Patriotism on screen comes in all different forms.
It’s politicians, athletes, soldiers, pilots, journalists — people from all walks of life, coming together in ordinary and extraordinary ways and making audiences celebrate the themes and values that make our country great.
All manner of movies can be patriotic — even “Clueless” is patriotic, if you think about it — but to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we decided to highlight 10 films that really lean into their themes of patriotism, from modern classics to just plain classics.
Grab a hot dog, microwave some popcorn and sit down with any of these favorites that have red, white and blue coursing through their DNA.
‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ (1939)
James Stewart stars as the Mr. Smith of the title, a rookie U.S. senator who goes to Washington, D.C. to clean up corruption in the town. Nominated for 11 Oscars (including Best Picture, which it lost to a little movie called “Gone With the Wind”), “Mr. Smith” has gone on to become an enduring American classic and is representative of what is historically considered one of the all-time best movie years. (Now streaming on Tubi)
‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ (1942)
Jimmy Cagney won Best Actor for his portrayal of Broadway star George M. Cohan in this beloved musical, which finds Cohan looking back over his life from inside the White House as he is awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. The film was nominated for a total of 8 Oscars, including Best Picture, which it ended up losing to “Mrs. Miniver.” (Available for rental)
‘All the President’s Men’ (1976)
Journalism. It’s kind of a big deal! And its importance is absolutely foundational to our nation, as exemplified in this political thriller that tells the real story of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) and their investigation of the Watergate scandal, which ended with Richard Nixon’s resignation from the office of the presidency. (Available for rental)
‘Rocky IV’ (1985)
It’s a Cold War battle for the ages as American muscle (represented by Sylvester Stallone) clashes with the Iron Curtain (Dolph Lundgren, a Swede, but who’s counting?) in this macho showdown, which features James Brown singing “Living in America” as Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) makes his way to the boxing ring. What’s more American than that? (Now streaming on Netflix)
‘Field of Dreams’ (1989)
You know we couldn’t go much further in this list without a baseball movie. So here’s a classic tearjerker about baseball, fathers and the ghosts of our past, with Kevin Costner in the lead, who could have his own separate list of 10 patriotic movies that he has starred in. (Now streaming on Netflix)
‘Glory’ (1989)
Ed Zwick’s Civil War movie nabbed Denzel Washington his first Oscar, for his performance as Private Silas Trip, an escaped slave who joins the Union Army in its first all-Black regiment. Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher, and Cary Elwes also star. (Now streaming on MGM+)
‘Armageddon’ (1998)
A gang of rough and rugged oil drillers are sent into space to explode an asteroid before it hits Earth in this big, loud and gloriously dumb action extravaganza from director Michael Bay, who makes big, loud and gloriously dumb action extravaganzas better than anyone. With Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Steve Buscemi, Liv Tyler and a totally awesome Aerosmith song. (Available for rental)
‘Miracle’ (2004)
This riveting sports drama about the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team set a high bar for the eventual movie about the 2026 U.S. gold medal winners, which we can only assume is being penned somewhere right now. (Who will play Jack Hughes?) With Kurt Russell, Noah Emmerich and more. (Now streaming on Netflix and Disney+)
‘Hidden Figures’ (2016)
In this true story, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe star as three unheralded mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s Space Race and helped send a rocket to the moon. Also with Kevin Costner, whom we told you would pop up on this list again! (Now streaming on HBO Max)
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)
The movie that brought audiences back to theaters after COVID is a rip-roaring, action-packed thrill ride starring one of our great American movie stars, Tom Cruise. American exceptionalism at its finest! (Now streaming on Paramount+)
agraham@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Patriotic movies to stream to celebrate America’s 250th birthday
Reporting by Adam Graham, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Adam Graham, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
