With adulthood being as hard as it is, feel-good movies serve a crucial function: Sometimes, you just aren’t in the mood to challenge your brain with an Oscar-winning thriller or a critically acclaimed documentary. Comfort-food movie-viewing is extremely valid and, in our opinion, a necessary part of a balanced media diet—so why deny yourself? Below, find 24 feel-good movies to escape into the next time you need a little coziness.
13 Going on 30 (2004)
If you need a reminder of just how cool it can be to be an adult (your own apartment! No curfew! Money that, at least theoretically, is all yours to spend how you will!), rewatching angsty teen Jenna Rink morph into her 30-year-old self overnight is just the thing.
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
I famously have a whole lot of thoughts about this classic Cukor screwball comedy, starring Katharine Hepburn as a pampered society girlie with her pick of would-be suitors, but to sum them up: this movie is the perfect pick-me-up.
Groundhog Day (1993)
If you’re not averse to repeating the same day over and over (in a movie, anyway), then this classic comedy starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell might be just the thing to get you smiling and feeling some sense of gratitude for the normal passage of time.
Ratatouille (2007)
Is this charming film about a rat who moonlights as a chef in a fancy Paris kitchen technically for kids? Sure. Has it turned a bad day around for me more times than I’m willing to publicly admit? Absolutely.
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Finding out that you’re the princess of a small European country led by Julie Andrews isn’t quite as much fun as one might think (at least, not for protagonist Mia Thermopolis), but watching this movie with some popcorn and a fuzzy blanket is extremely fun.
Last Holiday (2006)
Queen Latifah is an automatic mood-booster in pretty much all situations, but never more than when she’s snowboarding and BASE jumping her way through a spa city in the Czech Republic (and getting her flirt on the whole time!).
Bring It On (2000)
I can think of easily over a dozen occasions when I’ve put on this high-school cheerleading comedy to pull myself out of a not-so-great mood, and zero occasions when it hasn’t worked. “I’m wanted, I’m hot, I’m everything you’re not! I’m pretty, I’m cool, I dominate this school!”
A League of Their Own (1992)
As Jess on New Girl says, this movie is “about sisterhood…and the war.” Accordingly, there are some tense moments, but mostly A League of Their Own concerns lusting after a young Tom Hanks and watching Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell run around in period softball costumes—a.k.a. instant serotonin.
Finding Nemo (2003)
Sure, this one’s for kids, but after that terrifying opening scene (you know the one I mean), it’s pretty much smooth sailing, like an “underwater” screensaver with a touching plot about family, friendship, bravery, and independence attached. (Thomas Newman’s rousing score doesn’t hurt, either.)
Amélie (2002)
Parisian waitress Amelie Poulin’s whole mission in life is to help people find joy, and this movie is sure to help you do the same every time you rewatch it.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Arguably the most feel-good entry in Nora Ephron’s oeuvre, this movie comes in handy just when you’ve convinced yourself that love is dead after one too many breakups. Why didn’t Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan ever costar in anything else?
Julie Julia (2009)
Actually, is this the most feel-good Nora Ephron movie of all time? Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and the endless shots of mouthwateringly flaky crust and melting butter all say yes.
Shrek (2001)
There are just enough sly little winks in this animated kids’ favorite to make it fun for adults too, and come on—who doesn’t shed a tear when Shrek learns to love fellow ogress Fiona?
Mamma Mia! (2008)
No offense, but if you can get to the end of this Greek island romp without singing along, there’s something incurably wrong with you.
The Princess Bride (1987)
A classic for a reason, this epic adventure gets thrown on the TV pretty much any time I’m grumpy on a Sunday (and want to bask in the beauty of Robin Wright).
Blue Crush (2002)
The creme de la creme of aughts surfer-girl rom-coms! (Okay, fine, maybe it’s the only one.) Kate Bosworth and her gang of sun-streaked besties are so charming in this film, you’ll want to abscond to Hawaii and learn to pop up alongside them.
Clueless (1995)
Arguably the Austen rom-com adaptation against which all others must be measured, this movie is excellent PR for nosy popular girls.
Father of the Bride (1991)
If you want to escape into some truly low-stakes ’90s drama—the characters in this movie are…planning a wedding!—Nancy Meyers’s Father of the Bride is for you. (Also, is it me, or was Steve Martin kind of hot?)
It’s Complicated (2009)
Speaking of Nancy Meyers and Steve Martin, there’s probably nothing more soothing than watching Meryl Streep cook in a gorgeous Santa Barbara kitchen.
Across the Universe (2007)
A Beatles soundtrack updated in a way that’s actually successful and not (totally) cringe? I’d be suspicious too, but trust me, it works—and is cozy as hell to watch on a boring Friday night.
March of the Penguins (2005)
I can honestly say I hadn’t ever given much thought to the migration patterns of emperor penguins before seeing this movie—but now I’m hooked on how insanely cute they are.
Booksmart (2019)
Even if you’re not a formerly weird high school girl of the “only has one friend” variety (ahem, hi), this movie is sure to make you crack up and feel at least a little bit like the kids are all right.
Home for the Holidays (1995)
Holly Hunter’s ineffable charm makes this Thanksgiving-centric movie a perfect rewatch for any time of year, not just on the third Thursday in November.
Little Women (2019)
To paraphrase Ariana DeBose, Greta Gerwig (and Saoirse Ronan, and Florence Pugh, and Emma Watson, and Timothée Chalamet, and Laura Dern, and Bob Odenkirk, and Meryl Streep) did the thing, and we are all infinitely grateful.
