Mentoring at the Movies

It's awards season at the cinema, and while mentoring may not appear in any movie descriptions, it's a common theme in a lot of great movies. 

Where would Luke Skywalker be without mentoring from Yoda or Obi-Wan Kenobi?  Or the Karate Kid without help from Mr. Miyagi?  A good mentor can help the hero or heroine reach new heights, and make for a compelling story along the way.

You can find the Chronicles of Mentoring's list of the Top 25 Best Mentoring Movies here:
http://chronicle.umbmentoring.org/top-25-mentoring-relationships-represented-in-film/

Mentoring often happens between a coach and player, so it's no surprise that many of the movies are stories of athletes and teams.  Coach Carter, The Mighty Ducks, Rocky, Kung Fu Panda, Remember the Titans, and Million Dollar Baby all tell the story of athletes living up to their potential, only with the help of an unlikely coach.

Other movies to make the list include popular young adult novels adapted for film.  Harry Potter needs Professor Dumbledore to understand how to be a wizard; the Pevensie children need Aslan as they journey through The Chronicles of Narnia; and Katniss Everdeen needs the guidance of Haymitch Abernathy to survive The Hunger Games.  Gandalf mentors more than one hero in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Even superheroes need mentors.  Peter Parker couldn't be Superman without Uncle Ben, and the X-Men wouldn't have the training they needed without Professor X.  While Agent J might not exactly be a superhero, he wouldn't have his alien sleuthing powers in Men in Black without Agent K's mentorship. 

Robin Williams stars in several of the Top 25 movies.  He mentors Will Hunting as Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting, teaches Aladdin as the Genie, and inspires a whole class of students as Professor John Keating in Dead Poet's Society.

Next time you're at the movies, look for mentors, and then consider playing that role in real life.  Volunteer today!