If you need a shot of happiness amid all this gloom, we highly recommend curling up in your PJs with one of these feel-good movies that are guaranteed to pick you up if you’re feeling down and give you just the serotonin boost you need to escape reality for a little while.
1. Midnight in Paris
A personal favourite, Midnight in Paris is a whimsical, romantic and joyful comedy-drama with a dreamy 1920s Paris as backdrop that transports you to another world. This breezy, delightful movie immerses you in nostalgia and acts as the perfect mood booster on a bad day.
2. You’ve Got Mail
Starring the ultimate rom-com power couple Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan — You’ve Got Mail is not just lovely and charming but also very rewatchable.
3. Lord of The Rings Trilogy
Lord of The Rings is the perfect watch any time of the year and always manages to fill you with a sense of hope. Tolkien’s epic adventure tale comes to life in this masterful trilogy and the only acceptable way to watch this masterpiece is the extended editions.
4. The School of Rock
A movie with a lot of heart and soul along with the perfect soundtrack and Jack Black in his element — this is a fun and infectious musical comedy that can and should be watched at any age.
5. Love Actually
Sentimental, moving and sufficiently cheesy, this classic Christmas romcom is replete with wonderful moments and an impressive cast and manages to hold its own nearly two decades after its release.
6. Home Alone
Another movie(s) that is essentially a Christmas flick but works great as an all-year round watch too, Home Alone is blithely fun and comforting to watch and tinged with nostalgia as you get older.
7. Silver Linings Playbook
This is a story about two damaged people trying to put their lives back together. On the surface it’s a sweet, funny story but it’s also injected with a real grit and humanity that deals with loss and mental health in a very delicate manner.
8. Singin’ in the Rain
One of the all-time greats — this classic is the ultimate antidote for a bad day. Spirited and life-affirming, the story feels like a celebration of life itself. One of the crowning glories for cinema.
9. The Devil Wears Prada
Smart, funny and thoroughly enjoyable, this is the ultimate night-out movie with some very quotable dialogues. Glamorous costumes, a glittering New York skyline and Meryl Streep’s perfect portrayal of Miranda Priestly —- this is a familiar and fun watch to go back to.
10. Mamma Mia
As far as frothy, feel-good movies go, Mamma Mia works on practically every level. Every scene is full of joyful abandon and the infectious energy of ultimate ABBA classics just adds to the overall vibe.
11. La La Land
While La La Land doesn’t have the typical ending one would expect, it has a joyful, nuanced quality that leaves you inspired. Heartfelt and magical, with cinematography for the books, this one boils down to personal preference but I personally can’t recommend it enough.
12. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Ditsy, flirty, charming and as old-school as it gets, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is an unfailingly watchable mix of laughs, contradictions and nostalgia with Audrey Hepburn at her absolute finest.
13. Serendipity
A lightweight romance which is sometimes corny and most times delightful, it successfully reminds us of the beauty and magic of both love and life.
14. Grease
Bad-boy Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and good-girl Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) have a summer fling, but things take a dramatic turn once school starts. This 1978 musical continues to be one of the greats when it comes to feel-good movies with just the right amount of frivolous fun and drama.
15. Mona Lisa Smile
A clever and thought-provoking feminist drama, the movie is enjoyable and positive with an important message to it.