10 Best Feel-Good Movies To Watch On A Sad Day

Pop star Ronan Keating sang that life is a rollercoaster, and he wasn't lying — but how does one get through the rough troughs to rise back up to the highest peaks? It's a complicated answer, but cinema holds the magical quality to turn any sad day around; all it takes is picking out one of the best feel-good movies and savoring the moment. In some instances, these motion pictures aren't considered the greatest films of all time — except for "Paddington" because that little bear makes Daniel Day-Lewis look like Jamie Kennedy in comparison and deserves a lifetime supply of marmalade for his contributions to the arts — but they know how to hit the right spot. Sort of like a warm toasted sandwich at any meal.

What's remarkable about these films is their rewatchability factor. No matter when or why, there's never a bad time to see them again and they elicit the same positive emotions as before. Maybe that's why everyone remembers so many lines from movies like "Elf" and "Back to the Future," since they have been watched more times than anyone can remember. Regardless, these films know the secret of how to lift the viewer's mood and should be bottled and cherished for eternity.

In an effort to spread joy and beat the snot out of those dark clouds until the sun comes up to play, let's take a look at the 10 best feel-good movies to watch on a sad day.

The setup for Paul King's "Paddington" sounds like any family movie out of the '90s. An orphaned bear (voiced by Ben Winshaw) escapes from Peru and travels to London, England where he finds himself at Paddington station — hence his name — and gets taken in by the Brown family. Like a fish out of water, coupled with his comedic clumsiness, Paddington struggles to adapt to his new home and unintentionally wreaks havoc. There's another problem, though: The evil taxidermist Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman) wants to add Paddington's head to her collection. Oh, dear.

"Paddington" proves to be one of the most polite and cuddly adventures that cherishes good nature and friendliness over all else. There's a cozy quality to this family friendly movie that wraps itself around the viewer like one of those hugs where someone holds on a little while longer to make all the difference in the world. It chisels away the ice from the coldest hearts and replaces it with the sweetness of marmalade.

Most "Paddington" reviews point out the same successful formula: The film chooses to be simple rather than convoluted in an era where every filmmaker acts like they have discovered the last Coke in the desert. "Paddington" also refuses to be cynical, seeing the good in the world and leaving an optimistic outlook for the viewer when all is said and done. If that isn't enough, "Paddington" resulted in two excellent sequels, establishing itself as the kindest film trilogy of all time. (And yes, we know the image of "Paddington" in the main image is from "Paddington 2," but we just love him in his little prison chef outfit. 

Ah, good ol' rock 'n' roll ambition. Who doesn't want to be on the biggest stage of them all and melting faces with a scorching-hot riff? Well, Richard Linklater's "School of Rock" demonstrates how dreams don't always happen the way that people initially envision them. In the 2003 film, Jack Black's Dewey Finn gets booted from his band No Vacancy for being too extra. His roommate Ned Schneebly (Mike White) tells Dewey that rent is overdue, so he must either pay soon or hit the bricks. Fortuitously, Dewey answers a call that's for Ned, offering him a substitute teacher position at a prep school. Dewey poses as Ned and takes the gig, whereby he turns his students into masters of rock in an effort to win a battle of the bands competition.

Alongside "Freddy vs. Jason" and "Queen of the Damned," "School of Rock" deserves to be remembered for possessing one of the best movie soundtracks from the early 2000s. Featuring the likes of AC/DC, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, and Deep Purple, each song breathes a rebellious attitude into the respective scene and has the viewer headbanging to the chest-pumping classic rock.

It also helps that "School of Rock" finds Black at his manic best. He puts in an energetic performance as the never-say-die Dewey who will fulfil his dream by hook or crook. Plus, the kids only accentuate this funny inspirational film as they go on this wild and wonderful rock 'n' roll journey with Dewey.

By the time Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan starred in 1998's rom-com "You've Got Mail," it was their third collaboration, so no one could dispute their chemistry at this point. However, this film throws an additional twist into the mix: Ryan's Kathleen Kelly and Hanks' Joe Fox fall for each other in an online chat room, blissfully unaware that they are business competitors in the real world. The film toys with the characters and audience as the pair meet in real life but don't know each other's online personas — until they eventually find out the truth. The question is, can love triumph over all?

"You've Got Mail" is a throwback to the time in which online chat rooms were fun and people enjoyed meeting strangers on the internet rather than fighting with them about superheroes and politics. It's the kind of interactive film that has people shouting at the screen and saying, "Kathleen, how can you not see that Joe is NY152, and why don't you just tell him you're Shopgirl?!" There's something likable about Kathleen and Joe from the get-go, and it isn't hard to get the viewer rooting for them to be together despite the odds.

Is "You've Got Mail" among the best '90s romantic comedies? Maybe it's on the periphery — just outside of the top 10 — and a rung below Ryan and Hanks' "Sleepless in Seattle," but it's still a breezy film that isn't short on charm or a feel-good factor.

On the surface level, Rob Reiner's "The Princess Bride" plays out like a typical fantasy story. A grandfather (Peter Falk) reads to his grandson (Fred Savage) the story of young farmhand Westley (Cary Elwes) who embarks on a life-changing quest to save the damsel in distress and his love, Buttercup (Robin Wright). Along the way, the audience meets a motley crew of personalities and the greatest named villain of all time, Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). Needless to say, everyone should know how this story turns out from the film poster alone, but don't let that deter the overall enjoyment.

There's something to be said about the comforting nature of "The Princess Bride." Using a giddy touch of cinematic wizardry and gut intuition of what audiences want, Reiner blends action, adventure, comedy, and romance into a family friendly film that remains always memorable and highly quotable — much like Reiner's other masterpiece "This Is Spinal Tap." It's impossible to not get caught up in the story and all its colorful characters, as the passion shines through in each and every scene. In addition to this, "The Princess Bride" features one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, the late André the Giant, who gives a touching performance as Fezzik in the movie.

Simply put, this is one movie that everyone needs to experience at least once in their lives and is guaranteed to turn any frown upside down. To those who haven't watched "The Princess Bride," inconceivable!

Christmas movies aim to uplift and remind people of happy occasions and family celebrations, but they aren't always the best feel-good movies around. In fact, a lot of them are about as dire and by the numbers as "Kraven the (Plot) Hunter." Yet, nestled under the Christmas tree of woe is an anomaly — a gift known as "Elf." Directed by Jon Favreau, the story follows Buddy (Will Ferrell), who snuck into Santa Claus' (Ed Asner) bag as a baby and was raised as an elf at the North Pole. Years later, Buddy finds out about his past and the identity of his father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), so he heads to New York to meet him.

"Elf" knows when to pull on the emotional strings then let go to ensure this doesn't turn into an overly sentimental Hallmark movie. More importantly, it isn't shy to uncage Ferrell and allow him to run rampant as if he ate every single sugary cookie that was meant for Saint Nick. One of the best scenes in the movie sees Buddy so indignant at the department store Santa that he goes on a rager and tells him, "You sit on a throne of lies!" Of course, this descends into total anarchy.

Surprisingly, it's the way in which "Elf" defies the standard tropes of holiday films that helps cement its status as one of the best Christmas movies of all time. That said, it's an enjoyable film all-year round, not just in December.

Get the tissues out because it's time to talk about Pixar's 2009 Oscar-winning classic "Up." While the movie appears to be the story of the grumpy Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) who rigs his house with balloons to get it to fly to South America and run away from assisted living, it's so much more than that. It's a tale about a husband's promise to complete an adventure that he and his now-deceased wife wanted to do once upon a time. It's that one last touching tribute to a loved one to show them how much they meant to you.

"Up" not only succeeds in its poignant moments, but it also includes an abundance of adventure and endearing characters in the form of the young Russell (Jordan Nagai) and the talking dog Dug (Bob Peterson). It's easy to get lost in this heartwarming story and experience the sense of wonder and magic, even after the hundredth rewatch.

The film also proves to be deeper than the average animated feature aimed at children. Featuring themes about mortality, aging, and finding purpose, "Up" confirms its place as a powerful piece of cinema bursting with important lessons about life. It's also one of the best feel-good movies that anyone will ever watch.

Sometimes, a sad day needs a reminder of everyone's mortality — a wake-up call to tell us to get busy living or get busy dying. Yes, that's from "The Shawshank Redemption," but it's applicable to this 2007 film too, which also happens to star Morgan Freeman who uttered that very line in the aforementioned movie. In Rob Reiner's "The Bucket List," two elderly men — Carter Chambers (Freeman) and Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) — cross paths as they receive the news that they're terminally ill. Knowing the end is nigh, they decide to go on a trip around the world to fulfil everything they have ever wanted to do in their lives.

While "The Bucket List" holds several moments that turn on the waterworks, it hits right in the soul when it matters. The film challenges everyone to not lose time to meaningless grudges or feuds, rendering them pointless events in the grand scheme of things. It also dares people to do what makes them happy in life before it's too late.

Sure, Carter and Edward are capable of achieving their extraordinary goals because of Edward's immense wealth — something that 99.9% of the world wouldn't be able to do and it feels tacky to suggest the "anything is possible" tone-deaf rich boy mantra — but there's an uplifting message that everyone can take away from "The Bucket List": Live life to the fullest every single day. And is that really such a bad thing to consider?

Why does Cher's "If I Could Turn Back Time" resonate so much with us? Because everyone overthinks and wonders what would happen if they could go back and change their own past. Although, no one ever thinks about the consequences of messing with the sacred timeline and the resulting butterfly effect. Robert Zemeckis' "Back to the Future" demonstrates exactly how dangerous it is, as Doc Brown's (Christopher Lloyd) time-traveling DeLorean sends Marty "Don't Call Him Chicken" McFly (Michael J. Fox) back to 1955 and Marty accidentally prevents his parents from meeting. Great Scott! Now, Marty needs to fix this mess or he'll cease to exist. It's time-travel logic — just go with it.

The chemistry between Lloyd's Doc and Fox's Marty electrifies, as they feed off each other's comedic timing and affable personalities. They're the perfect duo and establish themselves as unforgettable cinematic characters. The audience just wants to see more of them, hence the subsequent sequels and constant yearning for "Back to the Future 4."

"Back to the Future" also possesses that lightning-in-a-bottle effect that everyone knows can never be repeated but remains an amiable classic that deserves be enjoyed countless times over. Acclaimed critic Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing that Zemeckis "shows not only a fine comic touch but also some of the lighthearted humanism of a Frank Capra" and compared it favorably to the themes of Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life."

Paul Feig's "Bridesmaids" knows how to tickle the funny bone. The 2011 comedy centers on Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig), whose life isn't going the way she probably imagined it. However, she needs to get it together as the maid of honor for her best friend Lillian Donovan's (Maya Rudolph) wedding. Annie meets the other bridesmaids and a cacophony of mishaps ensues as "Bridesmaids" transcends the "chick flick" genre.

The film holds nothing back as the humor often ventures into the gross-out point then pushes the boundaries even further — but it's impossible to look away. The food poisoning scene at the bridal shop continues to be talked about to this day, confirming its place in the pantheon of laugh-until-you-snort moments in cinema. Special credit needs to go to Melissa McCarthy who truly gives it her all and commits as Megan Price here.

If someone's having a bad day or needs an upper, "Bridesmaids" contains the right quota of outrageous scenes and hearty laughs to mark it as one of the best feel-good movies ever. Hey, it's a million times funnier than "The Hangover," that's for sure.

Charlie Brown attempting to kick a football embodies life for a lot of people. Just when you believe you'll connect, someone pulls away the ball and lets you take an embarrassing tumble in front of your peers. In 2015's "The Peanuts Movie," Charlie (voiced by "Stranger Things" star Noah Schnapp) demonstrates that resilience pays off in the end. He wins over the affections of Little Red-Haired Girl (Francesca Angelucci Capaldi), who tells him that it's his tenacity and refusal to stay down that makes him special. The blockhead proves once and for all that if he can receive the respect he deserves, so can anyone else.

Also, how can anyone not be entertained by Snoopy's never-ending shenanigans in this movie? That beagle's imagination runs wild as he creates his own incredible and descriptive adventures that generative AI applications can't wait to steal and recycle for their own monetization purposes. Heck, if Snoopy can't put a wide smile on someone's face, check their pulse to see if they're even still alive.

"Peanuts" holds an every-day-is-the-last-day-of-summer aura and "The Peanuts Movie" is no different. It's a nostalgic feeling that everyone wants to relive over and over again, which singlehandedly ensures it's one of the best feel-good movies that's certain to lighten up any sad day.