Feel Good Movies From My Blog


                                  I have written, reviewed, or analyzed nearly 150 movies. Here, I have compiled a list of feel good movies, i have written from the start. And, what is a feel good movie ?

                                  That's hard to answer, because it differs from each person. For me, they are something we can hang out with. They should motivate you, inspire you, teach you a life lesson, and make you feel good. Movies, I think is the greatest art, and for many serves it serves as a form of high quality entertainment. But, how many times can we watch movies with exploding helicopters, slap-stick comedies, and gory super-natural forces. These 'Feel Good Movies' are altogether different, even magical. If you watch these films, you might punch the air and get right back to living your life in the best ways you can imagine.

The Way Home 
               The simple, but moving Korean drama 'The Way Home,' is the story of a spoiled young city boy sent to live in a tiny rural village with his peasant grandmother. The movie isn't about Korean culture in particular. The grandmother in this movie represents a generation, which stands completely in contrast to our modern cellphone generation, that is bombarded with consumer-friendly luxury.

The Way Home - Review

Children of Heaven
                Another powerful family drama from Iran, about two children, who invent an intricate plan to conceal the loss of a pair of shoes. A world of deep humanism is explored in this movie, as we take a trip to the poor sector of Tehran, to watch desperate attempts of soulful children. 

Children of Heaven - Review

Dead Poets Society
                This American drama tells the story of a new English teacher, who awakens a traditional, conservative prep school for boys by daring to teach the lessons that can't be found in textbooks, and by inspiring to be themselves. Robin Williams delivers, one of his best performances as the English teacher.

Dead Poets Society - Review

It's A Wonderful Life
                 In this infinitely watchable movie, George Bailey (James Stewart) has his darkening worldview adjusted by an angel called Clarence. It is about the cosmic importance of one person's life and dreams. 

It's A Wonderful Life - Review

Groundhog Day
              A crabby, egocentric Weatherman lives the same dull day, in the same dull place, over and over until his cynicism becomes boring, and leads a way to the path of enlightenment.

Groundhog Day - Review

Good Will Hunting 
               This movie is a redemption story, a story about growing up and growing comfortable with oneself. It tells the story of a 20 year old rebellious, yet incredibly brilliant young man, Will Hunting (Matt Damon).Love, friendship, acceptance, and perseverance are the main themes in this movie.

Review

Forrest Gump
           This cinematic sensation tells Forrest  Gump's (Tom Hanks) epic journey through life, meeting historical figures, influencing popular culture, and experiencing first-hand historical incidents while largely unaware of their significance. It highlights goodness and integrity.

Review

Little Miss Sunshine 
             This American comedy-drama road film is about a dysfunctional family going to a childrens' beauty pageant for one of the children, Olive. Traveling together in a mini-van each of them discover certain aspects of their lives that they could not see beforehand and how to relate to one another.

Review

Cinema Paradiso
              A must watch movie for all movie-lovers. This Italian film, told in flashback, tells the story of the return of native Sicilian village, successful film director "Salvatore" for the funeral of his old friend "Alfredo", who was the projectionist at the local "Cinema Paradiso". Alfredo serves as a father figure to his young friend who only wishes the best to see him succeed, even if it means breaking his heart in the process.

Review

The Straight Story
                 David Lynch's movies mostly resembles a nightmare, but this semi-true story about an old guy riding cross-country on a lawnmower has the slow, awesome power and says wise things about age, time and brotherly love.

Review

The Shawshank Redemption
                    Frank Darabont's adaptation of Stephen King's novella tells a story about a banker who is accused of double murder in the 1940s and begins a life sentence at the fictional Shawshank prison, where he's befriended by an older inmate named Red. The movie transmits a powerfully pure and simple belief in hope and transcendence. 

Review

Millions
                   Millions is a film about young kids learning lessons about life through fantastical experiences. Films like this one should be seen to remind us of a more innocent and peaceful time that is gone, but not forgotten.

Review

Amelie
                 This charming movie tells the story of Amelie, an innocent in Paris, with her own sense of justice, decides to help those around her and along the way, discovers love. 

Review

The World's Fastest Indian
                 This movie tells the real-life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years re-building a 1920 Indian motorcycle, a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967. It exudes affection and goodwill.

Review

October Sky
                  This inspirational true story based on the memoir Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, Jr. is about growing up in a mining town and pursuing an interest in amateur rocketry.

Review

Big Fish
                   This is a movie full of vision, feeling, innocence, and magic. It tells the story about Will Bloom who goes home to be with his family as his ailing father, Edward Bloom, passes away. During his time there, he recalls the outlandish tales that his father told about his own life, always swearing they were true.

Review

Cast Away
                      This is a inspirational tale of human survival. In this movie, Tom Hanks plays a fictional FedEx employee who is stranded on an island after his plane crashes on a flight over the South Pacific. It depicts his attempts to survive on the island using remnants of his plane's cargo, as well as his eventual escape and return to society.

Review

The White Balloon
                          This highly acclaimed Iranian movie tells the story of a seven-year-old girl, who encounters a cross-section of Tehran's citizens as she finds and loses the money for a lucky New Year goldfish.

Review

Being There
                        This American satirical comedy is about a simple-minded, middle-aged gardener who, after a lifetime of seclusion and safety in a Washington, D.C. townhouse, gets his first exposure to reality beyond the walls of his sheltered existence. His only reference to the world is television, and when a chance encounter brings him into the inner fold of a dying billionaire, he suddenly finds himself the toast of Washington's political elite. His simple phrases about gardening are misinterpreted as anything from economic predictions to sage political advice. 

Review

Stand By Me
                        This is a American teen drama, which tells the writer's recounting of a boyhood journey to find a body of a missing boy, after the death of a local boy. Based on the novella 'The Body' by 'Stephen King.'

Review

The Kid
                       This classic silent movie was the first of Chaplin's feature films, and perhaps his most memorable. The heartwarming affection shared by Chaplin and the 'kid,' Coogan leaves a lasting warmth even in the coldest heart.

Review

50/50
                     This inspirational true story about love, friendship, and survival tells the experiences of a 27-year-old guy, who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.

Review 

Finding Neverland
                        This semi-biographical, feel-good movie is about the experiences of Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie that led him to write the children's classic. He befriends a young widow - and more importantly, her four sons - and their experiences together give him the ideas for a story about boys who do not want to grow up. 

Review 

 

15 comments:

Jayashree Srivatsan said...

Thank you . Wow so many of them !

Meoww said...

Have see and enjoyed quite a number of movies you have mentioned ! Make more lists :)

Raghav said...

lovely roundup of the films... and while I might disagree of some of them being "feel good" but they are all inspirational in one way or another.

FolkTalesUrbanLegends said...

Thanks a lot for the list, after watching crime dramas, gangster flicks and noir films I will hold this list close to my chest. :-)

Haricharan Pudipeddi said...

Lovely roundup of films that I think should be watched by everybody. I may have missed one or two in the list but will check out soon

Anonymous said...

Great Great collection!!!! Some are my favourites and the others i just added to my watchlist... :)....

Arun Kumar said...

@jaish_vats, Thanks for the comment.

@Meoww, Thank you. Yeah, will be making more lists in the future.

@Raghav, Thank you.

Arun Kumar said...

@sandeep, Thanks for the comment. Keep visiting.

@Haricharan, Thank you.

@Samik, Thanks for the comment.

the Animator said...

Having watched most of those movies I really appreciate your choice

Anonymous said...

Great list. Truly feel good. It is so amazing the way you cover so many good films.

Arun Kumar said...

@Rayyan Rizwan, Thanks for the comment. Keep visiting.

@Subhorup, Thank you.

Shareef S M A said...

A nice list.. But perspective differs. My list of feel good or favorite differs, (if i'm asked to make a list). Have seen 6 in this list, mainly amelie for more no. of times than the no. of movies in the list.. Rest of them are good but not very great in my opinion..

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan said...

a good list.. am glad to se Big Fish in there.. I always feel its an underrated work.
The others are quite famous in their own rights, be it SHawshank/Stand by Me/Dead Poets Society.

Akshy said...

Good List:).

Khoty Mathur said...

I went through the list and although I'd watched a few, oh joy, there are many I haven't. Please can you do the same with Hindi movies? (Only the really outstanding ones?)