10 Movies That Remind You Imagination Is Wonderful

By Ian Boucher /

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Our imaginations are the most important thing we have. It€™s what keeps us growing as individuals and as a species€”the source of our wonder, ingenuity, and innovation. At least in theory. Sometimes it€™s easy to forget that and feel jaded, to overlook the possibilities that existence holds. To make matters more difficult, there are individuals out there who, for a variety of reasons, deliberately suppress imagination, whether by blatantly stamping it out or just ignoring it if doesn€™t match their worldviews. Movies are a good reminder for all of us. They can work on a level of just popping one in to rejuvenate after a bad day, or can stir a debate around the world. Movies can certainly be inspiring as a whole, but there are films specifically about what our imaginations can do, not necessarily just from a visual standpoint, but thematically, inspiring us to keep our spirits growing in good times and in bad. Click €œnext€ for 10 especially notable movies that help us keep our imaginations thriving.

10. Uncle Buck

Uncle Buck is about the misadventures of Buck Russell, a cheerful, unrefined man taking care of his nieces and nephew for a few weeks in the suburbs. As an outsider, Buck can do what his nieces€™ and nephew€™s parents can€™t do€”get to the point. By constantly disrupting the status quo (intentionally or not) he reminds the people around him of their basic humanity. In the process, Buck also €œsticks it€ to various figures in his relatives€™ society who suppress any positive energy not fitting into the cookie cutter world that has been established. One such figure is a rude, drunk clown. Apparently rude, drunk clowns are a norm in the suburbs of Chicago, and if you don€™t like it, etiquette demands that you smile, nod, and weather the situation as politely as possible. After an honest and fair warning, Buck, on the other hand, punches said clown in the nose. Twice. This theme is also very striking when Buck confronts the assistant principal of his niece Maisy€™s elementary school. The assistant principal accuses Maisy of being a twiddler, a dreamer, and a sillyheart, as a teacher meanwhile overreacts to Maisy by accusing her of being a blasphemer. But Buck defends Maisy in a refreshingly direct and telling speech. He is a stalwart defender of imagination against a society that many people take for granted. He is there for his niece Tia as well, who is drifting among the shells of teenagers about to leap into the precipice of that society. Although oppressors of imagination like the clown and the assistant principal don€™t always come in as obvious forms in real life€”indeed, most are usually smiling and use pleasant words to convince us, like Tia's boyfriend Bug€”by cutting through the makeup to the wart on society€™s face, Uncle Buck delivers us a very moving message.