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When times are tough, people often turn to movies as an escape. Whether it’s a bad breakup, losing your job, grieving a loss or just having a bad day, throwing on your favorite comfort film can do a world of good. Watch With Us loves a feel-good movie, so we chose the very best. Our picks include Moonrise Kingdom, a sweet coming-of-age film from Wes Anderson, and I Love You, Man, a bro-mantic comedy about the love between two guys who just like hanging out with each other. Check out our list of the best feel-good movies ever and find out where you can watch them. 7. ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987) In bed with a cold, a young boy (Fred Savage) receives a visit from his grandfather (Peter Falk), who comes with a fairytale book about the love story between a swashbuckling rogue named Westley (Cary Elwes) and his princess, Buttercup (Robin Wright). Thrilled and impatient to know how it ends, the boy listens to the tale of Westley, who fell in love with Buttercup as her farmhand. Years later, they are reunited, but she is betrothed to the evil Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon). Can Westley save Buttercup and their happy ending? The Princess Bride combines sharp comedy, compelling romance and exciting adventure into a metafictional movie that has endured as a pop culture staple. The romance between Westley and Buttercup is beautiful and believable, and the film is filled with other lovable and memorable characters, like Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and Fezzik (André the Giant). At the end of the day, The Princess Bride isn’t just a fun family film — it’s also one of the best love stories of all time. Watch The Princess Bride now on Disney+. 6.’Moonrise Kingdom’ (2012) In 1965, the residents of a small island off the coast of New England are bludgeoned by a powerful storm. Leading up to the climactic deluge, twelve-year-old penpals Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) fall in love from afar and decide to leave their unfulfilling childhoods behind to start a new life of their own. Sam abandons his scout troupe and Suzy leaves home, and it’s a race to track down the youngsters before the historic storm hits the island of New Penzance. The power of adolescent love is packaged into a sweet, eccentric film with a superb ensemble cast, featuring Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand and Bill Murray. Moonrise Kingdom is an excellent showcase of director Wes Anderson‘s dollhouse aesthetics with his oddball sense of humor, but it’s also an incredibly poignant story about misunderstood children and juvenile mental health. The ending is almost guaranteed to fill you with the warm and fuzzies. Rent Moonrise Kingdom now on Amazon Prime Video. 5. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2015) A ragtag group of intergalactic outlaws find themselves stuck together in the same space prison. A brash adventurer (Chris Pratt), a genetically modified raccoon (Bradley Cooper), a super-soldier (Zoe Saldana), a vengeful father (Dave Bautista) and a talking tree named Groot (Vin Diesel) reluctantly join forces to break out of jail, going on the run after the roguish Star-Lord steals a powerful orb. Together, they learn of the orb’s true nature and realize they must set aside their differences if they are going to save the universe. Guardians of the Galaxy blends director James Gunn’s signature sense of humor with fantastic action, a gripping story and thorough character-writing, creating what is arguably one of the most heartfelt entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (the other most heartfelt entries are the subsequent two Guardians films). Earnest without taking itself too seriously, Guardians of the Galaxy stands apart from other superhero films and will leave you in a puddle of tears by the end. Stream Guardians of the Galaxy now on Disney+. 4. ‘I Love You, Man’ (2009) Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is a successful realtor and engaged to his beautiful fiancée, Zooey (Rashida Jones). Peter seems to have it all — except for literally any male friends, and he has no one to be his best man at his forthcoming wedding. By happenstance, he meets the eccentric Sydney (Jason Segel), and the two foster a real bond with one another. But problems arise as the two men’s overly intimate friendship is straining the relationship with his bride-to-be. One of the best platonic romance films of all time, I Love You, Man is a beautiful film about the power and love at the core of male friendships. The film delivers hilarious and emotional performances from both Rudd and Segel, whose chemistry is palpable as the two boast a genuine camaraderie that makes the film all the more affecting. It may seem on the surface like an average mid-2000s goofy comedy, but there’s a surprising poignancy to I Love You, Man that makes it feel like covering yourself in a warm blanket. Rent I Love You, Man now on Amazon Prime Video. 3. ‘Good Will Hunting’ (1997) MIT janitor Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a genius, but he does not put any of his intellectual power to real use. However, a professor discovers his hidden talents when Will solves a complex math problem left up on a chalkboard. Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skårsgard) decides to teach Will to help him reach his full potential, but things take a turn when Will lashes out at a police officer. To get him leniency, Lambeau makes a deal for him to see a therapist (Robin Williams), a man who genuinely challenges Will’s defense mechanisms. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s acclaimed debut as screenwriters also happens to be one of the best films of all time. But what makes Good Will Hunting such a fantastic feel-good film is that it’s funny in addition to being intimate and emotional. It’s not just a weepy sob story (although it will certainly have you crying), it’s got a great sense of humor that’s bolstered by Williams’ performance. Good Will Hunting is both crowd-pleasing popcorn entertainment while also being genuinely emotionally resonant. Stream Good Will Hunting now on Paramount+. 2. ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ (2006) Goofy aspiring beauty queen Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) takes her family on an emotionally fraught road trip to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest out in Redondo Beach, California. Along the trip is her mom, Sheryl (Toni Collette), her aspiring life coach father Richard (Greg Kinnear), her moody half-brother Dwayne (Paul Dano), her suicidal uncle Frank (Steve Carell), and her secretly heroin-addicted grandfather (Alan Arkin). All five family personalities are packed into a yellow Volkswagen bus, an environment ripe for rising tensions and high emotions, as the family is pushed to their limits. While a decidedly dark comedy, Little Miss Sunshine is a warm and heartfelt film that has a fantastic sense of humor. The sharp script and complex characters are irresistible as you go along this journey with these incredibly flawed but very relatable people. In the end, the film’s resounding message is to embrace the beauty pageant of life, that we will all likely be outdone by someone better than us, but what matters is that we stay firmly true to ourselves anyway. Rent Little Miss Sunshine now on Amazon Prime Video. 1. ‘Mamma Mia!’ (2008) If nearly two worth of ABBA music doesn’t make you feel amazing, then I don’t know what will. This film adaptation of the jukebox musical of the same name follows free-spirited Donna (Meryl Streep), preparing for her daughter Sophie’s (Amanda Seyfried) wedding, where she lives as a hotelier in the Greek Isles. But the idyllic day receives a startling interruption upon the arrival of three of Donna’s ex-lovers — all of whom Sophie secretly invited. One of them is Sophie’s real father, and she’s determined to figure out who he is so that he can walk her down the aisle. In addition to featuring hit songs like “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight), “Dancing Queen” and “Does Your Mother Know,” Mamma Mia is an incredibly sweet, fun and funny film with three absolutely dynamite comedic performances from the likes of Colin Firth, Stellan Skårsgard and Pierce Brosnan. Mamma Mia certainly isn’t a prestige or Academy Award-winning film, but it’s a light and delightfully diverting slice of bliss filled with beautiful people and fantastic tunes. Stream Mamma Mia! now on Netflix. Led by Senior Editor and experienced critic Jason Struss, Watch With Us’ team of writers and editors sees almost every movie and TV show from the distant past to the present to determine what’s worth your time and money. Our countless hours of multimedia consumption — combined with years of experience in the entertainment industry — help us determine the best movies and TV shows you should be streaming right now. To be considered “the best,” these films and series can be visually engaging, intellectually stimulating or simply just fun to watch, but the one trait they must have is that they are all, in some way, entertaining. We then check which platform they are streaming on and how you can access them as a subscriber. No algorithm nonsense or paid endorsements here — our recommendations are based purely on our love and interest for the films and shows we love.
