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Teachers Day over the years, depending on our formative experiences, has either entirely waned in importance or has been reduced to an exchange of a few messages to past teachers who have left an impact on our lives. Irrespective of however you look back on the teachers you have had, one thing everybody can agree on is that mentorship, as one grows older, expands to encompass much more than just textbooks. This following roundup of movies taps into exactly that — mentorship beyond the classroom.
Dead Poets Society
Peter Weir’s cult comedy drama, Dead Poets Society (1989) may have taken place within a school but the chords it struck, even decades later, manages to bring a tear or two to those acquainted with its magic. Robin Williams as poetry professor John Keating guides a group of budding boys to read between the lines and understand the wholesome layers of life.
If you are yet to watch this film, watch out for the iconic ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ scene.
Good Will Hunting
Also a Robin Williams-starrer, Good Will Hunting (1997) features a very young Matt Damon in the prodigal titular role being led to greatness by the mentor he simply chanced upon, Sean Maguire (played by Williams). The biggest takeaway from the movie, which the audience realises through Matt’s Will, is that happiness and success isn’t really always about obligations. Sometimes you just have to “gotta go see about a girl”.
Mona Lisa Smile
It truly is a wonder how Mike Newell’s Mona Lisa Smile (2003) is still such a hidden gem. A critique of the Julia Roberts-starrer may be that it is a little too ripe with social dialogue about how women are placed in society and how they may be inadvertently contributing to the self-serving structure. That being said, given the still aggravated state of affairs even more than 2 decades later, sometimes you do need the kind of aggressive mentorship that Julia’s Katherine Ann Watson stood for. This film is also a great reflection of wildly different women finding allies in one another, simply on account of their womanhood.
School of Rock
Also set in the classroom, the Jack Black-led School of Rock (2003) makes for a great specimen of the fact that children too can mentor adults, however unassumingly so. Beside the fact that it is truly hilarious, the warm bond a directionless Dewey Finn (played by Black) strikes up with a group of school kids eventually infusing their lives with the magic of music, albeit hilariously, will never not bring a smile to your face.
Ratatouille
If you’ve never thought of Ratatouille (2007) as a film about mentorship, that changes today! Be it little Remmy’s perceptive prowess in the kitchen, courtesy of his human idol, Chef Auguste Gusteau or the young-blooded rat channeling his talent through the meek and kind Linguini, this cult classic holds a permanent spot on the list of the most wholesome animated films of all times. The power of some good food and tender care and loving is truly unmatched and Ratatouille feels like a warm hug in this regard, every time you hit play.
Kung Fu Panda
The second Jack Black film on the list, the Kung Fu Panda franchise follows the enthralling adventures of the cuddly, kind-hearted Po as he discovers his life’s purpose isn’t actually devouring Baozis but becoming the future of Kung Fu as the Dragon Warrior. In enters the wise and snippy Master Shifu who guides Po to his destiny.
Special mention: The Devil Wears Prada
Never has anybody looked at the iconic Miranda Priestly and said, “woah what a mentor”. But, we beg to differ. Anne Hathaway’s Andie may have lost herself in her tireless bid to be approved of by Meryl Streep’s Miranda, but the latter eventually became a repository of everything Andie didn’t want to be, motivating her to abandon a world which wasn’t really serving her vision. Yet another reason making this 2000s classic, untouchable. And what’s more, a sequel is finally on the way!
How are you remembering your teachers this Teachers Day?
