Category Archives: Feel Good For All

2021, Acceptable for teenagers, Cancer theme, Could Be Sad, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, English, Feel Good For All, Friendship, Gay theme, Good Acting, Happy ending, Kanopy streaming, Language lessons, Low Key, Mourning, Spanish, Talking Heads, Tender, Zoom sessions

Language Lessons (2021)

From Kanopy:

When his husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons, Adam (Mark Duplass, Bombshell, The Morning Show) is unsure about where or how this new element will fit into his already structured life. But after tragedy strikes, his Spanish teacher, Cariño (Natalie Morales, Dead To Me, Parks And Recreation), becomes a lifeline he didn’t know he needed. Adam develops an unexpected and complicated emotional bond with Cariño — but do you really know someone just because you’ve experienced a traumatic moment with them? Bittersweet, honest, and at times darkly funny, this award-winning debut from director Natalie Morales is a poignant, funny, and emotionally resonant (Screen Rant) exploration of platonic love.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1.5 hour film.

Adam and Cariño talk via Zoom sessions. In fact the entire film is a series of such sessions, several of which are one-sided.  Just after the first session, Adam’s husband dies. Adam goes into deep grief and depression which he escapes with the help of Cariño.  Mostly they speak in English and if they do speak in Spanish there are subtitles. Really the language lessons are besides the point. Eventually we learn quite a lot about about Adam and Cariño.

This film is so sweet and touching that if you don’t yet belong to Kanopy (which is free), then join just for the chance to see this tender film.

DO NOT MISS!

2015, Acceptable for children, Acorn TV, Autobiographical, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, British, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Coming-of-age, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Feel Good For All, Husband leaves wife, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Nostalgia, Quiet, Romance, Senior citizens, Small British village, Small gem of a film, Teenagers, War Deserter, Wonderful photography, WWI

Cider With Rose (2015)

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From IMDB:

In 1918, with her husband working in the War office – and subsequently leaving the family – devoted mother Annie Lee takes her step-daughters and her own children to live in the idyllic Gloucestershire countryside, the youngest being the sickly Laurie, known as Loll. Here they witness two feuding matrons, Granny Trill and Granny Wallon and shelter a young army deserter hiding in the woods until his capture. At school Loll and his classmates are terrorized by the formidable teacher Crabby until hulking Spadge Hopkins literally puts her in her place. Far more important to Loll’s schooldays are the captivating Burdock sisters, Jo and Rosie, and, as he grows into adolescence and beyond, eventually leaving home to seek his fortune, he samples the delights of cider with Rosie.

From Acorn TV:

This beautifully shot, elegiac drama is a coming-of-age story set in a remote English valley post-WWI. Raised by his kindly mother (Samantha Morton, In America) among a pack of siblings, Laurie Lee experiences the wonders of love and friendship but also the brutality of loss and death. “Brilliant performances underpin a lyrical, languid, and poetic adaptation [of Lee’s memoir]” -The Telegraph.

From Wikipedia:

Cider with Rosie is a 1959 book by Laurie Lee (published in the US as Edge of Day: Boyhood in the West of England, 1960). It is the first book of a trilogy that continues with As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (1969) and A Moment of War (1991). It has sold over six million copies worldwide.

From Acorn TV you can stream this heart-warming 89 minute film.

Annie Lee, the mother, is played by Samantha Morton (Alpha in the 2019 The Walking Dead).  Granny Trill is played by Annette Crosbie (Clarice Millgrove in  Call the Midwife) whose face was immediately familiar to me even though at the time of filming she was 81 years old.

If you want a beautiful yet sad-at-times reproduction of WWI life in rural England from a century ago, DO NOT MISS!

2016, Acceptable for children, Adopted child, Australian, Based on true facts, Biographical, Brother-Brother relations, Could Be Sad, Culture of India, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drugs, Feel Good For All, Love Story, Mental Illness, Missing Person, Mother-son relations, Netflix DVD, True Story, Wonderful acting

Lion (2016)

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From IMDB:

A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.

Netflix sent me a DVD containing this film.

Goose flesh films are rare for me, but this true story really worked for me.  Imagine having your 5-year-old child getting lost and then disappearing.  Imagine being that poor child Saroo who grows up in his adopting and loving Australian family while always wondering where his real mother and brother Guddu are.  This nagging compulsion finally drives Saroo away from his Australian family as well as from his wife Lucy while he plods on day and night using Google World to find his birthplace. Of course we know the story has a happy ending, but getting there is a tense trip.

Expect the film to be somewhat slow moving. Much film time is spent inside Saroo’s head as he more and more remembers bits and pieces of his past childhood. Present stimuli bring back past memories.

Some important characters are:

  • Nicole Kidman is superb as Sue Brierly, Saroo’s adoptive mother. Nicole Kidman just keeps maturing into a better and better actor.
  • Dev Patel makes the perfect Saroo. Does it seem possible that just 8 years ago, Dev Patel played the older Jamal in “Slumdog Millionaire”?
  • Rooney Mara is an appealing and sympathetic Lucy. How different she is here as compared to her role as Lisbeth Salander in the 2011 production of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.

Patience is a virtue in watching this film. Be sure to stay tuned at the end to read subsequent history and to see photos of the real Saroo and all the other people in his life.

DO NOT MISS!

2016, Acceptable for children, Based on true facts, Black History, Car Chase, Civil Rights, DO NOT MISS, Feel Good For All, Human spirit, Interest in automobiles, Lawyers, Netflix DVD, Race Relations, Racism, Slow, Supreme Court, Thought provoking, True Story

Loving (2016)

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From IMDB:

The story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a couple whose arrest for interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia began a legal battle that would end with the Supreme Court’s historic 1967 decision.

Netflix sent me a DVD for this film.

Not only was the topic of historic importance, but the film was done beautifully. Jeff Nichols wrote and directed and, I assume, chose the perfect actors. Wikipedia gives much information, especially a discussion of the characters of Richard Loving, Mildred Loving, and a very understanding description by Nichols of the sheriff. And yes, my own family and friends also included many racists.

Ruth Negga was fine as Mildred Loving, but to it was Joel Edgerton’s presentation of Richard Loving that was so perfectly matched to a description in the Wikipedia article:

“Richard Loving was indeed as stoic as Nichols and Edgerton portray him; the small rural Virginia community in which they lived was (and is) highly racially integrated; Mildred Loving really did write directly to Robert Kennedy, and her letter is still in the Kennedy collection; and the Lovings lawyer really did, per Richard’s request, relay his words before the Supreme Court that “I love my wife.””[

Sad to tell, I was especially tense watching the film, although there is no violence. At any moment I was sure some KKK thug was going to somehow attack the family. When the film came to such a happy conclusion, I breathed a sigh of relief. Be sure to read the concluding screen postscript.

DO NOT MISS!

2016, Acceptable for children, Based on a Book, Comedy, Could Be Sad, Drama, Feel Good For All, Gay theme, Interest in automobiles, Interest in cats, Journalist, Love Story, Senior citizens, Suicide, Swedish, Trains

A Man Called Ove (2016)

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From Netflix:

Despite being deposed as president of his condo’s resident association, 59-year-old misanthrope Ove continues to plague his neighbors with dictatorial demands. But when Ove’s new neighbor runs over his mailbox, the old crank finds he’s met his match.

Beginning December 2016 Netflix will offer the DVD for this Swedish film with English subtitles.

Based on the book by Fredrik Backman first published in 2012, the film adaptation, according to wife Kathy who read this very popular book with her book club, is faithful to the original plot.

Although the film begins when Ove is 59 years old, the films spends a lot of time in flashbacks to his younger years. In a nutshell, Ove has suffered many personal losses in his lifetime, and is now so lonely he contemplates suicide, although his comic attempts never succeed. What saves Ove are all the new neighbors moving into his housing development.

Although the film has many sad points, it also has just as many funny spots.  For example, Ove’s competition with a close friend is based on the fact that  Ove drives  Saabs whereas the friend drives Volvos.

Here is one of those films for the entire family that you could describe as “feel good.” If you want to get away from sex and violence and nasty politics, this is the film for you.

 

2016, Acceptable for children, Alcoholism, Amusing banter, Carpentry, Catholic culture, Child custody, Comedy, Divorce, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Feel Good For All, Mother-son relations, Theft

The Confirmation (2016)

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From IMDB:

Eight year old Anthony is somewhat uneasy about spending the weekend with his alcoholic, down-on-his-luck carpenter dad Walt while his mom Bonnie and her new husband Kyle go to a Catholic retreat together. Walt is just as uneasy about spending time with Anthony, especially since their first day together is a series of characteristically unfortunate events, including his truck breaking down, his landlord locking him out of the house, and the theft of his toolbox, which he needs for an upcoming job. As Walt and Anthony set about finding the guy who stole the tools and improvise around their other misfortunes, they begin to discover a true connection with each other, causing Walt to become a better father and Anthony to reveal the promise and potential of the good man he will become.

Clive Owen as Walt the father and  Jaeden Lieberher as Anthony the son are matched perfectly and cleverly. Catholic viewers will get a kick out of Anthony’s two visits to the confessional and its perplexed priest confessor. Especially note the amusing and unending trail of lies that are an important part of the plot.

Sorry, but I do not buy Walt’s quick retreat from alcoholism, even though it contributes to a heart-warming film.

Finally we have here that rarity – a feel-good but not maudlin film for the entire family.

 

 

2015, Acceptable for children, Based on a Book, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Feel Good For All, Irish, Italian culture, Mother-daughter relations, Optimistic, Sex Scenes, Use of Irish Brogue, Wonderful acting

Brooklyn (2015)

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From NetFlix:

After emigrating from Ireland, Eilis Lacey readily adapts to the vastly different New York City, where she falls for a young Italian. But when tragedy pulls her back to her hometown, she finds her loyalties divided between two nations — and two men.

Probably I have become so jaded from the usual film fare of sex and violence that when I watch a film I expect at any moment that something really awful is about to happen. As a real contrast “Brooklyn” is a sweet, gentle film based on the very popular book of the same name by Colm Tóibin. Imagine: no rapes, no untoward sexual advances, the priests are warm and helpful instead of pedophiles, Eilis (sounds like “eye lish”) is helped by friendly strangers and her boarding housemates. What is this world coming to? How can you have a film without a cringe factor?

All the acting was pitch-perfect. Emory Cohen as Tony (Eilis’ Italian love interest) is just right as a sincere, lovable, honorable member of an Italian family.

Saoirse Ronan presents an Eilis that matures as the film progresses. “Saoirse” is Irish for “freedom” and is pronounced “seer-sha”. “Ronan” means “little seal”.

In such a civilized ambience, the homesickness, difficult choices, and genuine love are felt all the more strongly.

Isn’t it nice to end a film feeling really happy? DO NOT MISS!

 

2015, Acceptable for children, Airline pilot, Based on true facts, CIA, Cold War, Communists, DO NOT MISS, Feel Good For All, German History, International thriler, KGB, Lawyers, Military, Prison, Spy Theme, Steven Spielberg, Suspense, Thought provoking, True Story

Bridge of Spies (2015)

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From NetFlix:

At the height of the Cold War in 1960, the downing of an American spy plane and the pilot’s subsequent capture by the Soviets draws Brooklyn attorney James Donovan into the middle of an intense effort to secure the aviator’s release.

Steven Spielberg’s films tell stories in a straight forward manner often including quite a bit of schmalz (the German word for “lard”). In this excellent and true Cold War portrayal, Spielberg’s style is unmistakable with a minimum of schmalz.

After watching the 142 minutes continue to stay for the credits because the follow-up explanations are as meaningful as the story itself. Probably because you have accompanied these characters through a very difficult spy exchange negotiation,  you will want to know what happened to them after the film story ended.

Not all young film stars mature into fine older actors. Clearly Tom Hanks is a standout.

Throughout the film there are many subtle facial expressions and gestures. As one example, at the very end the East German high official concludes a swap and extends his hand for a handshake because above all else the East Germans wanted recognition as something other than Russian lackeys. But the American agent refuses the handshake and whisks the swapped prisoner away to American safety.

James Donovan’s insistence on due process as part of what defines the United States, even for a foreign spy, was a thought-provoking and essential point of the story.

Bravo Steven Spielberg! DO NOT MISS!

 

 

 

 

2012, Acceptable for children, British, Clever Plot, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Feel Good For All, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Netflix Streaming, Suspense

The Scapegoat (2012)

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FromNetFlix;

Soon after meeting his doppelgänger, schoolteacher John Standing is duped into taking the man’s place at the head of an aristocratic but troubled family. As Standing grows into his new identity, he learns that his lookalike has sinister intentions.

Good story, good acting, and good suspense makes this British drama a wonderful surprise. Best of all, you can stream from NetFlix or get a DVD. At the end of the film you hold your breath waiting to see what really happened.

There is not a single actor I recognized except for Eileen Atkins who plays Lady Spence. She was Ruth Ellingham in “Doc Martin”.

For an evening of adult, well-done, feel-good drama DO NOT MISS!

2014, Acceptable for children, Arson, Based on a Book, Cooking and food, Corny at times, Culture of India, Father-son relations, Feel Good For All, Fishing, French Culture, Love Story, Optimistic, Race Relations

The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

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From Netflix:

Relocating from India to a quiet village in the south of France, chef Hassan Kadam and his family open a restaurant called Maison Mumbai. But when their business starts to thrive, a competing restaurateur launches a war between the eateries.

For two hours you can just relax, accept the many unlikely details, and enjoy a feel-good film that is even acceptable for children. Only a few moments of difficulty from time to time portend a possible cloud, but never fear, in this film tension is just not allowed.

Marguerite is beautiful, Hassan is handsome, and Helen Mirren is Helen Mirren.

You are guaranteed at least four happy endings. Enjoy the silliness!