11 Feelgood Movies That Should Be Holiday Traditions

It’s that time of year again where it’s acceptable to re-watch your favorite classics for the umpteenth time. So gather your family and friends, break out the hot cocoa and marshmallows, and microwave a mountain of popcorn for these soon-to-be holiday classics.

Go ahead and enjoy A Christmas Story, Home Alone, The Grinch, The Polar Express, Miracle on 34th Street, Love Actually, It’s a Wonderful Life, and the somewhat non-traditional, Die Hard. But be sure to sprinkle in a few of these cherished heartwarming movies.

The following movies are not in any order and are only numbered for the sake of keeping track.

1. With Honors

This movie takes you back to college and the roommate experience. But it’s so much more than that while nuanced and complex. It reminds us to be inspired by love and to appreciate life.

The official Google “knowledge panel” on this movie says, “Academia meets street smarts when Monty Kessler (Brendan Fraser), a graduate student struggling to finish his program, loses his thesis and finds it in the hands of a homeless man named Simon Wilder (Joe Pesci).”

That passage teases the movie but doesn’t do it justice. This movie has a sense of winter celebration and how the term family extends farther than relatives.

“I’m a bum. But I’m a Harvard bum.” — Simon Wilder

2. Goodwill Hunting

One of my favorites, Goodwill Hunting is yet another showcase for Robin Williams’ acting talent. Williams plays Sean Maguire, Will’s therapist. The exchanges they have are heartwarming and memorable.

The Google knowledge panel summary: “Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential.”

This movie is a solid movie about the evolution of friends, vulnerability, and love. It’s also about trust, wisdom and loyalty. This movie gives a strong sense of hope in a troubled world.

“You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for $1.50 in late fees at the public library.” — Matt Damon

3. Lost in Translation

I admit this is a favorite of mine. I’ve probably watched this 10+ times.

I found this movie to have a calming sense of breaking the rules. It’s playful and innocent; awkward and dreamy too.

The Google knowledge panel summary doesn’t do it justice at all: “A lonely, aging movie star named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a conflicted newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), meet in Tokyo. Bob is there to film a Japanese whiskey commercial; Charlotte is accompanying her celebrity-photographer husband. Strangers in a foreign land, the two find escape, distraction and understanding amidst the bright Tokyo lights after a chance meeting in the quiet lull of the hotel bar. They form a bond that is as unlikely as it is heartfelt and meaningful.”

The whole cinematic view of Japan alone makes this movie a must watch.

“Let’s never come here again because it will never be as much fun.” — Charlotte

4. Notting Hill

If you’re looking for a modern fairytale this is it. Some have compared it to a British version of “Pretty Woman”. I disagree. It’s much better with loads of laughter and great characters.

The Google knowledge panel summary: “William Thacker (Hugh Grant) is a London bookstore owner whose humdrum existence is thrown into romantic turmoil when famous American actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) appears in his shop. A chance encounter over spilled orange juice leads to a kiss that blossoms into a full-blown affair. As the average bloke and glamorous movie star draw closer and closer together, they struggle to reconcile their radically different lifestyles in the name of love.”

“Don’t forget…

I’m just a girl,

standing in front of a boy,

asking him to love her”

— Anna Scott

5. Sideways

Ok, I’m guilty of loading this list with movies I love. Sideways is an annual classic that I watch every year. Miles is such a sincere and vulnerable character with idiosyncrasies that are likeable. And Maya is a warm, gentle person wise beyond her years.

But this movie is a writer’s movie paired with good Riesling. Or perhaps, it’s a wine aficionado’s movie with great prose. Either way it’s well written and filled with great quotes.

The Google knowledge panel summary: “Struggling writer and wine enthusiast Miles (Paul Giamatti) takes his engaged friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), on a trip to wine country for a last single-guy bonding experience. While Miles wants to relax and enjoy the wine, Jack is in search of a fling before his wedding. Soon Jack is sleeping with Stephanie (Sandra Oh), while her friend Maya (Virginia Madsen) connects with Miles. When Miles lets slip that Jack is getting married, both women are furious, sending the trip into disarray.”

“I’m a thumbprint on the window of a skyscraper. I’m a smudge of excrement on a tissue surging out to sea with a million tons of raw sewage.” — Miles

6. Four Weddings and a Funeral

This movie seems like it’s made for the holidays. It’s fireplace warm with the smell of pine and apple pie. It pairs well with Notting Hill as a double feature!

The Google knowledge panel summary: “Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It is the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant, and follows the adventures of Charles (Grant) and his circle of friends through a number of social occasions as they each encounter romance.”

“Let me ask you one thing. Do you think — after we’ve dried off, after we’ve spent lots more time together — you might agree not to marry me? And do you think not being married to me might maybe be something you could consider doing for the rest of your life?” — Charles

7. Meet Joe Black

This recommendation may surprise some. It’s a little dark and mysterious, but in the end most will see why I added this to my list of annual classics.

The Google knowledge panel summary: “Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), businessman and devoted family man, is about to celebrate his 65th birthday. However, before he reaches that landmark, he is visited by Death (Brad Pitt), who has taken human form as Joe Black, a young man who recently died. Joe and Bill make a deal: Bill will be given a few extra days of his life, and Joe will spend the same time getting to know what it’s like to be human. It seems like a perfect arrangement, until Joe falls in love — with Bill’s daughter.”

“Now multiply that by infinity, take that to the depths of forever, and you still barely have a glimpse of what I’m taking about.” — Joe

8. The Lunchbox

For me, the holidays are about kindness and love. This movie goes to great lengths to paint a portrait of that in subtle ways.

The Google knowledge panel summary: “Lonely housewife Ila (Nimrat Kaur) decides to try adding some spice to her stale marriage by preparing a special lunch for her neglectful husband. Unfortunately, the delivery goes astray and winds up in the hands of Saajan (Irrfan Khan), an irritable widower. Curious about her husband’s lack of response, Ila adds a note to the next day’s lunchbox, and thus begins an unusual friendship in which Saajan and Ila can talk about their joys and sorrows without ever meeting in person.”

“Sometimes the wrong train can take you to the right destination” — Shaikh

9. Her

Another movie that you probably wont see on anybody else’s list of warm and fuzzy Christmas movies. But for me, I found this movie deeply mood producing in a good way. Watch and you’ll see why.

The Google knowledge panel summary: “A sensitive and soulful man earns a living by writing personal letters for other people. Left heartbroken after his marriage ends, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) becomes fascinated with a new operating system which reportedly develops into an intuitive and unique entity in its own right. He starts the program and meets “Samantha” (Scarlett Johansson), whose bright voice reveals a sensitive, playful personality. Though “friends” initially, the relationship soon deepens into love.”

“It’s like I’m reading a book and it’s a book I deeply love. But I’m reading it slowly now. So the words are really far apart and the spaces between the words are almost infinite.”

— Samantha

10. Midnight in Paris

I’ll let you in on a little secret about this movie. Léa Seydoux plays a key role. There, I said it. Now go watch it!

Seriously, this movie is a gem.

The Google knowledge panel summary: “Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is a screenwriter and aspiring novelist. Vacationing in Paris with his fiancée (Rachel McAdams), he has taken to touring the city alone. On one such late-night excursion, Gil encounters a group of strange — yet familiar — revelers, who sweep him along, apparently back in time, for a night with some of the Jazz Age’s icons of art and literature. The more time Gil spends with these cultural heroes of the past, the more dissatisfied he becomes with the present.”

“The artist’s job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.” — Gertrude Stein

11. Cast Away

If you haven’t seen this movie yet you’ve really missed out. It’s an amazing movie filled with all sorts of moving storytelling and imagery. It makes you feel good about life.

The Google knowledge panel summary: “Obsessively punctual FedEx executive Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is en route to an assignment in Malaysia when his plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean during a storm. The sole survivor of the flight, Chuck washes ashore on a deserted island. When his efforts to sail away and contact help fail, Chuck learns how to survive on the island, where he remains for years, accompanied by only his handmade volleyball friend, Wilson. Will Chuck ever return to civilization and reunite with his loved ones?”

“I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?” — Chuck

There you have it. Break out the good plates. Bake some cookies and spend some quality time snuggled up to these feel good movies that are perfect for the holidays.

Most importantly, if you are lucky enough to have the opportunity, call your mom!