Hey there, fellow movie enthusiasts! I’m on the hunt for films that portray positive masculinity. We often see movies with traditional, stereotypical portrayals of masculinity, but I believe there’s a world of cinema out there that can challenge these norms and offer a fresh perspective.
So, I’m turning to you, the experts of Lemmy, to help me discover hidden gems and well-known classics that showcase men in a positive light, breaking free from the clichés. Positive masculinity can encompass a wide range of qualities such as empathy, vulnerability, strength in character, and emotional intelligence. I’m interested in any genre – from drama and comedy to action and sci-fi – as long as the films make us question what it means to be a man.
Let’s curate a list of films that define positive masculinity in cinema.
Lord of the Rings trilogy.
There’s so much to it, the relationship between Frodo and Sam, Gimli and Legolas, the kindness and openness of Aragorn, the everlasting joyfulness of Merry and Pippin, Boromir who stood by his brother and Faramir who saw the good in people.There’s so much to love in lotr
I could joke about the fact that there’s essentially no interaction between female actresses in the LOTR trilogy, or social media’s crazy love towards this series, but this is honestly a great example of positive male bonding and friendship, acknowledging and working through one’s flaws, and achieving an goal despite overwhelming odds.
Agreed on the women’s part, not well executed. I stand behind the hype though, both the movies and books are my all time favorites but I grew up with them :)
There are some great meta-analysis of LOTR and the positive masculinity it portrays.
This one is my favorite https://youtu.be/GruFzUsKddI?si=yDZL5QJQ1oJ-jOtf
Aside from that it’s a wonderful trilogy all round. It’s a great story of good vs evil, brotherhood, loyalty and friendship.
I have never thought about the Lord of the Rings in that light before. Thank you for this.
Solid, yeah.
I can start with two exemples:
“Dead Poets Society” (1989)
Robin Williams inspires a group of students to embrace their individuality and challenge societal expectations.
Good Will Hunting" (1997)
Matt Damon’s character, Will Hunting, learns to open up emotionally and seek help, displaying positive growth.
I was going to add Good Will Hunting. It strangely fills the op’s request for non-traditional male character growth well.
And since we are on a Robin Williams kick, I would also add “What Dreams May Come”. Strong Robin William performance that focuses on character development, and what it means to have integrity and determination as a man and
spoiler
father
If you’re interested in animated shows, Avatar: The Last Airbender’s uncle Iroh is a really solid depiction of healthy masculinity.
He’s kind and gentle, but has a tremendous amount of strength both emotionally and physically. He’s empathetic and loving, diplomatic and wise, but very humble and doesn’t take himself too seriously. He loves tea and flowers, and doesn’t get bothered or embarrassed when other male characters tease or mock him for his hobbies.
Sokka also has very good character growth in terms of healthy and positive male traits. He starts out as a bit abrasive and sexist. The opening scene of episode 1 is actually just Katara going off on him about sexism. The scene is kind of abrasive but again, the character grows really well as the series progresses. And I think Sokka is important too. Showing that male characters CAN change and CAN become better people.
Plus, the show does have another case of character growth, with one of the most compelling in all media when it comes to Zuko. And towards the end of the show, he’s also showcasing a lot of positive traits. The duality with his sister is also important. Because this is one of the only shows that has the female counterpart as more violent/“evil” than a male character. Usually the female character is always the gentle, kind, loving one that tempers the male one. But they flipped that on its head. No, girls can be abusive too.
From the world of animation princess mononoke and for a very direct approach Vinland saga ( you have to be ok with ultra violence, but in this case it’s a clever device to lure in a specific target audience that actually needs to hear the message).
I’ll have to check those out.
Uncle Iroh may be my favorite character ever. Across all media. There’s an impossible amount to love about his story and arc
For TV shows, Ted Lasso is so good at this. So good. At first, it seems like the show will be a caricature of real life kind of like It’s always sunny (but less criminal and more quirky), but then it reels it back in to real life again.
For movies maybe these:
But I’m a Cheerleader
The Sandlot
The Addams Family
A Goofy Movie
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
Forrest GumpSecond for Ted Lasso! It shows the “alpha male” side to be fairly ridiculous and not necessary, and shows that positive support, honesty, acceptance, and communication are keys to building better relationships, for both men and women, I might add.
Don’t forget forgiveness. The way they made every single character have real humanity in that show. Honestly I might comfort watch it tonight. Been a hard day.
TV shows again, but very notable and important examples I think are Star Trek: TNG and DS9
I think The Martian fits these criteria.
Dune. Maybe it doesn’t focus enough on what you’re looking for, but I was happy to see Paul so readily showing affection for his friends (like Duncan and Hawat), receiving affection in return, and the genuinely loving relationship between Paul and his father.
I especially liked how Paul’s father reacted when Paul said he wasn’t sure he could be Duke: “You’ll still be the only thing I ever needed you to be - my son.”
It’s also worth noting that I genuinely liked Duncan, not because he was tough, “cool”, or a good fighter (although he was all of those things), but because he was a good person. I was actually sad when he died. By contrast, a lot of movies make you root for a character because they’re a badass who cracks jokes, and leave it at that.
I also appreciate that positive masculinity is normalized in several brief scenes, rather than an obvious, clumsy, heavy-handed delivery.
Everything Everywhere All At Once.
I thought the Barbie movie did a pretty good job of showing negative and, in the end, positive masculinity.
Yeah, that’s right. I had a good conversation with my girlfriend afterwards.
Whoever came up with “I am Kenough” needs all the money.
I’m kind of confused, doesn’t the movie seem to say that ken clearly doesn’t believe he is Kenough?
- he feels the need to defend his statement with lies (“and I’m good at doing stuff”) rather than loving himself unconditionally.
- we last see him bawling his eyes out,
- barbies’ ending seems to imply that becoming a person rather than the image of one is what it means to be complete & fufilled, something ken explicitly does not achieve.
Idk, I feel like people are reading pretty far ahead of what the text shows on this one. Is he in a better place? Sure, but he’s still nothing like a role model. Any genuine kenmpleteness is imagined on the viewers part.
The big fight scene seems like the closing of an arc in him accepting that he’s “just Ken” and how that’s not a bad thing.
I bought the shirt! It’s so good!
Lord of the Rings. Cinema Therapy did a whole video on why it’s positive masculinity.
Lots of good stuff here. I really like Master and Commander. Aubreys relationship with the doctor, and the challenges of friendship while isolated on a ship really shaped me and my perception of friendship as not simply being with people you never argue with.
The books are fantastic too. Highly recommended. If you like audiobooks, I prefer the ones narrated by Patrick Tull.
Everything Everywhere All At Once. Very fresh take on “masculinity”. Great video on the subject: https://youtu.be/O7YnbGszcb8
Literally the best movie I’ve ever seen. I can’t recommend it enough.
I haven’t seen these movies myself, but the YouTube channel Cinema Therapy showcased the Rocky franchise as an example of healthy masculinity
I would also add Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Field of Dreams, Enemy Mine, History of Future Folk
