Popular Opinion The Best Feel-Good Movies  

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List Rules Vote up the escapist, uplifting films that leave you feeling happiest.

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Want to feel warm and fuzzy inside? This is a ranked list of the best feel-good movies that make us experience all the good feelings. This feel good list includes sports movies, romantic movies, and family movies. What is the best feel-good movie? These are the movies that have the ability to make us feel. They make us want to believe, be inspired, and live vicariously through the stories we see on screen. Whenever you are feeling down, you can simply watch one of these movies and it will make you happy.

This list of feel-good movies includes such titles as Rudy, It’s a Wonderful Life, Big, and Cool Runnings. These movies vary in their genre but they all have the ability to lift our spirits no matter how many times we’ve viewed them. If you are sad, feeling sick, or just looking for a film to get lost in, these titles from the list of the best feel good movies are what you should be watching.

Whether it’s cheering on the underdog, living a fanciful life in another country, or are just completely silly, these films provide something for viewers to enjoy and aspire to. If you’re looking for “the greatest feel-good movie ever” you can find it on this list.

list ordered by

1
4,614 3,369
Back to the Future is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
looksharp added Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson Back to the Future is a 1985 American comic science fiction film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and stars Michael J. Fox, ...more

2
5,126 3,162
The Shawshank Redemption is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
Morgan Freeman, Rita Hayworth, Tim Robbins The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Adapted from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and ...more

3
7,133 3,248
Forrest Gump is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
but chickens double d added Tom Hanks, Kurt Russell, Sally Field Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic-comedy-drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and stars Tom Hanks, Robin ...more

4
5,057 3,490
Home Alone is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
sally added Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, John Candy Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas family comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, a boy who is ...more

5
3,135 2,140
The Princess Bride is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, André the Giant The Princess Bride is a 1987 American romantic comedy fantasy adventure film directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner. It was adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel of the same name. The ...more

6
2,416 2,053
Big is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
Tom Hanks, Jon Lovitz, Elizabeth Perkins Big is a 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Penny Marshall, and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" and is then aged to adulthood ...more

7
4,046 1,909
Finding Nemo is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
Ellen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe, Eric Bana Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Andrew Stanton, it ...more

8
4,803 2,431
Up is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
but chickens double d added Christopher Plummer, Ed Asner, Laraine Newman Up is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Pete Docter, the film centers on an ...more

9
4,663 2,364
The Incredibles is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
looksharp added Samuel L. Jackson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was the sixth film produced by Pixar ...more

10
2,608 1,702
Star Wars is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
TobuscusHolmes added Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill Star Wars is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. The first release in the Star Wars franchise, it stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter ...more

11
3,785 2,092
Mrs. Doubtfire is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
Robin Williams, Pierce Brosnan, Sally Field Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film, starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and ...more

12
775 205
The Blind Side is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
goonygugu added Sandra Bullock, Lily Collins, Kathy Bates The Blind Side is a 2009 American semi-biographical sports drama film. It was written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and based on the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael ...more

13
1,599 1,244
Rocky is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
thomasashraf added Sylvester Stallone, Joe Frazier, Burgess Meredith Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen. A small-time boxer (Sylvester Stallone) gets a supremely rare chance to fight a heavy-weight champion (Carl Weathers) in ...more

14
2,288 1,533
The Karate Kid is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
thomasashraf added Elisabeth Shue, Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts romantic drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen, starring Ralph Macchio, who was 22 years old during principal ...more

15
2,350 1,337
Good Will Hunting is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
but chickens double d added Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Matt Damon Good Will Hunting is a 1997 American drama film directed by Gus Van Sant, and starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver and Stellan Skarsgård. Written by Affleck and ...more

16
1,590 857
Remember the Titans is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
but chickens double d added Hayden Panettiere, Ryan Gosling, Denzel Washington Remember the Titans is a 2000 American sports drama film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is based on the true story of ...more

17
1,821 1,257
Ghostbusters is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
looksharp added Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd Ghostbusters is a 1984 American sci-fi-fantasy comedy film, directed and produced by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as ...more

18
2,294 1,265
The Lord of the Rings film tri... is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
but chickens double d added The Lord of the Rings is a film series consisting of three epic fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson. They are based on the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The ...more

19
3,829 1,622
Ratatouille is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
but chickens double d added Peter O'Toole, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett Ratatouille is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the eighth film produced by Pixar, and was co-written ...more

20
3,114 1,658
WALL-E is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
but chickens double d added Sigourney Weaver, Laraine Newman, Kathy Najimy WALL-E is a 2008 American computer-animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton, the story follows a ...more

21
3,380 1,453
Toy Story is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
but chickens double d added Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated buddy-comedy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by John Lasseter, Toy Story was the ...more

22
1,756 928
The Help is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard The Help is a 2011 American period drama film directed and written by Tate Taylor, and adapted from Kathryn Stockett's 2009 novel of the same name. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film is about ...more

23
3,153 1,732
Elf is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
Zooey Deschanel, Will Ferrell, Peter Dinklage Elf is a 2003 American Christmas comedy film directed by Jon Favreau and written by David Berenbaum. It stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, and Zooey Deschanel. It was ...more

24
3,507 1,958
The Breakfast Club is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes and starring Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, John ...more

25
2,007 1,386
Groundhog Day is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Feel-Good Movies
thomasashraf added Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Michael Shannon Groundhog Day is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott. It was written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, based on a story ...more