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Toy Story 3, image c/o imdb.com
10) Toy Story 3
Considering that millennials pretty much grew up with the Toy Story Series, the 3rd installment was a reminder of how far we had come. We watched a little boy named Andy who played with his toys grow up into a young adult that leaves those toys behind. My theory is that we're really supposed to identify with the toys. Andy represents our parents. We grow up with one person (or two people) all of our lives, and then the time comes when that person is not going to be there anymore. We have to become independent and take hold of our own destinies. We make relationships (the other toys) and grow our support system so when that time comes, we'll be ready for it. Plus who didn't get all teary-eyed when all the toys held hands in anticipation of… well you know.
40-year-old virgin, image c/o imdb.com9) 40-year old Virgin
Judd Apatow, you comedic genius, you. You made a movie about a bunch of 40-year-olds having sex, and yet somehow got a bunch of young people to buy into it. What is supposed to be a slapstick, raunchy comedy, transcends into a reflection of the changing times. VCRs, Action Figures, watching Survivor? Slowly but surely, these items have all but become obsolete. What was once cool is no longer. It is now a sure indication of your virginity and therefore you haven't "grown up yet". The true moral of the story is that recognizing and accepting that you're "uncool" does make you grown up. It's called self-awareness, and apparently it gets you laid and into a rousing dance number to "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In".
slumdog millionaire, image c/o imdb.com8) Slumdog Millionaire
Bollywood is given "western" street cred. Orphans are portrayed as straight hustlers. Knowledge of random facts can be life-saving. Every little decision that we make is directly related to our fate. You treat those closest to you like crap, you die in a bathtub. This film teaches millennials that with staying true to yourself, never giving up, and a little bit of luck, you can overcome almost anything. In terms of realism, the film also gives us "westerners" a glimpse into another part of the world's economic and social issues. If you haven't re-evaluated how good you have it, watch this movie. And what a peppy dance number at the end.
wedding crashers, image c/o imdb.com7) Wedding Crashers
Ah yes, the only film that has made Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson relevant. Aside from adding countless quotes to our jargon, Wedding Crashers makes buddy movies fun again with an interesting tactic. Typically, the goals of the buddies in buddy films are to get laid, get rich, or stop the bad guy. This buddy film obviously incorporates the goal of "getting laid" but the genius lies in the ridiculous premise of two random creeps crashing weddings. What these guys discover is that you do need to grow up slightly if you want the bigger "catch". And while we young'ins would love to be at a kegger every Saturday, if you want a bigger reward, you're going to need to set your goals higher. But no matter what, remember "Rule Number 71, no excuses, play like a champion".
batman, image c/o imdb.com6) Batman Trilogy a la Christopher Nolan
If you ignore Christian Bale's man-freak voice, you'll view the Batman trilogy as an epic portrayal of the breakdown of society. If you've seen previous Batman movies, you wonder why you should feel sorry for Bruce Wayne. He has money, good looks, sweet rides, and hot chicks. No parents? Well, neither does Superman, Spiderman, or The Hulk (Comic Books = Cheerleader for Orphans). With this trilogy, you empathize with Bruce Wayne/Batman because his enemies are our enemies. Gangs, mafias, terrorists, are who we should fear. The enemies featured in these films don't have any magic superpowers or weird abnormalities. They're basically crazy m-effers with access to weapons of mass destruction. Sound familiar? But privileged little rich boy takes it upon himself to right the wrongs. As you see more and more with our generation, we're not afraid to speak up when we see injustice. There you are. I just compared you to Batman. You're welcome.
mean girls, image c/o imdb.com5) Mean Girls
This film is probably the most realistic in terms of high school behavior recently. Don't believe any of those crap Disney Shows. Girls are mean. Mean to parents, teachers, enemies, and even their own friends. "But there have been bullies for decades, what makes this movie so special?" Well, Mean Girls demonstrates that today's bullying is not stuffing someone in a locker or spreading a nasty rumor. It's much more evil. It's befriending someone, knowing their vulnerabilities, and then using it against them. This form of bullying destroys all forms of trust and forces people to build up emotional walls for protection. And people wonder why millennials only look after themselves. Unfortunately, while this film down have great one-liners like "on Wednedays, we wear pink", it's a sad demonstration of where our youth's bullying culture is headed.
hunger games, image c/o imdb.com4) Hunger Games
Who has to fight to the death and compete in the Hunger Games? Teenagers. Why? Because no one likes them. Seriously, why young people? Why not the elderly? They're going to die soon anyway. Why not babies? That would actually be frickin' hilarious. Young people fight in the Hunger Games, because older generations views them as disposable. They contribute nothing and have the biggest mouths. And they're moody.
What does this battle for survival teach millennials? In order to survive, form alliances. From playgroups to little leagues to high school, the relationships you build during your youth help shape who you are. As much as you want to be independent, never forget those that can help get you there. And don't forget to help them out either. I'm talking about reciprocity.
superbad, image c/o imdb.com3) Superbad
Chubby guy-Skinny guy partnerships always make for laughs ( Abbott & Costello, Chris Farley & David Spade, Kenan & Kel, etc). Superbad is no different. Chemistry is spot on. Comedic timing works perfectly. What makes Superbad so great is the notion of being reckless. Having that one epic night where nothing else matters. You can't remember anything that happened before or after it but you know that night has changed the rest of your life forever. For some millennials, this day is when they graduate high school, their first college party, when they turn 21, when they turn 25. For others, it's a random night out of the year that somehow turned boys into men. If you haven't had that epic night yet, well then you just haven't lived.
inception, image c/o imdb.com2) Inception
The one movie that mindf***s the f***ing f*** out of you. Essays, Infographics, Masters Thesis, were developed just help you understand the plot. The kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun was all-of-a-sudden cool again, or maybe cool for the first time. So why was a movie about dreams so impactful on our generation? Because it proved we didn't know s*** about life. Never had a movie made us think critically on a deeper level before Inception. You sat down, you watched a movie. Good, bad, funny, not funny, scary, not scary, whatever. But then you moved on. Now, Leo and company made you ponder about things you haven't ever pondered about. Are your ideas your own? Are we all living in a dream state? How slowly can that van fall before crashing into the water?
social network, image c/o imdb.com1) The Social Network
Talk about defining a generation. The Social Network demonstrates the turning point to which Gen-Y becomes "Gen Y". Entrepreneurship (Mark Zuckerberg), Entitlement (the Winklevoss twins), Only looking out for one's personal interests (Sean Parker), every stereotype about millennials is demonstrated in this movie. For a movie about facebook, the overall tone is considerably dark. Movies about young people typically display a vapidness or superficial undertone about its main characters, but not here. Here, our generation is given substance. Substance and style, of course.
Bonus- Apocalypse/Zombie. The list of Armageddon movies within the past decade is alarming. Wikipedia noted 59 apocalypse movies from 2000-2009, and already 39 movies into this decade. According to Hollywood, we will be taken out by mother nature, disease, aliens, the Devil, or zombies. Why are we so obsessed with the world ending? Perhaps, these movies serve as a warning. Right your wrongs now because this crap could have been prevented.
Basically, the world is going to end, and it's all our fault.
JD blogs at A Semi-Delicate Balance
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