10 Feel Good Films to Watch (When You Need to Escape this Bat-sh!t Timeline)

There’s nothing quite like a good movie, a bowl of popcorn, and a Diet Coke to put me in my happy place. If I’m browsing the endless options of streaming services and can’t find something that piques my interest, there are several movies out there that I could watch over and over and find something new to love each time. And when the outside world is bonkers and it feels like we’re in real-life Idiocracy, a feel good favorite is a wonderful form of escapism.

PLUS, rewatching movies can help alleviate anxiety by providing comfort because you already know what’s going to happen! With that being said, here are 10 feel good films to watch (when you need to escape this bat-sh!t timeline). 

1. A League of Their Own (1992)

From the age 5 to 13, I played baseball with the boys. I was pretty good, if I may say so myself. Needless to say, a movie about a women’s professional baseball league was bound to touch my heart. 

Starring the gorgeous Geena Davis and the international treasure that is Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own is based on The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, a real-life professional women's baseball division that began in 1943 when America’s men were sent off to fight in World War II. The movie is heart-warming, funny, inspiring, has incredible acting, and will leave you debating: Did she drop the ball on purpose?

To this day, whenever my mom and I are saying goodbye to each other, we have the following conversation:

Mom: “Hey Julie, lay off the high ones!”

Me: “I like the high ones!”

Mom: “Mule!”

Me: “Nag!”

It’s one of our ways of saying I love you. <3

2. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Holy Mother of God, this movie is ASTOUNDING. This film synopsis states “When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.” 

However, it’s so much more than the synopsis gives it credit for. Topics covered in the 2 hour and 19 minute film include: the immigrant experience, mother-daughter relationships, transgenerational trauma, depression, sexuality, self-worth, the multiverse and more. Plus, it has some pretty bad-ass  (non-gory) fighting scenes.

I feel I should mention that it took me a solid 2 watches to understand the movie and it is definitely rated R for a reason. :P It’s a bonkers, hilarious, heartstrings-tugging ride and with every rewatch, I catch something I missed before. The awe-inspiring film was nominated for 11 Oscars and took home 7, more than any other film in 2023. 

3. Forrest Gump (1994)

   
   

Surely you’ve seen this one. It’s a GD classic. The story follows Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks, again…), an intellectually disabled man, from childhood into adulthood. It chronicles his wild experiences from being a college football star, fighting in Vietnam, becoming a ping-pong champion, captaining a shrimp boat, to finding love.

The story also follows Forrest’s lifelong love, Jenny, a woman who has also faced hardship since childhood and whose life takes a much different road than Forrest’s. Forrest and Jenny find each other at different stages of life and no matter where they’re at, they go together like “peas and carrots.”

Forrest’s optimistic and accepting approach to life could teach us all a few things about love and friendship. 

4. Harry Potter (Any one of the 8 movies)

Note: I vehemently disagree with JK Rowling’s stance on the trans community and I remain flabbergasted by her views on trans rights. While I no longer buy HP merchandise, the series will always have a special place in my heart.

I read the Harry Potter series as a young child when I didn’t know exactly where I fit in. Hogwarts was an inclusive, magical place where the different kids found their place. When I give the films a rewatch, I tell myself I’m supporting the actors (who have been outspoken in their support for the LGBTQIA+ community) rather than the author.

Do you feel like experiencing the childlike wonder of Harry riding the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts for the first time in The Sorcerer’s Stone or do you want the fright of seeing the film adaptation of soul-sucking dementors in The Prisoner of Azkaban? Do you want the light-hearted fun of lifesize wizard’s chess, or the adult themes of racism, classism, and ideology in the later films? Every film has magic to offer and probably once a year, I’ll have a marathon. The actors, the score, the story, and the nostalgia are all spectacular. 

At a period in our muggle world when it seems Death Eaters are trying their best to take over (they’ve failed throughout history, by the way), Dumbledore’s quote from The Goblet of Fire seems especially prevalent. “Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”

5. Dirty Dancing (1987)

Do you need a lighthearted, feel-good movie featuring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey dancing in ways that will electrify your downstairs? Look no further. 

Dirty Dancing is a classic romance drama about Baby, a young woman on a family summer vacation at an upscale resort. When she meets Johnny, the resort’s smokin’ hot dance instructor, her eyes are opened to the world of dancing and young love. 

This movie never fails to make me smile and want to dance, of course. The final dance scene to the song “The Time of my Life” is epic and Johnny’s famous line “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” shall live on in our hearts forever.

6. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

I am 34 years old and unashamed to admit that some of my favorite films are cartoons. If you grew up loving the Shrek movies like I did, then you’ll love Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. 

When Puss realizes he has callously lost 8 of his 9 lives, he embarks on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his 9 lives. Joining Puss’s journey are Perrito, a compassionate chihuahua who has seen hard times; Kitty Softpaws, an old flame of Puss’s; a bounty hunter who wants to punish Puss for not valuing life (warning: if you intend on watching this with children, this character is a bit scary); and several other classic fairy tale creatures. 

Along the way, Puss understands that he must cherish this life, as it is the only one he has. Perrito teaches him to “stop and smell the roses” and Kitty Softpaws reminds him to hold those you love close.

One of my favorite scenes involves Puss experiencing a panic attack. Puss is terrified, but after a few minutes and the help of a friend, his anxiety attack passes. What a wonderful thing for children and adults to see. This movie has beautiful animation and an even more beautiful message. 

7. Legally Blonde (2001)

I was 10 years old when this movie came out and as a young girl, it left its mark. When Elle Woods, a “too” blonde sorority girl, decides to go to Harvard Law School to win her boyfriend back, nothing gets in her way. 

Throughout her first year at the prestigious school, Elle finds her true passion. She is a brilliant, strong, and determined young woman who does not need a man to be successful. She overcomes several obstacles throughout the film and in the end, becomes the bad-ass she was meant to be and makes a name for herself as a lawyer.

Reese Witherspoon was born to play Elle Woods and spread the “girl power” message. “What, like it’s hard?”

8. Marley & Me (2008)

Just kidding. This is the saddest movie ever, except perhaps Hardball. Unless you feel like diving into sadness and crying your eyes out, don’t watch.

8. (For real this time) The Hunger Games (2012)

In a post-apocalyptic, dystopian nation, the wealthy Capitol pits the impoverished districts against each by forcing them to send 2 children into the Hunger Games every year to fight to the death while their loved ones watch. Our heroine, Katniss Everdeen, is selected to participate in the 74th annual Hunger Games where the story starts. 

Much like what is happening in our real world, those with all the wealth (the Capitol) are controlling the narrative in order to distract the districts into thinking they are each other’s enemies. In reality, it is the Capitol who is starving and killing innocent people. Eventually, the people rise up and revolution ensues.

The talented Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss Everdeen and the movies, in my opinion, do the worldwide bestselling book series justice. Plus, the author, Suzanne Collins, has released 2 more prequels, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping, that are also beautifully written. 

In fiction and real life, the good prevails in the end. ;)

9. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)

Okay, I just gave this classic a rewatch the other day and it tickled my funny bone. Andie Anderson, played by Kate Hudson, is writing an article for work about “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” She reels in Benjamin Barry, played by Matthew Mcconaughey, who is trying to win a bet for a promotion at his job. He bets he can make any girl fall in love with him in 10 days.

Andie does the most outrageous things to push Benjamin away, while he does everything in his power to keep her for a week and a half. The movie is hilarious and lighthearted in a way that isn’t always easy to capture. From Andie buying a “love fern” to photoshopping what their future children might look like, I find myself smiling from start to finish. 

10. The Wedding Singer (1998)

What can I say? I’m a sucker for rom-coms and even more so when it’s an Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore combo (50 First Dates is a classic, too). Their chemistry is wonderful and they seem to be sweethearts in real life as well. 

When hopeless and heartbroken Robbie (Adam Sandler) begins helping Julia (Drew Barrymore) plan her wedding with Douchebag McGee, he can’t help falling in love with her. The movie has great music, lots of cuteness, and plenty of laughs. Whenever I come across it, I have to give it a watch. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, rewatching a favorite movie is a form of self-care that has the ability to bring familiar and positive emotional experiences into your life. I’ve listed 10 of my favorites, but rewatching any of YOUR favorite films provides a predictable, soothing experience in a very unpredictable world. Lord knows we could all use more positive emotions these days, amirite?!

Let me know some of your favorites so I can add them to my watch list!! <3