20 secretly conservative Hollywood movies

Progressives routinely watch films that speak to their left-leaning beliefs on everything from abortion (“Call Jane,” “Obvious Child”), gun control (Miss Sloane”) and wealth inequality (“Saltburn,” “The Menu”).

Conservatives, by comparison, scrounge for partisan scraps. They mostly come up empty.

For every documentary like “What Is a Woman?” there are dozens of non-fiction pieces from a hard-left perspective.

Still, mainstream Hollywood movies occasionally tease conservatives with themes and subtexts that speak to their deeply held beliefs. The following 20 movies offer a prime example of just that.

'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)

The third chapter of Christopher Nolan’s “Bat” trilogy follows Bane (Tom Hardy) and his Occupy Wall Street-style thugs threatening Gotham City. Nolan is too talented to turn a superhero yarn into a conservative screed, but there’s no denying his eat-the-rich villains ape the worst traits of that short-lived social movement.

'Still Mine' (2012)

Progressive actor James Cromwell stars as a husband struggling to keep his ailing wife by his side. To do so, he wants to build a special home to provide the right space for her needs. Local bureaucrats won’t let him, pitting Cromwell’s character against Big Government. This fact-based drama is a beautiful ode to marriage and individual liberty.

'Only the Brave' (2017)

Few saw this revisiting of a 2013 tragedy that took the lives of 19 fire fighters. Josh Brolin and Miles Teller star as men tasked with battling back infernos to save the innocent. The story celebrates sacrifice, honor, and commitment, all elements right-leaning audience would savor.

'Ghostbusters' (1984)

Four entrepreneurial ghostbusters battle both City Hall fat cats and Slimer the ghost to save the Big Apple. Our heroes, who flee academia to build a small business, note the difference between the two worlds. Dan Aykroyd’s Dr. Raymond Stantz puts it best: “Personally, I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities; we didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college! You don't know what it's like out there! I've worked in the private sector. They expect results.”

'Dallas Buyers Club' (2013)

Matthew McConaughey won an Oscar for playing an AIDS-stricken man scrambling to treat his fatal illness. His character’s frustration with FDA paperwork leads him to work around the system, delivering potentially lifesaving drugs to fellow AIDS patients in the process. Hollywood championed a film targeting Big Government in no uncertain terms.

'South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut' (1999)

The Comedy Central series is always a few years ahead of the pop culture curve. That proved true again in the show’s first full-length feature film. The boys run headfirst into a censorship buzz saw, a storyline brimming with the show’s unexpurgated humor.

'Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022)

Director James Cameron may be progressive to the core, but his films often showcase the power of family. Remember Ripley’s maternal side saving the day in 1986’s “Aliens?” That’s particularly true with this blockbuster sequel, which focuses on the nuclear family amidst the beautiful CGI scenery. The main characters will go to any length to protect their children, all the while imparting valuable lessons to their brood.

'Godzilla Minus One' (2023)

The best Godzilla movie ever made features several compelling subplots sure to delight red-state viewers. Our hero (Ryunosuke Kamiki) becomes a surrogate father to a toddler who lost her parents during the final days of World War II. His fellow Japanese citizens, weary of war following their nation’s surrender, rally their courage to defend their homeland against a big green lizard. That patriotism against insurmountable odds supercharges the film’s finale.

'Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe' (2022)

There’s nothing conservative about these mouth-breathing troglodytes on paper. Tell that to creator Mike Judge, who revived the babbling duo with an eye on mocking the left. The story pokes fun at soft-on-crime policies one moment, then compares Antifa to MS-13 the next. Later, the ne’er-do-wells stumble onto a college campus, where they embrace their so-called “white privilege” to grand comic effect.

'Borat' (2006)

Sacha Baron Cohen’s irreverent romp tries to mock American pieties via the main character, a racist, sexist joker. Instead, the “Candid Camera”-style sequences reveal flyover country dwellers to be patient, kind, and brimming with tolerance. It’s still a deeply funny movie, but Cohen’s satirical targets have the last laugh.

'The Incredibles' (2004)

This Pixar triumph doubles as a Randian ode to excellence. The Incredibles clan must hang up their superhero tights when the government forbids them to flex their powers. Unbowed, our heroes save the day anyway, proving their exceptional gifts shouldn’t be stunted by any government body.

'Lost in America' (1985)

Director/star Albert Brooks said he made this gem in response to 1969’s “Easy Rider.” Dropping out, Brooks argued, isn’t as easy or cool as it looks. So he fashioned a tale of two yuppies attempting to live out their hippie flower power dreams until Julie Hagerty’s character blows the couple’s financial nest egg in one ill-fated night at a casino. Turns out a steady, 9-to-5 gig isn’t the worst thing in the world.

'Gran Torino' (2008)

Clint Eastwood knows a thing or two about conservative storytelling. Here, he plays a cranky racist who befriends a teen and his Hmong-American neighbors. Eastwood’s Walt appears to be a relic, a product of his dysfunctional past. He’s willing to change with the times and not only rallies to the Hmong community but lays his life on the line for them. Honor. Sacrifice. Valor. They matter to Walt more than ever, and those values are handed down to his new friends.

'Knocked Up' (2007)

Director Judd Apatow is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, but his films often sneak in conservative values. In “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” our hero waits until his wedding night to consummate his marriage. Here, an arrested development type (Seth Rogen) impregnates a beautiful news researcher (Katherine Heigl) after one drunken date. The two decide not only to keep the baby but to see if they can work as a couple for the baby’s benefit.

'Rocky' (1976)

Sylvester Stallone’s triumphant debut as star and screenwriter is the American dream come to life (both on- and offscreen). A nobody boxer gets the chance of a lifetime, and he’s got the heart of a champion even if he doesn’t realize it. Hustle. Endurance. Faith. It’s all here, and “Rocky” has inspired a generation of Americans to reach for their dreams.

'Barbershop: The Next Cut' (2016)

Ice Cube is one of Hollywood’s most intriguing entrepreneurs. His presence here helps sell that message and then some. The main characters, dealing with a rise in gang violence, refuse to wait on the government to save them. They praise two-parent families as a cultural balm for their community. One barbershop member even questions how much President Barack Obama actually did for black America.

'Kingsman: The Secret Service' (2014)

The spy thriller packs plenty of action along with a nasty swipe at people of faith mid-movie. Yet the film’s villain, played by the always engaging Samuel L. Jackson, would feel right at home as a HuffPo contributor. Jackson’s character is an extreme environmentalist who wants to wipe out most of humanity to help heal the planet. Then, and only then, can humanity rebuild on his preferred terms.

'A Quiet Place' (2018)

You won’t find a better ode to pro-life parenthood than this monster movie. John Krasinski and Emily Blunt play parents trying to keep their children safe from aliens who track and kill their prey based on sound. When Blunt’s character becomes pregnant, they decide to keep the child, knowing that the baby's perfectly normal screams could put them all in danger. They’ll find a way, their actions tell us, no matter what.

'Wish' (2023)

Disney capped off a terrible, awful 2023 with a film celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary. “Wish” flopped, which meant the story’s conservative messaging fell on deaf ears. “Wish” follows a benevolent dictator (Chris Pine) who hoards the people’s wishes and makes them a reality – on his terms. The film suggests the best way for people’s wishes to come true is to make them happen themselves and not rely on any government to help.

Just about every rom-com

Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl (briefly). Boy and girl walk down the aisle (or make it abundantly clear that’s where they’re heading). Rom-coms are conservative by nature, and most adhere to a rigorous formula that sends moviegoers swooning.