A while back I put together a list of some of my favorite feel-good movies to watch on a lazy day. And I mean a while back. So, I wanted to gather a few more inspiring and uplifting movies for your next lazy day watchlist. This list of movies isn’t just comedies – that’s not really what I mean by “feel-good.” It includes 20 movies that have that special something – a warm glowy feeling, ya know?
There are laughs, love, and some heartwarming and profound moments in this list. Let me know which movies you’ve seen or what you’d add!
Good Will Hunting
This movie is pretty famous and includes a cast of people who would become ultra-famous. Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, and Minnie Driver are the leading cast in the film about Will Hunting (played by Matt Damon) a working-class genius who catches the attention of a university professor for his remarkable intellect. Robin Williams is a therapist tasked with helping the young man get out of his own way. The story and performance from the cast makes this a memorable and heartwarming movie. A great watch when you want a feel-good movie with some deeper emotional themes, that still give you that satisfying happy ending.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) is the star of this quirky and visually-unique movie. He is the concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel, a vibrant and refined hotel that sits atop a mountain in a fictional country. When Gustave inherits something valuable he has to outmaneuver the deceased’s family with the help of his trusted companion, a bellhop named Zero, played by Tony Revolori.
The movie includes a star-studded cast and is directed by Wes Anderson, which is pretty obvious just from watching the movie. Watch it if you want something quirky and light-hearted.
The Princess Bride
Can we call this a cult classic? I feel like its a cult classic. People that love The Princess Bride love The Princess Bride. Finish this sentence: “My name is Inigo Montoya… “
If you can, then you already know why this movie is on the list. If you can’t then go ahead and add it to your watchlist when you want a sweeping adventure with no lack of comedy and an almost theatrical vibe.
Dead Poets Society
Another movie on this list starring Robin Williams. He really did have a whole library of work that was heartwarming, moving, and funny. In Dead Poets Society he stars as an English teacher at a male prep academy who inspires his students above and beyond the norms of a classroom. If you’ve seen the famous scene with the student standing up on their desks and proclaiming “Oh captain, my captain!” – that’s Dead Poets Society.
The Help
In some ways calling The Help “feel-good” doesn’t hit quite right. The movie overall is inspiring and pursues a message of hope against all odds, but oof the things the characters go through to get to victory is anything but feel-good. This movie follows a young woman who is an aspiring writer and how she’s inspired to tell the untold stories of black women who work in white homes. AKA “The Help.”
The movie has an impressive cast and a group of compelling characters that tie the story together through the intermingling of their lives.
The Pursuit of Happyness
If you like an incredible true story, The Pursuit of Happyness is just that. It follows the struggles of a single father who is trying to build a better life for himself and his young son. And eventually (not to spoil it for you) he manages to make the remarkable a reality.
The Hundred-Foot Journey
The Hundred-Foot Journey is one of my absolute favorite feel-good movies. It has incredible heart, humor, and centers around food and cooking. It tells the story of an Indian family who lost everything and moved from their home to make a new life in the French countryside. They plan to open a restaurant, but what they don’t realize is that they’ve chosen a spot directly across the street from a Michelin-Star-winning restaurant. And the owner of the fine-dining establishment doesn’t take kindly to the new neighbors.
The King’s Speech
This is another true story of overcoming obstacles. In this case, the star is the King of England (played by Colin Firth) and the obstacle is the not-so-simple act of speaking. King George VI of the United Kingdom struggled with a severe stutter for all of his life, but as King, unfortunately for George, you’re required to be quite the public speaker.
The movie isn’t just about a King but really about the friendship between two men who must work together as peers, despite the royal status of one of them. It’s uplifting, funny and full of heart.
Up
This animated movie is mostly entirely feel-good… Once you get past the first 10 minutes or so and the crushing heartbreak that comes with it.
After that though, its a grumpy old guy, a dog that loves everyone, and an endlessly optimistic boy scout off on an adventure that, in the end, makes getting your heart put through a meatgrinder at the beginning more or less worth it.
Eat Pray Love
This movie lives in the same vein as Under The Tuscan Sun for me, although I think I’ll always love Under The Tuscan Sun a little more. It’s a story of finding the joy in life again through travel, food, spirituality and love. It stars the ever-famous Julia Roberts as well as James Franco, Billy Crudup, and Javier Bardem.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
This feel-good film focuses on a group of retirees who think they’ll find a luxurious lifestyle for pennies on the dollar in exotic India… Things don’t work out exactly the way they imagine. It’s on this list though, so you can be sure things turn out for the best as the group of friends navigate life in a new country and learn to love the culture and the people they meet there.
The Longest Yard
A little more rough and tumble than the other movies on this list, but still ultimately funny and inspiring. Adam Sandler stars in what, at first glance, seems like a movie that’s a little too… well, Adam Sandler-ish to really fit in here. But as it turns out even though there’s plenty of silly, and over-the-top humor that any Sandler fan will appreciate, The Longest Yard has just enough heart and sweetness mixed in to make it a good lazy-day pick. Just maybe not a pick for the whole family.
Something’s Gotta Give
I don’t know exactly why this movie has stuck with me so long but I come back to it every so often and love it every time. It’s a quintessential lazy-Sunday movie for me. Jack Nicolson is a womanizer that still manages to charm his way into the hearts of several of the main characters, and eventually, learns that acting his age isn’t the worst thing in the world. This heartwarming comedy also stars Diane Keaton, Amanda Peet and Keanu Reeves who are all endlessly charming.
It’s directed by Nancy Meyers who you might be familiar with through other films like What Women Want, It’s Complicated and The Parent Trap (1998).
Mama Mia!
First a Broadway play and then a major motion picture. Similar to The Princess Bride, people who love Mama Mia love Mama Mia. It’s a musical dedicated to the songs of the 70s band ABBA. Dancing Queen ring any bells for ya? The movie is set in Greece and tells the story of a young woman who is looking to discover who her father is before she gets married. Apparently, mom was a little bit of a floozy, but we don’t judge here.
The charming would-be fathers include Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgård), and Harry (Colin Firth). Amanda Seyfried and Maryl Streep lead as the mother-daughter duo in this upbeat musical comedy.
The Lady in the Van
The true story of an eccentric elderly woman, played by the lovely Maggie Smith, who takes up residence in the driveway of playwright Alan Bennett. Alan, both confused and fascinated by the complicated woman, tries to befriend her and the two form a long-lasting bond. The movie is sweet, funny, and focuses on friendships and relationships.
The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story is an 80s classic and a childhood favorite of many 80s kids. It’s pure fantasy adventure. It tells the story of a boy who find the book, The Neverending Story, and as he reads the story comes to life for him and us, the audience.
The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz is another classic that grabbed hold of audiences and never really let go. The Wicked Witch of the West and the ruby red slippers live on in the hearts of thousands. As do the main characters Dorothy, The Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man, and The Scarecrow. It stars Judy Garland, mother to Liza Minnelli, as Dorothy, the girl who gets swept away by a tornado in Kansas to the magical land of Oz.
Bandits
See Billy Bob Thorton as you’ve never seen him before. The normally tough, rough, and rude Billy Bob plays a soft-spoken basket of nerves, man one in a team of bank robbers. The other bank robber is played by equally famous Bruce Willis, and they’re joined on their comedic endeavors by the trouble-ridden Cate Blanchett. This is a uniquely funny and heartfelt heist movie about two bank robbers who have a smarter-than-average approach to making their money.
The Indian in the Cupboard
Originally a book, The Indian in the Cupboard tells the story of a boy who discovers he has a magical cupboard that can bring his toys to life. The first toy (but not the last) to become a living, breathing, and very small living being is an Indian named Little Bear. The boy and Little Bear form a friendship and learn from each other, but of course, nothing is quite as simple as it seems.
This movie is a bucket of 90s childhood nostalgia. It’s funny, family-friendly, and heartwarming.
What feel-good movies would you add to this list?
That’s a wrap for my newest lazy day watchlist, but I’d love to know what movies you think belong on this list. What films do you watch over and over because they just give you the warm and fuzzies?
