When you’re in the mood for a feel-good, uplifting movie, check out our list below.
There are some go-to movies you put on when you need a little pick me up, and the list of ten movies below are our favourites.
When you next need a movie to pick up your mood a little, take your pick from our list of the ten most uplifting movies of all time. There’s something for everyone.
10. School of Rock – a 00’s classic
Starring hilarious music man Jack Black, School of Rock is one of our favourite uplifting movies of all time.
After being kicked out of his rock band, Dewey Finn (Jack Black) pretends to be his roommate to make some money as a substitute teacher.
Seeing the musical talent of all of his ‘students’, he trains the kids to form a band and compete in The Battle of the Bands. This movie will definitely put you in a great mood.
9. The Pursuit of Happyness – heartbreaking but hopeful
Starring Will and Jaden Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness is one of those heartbreaking yet feel-good movies that everybody loves.
Following the story of Chris Gardner (Will Smith) and his struggle to care for his family financially, this movie will make you cry in parts but make your heart soar in others. It’s one movie that will make you cry happy tears.
8. Little Miss Sunshine – dark, funny, and touching
Little Miss Sunshine is dark, funny, and touching all at once. Starring Abigal Breslin, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, and Greg Kinnear as the Hoover family, it follows their lives as they travel across the country to allow their daughter to take part in a beauty pageant.
What follows is a series of twists and turns that will keep you invested throughout.
7. Hocus Pocus – a timeless movie
While it’s a Halloween film, Hocus Pocus is a fantastic movie, no matter when you watch it and no matter how old you are.
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy as the witchy Sanderson sisters, it’s a movie that 90s babies will recognise as a credit to their childhoods.
6. Coach Carter (2005) – a coming-of-age drama
Coach Carter follows the story of a sports goods store owner who accepts the job as a basketball coach for his old high school.
Horrified by the terrible attitudes and failing grades of the students, Coach Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) sets about changing things.
This is a great coming-of-age movie that sees the struggle of young boys battling school and the streets.
READ MORE: our list of the most inspiring movies for students
5. A Bump Along the Way – an Irish indie film
A Bump Along the Way is an independent Irish movie that follows the story of a middle-aged single mum from Derry, Northern Ireland, who unexpectedly finds out that she is pregnant.
Her prim and proper teenage daughter is horrified to learn this and puts their already strained relationship to the test. This comedy-drama is a great choice that will leave you laughing your head off.
4. The Parent Trap – a classic 90s movie
A classic starring Lindsay Lohan, The Parent Trap is one of the most uplifting movies of all time. Following the story of twin sisters separated at birth, the young girls happen upon each other later in life and switch places in the hopes of reuniting their parents.
3. Cool Runnings (1993) – feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme
A classic 90s movie that is destined to lift your mood, Cool Runnings follows the unexpected story of a Jamaican bobsleigh team fighting the odds at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
2. Forrest Gump (1994) – one of the most popular movies of all time
Forrest Gump is often considered one of the best movies of all time. Starring Tom Hanks, he plays Forrest Gump, a man with a low IQ who was born with a curved spine.
Forrest leads an extraordinary life, which the movie sees him recount. From the Vietnam War to the Watergate Scandal, Forrest found himself in the middle of many key moments in history. All the while in pursuit of the love of his life, Jenny.
1. Intouchables (2011) – an incredible French film
Last but not least on our list of the most uplifting movies of all time is the French drama comedy Intouchables.
The movie follows the story of an unlikely friendship developed by a quadriplegic French nobleman Philippe (Francois Cluzet), and his hilarious, street-smart carer from the projects of Paris, Driss (Omar Sy).
If you are in the mood for a movie that will make you laugh your head off but move you all the same, Intouchables is a great choice.
While not on this list, The Sound of Music is an uplifting movie, and you can see some of the best filming locations for The Sound of Music in Salzburg here.