My favourite feel-good movies
Must have a happy ending, must have characters that are likeable, and can't break your suspension of disbelief. What can I say, I'm easily entertained! Also a bit of a romantic, so a love story helps too. All in no particular order.
Any movie on the list guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face at the end. If you haven't seen any of them, your plans for this evening are complete.
Any movie on the list guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face at the end. If you haven't seen any of them, your plans for this evening are complete.
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- DirectorRob ReinerStarsTom CruiseJack NicholsonDemi MooreA military lawyer intends to prove that two US Marines charged with murdering a fellow Marine were only following their base commander's orders.A really good drama with a tight script and good acting.
- DirectorHarold RamisStarsBill MurrayAndie MacDowellChris ElliottA narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.Bill Murray at his best. The gags are funny, the plot has a point and everything works.
- DirectorsDean DeBloisChris SandersStarsJay BaruchelGerard ButlerChristopher Mintz-PlasseA hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.Wow - I'm not a big fan of animated movies but this one is funny. Classic nerd redemption with dragons, and Vikings.
- DirectorMike NewellStarsHugh GrantAndie MacDowellJames FleetOver the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.Some really classic scenes, but the whole movie plays for laughs and doesn't take itself too seriously.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSigourney WeaverMichael BiehnCarrie HennDecades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.Liked it better than the first one.
- DirectorWill GluckStarsEmma StoneAmanda BynesPenn BadgleyWhen Olive lies to her best friend about losing her virginity to one of the college boys, a girl overhears their conversation. Soon, her story spreads across the entire school like wildfire.When these teen movies have a good plot they really are fun for everyone. If they manage to catch a good actress on the way up, then they are even better.
- DirectorGil JungerStarsHeath LedgerJulia StilesJoseph Gordon-LevittA high-school boy, Cameron, cannot date Bianca until her anti-social older sister, Kat, has a boyfriend. So, Cameron pays a mysterious boy, Patrick, to charm Kat.Great plot, well it's Shakespeare innit!
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsElliot PageMichael CeraJennifer GarnerFaced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child.Just plain funny. Don't avoid this one due to the subject matter, it isn't preachy and is much lighter than you would think.
- DirectorIrwin WinklerStarsSandra BullockJeremy NorthamDennis MillerWhen Angela Bennett, a computer programmer, stumbles upon government secrets, she finds herself on the run from an unknown enemy hell-bent on destroying her completely.A bit dated, but stands up pretty well even today. Just shows that you don't need a lot of technobabble, as long as the cast and script are strong.
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsRichard GereJulia RobertsJason AlexanderEdward, a rich entrepreneur, hires Vivian, a prostitute, to accompany him to a few social events. Trouble ensues when he falls in love with her and they try to bridge the gap between their worlds.A classic girly movie, but you gotta watch it.
- DirectorAndy TennantStarsReese WitherspoonPatrick DempseyJosh LucasA young woman who has reinvented herself as a New York City socialite must return home to Alabama to obtain a divorce from her husband after seven years of separation.If you are going to see a romantic comedy, this one at least isn't quite so anti-male. For once a movie that is even-handed with the battle of the sexes.
- DirectorAndy TennantStarsMatthew McConaugheyKate HudsonDonald SutherlandA new clue to the whereabouts of a lost treasure rekindles a married couple's sense of adventure -- and their estranged romance.This is silly, impossible and if you can get into it, a lot of fun.
- DirectorsGlenn FicarraJohn RequaStarsSteve CarellRyan GoslingJulianne MooreA middle-aged husband's life changes dramatically when his wife asks him for a divorce. He seeks to rediscover his manhood with the help of a newfound friend, Jacob, learning to pick up girls at bars.Entertaining when it stays away from trying to be deep.
- DirectorThomas CarterStarsJulia StilesSean Patrick ThomasKerry WashingtonA white midwestern girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past.A bit predictable, but the characters feel real and you care about them by the end.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsJulianne HoughJosh DuhamelCobie SmuldersA young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.Great plot twist. I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
- DirectorJohn Lee HancockStarsQuinton AaronSandra BullockTim McGrawThe story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.This would have been a great movie even if it wasn't based on a true story. As it is, it has to be one of the most feel-good, feel-good movies out there!
- DirectorRichard LoncraineStarsKirsten DunstPaul BettanyJon FavreauA pro tennis player has lost his ambition and has fallen in rank to 119. Fortunately for him, he meets a young player on the women's circuit who helps him recapture his focus for Wimbledon.No message here, just a lot of fun.
- DirectorJosh BooneStarsGreg KinnearJennifer ConnellyLily CollinsAn acclaimed writer, his ex-wife, and their teenaged children come to terms with the complexities of love in all its forms over the course of one tumultuous year.I found this one strangely inspirational. I can understand if someone doesn't like this, but it just hit the right note for me.
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsLogan LermanEmma WatsonEzra MillerCharlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends two seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.Loved this. It just creeps up on you. I'm not usually a fan of plain dramas, but when it is done well, you cant stop watching.
- DirectorPierre MorelStarsLiam NeesonMaggie GraceFamke JanssenA retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.Loved it for raw action and a tight plot.
- DirectorGavin WiesenStarsFreddie HighmoreEmma RobertsMichael AngaranoGeorge, a lonely and fatalistic teen who has made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.It was a nice story well acted.
- DirectorAnne FletcherStarsChanning TatumJenna DewanDamaine RadcliffTyler receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with an up and coming dancer, Nora.Just scraped onto the list. Weak in places and desperately follows the formula, but it has a good heart.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsBruce WillisAlan RickmanBonnie BedeliaA New York City cop, John McClane, tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas Eve party at the Nakatomi Plaza Skyscraper in Los Angeles, California.The action movie all the rest have to beat.
- DirectorJason MooreStarsAnna KendrickBrittany SnowRebel WilsonBeca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school's all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.Funny, and the music is pretty good. The plot is really weak, but it manages to get by without it.
- DirectorFrank CoraciStarsAdam SandlerDrew BarrymoreChristine TaylorRobbie, a singer, and Julia, a waitress, are both engaged, but to the wrong people. Fortune intervenes to help them discover each other.Another movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, but just has a lot of fun with nonsense.
