My favourite feel-good movies
by readwin | created - 30 Jun 2014 | updated - 6 months ago | PublicMust 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.
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1. A Few Good Men (1992)
R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller
Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon
Votes: 287,440 | Gross: $141.34M
A really good drama with a tight script and good acting.
2. Groundhog Day (1993)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky
Votes: 685,280 | Gross: $70.91M
Bill Murray at his best. The gags are funny, the plot has a point and everything works.
3. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
PG | 98 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A 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.
Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders | Stars: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson
Votes: 800,882 | Gross: $217.58M
Wow - I'm not a big fan of animated movies but this one is funny. Classic nerd redemption with dragons, and Vikings.
4. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
R | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, James Fleet, Simon Callow
Votes: 166,204 | Gross: $52.70M
Some really classic scenes, but the whole movie plays for laughs and doesn't take itself too seriously.
5. Aliens (1986)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Decades 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.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser
Votes: 763,350 | Gross: $85.16M
Liked it better than the first one.
6. Easy A (2010)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When 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.
Director: Will Gluck | Stars: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Dan Byrd
Votes: 418,118 | Gross: $58.40M
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.
7. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A 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.
Director: Gil Junger | Stars: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik
Votes: 385,501 | Gross: $38.18M
Great plot, well it's Shakespeare innit!
8. Juno (2007)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Drama
Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child.
Director: Jason Reitman | Stars: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman
Votes: 549,341 | Gross: $143.50M
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.
9. The Net (I) (1995)
PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When 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.
Director: Irwin Winkler | Stars: Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam, Dennis Miller, Diane Baker
Votes: 73,838 | Gross: $50.73M
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.
10. Pretty Woman (1990)
R | 119 min | Comedy, Romance
A man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets... only to fall in love.
Director: Garry Marshall | Stars: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo
Votes: 362,628 | Gross: $178.41M
A classic girly movie, but you gotta watch it.
11. Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
PG-13 | 108 min | Comedy, Romance
A 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.
Director: Andy Tennant | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, Josh Lucas, Candice Bergen
Votes: 123,624 | Gross: $127.22M
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.
12. Fool's Gold (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A new clue to the whereabouts of a lost treasure rekindles a married couple's sense of adventure -- and their estranged romance.
Director: Andy Tennant | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena
Votes: 84,504 | Gross: $70.23M
This is silly, impossible and if you can get into it, a lot of fun.
13. Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
PG-13 | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A 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.
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa | Stars: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone
Votes: 564,589 | Gross: $84.35M
Entertaining when it stays away from trying to be deep.
14. Save the Last Dance (2001)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama, Music, Romance
A white midwestern girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past.
Director: Thomas Carter | Stars: Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, Kerry Washington, Fredro Starr
Votes: 65,988 | Gross: $91.06M
A bit predictable, but the characters feel real and you care about them by the end.
15. Safe Haven (I) (2013)
PG-13 | 115 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Lasse Hallström | Stars: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders, David Lyons
Votes: 116,396 | Gross: $71.35M
Great plot twist. I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
16. The Blind Side (2009)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The 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.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head
Votes: 360,618 | Gross: $255.96M
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!
17. Wimbledon (2004)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
A 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.
Director: Richard Loncraine | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Sam Neill
Votes: 66,639 | Gross: $17.00M
No message here, just a lot of fun.
18. Stuck in Love. (2012)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An 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.
Director: Josh Boone | Stars: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Lily Collins, Nat Wolff
Votes: 91,994 | Gross: $0.08M
I found this one strangely inspirational. I can understand if someone doesn't like this, but it just hit the right note for me.
19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama
Charlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.
Director: Stephen Chbosky | Stars: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd
Votes: 548,160 | Gross: $17.74M
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.
20. Taken (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 90 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Pierre Morel | Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser
Votes: 634,651 | Gross: $145.00M
Loved it for raw action and a tight plot.
21. The Art of Getting By (2011)
PG-13 | 83 min | Drama, Romance
George, 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.
Director: Gavin Wiesen | Stars: Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Sasha Spielberg
Votes: 60,817 | Gross: $1.43M
It was a nice story well acted.
22. Step Up (2006)
PG-13 | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Music
Tyler Gage 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.
Director: Anne Fletcher | Stars: Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, Damaine Radcliff, De'Shawn Washington
Votes: 126,850 | Gross: $65.33M
Just scraped onto the list. Weak in places and desperately follows the formula, but it has a good heart.
23. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 945,854 | Gross: $83.01M
The action movie all the rest have to beat.
24. Pitch Perfect (2012)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
Beca, 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.
Director: Jason Moore | Stars: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp
Votes: 330,816 | Gross: $65.00M
Funny, and the music is pretty good. The plot is really weak, but it manages to get by without it.
25. The Wedding Singer (1998)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
Robbie, a singer, and Julia, a waitress, are both engaged, but to the wrong people. Fortune intervenes to help them discover each other.
Director: Frank Coraci | Stars: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor, Allen Covert
Votes: 162,363 | Gross: $80.25M
Another movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, but just has a lot of fun with nonsense.
26. The Craft (1996)
R | 101 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who anger them.
Director: Andrew Fleming | Stars: Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True
Votes: 107,755 | Gross: $24.88M
Great atmosphere, solid script and well-acted.
27. Georgia Rule (2007)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama
A troubled young woman is sent to live with her grandmother for the summer, while hiding a secret that could potentially tear her family apart.
Director: Garry Marshall | Stars: Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney
Votes: 26,918 | Gross: $18.88M
Darker than you might think, but an excellent script, excellent acting.
28. Practical Magic (1998)
PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Two witch sisters, raised by their eccentric aunts in a small town, face closed-minded prejudice and a curse which threatens to prevent them ever finding lasting love.
Director: Griffin Dunne | Stars: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest
Votes: 93,096 | Gross: $46.68M
Good date movie. A few scary bits for hugs, a male lead that is "perfect", powerful women and a happy ending. If you aren't snuggling by the finish, then you shouldn't have been on the date in the first place.
29. Stick It (2006)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
After a run-in with the law, Haley is forced to return to the world from which she fled years ago. Enrolled in an elite gymnastics program run by the legendary Burt Vickerman, Haley's rebellious attitude slowly gives way to a team spirit.
Director: Jessica Bendinger | Stars: Missy Peregrym, Jeff Bridges, Vanessa Lengies, Nikki SooHoo
Votes: 30,436 | Gross: $26.87M
Really liked this one. Missy Peregrym plays the rebellious teen brilliantly. The rest just cling to her performance and hang on.
30. Beautiful Creatures (2013)
PG-13 | 124 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Ethan Wate longs to escape his small southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena Duchannes. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history, and their town.
Director: Richard LaGravenese | Stars: Alice Englert, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Alden Ehrenreich
Votes: 91,022 | Gross: $19.45M
Drags a little toward the end, but if you can get past the accents, it is fun.
31. Friends with Benefits (2011)
R | 109 min | Comedy, Romance
A young man and woman decide to take their friendship to the next level without becoming a couple, but soon discover that adding sex only leads to complications.
Director: Will Gluck | Stars: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman
Votes: 394,664 | Gross: $55.80M
Good romantic comedy. Top marks for likeable characters.
32. Warm Bodies (2013)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Horror, Romance
After a highly unusual zombie saves a still-living girl from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion events that might transform the entire lifeless world.
Director: Jonathan Levine | Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Lio Tipton
Votes: 243,643 | Gross: $66.38M
Not your average zombie movie. A few plot stretches, but the whole thing is so good-natured you can let them go.
33. The DUFF (2015)
PG-13 | 101 min | Comedy, Romance
A high school senior instigates a social pecking order revolution after finding out that she has been labeled the DUFF - Designated Ugly Fat Friend - by her prettier, more popular counterparts.
Director: Ari Sandel | Stars: Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell, Allison Janney
Votes: 101,627 | Gross: $34.03M
Unusually clever and funny for a teen movie.
34. Blood and Chocolate (2007)
PG-13 | 98 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A teenage werewolf is torn between honoring her family's secret and her love for a man.
Director: Katja von Garnier | Stars: Agnes Bruckner, Hugh Dancy, Olivier Martinez, Katja Riemann
Votes: 18,300 | Gross: $3.53M
Harmless, fun, and low budget, but well done.
Absolutely my favorite movie in this genre. Makes movie making look easy.
35. One Small Hitch (2013)
Not Rated | 105 min | Comedy, Romance
Josh's girlfriend wants to get married. Molly's boyfriend is married. Josh and Molly fly to the wedding in Chicago together and pretend to be engaged to make their parents happy. Comedy follows...does romance?
Director: John Burgess | Stars: Shane McRae, Aubrey Dollar, Daniel J. Travanti, Janet Ulrich Brooks
Votes: 5,393 | Gross: $0.01M
Funny, sweet and harmless.
36. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Four teenagers are sucked into a magical video game, and the only way they can escape is to work together to finish the game.
Director: Jake Kasdan | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black
Votes: 445,919 | Gross: $404.52M
Oh it has been a while since I wanted to add a movie to this list. This one is pure fun. I thought they had stopped making movies like this.
37. American Ultra (2015)
R | 96 min | Action, Comedy
A stoner - who is in fact a government agent - is marked as a liability and targeted for extermination. But he's too well-trained and too high for them to handle.
Director: Nima Nourizadeh | Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Connie Britton, John Leguizamo
Votes: 96,029 | Gross: $14.43M
Fun movie, a little silly, a little violent, but entertaining all the same.
38. Dorfman in Love (2011)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Unknowingly trapped in her role as caretaker of her unappreciative family, a young single woman desperately needs a change. When she volunteers to cat-sit at her unrequited love's downtown L.A. loft, her dull old world changes forever.
Director: Brad Leong | Stars: Sara Rue, Elliott Gould, Keri Lynn Pratt, Scott Wilson
Votes: 1,646 | Gross: $0.01M
Just funny and sweet.
39. Ready Player One (2018)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When the creator of a virtual reality called the OASIS dies, he makes a posthumous challenge to all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune and control of his world.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe
Votes: 486,451 | Gross: $137.69M
Classic Spielberg! Welcome back, where have you been, we have missed you?
40. Forever My Girl (2018)
PG | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
After being gone for a decade a country star returns home to the love he left behind.
Director: Bethany Ashton Wolf | Stars: Alex Roe, Jessica Rothe, Abby Ryder Fortson, Travis Tritt
Votes: 21,333 | Gross: $16.38M
This is a romantic drama. Not usually my thing, but this one was sweet.
41. Let It Snow (2019)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Romance
In a small town on Christmas Eve, a snowstorm brings together a group of young people.
Director: Luke Snellin | Stars: Isabela Merced, Shameik Moore, Odeya Rush, Liv Hewson
Votes: 24,957
This was funny/quirky and for once the whole gender/race thing wasn't intrusive.
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