10 Life Lessons From Garry Marshall Movies | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

10 Life Lessons From Garry Marshall Movies

The beloved director passed away at 81, but left us with a lifetime of memories.

20
10 Life Lessons From Garry Marshall Movies
PBS

Garry Marshall was a director, actor, producer, writer and icon in the world of Hollywood. He gave some of the biggest stars their first breaks, and has worked with the likes of Julie Andrews, Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Richard Gere, Anne Hathaway and many more. He created "The Fonz" and brought us "Happy Days," not only in the form of the television classic, but in all the films and shows he created.

Garry passed away on July 19, 2016. He is mourned by every celebrity who had the pleasure of working with him, along with the rest of the world as we lost a great storyteller. His movies were not only entertaining, but taught us some valuable life lessons.

1. The sky isn't always falling.


Just as Chicken Little learned, the world isn't always ending. Applying this mantra to every day life makes it easier to overcome the obstacles that, at times, seem overwhelming. In the big picture, they were just minor problems in an otherwise full life.

2. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

For those of you in the younger generation: in "Overboard," Goldie Hawn plays a wealthy woman who suffers amnesia and is taken to be a working-class mother of four by Edward Hermann's character. At the end, she learns her true identity, but appreciates the love and genuine way of life she came to know while staying with her fake family. Whenever big opportunity arises, we have to remember where we came from and where we will receive the most authentic love and appreciation.

3. Outward appearances aren't everything.

A classic ugly duckling turned swan story, "The Princess Diaries" taught us that having good looks doesn't lead to a better life. It's always what is on the inside that counts.

4. Running away from your problems doesn't make them disappear.

Julia Roberts' character in "Runaway Bride" tries to escape her fear of commitment by running away, only run in to another relationship she's sure will work "this time." Eventually, she realizes running away only leads to more chaos. Sometimes, facing your fears is all it takes to overcome them.

5. Hindsight really is 20/20.

"Never Been Kissed" is a movie all about going back to high school. In Drew Barrymore's character Josie Geller's case, it was for a journalism story. But all in all, I think we can take away from this movie the fact that looking back at high school, we can pinpoint every cringe-worthy thing we did, and come up with multiple solutions as to how we could have avoided it. Oh well.

6. If you throw random celebrities in a movie, it could turn out to be really great. Or at least comical.

Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, New Years Eve. Shout out to Garry Marshall for taking holidays, adding a bunch of big-name actors and actresses and creating something that is, at the very least, entertaining.

7. Finding a relationship you want to be in versus one everyone else thinks you should be in is key

Mia Thermopolis is back at it again with clumsy royal rulings in "The Princess Diaries 2," but in this amazing sequel (the mattress sledding down the staircase, am I right?!) she has to choose between a suitor the royal family deems acceptable, and a man she's actually in love with. SPOILER ALERT: She chooses the one who makes her happiest because in the end, it's her life.

8. The guy doesn't always have to rescue the girl in a fairytale.

In a new type of rags to riches story, "Pretty Woman" stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere (what a dynamic duo those two are). Roberts' character is a prostitute who ends up falling in love with a wealthy, handsome, and lonely business tycoon. He not only improves her way of life, but she shows him how to love. The famous line at the end of the movie is, "So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?” "She rescues him right back." *swoon*

9. Chasing your dreams is never too far-fetched.

"A League of Their Own" is definitely a Garry Marshall classic. It tells the story of baseball during wartime, a time when women went up to bat. These women had to face challenges of being turned away before the war for being female, as well as trying to start families during the war. The women learn that they can do anything if only given the opportunity.

10. "These happy days are yours and mine."

Garry Marshall is a legend that will be missed not only by those who worked with him, but by a generation that saw the same casts churn out new classic films. A genre of people who appreciates the magic and life lessons he articulated through his films. The world lost a great storyteller, but his magic will live on.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

2112
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments