watoday– Superhero movies, thrillers, sci-fi epics, intense dramas, fantasies and horror films have their place. But as lockdown drags on around the country, it feels like we need more upbeat entertainment to get us through hard times.
That means chasing down heartwarming and inspiring films – sunnier experiences – that are the home-viewing equivalent of comfort food. Here are 10 of the best to help ease the lockdown blues.
Amelie (2001)
Watch on: Apple TV, Fetch*
A French charmer with heart and humour that is just about guaranteed to lift your spirits. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, this much-loved comic romance is about a shy waitress (Audrey Tautou) with an active imagination, who is determined to bring happiness to others in a whimsical version of Paris.
The Castle (1997)
Watch on: Stan**, Prime, Ozflix, Google Play
One of those films that gets better every time you watch it, The Castle is full of lines that have become part of popular culture: “This is going straight to the pool room”, “How’s the serenity?” and “Tell him he’s dreaming” just for a start. Good-hearted Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) fights the good fight when his home is threatened.
Watch on: Stan, Binge, Foxtel Now, Apple TV, Prime, Google Play, Foxtel Now, Micrsoft, Fetch
A John Hughes teen comedy that has lasted brilliantly. Ferris (Matthew Broderick) skips school and spends a day having adventures in Chicago with girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck). They visit the Art Institute, go to a baseball game and Ferris sings Twist and Shout in a parade, while principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) tries to prove he is not really sick.
School of Rock (2003)
Watch on: Netflix, Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, Fetch
Director Richard Linklater has made other films that are bread for the soul, including the romantic trilogy Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight, but School of Rock is the pick for hard times. Stumbling into substitute teaching, rock guitarist Dewey Finn (Jack Black) takes an unlikely group of students to a Battle of the Bands. The highlights continue until the closing credits, when Dewey and the students perform It’s a Long Way to the Top.
Once (2007)
Watch on: Netflix, Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, Fetch, Telstra T
A small-scale Irish musical romance with non actors, Once is just about as perfect and full of heart as a film can get. In a story that is literally about Boy (Glen Hansard) meeting Girl (Marketa Irglova), director John Carney has combined charming performances with soulful music as two musicians fall in love. The Oscar-winning Falling Slowly is just one of the memorable songs.
Strictly Ballroom (1992)
Watch on: iView, Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, Fetch, Microsoft
Baz Luhrmann’s entire Red Curtain trilogy, which also includes Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge, is well worth revisiting. But for days like these, Strictly Ballroom is the standout. Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio) is a dancer who wants to go his own way in the colourful but rule-bound world of ballroom dancing. He teams up with apparently mousy Fran (Tara Morice) for the Pan Pacific championship.
Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017)
Watch Paddington on: Netflix, Stan, Binge, Foxtel Now, Apple TV, Google Play, Fetch, Microsoft Watch Paddington 2 on: Binge, Foxtel Now, Apple TV Google Play, Fetch, Microsoft
The recent debate over whether Paddington 2 deserved to be rated more highly than Citizen Kane on Rotten Tomatoes drew attention to just how good the two films in this British series are – happy, feel-good family comedies with depth.
While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book in Mr Gruber’s antique shop and embarks on a series of odd jobs to buy it. But the fun really starts when the book is stolen.
In the first instalment, Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) is adopted by a family in London after arriving from Peru. In the sequel, he is wrongly arrested for theft.
Up (2009)
Watch on: Disney +, Prime, Google Play, Microsoft, Apple TV, Telstra, Fetch
Pixar has long been turning out rich and uplifting animated films, including the Toy Story series and WALL-E. But there is something special about Up. It manages to be both touching and funny as grumpy widower Carl (Ed Asner) goes on an adventure in a balloon-powered house with young stowaway Russell (Jordan Nagai)
Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
Watch on: Prime, Binge, Foxtel Now, Google Play, Apple TV, Ozflix, Fetch
One of Australia’s most beloved comedies, directed by P. J. Hogan, centres on socially awkward Muriel (Toni Collette) who listens to Abba songs and dreams of getting married in Porpoise Spit. When she heads to Sydney and bonds with the feisty Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths), Muriel gets the chance to become a bride.
Peter Weir has made a number of memorably life-affirming films, including The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society and Witness. Less widely seen is Green Card, a romantic comedy about a marriage of convenience between a charmingly disorganised French immigrant (Gerard Depardieu) and an uptight American horticulturist (Andie MacDowell) in New York. He wants a Green Card; she wants her dream apartment.
EDITOR’S PICK
Need more heartwarming content? Try these films:
Babe, Bend It Like Beckham, The Princess Bride, Cinema Paradiso, Chariots of Fire, The Dish, The Intouchables, Four Weddings and a Funeral, This Is Spinal Tap, Jerry Maguire, The Rocket, La La Land, My Neighbour Totoro, Kenny, Slumdog Millionaire, Sing Street, Hunt For the Wilderpeople, Clueless, Billy Elliot, Big, Little Miss Sunshine, Crazy Rich Asians, Singin’ In the Rain, Sullivan’s Travels, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Duck Soup and It’s A Wonderful Life.
