Is there a movie for your profession?
A movie called “The Post” has come out, and it’s absolute catnip for newspaper reporters — prompting fact checks, essays and lists of the greatest movies about journalism. But what does Hollywood have to offer if you’re an astronaut? A firefighter? A farmer? Here, as described by the experts themselves, are the best profession based movies.
(Interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.)
Astronaut: “The Martian” (2015); Charles F. Bolden, former administrator of NASA
Most people think about astronaut movies and they want to talk about “The Right Stuff.” But “The Martian” is just so scientifically accurate, and it tells this story of what we’re on the cusp of — not just Americans, humanity. We’re not growing potatoes yet on the International Space Station like in the movie, but we’re growing lettuce and cherry tomatoes; we’re learning how to get to a place and use what’s there. The scene where the young kid comes walking into the office of the NASA administrator with a wild and crazy idea that turns out to be the idea that saves Mark Watney — I love that scene.
Attorney: “My Cousin Vinny” (1992); Robert Spagnoletti, chief executive of the D.C. Bar, former attorney general of the District of Columbia
I will stop and watch this movie whatever I’m doing, and let me tell you why. It shows that everyone involved in the justice system can be really well-intentioned and also be completely fallible. The prosecutor in “My Cousin Vinny” thinks he has it all figured out, but he doesn’t. The witnesses all really believe what they saw, but they’re wrong. And then Vinny, though he’s completely bumbling, does a very pure
direct examination — and despite everyone’s fallibility, the verdict arrives in the right place. It captures the beauty of an adversarial system. And man, when Marisa Tomei is on the stand: “You think I’m hostile now? Wait until you see me tonight.”
Bank robber: “Heat” (1995); Shon Hopwood, former bank robber, current Georgetown University law professor
Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight and a whole bunch of other characters are a group of professional thieves, and it all leads to a bank robbery and shootout. The big bank robbery scene in downtown L.A. is just sprawling. They must have blocked off half the city. But no heist movies are like real life. They glamorize robbing banks and then 20-year-olds like me in the 1990s watch and think it’s a glamorous lifestyle.
Engineer: “No Highway in the Sky” (1951); Bill Nye, mechanical engineer/science guy
Jimmy Stewart’s character is an engineer trying to convince the pilot: We’re all going to die if you don’t land this plane! The tail’s going to fall off! It was all about vibration, and what we call metal fatigue, where the load on the part reverses — that’s what makes many metals give up. This is a movie that reminds me of the importance of the work. And the importance of leadership.
Firefighter: “Ladder 49” (2004); Mark Treglio, director of strategic campaigns for the International Association of Firefighters, exJacksonville fireman
Basically all firefighter movies are misleading for visual effects. Because when you’re actually running into a burning building, you can’t even see your hand in front of your face; there’s too much smoke. But what “Ladder 49” gets right — it’s the story of one guy’s entire career, told in scenes and flashbacks — is that firefighters are family. The guys in the firehouse know me better than my wife. Law enforcement: “Donnie Brasco” (1997); Peter Newsham, D.C. chief of police
So, I give all new hires the same speech. I say: “I’m going to give you some advice. Everything you’ve seen on movies about police — forget it. Those police all shoot up, beat up or blow up the bad guy. None of that is real police. Policing is a service profession.” That being said, the one I love is “Donnie Brasco,” about an undercover agent who gains the trust of one of the biggest crime bosses in New York. It’s based on fact, and I just think it’s incredible, what this guy was able to accomplish. At the end, Brasco is going to die, and the FBI comes running up, and — I’m spoiling the ending. You should see the movie.
Military: “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946); Joe Davis, director of public affairs for Veterans of Foreign Wars
I’m a Desert Storm/Somalia veteran, and I came home thinking nobody understood. Well, this movie depicts World War II vets coming home, trying to reimmerse themselves in a civilian society that largely did not understand. There’s parallels in every generation of servicemen or women who’ve gone overseas and come back home. This movie came out in 1946, but it’s so true today.
Nun: “The Trouble with Angels” (1966); Sister Rachel Terry of the order Immaculate Heart of Mary, who is a music teacher at Little Flower School in Bethesda, Md.
It took place in a Catholic girls boarding school; Hayley Mills played a firebrand troublemaker, and Rosalind Russell was the mother superior. It doesn’t really reflect what my life looks like — I don’t wear a habit, and they do, and they’re all living in this huge institution, and I don’t — but the way the sisters interact in that movie is one of the most accurate depictions of how we try to be for mission and with one another. The Hayley Mills character gets a glimpse into the humanity of the sisters, and sees their humanity, their passion, and how they enjoy one another. You see each sister as an individual with a distinct personality. Politician: “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939); Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana
Look, politics isn’t as easy as it looks. It’s not as glamorous as some people think. It’s just work, and it’s work you don’t always see the benefit of. But if you want to stick to it, and be diligent, you can get things done. This movie is about that, how it’s never too late to get something done.
Schoolteacher: “The Emperors Club” (2002); Casey Bethel, Georgia’s 2017 Teacher of the Year
The common thread in a lot of teacher movies — “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” “Lean on Me,” “Freedom Writers” — is that they end triumphantly. “The Emperors Club” doesn’t, really. Kevin Kline plays a veteran teacher at an all-boys school who never gives up on one particular student, but he also never gets through to him. To me, it gives a realistic sense of the balance of being a teacher. Do you do what’s best for the whole class, or do you adjust, hoping to save one student? How do you handle those moments when you’ve tried everything we can, and it still didn’t work?
Trucker: “Smokey and the Bandit” (1977); Greg Alden, Brotherhood of Teamsters, freight division
I started driving in 1973, when you didn’t have interstate highways. You got to go on back roads, through small towns; you got to meet people and eat at Ma and Pa cafes. “Smokey and the Bandit” is about that time in truck driving. Especially the Jerry Reed character — he reminds me a lot of my older colleagues: He’s happy-golucky, everything is kind of a joke, and there’s nothing he can’t do in his big truck.
Zookeeper: “Jaws” (1975); Brandie Smith, associate director for animal care sciences, Smithsonian’s National Zoo
The best character in “Jaws” is the scientist, Matt Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss. All the other people, who are running around like crazy and trying to shoot the sharks? They end up dying. But Matt Hooper approaches everything calmly and scientifically. He gathers data. He uses reasoning. When the hunters say, “Hey, we caught the shark,” Matt Hooper says: “Look at these bite wounds. That’s not the right shark.” In the end, he’s the badass who actually goes into the water with the shark, and he’s the one who lives.