Patriotic Movies for Independence Day
Each year on July 4th, the US celebrates Independence Day, the anniversary of our country adopting the Declaration of Independence, which announced that the 13 original American colonies were coming together as a new nation, and were no longer part of the British Empire.
Entertainment Weekly magazine has created a list of the "25 Most Patriotic Movies" to celebrate the birth of our nation. Which do you feel is most patriotic?
Discuss the list here
* all text descriptions of the films come directly from the original EW article
Entertainment Weekly magazine has created a list of the "25 Most Patriotic Movies" to celebrate the birth of our nation. Which do you feel is most patriotic?
Discuss the list here
* all text descriptions of the films come directly from the original EW article
List activity
3.1K views
• 2 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
25 titles
- DirectorPhilip KaufmanStarsSam ShepardScott GlennEd HarrisThe U.S. space program's development from the breaking of the sound barrier to selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts, from a group of test pilots with a more seat-of-the-pants approach than the program's more cautious engineers preferred.#25 - Chuck Yeager and the Mercury Seven astronauts literally strap themselves to engines in the hopes of doing what's never been done before, and summing up the American spirit in a single line: "The best and finest of a man can still be brought out."
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsTom BerengerMartin SheenStephen LangIn 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.#24 - A precision military document filmed on sacred ground, Gettysburg venerates the motives and ideals of both North and South as the two crusades collide on the hilly farms of central Pennsylvania. American history as tragedy and triumph.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJames CagneyJoan LeslieWalter HustonThe life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer, and singer George M. Cohan.#23 - As "Over There" composer George M. Cohan, James Cagney tap-dances through life in a musical biopic brimming with pageantry and Americana. Released during World War II, the film capitalizes on Cohan's rags-to-riches life and his songs' ability to boost morale with their embodiment of the American spirit.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsDemi MooreViggo MortensenAnne BancroftLt. Jordan, a US Navy topographic analyst, joins the US Navy Special Warfare Group and struggles to prove her worth in a unit dominated by men. But a cynical woman Texan senator has sold her out.#22 - In Ridley Scott's kick-ass action-drama, a military wonder woman (Demi Moore) endures discrimination, misogyny, and brutal macho hazing en route to shaving her head (on camera!) and becoming an elite Navy unit's first female trooper. Top that, Rosie the Riveter.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsGene HackmanChristopher ReeveMargot KidderSuperman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.#21 - The second Man of Steel film captures one of the superhero genre's most haunting hours — Zod (Terence Stamp) and his sidekicks rip apart the White House and drive the helpless president to "kneel before Zod." Superman is MIA. And though he eventually vanquishes Zod and his minions, the movie's most satisfying moment comes when he restores the American flag to the White House, telling the president, "Sorry I've been away so long. I won't let you down again." A real superman knows how to apologize.
- DirectorGary RossStarsTobey MaguireJeff BridgesElizabeth BanksTrue story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation.#20 - With America's spirits—like its 1930s finances—in a deep depression, a small, slightly broken racehorse (and his team of equally damaged humans) became an unlikely champion and a unifying symbol of hope and second chances, right when the country needed it most.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsBill MurrayJohn CandyHarold RamisTwo friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.#19 - Stripes isn't exactly the best recruitment video for the U.S. military. After Bill Murray's unemployed wiseacre, John Winger, joins up, he swiftly butts heads with his Army superiors, especially no-nonsense Sergeant Hulka (Warren Oates). But there's something very American about Winger's anti-authoritarian streak, as well as his ability to improvise a mission to save his unit. It's enough to make you cry. Almost like Old Yeller.
- DirectorPeter BergStarsMark WahlbergTaylor KitschEmile HirschMarcus Luttrell and his team set out on a mission to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader Ahmad Shah, in late June 2005. Marcus and his team are left to fight for their lives in one of the most valiant efforts of modern warfare.#18 - Peter Berg's harrowing action drama, based on an ill-fated 2005 Navy SEAL mission to take out a Taliban leader in Afghanistan, is both a testament to the horrors of war and a tribute to the courage of 21st-century warriors.
- DirectorHoward ZieffStarsGoldie HawnEileen BrennanArmand AssanteA sheltered young high-society woman joins the United States Army on a whim and finds herself in a trickier situation than she ever expected.#17 - Judy Benjamin's American dream is simple: a house, a husband, a nice dining-room set. But when her dearly beloved (Albert Brooks) dies on their wedding night, she accidentally-on-purpose joins the Army...and finds that fatigue is more than just another word for uniforms. The hell of basic training—and her subsequent transformation from human Pomeranian to battle-ready private—isn't just good patriotism, it's a comedic revelation. (And guess what? It turns out camo is totally her color.)
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.#16 - Of course, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a paragon of American ideals. But in Steven Spielberg's elegant biopic, he's deceptively so. Honest Abe is forced to scheme, relying on grit and cunning to win the votes to abolish slavery.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsChris EvansHugo WeavingSamuel L. JacksonSteve Rogers, a rejected military soldier, transforms into Captain America after taking a dose of a "Super-Soldier serum". But being Captain America comes at a price as he attempts to take down a warmonger and a terrorist organization.#15 - Definitively answering the question "Who's strong and brave, here to save the American Way?," Marvel Studios' first stand-alone adventure of Steve Rogers isn't simply patriotic in name. The reason this hero has stood above his fellow Avengers is his character—a big guy who never forgets what it's like to be little.
- DirectorPeter H. HuntStarsWilliam DanielsHoward Da SilvaKen HowardA musical retelling of the American Revolution's political struggle in the Continental Congress to declare independence.#14 - Two and a half hours of musical man-splaining about the merits of continental emancipation could have gone down like bad molasses, but this sprightly drama (starring William Daniels as the original bad boy of Boston, John Adams) doesn’t just re-tell the story of the Declaration of Independence — it sings to life the debate that laid down the entire spirit of America. Declaratively.
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsWill SmithBill PullmanJeff GoldblumThe aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.#13 - Roland Emmerich's blockbuster may revel in aliens blowing up the White House, but when Bill Pullman's American president urges mankind to unite in the fight for survival, it's one of the most heart-swelling movie speeches ever. Plus, there's that scene of Will Smith punching an alien in the face! America!
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartJean ArthurClaude RainsA naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries to forge ahead despite attacks on his character.#12 - The depiction of corruption may look quaint by 2017 standards, but in Frank Capra's idealistic film, beleaguered senator Jefferson Smith proves that one man's strong moral compass (and one marathon filibuster) can reclaim the promise of America from the nefarious Beltway machine. "Great principles don't get lost," Smith says. "They're right here. You just have to see them again."
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsMichael DouglasAnnette BeningMartin SheenA widowed U.S. President running for reelection and an environmental lobbyist fall in love. It's all above-board, but "politics is perception," and sparks fly anyway.#11 - Aaron Sorkin scripted this West Wing romance that celebrates the nobility of the American Experiment while constantly testing the integrity of its participants. After bookish President Andrew Shepherd's enemies target his environmental-lobbyist girlfriend, POTUS takes to the podium, laying out the rules and stakes of modern American democracy: "America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight," he thunders, while defending the honor of the two ladies he adores most: his love and liberty.
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsHarrison FordGary OldmanGlenn CloseCommunist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.#10 - A president who doesn't like Russian warmongers but enjoys spending time with his wife and young child? Here's a wish-fulfillment political fantasy, with Harrison Ford as a bipartisan bad-ass every American can agree on.
- DirectorSylvester StalloneStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungRocky Balboa proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.#9 - Nearly a decade after he became America's most beloved underdog, Rocky Balboa faced Dolph Lundgren's politburo punisher, Ivan Drago, the embodiment of robotic Communist zealotry writ (very, very) large. Rocky IV's politics aren't subtle, but then again, neither is our national anthem.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsTom CruiseTim RobbinsKelly McGillisAs students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.#8 - Thanks to one impossibly cocky fighter pilot named Maverick, Reagan-era America never felt better about itself—or its military might. Tom Cruise was the grinning poster boy of red-white-and-blue individualism ("I feel the need...the need for speed"), defying his superiors, toying with his rivals, and, of course, getting the girl.
- DirectorTheodore MelfiStarsTaraji P. HensonOctavia SpencerJanelle MonáeThe story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.#7 - In the dogged space race against the Soviets in the early '60s, three female African-American mathematicians overcame racism and sexism at NASA while helping solve the science that launched American astronauts into history.
- DirectorTrey ParkerStarsTrey ParkerMatt StoneElle RussPopular Broadway actor Gary Johnston is recruited by the elite counter-terrorism organization Team America: World Police. As the world begins to crumble around him, he must battle with terrorists, celebrities and falling in love.#6 - The South Park creators' puppet satire tracks a team of star-spangled bad-asses on missions of mass destruction. It's a deadpan portrait of American swagger that apexes with the fist-pumping anthem "America, F--- Yeah!" It's the kind of "funny" tune that gets taken seriously. Seek out the uncut version, with an epilogue listing all the things that make America great: sushi, rodeos, Valium, porno, immigrants, Democrats, and Republicans. Celebrating our wild disparity? F--- yeah.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsGeorge C. ScottKarl MaldenStephen YoungThe World War II phase of the career of controversial American general George S. Patton.#5 - There's no question that George "Old Blood and Guts" Patton had rough edges, but that serrated personality—pumped with ego and ambition—may have been exactly what was necessary to bring down Nazi Germany.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsKurt RussellPatricia ClarksonNathan WestThe true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.#4 - Kurt Russell is medal-worthy as ice-in-his-veins coach Herb Brooks, who leads the scrappy U.S. hockey team against the invincible Soviets at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. The "U-S-A" chant has never been more earnest, or earned.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsMatthew BroderickDenzel WashingtonCary ElwesRobert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.#3 - Lincoln emancipated the slaves, but African-Americans weren't truly free until they won the right to fight for their country. In Edward Zwick's tense Civil War drama about the first all-black Army regiment, freedmen and runaway slaves volunteer to prove to white America and themselves that liberty is worth dying for.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTom HanksBill PaxtonKevin BaconNASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.#2 - An ode to a bygone era of space exploration and American optimism, Ron Howard's riveting nail-biter about the doomed 1970 mission to the moon, starring Tom Hanks as astronaut Jim Lovell and Ed Harris as not-on-my-watch Mission Control director Gene Kranz, reminded Americans what they can accomplish when failure isn't an option. "Houston, we have a problem" wasn't a cry for help. It was a call to duty.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom HanksMatt DamonTom SizemoreFollowing the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.#1 - Steven Spielberg's tribute to the Greatest Generation places you in the boots of the D-Day soldiers who fought and died—and others who lived to wonder in the face of such loss, "Why me?" The story of Tom Hanks' Captain Miller and his team's efforts to find and retrieve Matt Damon's GI, who has lost all his brothers in other battles, is fictional. But the valor of the real soldiers who carried the banner of American ideals into the firefight is nonetheless reflected in this story. It puts you where they stood. Where they bled. Where they fell. But something good and decent rose from their sacrifice.