I think we can all agree that the world can be a dark and depressing place. The last year and half have proven to be unforgiving. Wherever there is darkness, light isn’t too far behind. Sometimes it’s hard to see, but it is there. Movies, for me at least, offer a light that can be missing in day-to-day life. They are a way of escaping the doldrums and the harshness of reality. For two hours, one can get wrapped up in a good story and it can affect your mood for the rest of the day. This is one of the many gifts that movies can offer people. While I’m definitely the kind of guy that loves dark, gritty, and depressing thrillers, there are times when I just need to smile at the end of the movie. That’s where these “feel-good” movies come in. Sure, the story can take some dark turns, but if the result of the journey ends up being something optimistic and hopeful, then it’s a journey worth taking. Sometimes you can’t get to the light without stepping into the dark, but the light at the end of the tunnel can shine ever so brightly. Okay, that’s pretty cornball thing, I admit, but you get what I’m saying: There are times we just need to feel good about who we are and the world we live in. These movies can help with that.
Field of Dreams
There’s something inherently magical about baseball that speaks to us as Americans at least, and certainly to those that love and appreciate the game. Field of Dreams isn’t about the game per se, but rather what baseball represents: Our past. The spirit of the game touches every one of us, even those of us who rarely watch baseball anymore. There is something pure about seeing two teams take to a large field, throw around a ball and hit it over the fence. Field of Dreams is about one man’s attempt to reconnect with his past, especially his father, and the final moments of the film are some of the most emotional and uplifting moments I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in a movie. What would we do to spend one more day with the ones that we loved and lost? That’s the question that drives the movie, and it’s magic.
The Rocketeer
I just reviewed this one yesterday, but The Rocketeer deserves a special mention on this list. As I said in my review, this movie is a throwback to the old adventure of the 30s and 40s, especially the ones that starred Errol Flynn. It’s just an honest-to-God high-flying adventure. You’ve got memorable characters and a great cast, especially Timothy Dalton who plays the film’s villain and Alan Arkin who is the comic relief and Cliff Secord’s best friend. It doesn’t do much more than what it advertises, but it doesn’t need to. The idea of strapping a rocket to your back and flying like a bat out of hell is a childhood dream. While we can’t actually get our hands on a rocket pack like this, The Rocketeer is the next best thing. With an iconic score from the late James Horner, The Rocketeer is an adventure that will your send your spirit soaring through the sky.
Star Wars Original Trilogy
The battle between good and evil is a tale as old as time itself, and has taken on many forms in terms of books, video games, and movies. But George Lucas’ Star Wars took to a whole new level. While on the surface, it follows the Hero’s Journey to the letter, it’s done in such a way that captures the imagination unlike anything else. Even though Empire Strikes Back is the darkest entry in the original trilogy, it still managed to be a ton fun with lots of humor and great characters, and those characters are what drive this trilogy. In fact, the dark second chapter allows the final film to achieve a cathartic and emotionally resonant ending when Luke redeems his father, Anakin who had become Darth Vader. The original Star Wars trilogy ranks among the greatest films in cinema history and I would not be the movie buff that I am without them.
The Impossible
Sometimes in our darkest moments, the one thing that we have to hold on to and is not always easy to find, is hope. The Impossible takes place during the Boxing Day tsunami which struck Southeast Asia in 2004, resulting in the deaths of nearly 230,000 people. This film follows the true story of one family that managed to survive the catastrophe. This family was separated when the wave struck and they had no idea if their family was still alive, but they kept going. It’s an intense movie that’s brutally realistic in terms of what happened and the chaos that followed. I guess for some people this might not be a feel-good movie, but when you see people look out for each other in the midst of a cataclysmic disaster, it gives you hope for the best in people, even if the end result isn’t a happy one. The Impossible is a powerful look at the human spirit and what we can achieve for each other when we have hope. That’s why it’s a feel-good movie for me.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
I’ll be truthful with you, The Voyage Home is NOT my favorite Star Trek movie. In fact, it’s the one I watch the least. I was not a fan of turning Star Trek into a comedy. That said, it was very funny because it’s well written and superbly performed by everybody involved. Talk about fish out of water, almost literally. This is a feel-good movie because of the message involved. The story involves the crew of the Enterprise trying to redeem themselves by saving the world again, but by going back in time to save two whales that could communicate with an alien probe. It’s a simple set up, but the way it unfolds is hilarious, yet it stresses the importance of not letting certain species go extinct, because we have no idea how important these creatures are to our future. It’s a strong, positive message that’s wrapped up in a spectacularly funny entry into the Star Trek franchise.
The Princess Bride
What? You were expecting a Best Feel-Good movies list without The Princess Bride? Inconceivable! No movie is perfect, but The Princess Bride is as close to perfection as you can get. Yeah, it has all the trappings of a romantic swash-buckling adventure, but it also pokes fun at those conventions by breaking up the movie with interludes with a kid and his grandfather. It’s brilliant in how it all comes together. The characters are very interesting, likable, and flawed. It’s got great cameos from folks like Billy Crystal. The Impressive Clergyman is one of the goofiest characters I’ve ever seen, and it’s awesome. The sword-fights are spectacular, and the comedy is flawless. Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, and Andre the Giant make for some of the best characters in any movie. It’s a classic in every sense of the word, and I can’t recommend it enough. Oh, yeah: It’s endlessly quotable too. Always remember: Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line.
Apollo 13
This is the second movie on this list that deals with real events. The Apollo 13 mission was famous for nearly stranding three astronauts in space when an oxygen tank blew. It was a story that was ripe for telling on the silver screen, and Ron Howard was more than up to the task. The film is also quite accurate too, although some liberties had to be taken to make it more dramatic. This is the story of the best that humanity had to offer in order to bring three men home, and succeed they did. The mission was called a “successful failure” in which they failed to reach the moon, but succeeded in getting home alive. Apollo 13 is one of the greatest movies of its kind, and it’s inspirational, hopeful, and shines a light on the indominable nature of the human spirit. The acting is fantastic and the visual effects are out of this world, literally. It’s a movie that you can watch again and again, and feel nothing but pride for the men and women of NASA.
There are a lot of other feel-good movies out there that I haven’t mentioned, but these are the ones that stand out to me in the best ways possible and are the reasons why we go to the movies. Never underestimate the power of a good movie. It can change your outlook on many things. If nothing else, it can help with a bad day, and there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, it’s exactly what the doctor ordered.