As the temperatures drop and the schoolwork surmounts, these movies will allow you to procrastinate and make you feel all warm and fuzzy! So cuddle up ladies, and stay in for the night with these feel-good classics.
- Toy Story
Let’s be real – any movie in the Pixar canon could be on this list, but I have to go with the one that started it all. If this movie doesn’t make you yearn for the days when the toughest choice you had to make was which toy was your favorite, congratulations you’ve figured out how to live without a heart. Bonus shout out to Toy Story 3, which made me weep tears of joy in a theater full of confused children.
- Slumdog Millionaire
If “Jai Ho” does not make you want to dance, you have a problem. But aside from the spectacular Bollywood musical inspired ending, this is a story with tons of heart. After drifting though each other’s lives, in good times and in very bad times, Jamal and Latika reunite at a train station after Jamal wins the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
- Legally Blonde
Even just the first few bars of the opening song can do it for me. “IT’S A PERFECT DAY, NOTHINGS STANDING IN MY WAYYYYY.” Elle Woods is who I aspired to be in the fourth grade. As Elle works her way up to become a top legal intern, you can’t help but cheer for her. Her triumphant win in the courtroom proves that you can do anything without having to compromise who you truly are.
- 10 Things I Hate About You
I am definitely not alone in wishing that Heath Ledger would sing a Frankie Valli song on the bleachers to my angst ridden teen self. The image of Heath Ledger smiling alone should be enough to make anybody feel good.
- Forrest Gump
“Mama always said life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Preach it Mama Gump! Forrest Gump lives an incredible life weaving in and out of some of the most important moments in recent history. Look out for his amazing run across the country, truly inspiring!
- It’s A Wonderful Life
Indeed it is! An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly unhappy George Bailey by showing him what life would have been like if he never existed. Needless to say, it would be a lot worse for his family and friends. You cannot watch this movie and not feel happy to be alive.
- Dirty Dancing
No one puts Baby in a corner. ‘Nuff said.
- Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
So what you weren’t in the popular group in high school. Neither were Romy and Michele. All you need to be happy in life is to recognize your own awesomeness. An equally awesome best friend doesn’t hurt either.
- The Shawshank Redemption
After being unjustly imprisoned for nearly 20 years, Andy Dufresne escapes the slammer and becomes “the man who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side.” While that part sounds unappealing, this film will give you a renewed sense of optimism and an understanding about the strength of the human spirit. His “rebirth” in the pouring rain is a must see! Plus Morgan Freeman narrates the whole thing! Who doesn’t love Morgan Freeman’s voice?!
- The Wizard of Oz
We all wish we had a little more brains, courage and heart. This movie reminds us that there’s no place like home!