10 motivational movies on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu that’ll inspire students to study (2024)

We’re all going through a tough time right now, but things are a little different for students as most of them are finding it difficult to concentrate on studies or their online classes. While binge-watching movies and TV series can be a bit distracting, these films will probably help you out. Movies are a great source of entertainment, but sometimes they can also inspire you in ways that one can’t even imagine. These motivational movies on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu will not only motivate you to study, but also learn from the characters’ struggles to overcome your own problems in life.

10 motivational movies on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu that’ll inspire students to study

1. GOOD WILL HUNTING – HULU

Matt Damon plays Will Hunting, a 20-year-old gifted mathematics genius. Despite being extremely talented, he’s working as a janitor at MIT and doesn’t appreciate or acknowledge his potential. When his talent is recognised by one of the professors, he introduces Will to Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), a therapist who changes his life forever. This is one of those movies that will inspire the students to discover their hidden talents and hone those abilities to succeed in life.

2. THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING – YOUTUBE

From being a brilliant astrophysics student, coming to terms with the motor neuron disease and doctors predicting he has only 2 more years to live to defying all those predictions and becoming the greatest physicist and cosmologist of our time, Stephen Hawking’s life was never easy but that never stopped him from achieving his dreams. This movie is an inspiration for all the students that there are no boundaries to your dreams or your potential. If you want to achieve something, all you need to do is believe that it will come true. Directed by James Marsh, the film features Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson and Harry Lloyd.

3. THE SOCIAL NETWORK – NETFLIX

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer Max Minghella the film is an adaptation of Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires. This movie revolves around a young Harvard undergrad and computer genius Mark Zuckerberg and how he went on to become one of the world’s youngest billionaires, with the success of Facebook.

4. DEAD POETS SOCIETY – DISNEY+ HOTSTAR

Robin Williams plays John Keating, a professor at the fictional Welton Academy who is known for using unorthodox teaching methods and poetry to reach out to his students. He encourages his students to break free from the conventional education practices to pursue their dreams and passion and make their lives extraordinary. This film made us realise what its feels like to “Seize the day” and how a teacher can leave a significant mark on a student’s life through his teachings. Apart from Robin Williams, the film also features Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles and Gale Hansen among others.

5. THE PAPER CHASE – YOUTUBE

James Hart is a first-year law student at Harvard, who feels that he’ll now walk on a rosy path and that he’s got it all figured out. Problems arise when he comes face to face with Professor Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. The tough professor creates problems for James and he finds himself being constantly cornered. The film focuses on the equation between a student and his professor, the pressurising situations that students endure in their college life and the complexities of a relationship and how it affects one’s studies.

6. EDUCATING RITA – YOUTUBE

Educating Rita is a 1983 drama comedy movie directed by Lewis Gilbert, and featuring Michael Caine, Julie Walters, Michael Williams and Maureen Lipman. Rita is a married woman in her mid-twenties who works as a hairstylist. She is bored of her monotonous life and decides to improve herself by signing up for a course in English Literature. Her professor is Frank Bryant who uses alcohol to deal with his personal problems. Can Rita realise her true potential and succeed in life or was this a huge mistake from the beginning?

7. NIL BATTEY SANNATA – ZEE5

The story revolves around a struggling single mother who goes to extreme lengths to make her unmotivated daughter regain interest in studying. After learning that her daughter is weak in maths, she tries to find a tutor for her but when she fails to find one, she enrols herself in her daughter’s school as a student to learn maths and teach her the subject.

8. THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY – AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

Starring Dev Patel, this film is a biopic based on the life of Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan. How Ramanujan overcomes all the obstacles to prove his mettle to his professors, the world and get global recognition as a genius mathematician weaves the rest of the plot. The film teaches us that no matter how many road blocks you face in life, or when the going gets tough or there’s no one who believes in your potential, you can overcome it all with your strong will and determination.

9. 3 IDIOTS – NETFLIX

Two friends embark on a road trip in search of their third friend, who they lost touch with right after their graduation. The film takes us into a flashback as they reminisce their good old college days. While 3 Idiots primarily focused on their friendship and the rat race everyone was a part of in the engineering college, the film also taught us that there is no shortcut or cheat-book to success. And how instead of mugging professor’s notes or books, one should actually focus on learning something new to become a better person.

10. THE FIRST GRADER – HULU

Directed by Justin Chadwick, the film is a biographical drama based on the life Kimani Maruge, who holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to go to primary school. Kimani is an 84-year-old farmer in Kenya, who wants to finish primary school education, but society is not willing to let him study and continues to ridicule him and pose obstacles in front of him. This film is an inspiration for all those who stopped pursuing their passion and a lesson that you’re never too old to educate yourselves.

10 motivational movies on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu that’ll inspire students to study