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Entertainment August 30, 2017
Grab your popcorn and a comfy seat on the couch!
Photo via Instagram / @godfatherofgoreIf you’re looking to avoid some of the harsh realities on the news for a while or to just spend some time laughing and relaxing with your loved ones, we’ve got the perfect solution: 11 of the best feel-good movies.
These films are guaranteed to make you laugh, connect and root for the lead characters’ happiness. They’ll also teach or remind you of some great lessons that will inspire your own happiness.
ENTITY put together this list of our 11 favorite feel-good movies to get you started on a more uplifting path.
Successful businessman Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) needs a female companion (Julia Roberts) to schmooze with his colleagues and their wives at work events. Vivian Ward is a prostitute on Hollywood Boulevard looking to score some easy cash. In an unlikely pairing, the two team up to help each other reach their goals.
Edward gets his commitment-free engagement and Vivian gets a chance to live the high-life and feel like Cinderella. Along the way, the two learn more about each other than they first expected.
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, this film will make you fall in love with characters that are typically stigmatized because they’re so real.
Our favorite line:
Edward: So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?
Vivian: She rescues him right back.
Lessons we love:
People aren’t always who they seem to be. In fact, happiness can be found with the most unlikely people and situations. So, don’t judge a book by its cover.
Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) is 13 years old and tired of being the awkward middle schooler who gets teased at her own party by the cool girls. So when she finds herself crying in the closet, she makes one birthday wish: to be 30, flirty and thriving.
Boom. The next day Jenna wakes up in an unfamiliar bed with a body she doesn’t remember. She’s been transformed into the 30-year-old woman she dreamed of. Now, it’s time for her to navigate her newfound adult life while handling old friendships and her tween brain.
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, this film is perfect for teens imagining what life will be like when they’re out of the awkward stage and for adults reminiscing about times when life wasn’t completely weighed down by grown-up responsibilities.
Our favorite line:
Pete Hansen: What’s wrong, Pookie?
Jenna: Pookie? Uh … Pukie! You’re married!
Lessons we love:
It’s okay to be yourself. In addition, there is plenty to embrace and enjoy about being a teenager. Growing up isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Some of the best friends you make are the ones who are just as weird as you are.
Nemo (Alexander Gould) is Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Coral’s (Elizabeth Perkins) last surviving baby fish after a barracuda attacks their home in the Great Barrier Reef. Marlin is saddened by the loss of his wife and future babies but is happy his son survived. However, this also makes him one very worried clownfish about Nemo’s safety, especially because his son was born with one smaller fin.
When a frustrated Nemo pushes his father’s boundaries, he accidentally gets pulled on to a boat and transported across the ocean. It’s now Marlin’s job to navigate the deep blue sea with the help of friends he meets along the way to get his son back.
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, this kid’s flick is great for the whole family and will make you want to hug the ones you love.
Our favorite line:
Dory: Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you’ve gotta do?
Marlin: No, I don’t wanna know.
Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.
Lessons we love:
Sometimes allowing your children to make their own mistakes is the only way you can help them grow. However, when life gets too hard, your family will always be your number one supporter.
Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) had the perfect life. She was a writer happily living in San Francisco with her husband. That is, until she found out he was cheating on her. In an attempt to make her divorce a little easier to deal with, Frances’ best friend Patti (Sandra Oh) gives her tickets for a trip to Tuscany, Italy.
Deciding to take the trip, Frances ends up in an unfamiliar country, buying a small villa and rediscovering who she really is.
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, this film is full of girl power. If you’ve recently experienced a bad breakup, this movie will help inspire you to get back on your feet.
Our favorite line:
Frances: Unthinkably good things can happen even late in the game. It’s such a surprise.
Lessons we love:
It’s okay to fall apart every now and then. When you put yourself back together, you can rediscover who you are. No one needs to fix you because you can find happiness on your own.
Greaser Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and good girl Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) had a summer fling by the beach while she vacationed in his town from Australia. However, the romance they thought was left by the waves comes back into the spotlight when Sandy starts attending Rydell High, Danny’s school.
Danny is challenged with maintaining his cool-guy persona among the T-Birds, while Sandy gets used to high school in America and fitting in with the cheerleaders and Pink Ladies. The musical numbers make ’50s high school drama more exciting and Sandy’s transformation is a classic movie moment.
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, “Grease” is a winner. Everyone can find a character to identify with. You’ll also have the catchy songs stuck in your head all night.
Our favorite line:
Danny: Sandy!
Sandy: Tell me about it, stud.
Lessons we love:
Being true to the people you care about is more valuable than acting cool. However, finding your own inner confidence will forever be sexy and a good thing.
Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald) is the popular girl who gets everything she wants. Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall) is the nerdy virgin who tries a little bit too hard. Andrew Clark (Emilio Estevez) is the classic jock who fits the stereotypes. Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) is the girl who wears black clothes and heavy makeup and behaves pretty strangely. And John Bender (Judd Nelson) is the bad boy rebel who doesn’t take anything seriously.
The only thing they have in common is that they attend the same high school and all ended up in Saturday detention. However, as the hours start going by and they are faced with writing an essay about who they are, they start to realize, they are a lot more similar than they are different.
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, this film will offer new perspectives on the groups you thought you hated in high school.
Our favorite line:
Brian: Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us – in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain…
Andrew: And an athlete…
Allison: And a basket case…
Claire: A princess…
John: And a criminal…
Brian: Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.
Lessons we love:
Every person has two sides: the version of themselves they show the world and the version they keep hidden. It’s worth it to take the time to see both.
Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) isn’t just some cute little bunny who will accept being pushed around. Her dream since childhood has been to leave her small town of Bunnyburrow and head to the big city to become a police officer. However, when she gets there, she isn’t met with the same enthusiasm she brings to the table.
Despite being valedictorian of the academy, Judy is assigned to parking duty by the male predator animals who don’t think she is tough enough to handle real police work. Hope seems lost until she meets Nick Wilde (Jason Baterman) and gets assigned her first real case to find Mrs. Otterton’s missing husband. Now, Judy has to prove she knows exactly how to be a good cop.
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, this film may seem like it’s for children but it also offers insightful social commentary.
Our favorite line:
Judy: Life’s a little bit messy. We all make mistakes. No matter what type of animal you are, change starts with you.
Lessons we love:
Girls are just as intelligent and capable as men in typically male-dominated fields. In addition, just because someone is stigmatized or stereotyped by society, it doesn’t mean they are bad people or dangerous. Communicating with people you don’t understand helps break down those barriers.
Mikey Walsh, his older brother Brandon and their family live in the Goon Docks of Astoria, Oregon. Their life seems pretty good until they find out their home is about to be foreclosed and they’ll have to move away from their friends. In an attempt to have one last great adventure together, the group of friends band together to follow a treasure map they find in the Walsh attic.
The treasure map leads Mikey, Brand, Data, Mouth, Chunk, Andy and Stef to an abandoned restaurant near the coast. However, they soon find out the Fratelli criminals are using the location as their hideout. The Goonies then have to not only figure out how to stay together, but also how to stay alive.
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, this movie provides the perfect balance of adventure, friendship and hilarious humor.
Our favorite line:
Mikey: Goonies never say die!
Lessons we love:
Friends who stand together are more powerful than trying to solve difficult life issues on their own. In addition, you shouldn’t give up hope and instead look for creative solutions to problems that arise.
When the movie opens, a boy (Fred Savage) is laying in bed because he is sick with a cold. To keep him company, his grandfather (Peter Falk) comes over to read him a book. And so follows the story of the Princess Bride.
Buttercup (Robin Wright) is a beautiful girl who lives on a farm in the fictional country of Florin. As she orders the farmhand Westley (Cary Elwes) to do various chores for her, she soon realizes his reply each time of “As you wish” is actually his way of telling her he loves her.
Buttercup realizes she loves Westley back. However, when tragedy strikes, she believes her love to be dead and vows never to love again. Forced into an arranged marriage engagement, it seems as though the lovers will never reunite. But a journey and some friends met along the way make for a tumultuous tale.
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, this tale of true love will make your heart feel warm and fuzzy. This is the perfect movie for anyone who wants to see unrequited love lead to a happy ending.
Our favorite line:
Westley: As you wish.
Lessons we love:
True love will withstand any obstacle. Sometimes a simple way to show someone you love them is to put forth effort to help make their life easier and more comfortable.
Joanna Stayton (Goldie Hawn) is three things: rich, selfish and impatient. She is married to Grant Stayton III (Edward Herrmann) and has a perfectly pampered life. However, when their yacht breaks down in a small Oregon town and needs repairs, Joanna also decides to have her closet on board redone. Enter Dean Proffitt (Kurt Russell), the local handyman.
Despite his good work, Joanna decides not to pay Dean because he used oak wood on the job instead of cedar. An argument ensues, resulting in Joanna pushing Dean overboard and dumping his tools after him. Later that night, Joanna loses her wedding ring on the deck while the yacht is out to sea and ends up falling overboard herself. She is rescued but has amnesia, which leads to Grant quickly claiming she isn’t his wife.
Leave it to Dean to step in and seize the opportunity by telling Joanna she is actually his wife and the mother of his four boys. The question then becomes, when will the truth come out and will revenge end in a positive outcome for anyone?
When it comes to the best-feel good movies, this light-hearted comedy will have you rooting for both sides and seeing unlikely characters step out of their elements to become more well-rounded.
Our favorite line:
Joanna: What’s my name?
Dean: Mrs. Annie Proffitt
Joanna: Well what’s my maiden name?
Dean: Annie Goolaheey
Joanna: ANNIE GOOLAHEEY … Where in God’s name did I grow up, Dogpatch?
Dean: No, not there honey. Over in Goober, Idaho but it’s a nuclear waste dump.
Lessons we love:
It’s important to be kind to people. There’s more under the surface to everyone. The pretentious are often insecure or misguided themselves and the ones crying out for help the most, often don’t know how to show it.
Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes) wishes for one thing every year on her birthday: to meet her father (Colin Firth). She’s lived a happy life with her single mother Libby (Kelly Preston) in America up until her 17th birthday. Daphne decides it’s no longer time to wait around for her father to find her. She decides to take off to England to find him.
After breaking into his castle-like mansion, Daphne finally comes face to face with her father Earl Henry Dashwood. Armed with her birth certificate and a photograph, he believes her identity. But will this eccentric American ever fit in to the life of British royals and the new family her father has?
When it comes to the best feel-good movies, this film is great for those struggling with family issues and split or extended families.
Our favorite line:
Daphne: Every year I would wish if that I was good enough you would come and find me.
Lessons we love:
When it comes to family, life doesn’t always about following an easy rule book. Always be yourself and follow your truth and the right connections will come naturally.
Now, just grab your loved ones and some popcorn and find a comfy spot on the couch. With these 11 feel-good movies, you’ll be sitting there for awhile. But, it’ll be totally worth it.
