pixar supported Barry Hussein.
No, because objectivism is about making a bunch of money at any cost. It's about doing what makes you happy. And using his powers is what makes him happy
If The Incredibles is 'a direct Ayn Rand story', and if using his powers is what makes him happy, why does Dash slow down in his race against the other students at the end of the film?
you realize the pixar folk aren't libertarians right? Lasseter the big wig at pixar supported Barry Hussein.
I'm basing everything I said on the content of their movies nothing else.
I thought maybe my flashy interlude would help his retention. :smug
The problem is that the fantasy objectivism in The Incredibles involves people who are truly gifted, while real life objectivism involves the untalented internet masses who wish they were gifted.Or using LotR and 300 to lament the loss of the West's toughness and bravery while the toughest thing in the room is the keyboard that's survived multiple Mountain Dew spills.
The problem is that the fantasy objectivism in The Incredibles involves people who are truly gifted, while real life objectivism involves the untalented internet masses who wish they were gifted.Or using LotR and 300 to lament the loss of the West's toughness and bravery while the toughest thing in the room is the keyboard that's survived multiple Mountain Dew spills.
I love how both liberals and conservatives try to claim Battlestar Galactica as "their show."
I love how both liberals and conservatives try to claim Battlestar Galactica as "their show."
In reality, we all know it belongs to those without taste.
you realize the pixar folk aren't libertarians right? Lasseter the big wig at pixar supported Barry Hussein.
I'm basing everything I said on the content of their movies nothing else.
And it is stupid to do so, Wall-E is a liberal film then. Because it is about the importance of protecting our environment at federal government level!
The problem is that the fantasy objectivism in The Incredibles involves people who are truly gifted, while real life objectivism involves the untalented internet masses who wish they were gifted.
Do you feel socialism has compromised your talents, FOC?
Yeah but in the incredibles Mr incredible is being a super hero for purely selfish reasons. He likes to feel the rush, he likes to feel young again, all of these are individual gains that make him happy. It just so happens (as is the case most of the time) that what he does for himself helps intrinsically helps society.
Remember what stopped him from bhiseing a hero to begin with? It was the rest of the population saying that he was endangering the collective, so they stripped him of heroic ability and society then suffers. Just like socialism, you strip society of the freedom for human beings to be their best and you are left with a society that suffers.
Chipopo, your first mistake is in talking to it like it's capable of reason or logic.
Well, it looks like FoC has managed to ejaculate Ayn Rand into another thread. News at 11.And I spit out my drink and messed myself.