10 Best Movies to Watch for America’s 250th Birthday! | The Deep

It's movie night, America style. 250 years ago, our fathers brought forth on this great continent a new nation, and today, we're celebrating. We have cookouts, fireworks, parades, music, and movies. I've picked 10 of my favorite patriotic movies and two miniseries to tell the story of America. A few are historical, others are historical fiction, and yes, one is an alien movie. Some of them are patriotic because they're literally about patriots. Others, because the filmmakers, actors, and screenwriters captured an American moment, place, or hero in a way only an American movie could.

Each of these top 10 will leave you loving America more. And, since I'm a mom of seven, I threw in age recommendations for each one. America's Moms, you're welcome. Number one, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Let's start with the oldest on the list. It's The Golden Age of Hollywood, 1939. You could watch any movie released that year to experience the greatness of the American film industry. The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Ninochka.

But for America 250, watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Starring the inimitable Jimmy Stewart and directed by Frank Capra. In the midst of the Great Depression, boy ranger's master, Jefferson Smith, brings his high school civics idealism to a Washington swamp, infested with rats like Senator Joseph Payne. He reminds the Senate of its responsibility not only to the public, but to God, invoking, love thy neighbor. One of the things I love most about this movie is young Jimmy Stewart. He made it just a few years before enlisting himself and becoming a war hero.

Knowing what he would soon face as a fighter pilot in World War II makes Mr. Smith a real tearjerker. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books, Ms. Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say, I'm free to think and to speak.

My ancestors couldn't. I can. It's great for the whole family, although the littlest ones will probably lose interest during the opening credits. Number two, The Fighting Sullivans, 1944. This is a must-see film for American Catholics. Based on a true story, the film follows an Irish Catholic family in Waterloo, Iowa, whose five sons enlist in the army during World War II, pledging to be the firstborn of a Catholic family. The film is based on a true story. It's a If we go, we go together.

And go they did. When their ship sank in the Pacific in 1942, all five brothers were lost, and the family sacrifice became a national rallying cry. The movie has some fast action, but it is mostly about the sacramental family life that forms heroes. Baptism, confession, first communion, and marriage are all portrayed with reverence, the ordinary rites that shape. I recommend it for the whole family. Just be mindful of younger kids who are more sensitive to death. Number three, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1973.

Harper Lee's coming-of-age novel is not only a classic of American literature, but also became a classic American film. Set in Alabama at the height of the Great Depression, the story centers on Scout Finch as she grows up watching her lawyer father, Atticus, defend the poor in their rural town. He's appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white girl. Atticus's courage in the face of ignorance and hatred recalls the courage of the American founders. Gregory Peck is at his finest in the courtroom scene, where Atticus professes his love for American principles of equality before the law, the right to a fair trial, and an optimistic realism.

Our courts are the great levelers. In our courts, all men are created equal. I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and of our jury system. That's no ideal to me. That is a living, working reality. In spite of the failures of Americans to realize our own ideals and principles all the time, To Kill a Mockingbird is a film about hope and the belief that with our God-given rights come profound responsibilities. America is an exceptional country, but she is only great insofar as each of her citizens embraces virtue.

Recommended for middle school and up. Given some of the content. Number four, Rocky IV, 1985. You can't celebrate America 250 without a training montage, communists, and boxing. And a recent release of the director's cut of this film means more Rocky than ever. Rocky must face his ultimate challenge, Ivan Drago, the Soviet fighter whose dirty blow kills Rocky's mentor. Many fans regard Rocky IV as the greatest of the entire franchise, Precisely because it doesn't get more 80s Americana than facing down evil communists.

Appropriate for kids starting around age 12, especially those who need athletic inspiration. Number five, Apollo 13, 1995. How has it been 31 years since this came out? Apollo 13 is timeless because it's a true story. It harnesses all of our nostalgia for simpler times And boasts an all-star cast, headed by the brilliant Ron Howard directing. During America's attempt to return to the moon for the third time, three astronauts, Jim Lovell, Fred Hayes, and Jack Swigert, are stranded in space by a series of catastrophic failures in the ship.

The moving score and sweeping shots of rocket ships, space panoramas, and lots of red, white, and blue make you proud to be an American. Without AI or the internet, NASA nerds wearing pocket protectors work together to help the men survive. We never lost an American in space. We're sure as hell not going to lose one on my watch. Failure is not an option. One of the great films of our time, I would recommend it for kids over 12. Number six, Independence Day, 1996.

Okay, so this one is a stretch. This is Earth versus aliens, but the action is all-American, and the American president saves the world with the greatest pep talk since Henry V faced down the French on St. Crispin's Day. And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, we will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight.

We're going to live on. We're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our Independence Day. A sci-fi war disaster film that's really light on the sci part, complete with the very best 90s state-of-the-art special effects. Independence Day showcases personal heroism, self-sacrifice, and lots of things blowing up. Altogether, it's a great option for families with older kids. Fun fact! Director Roland Emmerich went on to direct our next patriotic movie pick. Number seven, The Patriot, released in 2000. It's not Mel Gibson's greatest movie, but it sure is close.

In The Patriot, Americans come in two sizes, brave and braver. It's not history. It's an epic myth set in revolutionary America. As patriotic summer blockbusters go, it's the best acted. Best directed and best shot period piece out there. Fair warning, war, love, and vengeance are an ugly business, and this is R-rated for very good reason. Adults only. 8. Miracle, 2004. I just cannot get away from the evil Soviet trope. We defeat the Russians in boxing, we defeat them in space, and we defeat them again in hockey.

The feel-good story of the 1980s men's Olympic ice hockey team's Underdog victory over Russia is an American classic. Even better, most of the cast are real hockey players. Best of all, it's good for the whole family. Number nine, Sweetland, 2005.

This is a niche pick. When I think of the pioneers, my first thought is not usually mail-order brides, but thousands of these women helped settle America's vast prairie and the western states. In the 1800s and early 1900s, they didn't call themselves mail-order brides. A 20th century newspaperman coined that phrase. Most of them responded to ads in local papers headlined object matrimony and corresponded with their husbands-to-be for months before buying a train ticket and heading west to marry. Sweet Land is a period drama romance set in 1920s rural Minnesota.

A German national, Inge, arrives after answering an ad for a wife from Norwegian farmer, Olof Torvik. The local community at first shuns them. Too many local boys had just died in World War I. But the couple devotes themselves to the land, and they learn to love each other, finally winning acceptance. It definitely has a streak of the spiritual, not religious heresy. The bad guy is, of course, the Christian pastor. So, be prepared for a few eye-roller lines, but it's still worth a watch.

The beautiful cinematography gives you a glimpse into America's past and her people's sense of place, proving that America is not just a nation of ideas, but a people who forged a common life with their tears, sacrifice, and joy. The movie is not for kids, but it is perfect for at-home date night or girls' night. Number 10, Lincoln, 2012. We can't end our list without a Civil War movie. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is my pick for you, with glory and 12 Years a Slave deserving honorable mentions, but not because it's about the Civil War.

While the opening scene of Americans slaughtering each other in hand-to-hand combat feels like that's what you're in for, the majority of the film is actually about the democratic process. Technical disputations over the 13th Amendment might not sound like great material for a two-and-a-half-hour movie. Still, Spielberg captures the passion, tragedy, humor, and enduring hope of the American way of doing politics. He turns legislative sessions into political thriller. It's a film about moderates and radicals learning to work a revolution into law.

case, the 13th Amendment, together. And it's also hilarious. The screenwriter has a pretty clear interpretation of what caused the Civil War. Spoiler, it's slavery. And not much nuance, but in terms of storytelling and inspiring a deep and well-deserved affection for our 16th president, Lincoln is a patriotic masterpiece. Recommended for older teens and up. And your bonus recommendations. I have two miniseries, which are, of course, the best way to watch history. First, John Adams 2008. HBO's John Adams series really is the best.

It takes a longer script to capture the American Revolution's cast of real-life characters. Stubborn, brilliant, brave, and quirky men and women. Actor Paul Giametti and his all-star co-stars give us political intrigue. Friendship, sacrifice, and one of American history's great marriages. It's a miracle the whole experiment has held together. I recommend it for ages 13 and up. Just be absolutely sure to skip the scene where Abigail and John reunite in Paris. And finally, I recommend Turn, Washington's spies, released in 2014. The revolution took some dirty dealing.

Spies, traitors. And ordinary colonists battled it out through blood and heartache. Based on the real-life Culper spy ring, Turn transforms history into a thriller. Suspenseful, clever, and wildly underrated, the show sometimes falls into a soap opera-like melodrama, but should not be missed. But definitely adults only. We here at the LOOPcast wish you a very happy 250th. Happy viewing.

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