Episode 2

Plot: The story of two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian who compete in the 1924 Olympics.

Scene: A runner punishes himself for losing a race.

Theme: Sore Losers

Focus Questions: Is playing a sport always about winning?

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by: Hugh Hudson

Writing credits:
Colin Welland

Cast :
Nicholas Farrell ... Aubrey Montague
Nigel Havers ... Lord Andrew Lindsay
Ian Charleson ... Eric Liddell
Cheryl Campbell ... Jennie Liddell

Plot: A down-and-out golfer attempts to recover his game and his life with help from a mystical caddy.

Scene: Rannulph Junuh decides to turn himself in for an extra stroke when he acidentally moves his ball.

Theme: Honesty

Focus Questions:Is it more important to win or to play by the rules? Is it okay to break the rules if you are not caught?

What about “bending” the rules? What if you think a particular rule is foolish? What if everyone else bends the rules?

Studio: Dreamworks

Directed by: Robert Redford

Writing credits:
Steven Pressfield (novel) & Jeremy Leven (screenplay)

Cast:
Will Smith ... Bagger Vance
Matt Damon ... Rannulph Junuh
Bruce McGill ... Walter Hagen

Plot: Gordon Bombay, a hotshot lawyer, is haunted by memories of his childhood, when, as the star player in his champion hockey team, he lost the winning goal in a shootout, thereby losing the game, and the approval of his coach.

Scene: Charlie stands up for himself when his coach tells him to cheat in a game.

Theme: Playing Fair

Focus Questions: What is more important: winning the game or following the rules?

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Directed by: Stephen Herek

Writing credits: Steven Brill

Cast :
Emilio Estevez ... Gordon Bombay
Joshua Jackson ... Charlie Conway

Plot: The Buckman family is a midwestern family all dealing with their lives: estranged relatives, raising children, pressures of the job, and learning to be a good parent and spouse.

Scene: Kevin gets some advice from his dad about having fun during the game.

Theme: Having Fun

Focus Questions: Can you lose and still have fun?
What are some good ways to handle the pressure?

What is the point of playing games? Is it to improve yourself, to win, to participate, to have fun, to include others or a combination of these things?

Studio: Universal

Directed by: Ron Howard

Writing credits: Lowell Ganz (story) & Babaloo Mandel (story) & Ron Howard (story)
Lowell Ganz (screenplay) & Babaloo Mandel (screenplay)

Cast :
Steve Martin ... Gil Buckman
Jasen Fisher ... Kevin Buckman

Plot: Scotty Smalls moves to a new neighborhood with his mom and stepdad, and wants to learn to play baseball.

Scene: Benny tries to convince the team that Smalls is just as good as they are.

Theme: Including Others

Focus Questions: Could you care for someone you don’t like?

Have you ever been “the new kid” and tried to join a group? What were you feeling as you waited to see if the group would accept you?

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Directed by: David M. Evans

Writing credits:
David M. Evans (written by) & Robert Gunter (written by)

Cast:
Tom Guiry ... Scotty Smalls
Mike Vitar ... Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez
Patrick Renna ... Hamilton 'Ham' Porter
Chauncey Leopardi ... Michael 'Squints' Palledorous
Marty York ... Alan 'Yeah-Yeah' McClennan
Brandon Quintin Adams ... Kenny DeNunez (as Brandon Adams)
Grant Gelt ... Bertram Grover Weeks
Shane Obedzinski ... Tommy 'Repeat' Timmons
Victor DiMattia ... Timmy Timmons

Plot: True story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of the nation as well.

Scene: Tom explains that a life isn't worthless because it is damaged.

Theme: Compassion

Focus Questions: Do you think your parents focus more on the things you do wrong than the things you do right? How about your teachers?

Does encouragement or criticism help you do better? What makes a person worth something?

Studio: Universal

Directed by: Gary Ross

Writing credits: Laura Hillenbrand (book) & Gary Ross (screenplay)

Cast :
Jeff Bridges ... Charles Howard
Chris Cooper ... Tom Smith

Plot: Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny, eludes him.

Scene: Forrest is befriended by a girl on the school bus.

Theme: Sensitivity to Others

Focus Questions: What made Jenny seem like an angel to Forrest? Have you ever been an angel to someone? Who has been a “sweet voice” to you? Why?

Why is it easier to be nice to someone who is different when you meet them alone than when you are with your friends?

Studio: Paramount

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Writing credits: Winston Groom (novel) & Eric Roth (screenplay)

Cast :
Tom Hanks ... Forrest Gump
Robin Wright Penn ... Jenny Curran (as Robin Wright)

Plot: A spider with a flair for promotion pledges to save a young pig from slaughter.

Theme: Selflessness

Focus Questions: Why do you think Templeton acts selfishly? Why do you think Wilbur acts selflessly? Who do you think is happier? Why?

Is it easier to do a favor for a friend than it is for a stranger?

Is it easier to do something for a popular person than for someone nobody likes? Why?

Studio: Paramount

Directed by: Charles A. Nichols & Iwao Takamoto

Writing credits: E.B. White (book) & Earl Hamner Jr.

Cast:
Debbie Reynolds ... Charlotte A. Cavatica (voice)
Paul Lynde ... Templeton (voice)
Henry Gibson ... Wilbur (voice)

Plot: A father-son underwater adventure featuring Nemo, a boy clownfish, stolen from his coral reef home. His timid father must then travel to Sydney, and search Sydney Harbour find Nemo.

Scene: A shark tries to obstain from eating fish.

Theme: Avoiding/Facing Temptation

Focus Questions: Do friends help you resist temptation or are they more often the source of temptation? How does peer pressure contribute to your ability to resist temptation? What personal qualities are necessary to resist doing the wrong thing?

Studio: Pixar Animation Studios

Directed by: Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich (co-director)

Writing credits: Andrew Stanton (story) & Andrew Stanton (screenplay) & Bob Peterson (screenplay) &
David Reynolds (screenplay)

Cast:
Albert Brooks ... Marlin (voice)
Ellen DeGeneres ... Dory (voice)

Plot: The daughter of orthodox Sikh rebels against her parents' traditionalism by running off to Germany with a football team (soccer in America).

Scene: Jess gets upset during the game when a player calls her a derogatory name.

Theme: Keeping Your Cool

Focus Questions: How can anger get in the way of helping you achieve your purpose? Can anger ever be helpful? How?

Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Directed by: Gurinder Chadha

Writing credits: Gurinder Chadha (written by) & Guljit Bindra (written by) & Paul Mayeda Berges (written by)

Cast:
Parminder Nagra ... Jesminder 'Jess' Kaur Bhamra
Keira Knightley ... Juliette 'Jules' Paxton
Jonathan Rhys Meyers ... Joe

Plot: Aliens abduct all adults; genius Jimmy and his friends build an interstellar spacefleet and rescue them.

Scene: The neighborhood kids go nuts when they learn all the parents are gone.

Theme: Self-Discipline

Focus Questions:When is goofing around okay? When isn’t it okay? What makes a “mature” person?

Studio: Paramount

Directed by: John A. Davis

Writing credits: John A. Davis (story) and Steve Oedekerk (story) & John A. Davis (screenplay) and David N. Weiss (screenplay) & J. David Stem (screenplay) and Steve Oedekerk (screenplay)

Cast:
Debi Derryberry ... James 'Jimmy' Isaac Neutron (voice)

Plot: True story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of the nation as well.

Scene: Red gets upset when another jockey cuts him off during a race.

Theme: Letting Go

Focus Questions: Why do people get angry?

Some people say that we only get angry when we feel that we may partly be to blame for the problem. Others say that fear leads to anger. Do you agree or disagree?

Do you ever feel “out of control” when you are angry? What is this like?

What are some ways you can manage your anger so that it works in everyone’s best interest?
Who can help you with this?

Studio: Univeral Pictures

Directed by: Gary Ross

Writing credits: Laura Hillenbrand (book) & Gary Ross (screenplay)

Cast:
Jeff Bridges ... Charles Howard
Chris Cooper ... Tom Smith
Tobey Maguire ... Red Pollard