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Top 10 feel good movies - 8 Love Actually

2003 


As the film blurb says, "Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England." A delightful series of mini stories that stands any number of repeat viewing, particularly Jamie (Colin Firth) and Aurelia (Lucia Moniz).

Favourite bit:
Firth can't speak Portuguese, Moniz can't speak English.
Firth in English:  It's my favourite time of day, driving you.
Moniz in Portuguese:  It's the saddest part of my day, leaving you.

Scene is helped enormously by the fact that Moniz is looking gorgeous in an off the shoulder blanket.

Mike's view:
Top writing, top acting, great idea and most of the stories end happily ever after.

Top 10 feel good movies - 7 Then She Found Me

2007

Helen Hunt has her life all sorted out and then in quick succession her Mother dies, her husband leaves her and her unknown birth mother turns up.  This is the first interpretation of the title but I prefer to look at it from Colin Firth's perspective as he comes into her life as a single father.  Hunt's journey is two steps forward and one step back but the chemistry between her and Firth is special, Bette Midler is great as her Mother and Matthew Broderick is fist clenchingly convincing as her pathetic but honest husband.

Favourite bit:
Hunt: Your wife was seeing somebody else?
Firth:  Pretty much everybody else. I was too much for her.
Hunt:  For you wife?  I'm sure she didn't feel that way.
Firth:  She told me.
Hunt:  What did she say?
Firth:  You're too much for me.

Mike's view:
A wonderful film that has been sadly overlooked.  Didn't get past the Kermode test and I understand his view that it is not tight and crisp but that is partly why I love it.

Top 10 feel good movies - 6 As Good as it Gets

1997

This is not a start to finish feel good movie but the emergence of Nicholson's character as a caring and sensitive but lonely old author rather than the top to bottom curmudgeon is the real feel good story and got Nicholson his Second Oscar.  Helen Hunt is brilliant, as always, and also won an Oscar for her performance as the waitress who can't quite bring herself to trust Nicholson'e motives in helping her son. Greg Kinnear plays the beaten up artist with vulnerability and doesn't overdo it but the dog is the real star though and in the scenes with the dog Nicholson starts to show what he is really like underneath the outer skin.


Favourite bit: There's just too many to pick one but all of the scenes with Nicholoson and the dog are brilliantly written and superbly acted.


Mike's view:  Two great performances and a cute dog.  A recipe for success that The Artist has successfully copied.    

Top 10 feel good movies - 5 You've Got Mail

1998

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan start an online relationship unaware that they are on opposite sides of a battle between a big bookstore chain and a local children's book shop.  Can the Hanks realises what has happened and Ryan starts to fall for Hanks, despite his part in her business downfall.  Can the relationship survive the revelation that he is also her mail buddy?

Favourite bit:
Hanks bringing Ryan daisies when she has a disgusting cold and refuses to leave until she is looked after.

Mike's view:
So much better than Sleepless in Seattle largely because Ryan is less soppy and much more credible.  It's a classic romcom setup and has great pace and a cracking supporting cast going through their own crises.  

Top 10 feel good movies - 4 Something's Gotta Give

2003

Jack Nicholson is living the dream with a succession of gorgeous young girlfriends but falls for Diane Keaton who is nearer his age.  As he starts to realise that, against all his principles, he wants to be with Keaton she falls for the younger man, Keanu Reeves.

Favourite bit:
Parisian restaurant when Nicholson goes to propose to Keaton only to discover she is there with Reeves.  Disaaaaaster!

Mike's view:
Written and directed by Nancy Myers and starring Keaton and Nicholson so it was always going to be good but this is better than just good. I love Nicholson's amazement that Keaton doesn't know a good deal when she sees it and Keaton is wonderfully appalled by this ageing swinger who thinks he's God's gift.  Reeves is sensible enough to know he is part of the plot and not a lead and doesn't try to do too much with his part which is unusual for a genuine A-lister.  Loads of great moments and a genuinely moving story.  That's Meyers for you.

Top 10 feel good movies - 3 The Blues Brothers

1980

Just had to be there didn't it?

Two low life blues musicians attempt to raise money to save the orphanage they grew up in and create mayhem as they do so while pursued by nazis, the police, rednecks and Carrie Fisher.

Favourite bit:
Elwood: "It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've gotta full tank of gas, half a packet of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."
Jake: "Hit it!"

Mike's view:

How did this ever get made? Insane idea but it ends up as a brilliant movie that has given me so many great moments that I can recall when I need cheering up. Brilliant, that's all there is to it and did I mention the music?