There are remedies to a bad day that I can always rely on: a hot shower, a pint of coffee ice cream or a rewatch of one of my all time favorite movies. However, sometimes it is not simply good enough to turn on one of my favorite, tried and true comfort movies. Sometimes, what I need to pull myself out of a horrendously bad day or week is a movie that will inspire me: a feel-good movie.
On my Letterboxd profile, I have a list called, “Movies That Make Me Happy to Be Alive.” These are movies that, when you leave the theater, leave lingering thoughts like, “Wow, I need to make a big change to my life right now.” These are some of my favorite movies of all time because there is nothing better than going into a movie blind only to come out a slightly changed and better version of yourself.
The next time you need a pick-me-up, are experiencing big life changes or just need a little bit of guidance, see if these movies do the trick.
“About Time” (2013)
This British film plays out a little differently than the classic romantic-comedy narrative. On his 21st birthday, Tim Lake learns the secret of the men in his family: they can time travel, but only to moments they have already experienced in life. As Tim travels through time and both seizes and loses love throughout his lifetime, the movie’s reigning theme is that of an ordinary life. Although he can time travel, Tim doesn’t do anything wildly extravagant—he lives a normal life, just with a big secret.
This sweet movie always encourages me to find something beautiful in my own mundane life. Even when you feel as if your routine has gotten stale, there is still something wonderful to be found. My favorite quote from the film is this: “The truth is, I now don’t travel back at all, not even for a day. I just try to live everyday as if I have deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full, final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.” While many films constantly teach viewers to reach for the stars, “About Time” asks viewers to find the stars in their existing lives already.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
Though this is a Christmas movie, this is a film that is relevant all year long, and one I firmly believe everyone should watch at least once—and hopefully more times afterwards. James Stewart plays George Bailey, a selfless man who countless times gives up his own dreams in order to provide for the people he loves. On Christmas Eve, he contemplates suicide when his business goes bankrupt, and with the help of his guardian angel, Clarence, Bailey finds his meaning in life again.
The main theme of this film is that everyone’s lives touch each other’s in some way or another, and if you did not exist, life would have happened in a very different manner. In this tear-jerker movie, Bailey realizes that through what he has considered a small existence in Bedford Falls, New York, he, in fact, has been a major component of everyone else’s lives. What you may consider a meaningless existence almost always has implications for the meaningfulness of others.
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (2013)
In this remake of a 1939 short story and a 1947 film starring Danny Kaye, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” follows an ordinary worker for Life magazine, who decides to travel across the country to find a missing negative image for the magazine’s final cover.
A movie to inspire you and make you want to take your life and make something adventurous out of it, I recommend this movie to anyone who is abroad or going abroad—you may find some fun (not so safe) ideas to add to your to-do list. If anything, when you are feeling stagnant in your own life, be reminded of this quote: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.“
“Love Actually” (2003)
Another Christmas movie, but once again, this film is worth watching during any month out of the year. This film is also exceptionally ordinary, following the lives of a wide variety of characters during the holiday season. Each character experiences trials and tribulations regarding love, and ultimately each of them finds their own unique happiness at the film’s conclusion.
As the title suggests, this movie reminds readers of the sweet sentiment of the holiday season—but more importantly it serves as a reminder to tell your loved ones just how much you love them while you can. As Hugh Grant narrates at the beginning of the movie, “When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge—they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love, actually, is all around.”
“Dead Poets Society” (1989)
It may be the English major in me—I decided on my major after watching this movie three times in a row during my junior year of high school—but this is another movie everyone should arguably watch at least once. Following the lives of a group of boys in a New England preparatory school, an inspiring English teacher, played by Robin Williams, encourages them to make their lives “extraordinary.” As he teaches them poetry and encourages them to break out of the norms of the school’s tradition and find their own joys, viewers cannot help but get swept up in the sentiment of Mr. Keating’s words.
While this movie may be cliche or bring you hauntingly back to a high school English class, I firmly believe that meaning can be found from this movie, no matter how avid of a reader you are or not. My personal favorite of the many memorable quotes from this film is Mr. Keating’s reference to Walt Whitman’s poem, “Oh Me! Oh Life!,” to which he asks his students, “What will your verse be?”
My favorite thing to look for in a movie is how it makes me feel. The movies that I love the most usually stay with me for weeks afterwards, and just like good literature, change a piece of me for the good. While these movies may not be your cup of tea, I can guarantee there are other movies out there just waiting to inspire you.