In honor of the 4th of July, I decided to post my favorite patriotic movies. I did some searching on
the internet to see what movies other websites came up with and I was surprised to find how few patriotic movies there actually are. There is almost nothing about the Revolutionary war, except my #1 pick below. There are only a handful of movies that promote U.S patriotism at all. This caused me to wonder why Hollywood isn’t more interested in making patriotic movies. The only answer I can come up with is they’re far too focused on what’s wrong with our country than what’s right. Come on o. We live in the greatest country in the world. Let’s make more movies like the ones below.
1. THE PATRIOT (2000) – Mel Gibson plays a peaceful plantation owner and family man who reluctantly joins the fight against the British in the Revolutionary war. It’s full of heart and patriotism. Sure, it may be a little overly dramatic at times, but The Patriot captures the true struggle between the underdog group of ragtag men and women who wanted nothing more than to be free to live their lives, and the powerhouse nation ruled by an unfeeling, distant king. This movie will leave you with hand over heart saying, “I’m proud to be an American.”
2. NATIONAL TREASURE (2004) – A great cat and mouse game / treasure hunt that centers around artifacts that belonged to our founding fathers. One of the best Nicholas Cage movies ever, and it’s rated PG.
3. THE RIGHT STUFF (1983) – Tells the story of the early U.S. space program, showing the original astronauts as the heroes that they truly were.
4. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998) – This ones not for the 
kids, but I’d have no problem showing it to teens. That’s because it’s a realistic portrayal of the heroism of our fighting men and what they went through to keep our country free, and to stop
Hitler from taking over the world back in WWII.
5. INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996) – It’s actually an alien 
invasion movie, but it just so happens that the aliens tried take over the United States of America. To stop them we pulled together as a nation and defeated them. A little corny at times, but still lots of fun and it leaves you proud to be an American.
ScottCahan.com 
I wouldn’t agree that Hollywood has any particular bias against patriotism, per se. Rather that movies are best when they question easy beliefs or expose contradictions between stated beliefs and actual behavior. Patriotism, where it means simply holding fast to an ideal, lacks the possibility of change that makes a movie work.
Why do you think it took so long to make a great Captain America movie?
It really just bothers me that the norm for Hollywood is to focus on the negative side of humanity rather than the positive. I understand that they are reflecting our society, but then I think it’s a vicious circle where human beings then reflect what they see in entertainment. I think there are positive stories that can be told too. The story of America’s birth is a great and inspiring story that most Americans would enjoy if produced properly. But, it’s a story that is virtually ignored because it’s too positive. There is also an anti-American sentiment that is everywhere in our own country these days and it really saddens me. I think that very sentiment is a big part of the reason that story isn’t being told in movies, tv and books. I’m not sure if it’s Hollywood producers that feel that way or that they think the audience feels that way so they avoid it, or both.