Feel-good Movies?

December 28, 2004 6:26 PM

Inspired in part by this question, I'd like some suggestions for feel good movies please! I've been bogged down by many amazing (but serious) documentaries lately, and would like to enter 2005 with a list of movies to lift my spirits.
posted by katie to Media & Arts (67 answers total)

When I'm having a truly awful day, nothing lifts me up like So I Married an Axe Murderer or Finding Nemo. Utter fluff, but happy fluff!
posted by Dreama at 6:34 PM on December 28, 2004

Woody Allen's grossly underrated musical "Everyone Says I Love You" featuring Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Tim Roth, Tobey Maguire, Ed Norton, Drew Barrymore and many many more...
posted by dismitree at 6:41 PM on December 28, 2004

The Life Aquatic. Really funny. I'm still smiling as I went out on a bad date and it was the best part of the week.
posted by filmgeek at 6:43 PM on December 28, 2004

The Princess Bride is the one true movie.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:46 PM on December 28, 2004

Feel-good, eh? The Dish.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:48 PM on December 28, 2004

Billy Elliot
Touching the Void
Grease
Swingers
My Fair Lady

Musicals always help.
posted by geekyguy at 6:50 PM on December 28, 2004

Harvey, or one of the early Marx Bros movies (Coconuts, Animal Crackers, Duck Soup, Horsefeathers, or my personal fave Monkey Business) always seems to do it for me.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 6:55 PM on December 28, 2004

Just finished Paris, Texas. One of the more uplifiting of the 200+ movies I've seen this year.
posted by sled at 6:59 PM on December 28, 2004

My I'm-feeling-blue movie, guaranteed to cheer me up, may be quirky to me because it died at the BO and no one has ever heard of it. It's called Let It Ride, a small flick with a simple premise: Richard Dreyfuss is a perennially losing small time gambler who goes to the racetrack and has a really really REALLY good day. The whole movie is populated by these charming, eccentric minor characters and for some reason, it never fails to lift my spirits. Worth it if only for Robbie Coltrane's small but memorable performance.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:06 PM on December 28, 2004

Probably top of my smallish Feel-Good virtual section of the DVD library is Amelie.

Shaolin Soccer is also up there. Easily the best kung-fu sports movie of the entire crowded genre.
posted by Drastic at 7:15 PM on December 28, 2004

Spring Forward.
posted by docpops at 7:20 PM on December 28, 2004

Raising Arizona always works.
posted by Max Power at 7:25 PM on December 28, 2004

Okay, two more recent ones: Amelie and Bend it Like Beckham.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:25 PM on December 28, 2004

Singing in the Rain and Bringing Up Baby always do the trick for me.
posted by melissa may at 7:26 PM on December 28, 2004

Metropolitan.
posted by escabeche at 7:26 PM on December 28, 2004

I second geekyguy's pick for Touching The Void. However, it does qualify as a serious documentary. While intense, it does spur one to ponder the human spirit; one's will to survive, etc. A line from Roger Ebert's review in the Chicago Sun-Times rings true to me: "I didn't take a single note during this film. I simply sat there before the screen, enthralled, fascinated and terrified."

Other random suggestions:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Finding Forrester
Goodbye Lenin
Good Will Hunting
On Golden Pond
Searching For Bobby Fischer
posted by ericb at 7:37 PM on December 28, 2004

The Muppet Movie and The Big Lebowski.
posted by goatdog at 7:41 PM on December 28, 2004

Some feel-good sports movies:

Rudy
Cool Runnings
Ice Castles
The Replacements
Necessary Roughness
Wildcats
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:56 PM on December 28, 2004

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

There's a bit at the end involving a rose and it's recipient that gets me every time.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 8:30 PM on December 28, 2004

I second Raising Arizona. Nicholas Cage before he was leading man material. Cohen brothers comedic sensibility. Classical music soundtrack (done in bluegrass arrangements). Can't go wrong.
posted by Doohickie at 8:36 PM on December 28, 2004

Katie, your mileage could very easily vary, but here are mine:

When I want to raise my spirits with a movie, I head for the Local Hero vein, so I recommend, well, Local Hero, and Bill Forsyth's other fine movies, Gregory's Girl and Comfort and Joy. Along the same lines I endorse the forementioned The Dish and Waking Ned Devine.

Spring Forward would not have occurred to me as a 'feel good' movie, but yeah, it is and it's just excellent. Also check out Diamond Men with a very different plot but somewhat the same theme.

On the romantic comedy front, I'm a huge Richard Curtis fan, e.g. Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Notting Hill. I also just watched and recommend Kissing Jessica Stein. And if somehow you missed Lost in Translation, fix that.
posted by mojohand at 8:39 PM on December 28, 2004 [1 favorite]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Er, no. Great movie, but it's about doomed people.
posted by NortonDC at 8:41 PM on December 28, 2004

Oh, and if you like Jane Austen, Persuasion is the Best. Jane Austen. Adaptation. Ever. The fact that I'm in love with Amanda Root's Jane Eliot has nothing do do with this recommendation. Really. It's a wonderful movie on its own merits.
posted by mojohand at 8:47 PM on December 28, 2004

Almost Famous
Rushmore
Spirited Away/Kiki's Delivery Service/My Neighbor Tortoro
The second and third Antoine Doinel films (Bed and Board, Love on the Run)
...

Actually, that's a pretty vague question. Is a feel-good movie anything with a happy end? Any comedy?
posted by muckster at 8:50 PM on December 28, 2004

Uh. Jane Eliot = Anne Elliot. Me = dope.

And Almost Famous. Definitely.
posted by mojohand at 8:55 PM on December 28, 2004

mojo, I respectfully but firmly must disagree on best Austen ever.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:56 PM on December 28, 2004

Say Anything, Almost Famous, Benny and June (young[er] Depp can't go wrong), Leage of Their Own.
posted by hopeless romantique at 9:06 PM on December 28, 2004

Give Whale Rider a shot. Also:

Apollo 13
Waiting for Guffman
E.T.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Meet the Parents
My Cousin Vinny
My Neighbor Totoro
The Princess Bride
Shawshank Redemption
Billy Madison/Happy Gilmore
Jackass: the Movie
A Walk to Remember
posted by robbie01 at 9:23 PM on December 28, 2004

This year I really enjoyed both The Station Agent and The Triplets of Belleville - both movies that in their way leave you feeling up.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 9:24 PM on December 28, 2004

No question, CL, that's an excellent Pride and Prejudice, but in my impressionable youth I had my heart stolen by this version's Elizabeth Bennet and never warmed as much to Jennifer Ehle's. But to anticipate, my Darcy suqs and your's offers the Best Darcy Ever, and as you share gender with katie that's probably the way to go.
posted by mojohand at 9:27 PM on December 28, 2004

Strictly Ballroom
posted by O9scar at 9:37 PM on December 28, 2004

Made for Each Other (ancient Stewart/Lombard movie--weepy, but uplifting)

actually, any Carole Lombard or Judy Holliday movie will do it.
posted by amberglow at 9:38 PM on December 28, 2004

The underrated Joe versus the Volcano holds the secret to life; don't let Hanks, Ryan, or Spielberg tell you otherwise. The Lion in Winter rates as feel-good if catharsis and a white-flag ending does it for you, but I prefer to save that one for the holidays. Also good: Better Off Dead (the one with John Cusack and bouncy Howard Jones soundtrack) and Only the Lonely (the fat and the shy are people too!).

And, if you're into Irish-y stuff, try The Secret of Roan Inish and perhaps The Playboys.
posted by Liffey at 9:58 PM on December 28, 2004

The Blues Brothers.
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.
posted by inksyndicate at 10:17 PM on December 28, 2004

Liffey, I read all the way down here thinking I might be the first to mention Joe vs. the Volcano. Anyway, I second. Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket is great, too. So is Steve Martin's L.A. Story.
posted by coelecanth at 10:20 PM on December 28, 2004

I tend to find purer sensory experiences uplifting.

So, Carlos Saura's Flamenco or Tango.
The otherworldly music of the film Latcho Drom.
The cinematic ballet of Fellini's 8 1/2.
The fantastic universe of Miyazaki in Spirited Away.
The exploration of personal life in Kiezlowski's Blue.
Also, an odd predilection for a ravishing French film: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
posted by vacapinta at 11:30 PM on December 28, 2004

The film I saw this year that had me leaving the cinema with a huge grin on my face, filled with the joys of life was, perhaps suprisingly, Zatoichi, the sheer exuberance of the (unexpected for me) final sequence was truly feel good.

(Admittedly if you really don't like samurai films you might not get much out of the film, but as mojohand pointed out, your mileage may vary).
posted by drill_here_fore_seismics at 1:59 AM on December 29, 2004

Flash.
posted by biffa at 2:16 AM on December 29, 2004

(He's a miracle.)
posted by biffa at 2:17 AM on December 29, 2004

when I am depressed, Repo man, never fails.I can't explain
it ,just lifts my spirits.
posted by hortense at 2:19 AM on December 29, 2004

Everything by Pixar.
The Iron Giant.
Romancing the Stone.
Mulan

More obscure, Jake Speed. Absolute crap reminiscent of Remo Williams, but quirky and fun. I love it.

In a completely different vein, The Thin Man movies.

Also, second the votes for Amelie, Shaolin Soccer, and The Princess Bride.
posted by zanni at 2:31 AM on December 29, 2004

I'm a sucker for so-called kids movies, try Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc., always raise a smile here!
posted by hardcode at 2:56 AM on December 29, 2004

Groundhog Day, since it hasn't been mentioned yet. I have tremendous love for Amelie, too.
posted by rfordh at 3:31 AM on December 29, 2004

Well, I'd pick Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead, but I'm an odd duck that way...

In all seriousness, The Court Jester with Danny Kaye. "The flagon with the dragon has the pellet with the poison but the chalice with the palace has the brew that is true."
posted by Lokheed at 4:59 AM on December 29, 2004

I'll second any Danny Kaye movie--always makes me smile and be amazed.
posted by amberglow at 5:19 AM on December 29, 2004

"There's someone out there for everyone - even if you need a pickaxe, a compass, and night goggles to find them."
- L.A. Story.
posted by grabbingsand at 5:26 AM on December 29, 2004

I second the Pixar recommendations. Any Pixar film should bring a smile to your face. 'Cept Bugs Life. That sucked.

Even the Pixar shorts, like Geri's Game, For The Birds, and the recent Boundin' somehow lifts the spirits.
posted by icontemplate at 5:45 AM on December 29, 2004

I'll third Joe vs. the Volcano, second Bill Forsyth's Comfort and Joy and whatever Amelie.

For a long time Sixteen Candles and the Man From Snowy River were my non-prescription anti-depressants.
posted by heather at 6:28 AM on December 29, 2004

Er, sorry guys: Best Austen Adapt Ever: Clueless - utter, utter fluff. And no silly costumes or wigs.
posted by NekulturnY at 7:05 AM on December 29, 2004

Some of you are picking some pretty weepy feel good movies. The Iron Giant!? You're nuts. You know how that ends? Whale Rider? No! Happy! Maybe it's just me but when I hear "feel good" I don't think "cathartic."

It apparently falls to me to mention O Brother Where Art Thou? in AskMe movie threads so now is another good time. Also Winged Migration, Clash of the Titans (hell yes), and it's not very indie of me but Pirates of the Caribbean. The Princess Bride definitely wins this category but the Adventures of Baron Munchausen comes close.
posted by furiousthought at 7:29 AM on December 29, 2004

I'd just like to second or third or fifth or whatever-th Amelie. That film always makes me happy and it won't feel like fluff.
posted by DyRE at 7:33 AM on December 29, 2004

(on preview, or a little late rather, I'll also second O Brother Where Art Thou?)
posted by DyRE at 7:35 AM on December 29, 2004

Amelie makes me want to kill myself, but perhaps that's just me. And as lovely as Umbrellas of Cherbourg is throughout, the ending is heartbreaking rather than uplifting.
posted by muckster at 8:51 AM on December 29, 2004

The Gods Must Be Crazy.
posted by rushmc at 9:01 AM on December 29, 2004

Elf. Come on. You know you like it.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...
Er, no. Great movie, but it's about doomed people.

I just saw this last night, and I really liked it (which I don't usually like movies about damaged co-dependents). True, they are doomed to be together, but by the end, the both realize that that is not necessarily a bad thing. It was strange, but oddly enough a feel-good movie.
posted by psmealey at 10:37 AM on December 29, 2004

They Might Be Giants (after which the band was named), Casablanca, Time Bandits.
posted by theora55 at 10:47 AM on December 29, 2004

Shakes the Clown and The Nightmare Before Christmas are both quite fantastic!
posted by glyphlet at 11:13 AM on December 29, 2004

Maybe because I saw it the day my 20 year old cat died (and it made me laugh and forget my kitty for at least the length of the movie), but Earth Girls Are Easy cracks me up.
Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, and Jim Carey all *pre*-stardom, doing some very funny schticks.
posted by dbmcd at 11:17 AM on December 29, 2004

Love Actually
posted by Gooney at 11:20 AM on December 29, 2004

Errol Flynn's The Adventures of Robinhood is sheer delight if you enjoy adventure movies. Dashing, witty and, in most of the scenes he's in, smiling, Errol Flynn makes me feel embarrassed for action heroes of a more recent vintage. He's so tough and upbeat and confident, and, as Maid Marian describes him, "kind, and decent, and gentle." Claude Rains is a hoot as the wicked Prince John, Basil Rathbone's Sir Guy of Gisbourne brings plenty of the Boo and Hiss, and Olivia de Havilland makes for a beautiful and willful Maid Marian. And that's just the acting talent; the sets, costumes, music, pacing, writing and stunts are terrific too.

The only downside is the unavoidable "Why are movies like this no longer made?" vibe after it's over.
posted by Scoo at 1:04 PM on December 29, 2004

Shine.

and the Director's cut of Almost Famous.
posted by sic at 2:02 PM on December 29, 2004

The School Of Rock is my personal feel good flick of the moment. Also, a second for O Brother Where Art Thou? which makes me giddy.
posted by LeeJay at 4:23 PM on December 29, 2004

a second for O Brother Where Art Thou?

Oops, make that "a third", since I missed DyRE's mention.
posted by LeeJay at 4:28 PM on December 29, 2004

Eternal Sunshine: was it not just me who thought they were doomed to fail again then? Please God.
posted by biffa at 5:05 PM on December 29, 2004

biffa, you're 100% correct. It's explicit in the original script, and tacit but undeniable in the final edit.

The most positive interpretation of the conclusion that the movie supports is not happiness or triumph, but defiance.
posted by NortonDC at 8:57 PM on December 29, 2004

I'm a sucker for Disney movies when I need a quick feel-good fix, myself. Come on, how can you not feel better after watching Dumbo? Finding Nemo makes me laugh every time, and Winnie the Pooh is comfort food for the soul. I don't know how The Incredibles will hold up on second viewing, but I thought it was great when I saw it in the theater.

For easy fluff, I agree with Love Actually, Pretty Woman, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill.

If you need to be reminded of the miracle that is life, watch Baraka.
posted by widdershins at 6:50 AM on December 30, 2004

Babe (I love that pig!), Emma (I watch this whenever I'm sick or depressed), Sense and Sensibility (it alternates w/ Emma for comfort viewing), Monsoon Wedding (Aw! They fall in love! And there's a big dance number & happy wedding at the end), Ever After (Orphan girl gets the prince, evil step-relatives get their comeuppance), Pinky & the Brain Christmas special (just plain silly), My Big Fat Greek Wedding (He loved her even when geeky - there's hope for me), Raising Arizona (silly), October Sky (inspirational), Princess Bride (silly. Anybody got a peanut? Have fun storming the castle!)

I hated Amelie. The first time I saw Love Actually it left me sobbing in despair (all these people are in love and I'm not!).
posted by belladonna at 4:26 PM on December 30, 2004