The fall equinox is just behind us and the air that has a crisp chill mornings and evenings never fails to excite in me a familiar “back to school” vibe. I find it really motivating. In addition to looking forward to wearing sweaters, coats, tights and boots for ventures outdoors, I also anticipate more time inside reading books and watching movies as the evenings lengthen. To keep you motivated to clean, declutter and organize over the colder, wetter months, here are some movies that might inspire you.
Into the Wild: Based on Jon Krakauer’s book of the same name, this cautionary tale follows Chris McCandless as he gives away almost all of his possessions in order to tramp across the country. This is a heartbreaking film about a romanticized, extreme life path that doesn’t end well. The moral of the story—one of them—is that self-sufficiency and living with less is wonderful but a happy, fulfilling life is balanced with supportive relationships and a reasonable amount of creature comforts. Defining “reasonable” depends on the individual and can require thought, journaling and even therapy.
Something’s Gotta Give: Movies about the elite, uber-wealthy class can often inspire with scenes of aspirational lifestyles and homes. Diane Keaton’s character in this 2003 classic is a talented, controlled playwright whose clothing and interiors are all shades of white and cream. Enter Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves to inject some much-needed color into her life. Her surroundings remain uncluttered and serene but her social and emotional life get messy. Everything balances out in the end, topped with the arrival of a grandbaby who is sure to add toy clutter and sticky hand prints to a too-perfect house.
Fight Club: Director David Fincher is one of my favorites. This movie stars Brad Pitt and Edward Norton and has some of the best messaging about the true cost of our possessions. “The things you own end up owning you,” is one of the most famous quotes from the movie. How does a 30-something man know about thread counts of duvets and clever tables made to look like the yin-yang symbol? Insistent, ever-present marketing, that’s how. This movie was made in 1999 (based on a novel published in 1996), basically pre-internet and social media–marketing is exponentially more constant and nearly impossible to escape now. The movie offers a solution—fight club—but for most of us blowing up our apartment and relocating to a condemned house is not a viable option. But it sure can get you thinking about priorities.
Limitless: Watching the young and gorgeous Bradley Cooper completely clean and organize his apartment while high on a smart drug is not a horrible way to spend some time. In the past I’ve paused this movie after his apartment cleanout to go through a few cupboards and drawers of my own. My smart drug of choice is, of course, caffeine, and with a couple cups of coffee I can rival Cooper’s results.
Confessions of a Shopaholic: A frothy fantasy, Isla Fisher plays a woman who shops to the point of crushing credit card debt. In the end she pays her debt by selling her used clothing. Approaching the check-out counter with the thought that you could always sell the stuff later if you have to is not a financially responsible way to look at shopping. Most of what we buy will later sell for pennies on the dollar—if it has any resale value at all. Additionally, a damsel in credit card-distress is also not as endearing or attractive as portrayed in this film where the desperate girl gets the wealthier, more responsible guy. This film as much as “Into the Wild,” “Fight Club,” or “Limitless” is a cautionary tale but in a rom-com body.
Other films that can inspire decluttering and organization are Overboard (Goldie Hawn, 1987), Yes Man (Jim Carrey, 2008), What About Bob (Bill Murray, 1991), the Netflix documentary Martha (2024), about Martha Stewart, Groundhog Day (Bill Murray again—if you had all the time in the world, how would you use it?) and Up in the Air (George Clooney, whose character is all about traveling lightly, emotionally and literally and gives motivational talks on the subject called, “What’s in your backpack?”).
The HBO documentary Jane Fonda: A Life in Five Acts, inspired me greatly because of the way that possessions have never been Jane’s thing—political and environmental causes and her personal relationships have always driven her.
Send me an e-mail of your favorite movies that somehow motivate you to declutter, organize and reprioritize at angela@houseinorder.com.