Top 5 Favorite "Feel Good" Movies

Top 5 favorite feel good movies

I love feel good movies! You know what I mean, those films which may not be the greatest movies ever made but at the same they make you feel good when you watch them. They are sometimes called sleeper hits because by all rights they should not be hits at all. They are not epic in scope with casts of thousands and state of the art special effects. They are films about people and do not have superheroes as the lead characters or over the top villains bent on conquering the world. They are little movies that we pop in when we are having a tough day and need a little pick me up. They can be corny and even a bit farfetched, in fact part of the fun is nitpicking these films because it’s so easy, but we love them anyway. There are dozens of these kinds of films, but today I want to talk about five of my favorites.

#5. City Slickers

Gotta be honest, this movie hasn't aged well. I watched it again recently and for some reason it was sillier than I remembered. This was a big hit in 1991? But putting that aside, it's still fun to watch. The film is basically about Billy Crystal having a mid-life crisis so he goes on a cattle drive with his friends. There are some great moments, mostly thanks to the late great Jack Palance, but there is a lot of silliness too. I mean, we have a crazy drunk of a cook who causes trouble for no reason plus two cow hands who are drunken jerks? And how did the three friends manage to actually get the herd back when they had no idea where the ranch was? Yeah that gets harder and harder to buy, but even so there are some great character moments and an ending that always makes me smile. What more can I ask for? By the way, the sequel succkkkeed!!

#4.Dave

This movie is a marvel. First of all, it stars Kevin Kline who I hate. Second, when you listen to the premise it sounds ridiculous. The chief of staff gets a guy who looks like the president so he can take his place in a scheme to steal the presidency from the vice president. Really? Sounds almost idiotic, and yet the charm in this movie just overwhelms it and we ignore how idiotic the plot is. Yeah, we can nitpick this too. In real life the press would see through the scheme and be all over it. Here, they just shrug and accept it. Better like cameos, because this film is stuffed with them. I think the performances really carry this one. Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Dunn, Charles Grodin (who does so much with such a small role) and Frank Langella are perfect. Plus they needed an A list actor for the vice-president, and who do they get? Gandhi! Yep Ben Kingsley is in this and is really good. He knows it’s a silly movie and yet he takes it seriously. This movie is really underappreciated; if you're looking for a nice little fluff film then check it out I think you'll be pleased.

#3. Field of Dreams

This movie is remarkable. It makes no sense and should be boring as hell! Kevin Costner builds a baseball diamond into his corn field because a voice told him to. Yeah, that's it! However, this movie seems to reach something inside of us and the story just works. Maybe it's because I love Baseball, or maybe because it's a simple but effective story. This film is a bit surreal and, to be honest, real hard to take seriously. I mean what are we supposed to make of the scene where ghosts appear and play a game in the middle of the field? Or the end where the shot pulls out and we see the backup of cars coming to see the field? “If you build it…he will come”.  But I love the speech James Earl Jones gives at the end about Baseball, it’s a great speech and he delivers it well. I know people think Darth Vadar and Mu fasa when they think James Earl Jones, I think his “People will come” speech. So I can forgive the fact this movie doesn’t really make any sense. Oh, and it’s also Burt Lancaster’s final film role and it’s a great one.

#2. Pretty Woman

Unrealisic? Hell yeah. Corny dialogue? Yep. A cliche'd happy ending? Hm hmm! Then why do we love this movie? Because Richard Gere and Julia Roberts have some of the best chemistry ever put to film. It was because of them, and the other amazing actors in this including Larry Miller, Laura San Giacomo,  and Jason Alexander, that made us love this movie. Original a dark drama until Gar Marshall got a hold of it, this wasn’t just a hit in 1990, it was a monster hit! I still remember watching this in theatre’s and just loving every minute. I guess that’s the rule for all these movies, you don’t need the strongest script as long as you have strong characters we love and really care about. The other thing that I loved in this movie was the music. That soundtrack was awesome and still enjoy it to this day!  Yes I saw Runaway Bride with Roberts and Gere and it good but not quite as good as this one.

#1.Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

I loved watching this movie as a kid. Loved it. Believe it or not I was never a big fan of John Hughes. It took me years to appreciate The Breakfast Club (which really is very good), even longer to appreciate Trains, Planes, and Autombiles. However Ferris was the exception. I loved this movie (have I said that yet?). I used to watch it all the time if I was home sick or something. Then I got older and watched it again, and still love it! Matthew Broderick has so much charm that he can take a character we should despise (let’s be honest here) and love him! I mean think about it, Ferris breaks rules, defies the law, and uses people and yet we can’t get enough! This is basically the story of a senior in high school taking off from high school one day for no good reason. He gets girlfriend and buddy to come along, and there we go. This movie is just so much fun to watch, and I have seen it a hundred times.

HONORABLE MENTION

Back To The Future

I left this off the list because this was not a little movie that people should not have liked, but instead they loved. This was a big hit with good reason, like Ghostbusters the year before.  Also I have talked about this before so I don’t think  I need to explain again how much I loved this movie. This movie is an example of a perfect movie (perfect is not the same as great). It is a great story, memorable characters, just enough action and suspense, and follows a logical plot that results in a satisfying conclusion. To put it simply, it does everything that a good movie should do. And I have seen it a million times, and even went on the ride at Universal Studios (totally worth the hour long line!)

Why are most of these films from the 90’s? Guess it’s because I don’t see movies as often as I used to and all of these I saw in theatres. Limiting this list to five leaves off tons of great films. Princess Bride, Groundhog Day, Father of the Bride, Ghost, Forrest Gump, Bruce Almighty, Defending Your Life (I dare you not to smile at the end of this one!), and almost anything Disney related. Truth is these films are my favorite kind of films, I don’t go to movies to be depressed or have my whole life changed. I just want to be entertained for a couple hours. What are your favorites?