One of the quickest ways to go from sad to happy is to watch a movie that makes you smile. If you have Netflix, then you have access to a huge library of streaming feel-good movies. Whether you need to laugh along with Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty or take a heroic turn with The Incredibles 2, there's something for everyone. Here are the best feel-good streaming options you can watch on Netflix right now!
The Incredibles 2
In 2018, Disney brought back everyone's favorite super family in The Incredibles 2. The movie sees Bob Parr struggle to learn how to be a stay at home dad while Elastigirl is tasked with re-introducing supers to regular society.
The movie was a hit critically and commercially, earning $1.243 billion worldwide. If you missed your chance to see it in theaters, or want to re-live the exciting action all over again, Netflix has you covered.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
While the live-action version of Spider-Man is firmly planted in the MCU, Sony took their chance to create an animated version. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse tells the tale of Miles Morales as he discovers he's one of many Spider-men/women/animals from various universes.
Written by Phil Lord, the movie was a box office smash, earning $375.5 million worldwide. Even more impressive, it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film, becoming one of the few non-Pixar movies to take home the statuette.
To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Netflix original film To All The Boys I've Loved Before first landed on the service in 2018 and become an instant feel-good hit. It's the first in a three-film series that follows Lara Jean, a teenager who sees her love life turned upside down when love letters to all her crushes mysteriously are delivered to them.
Critics gave the film a warm reception, with NPR writing, "The film is precisely what it should be: pleasing and clever, comforting and fun and romantic. Just right for your Friday night, your Saturday afternoon, and many lazy layabout days to come."
Saving Mr. Banks
No list of feel-good movies would be complete without including at least one Tom Hanks film. Saving Mr. Banks stars the endlessly likable actor as Walt Disney, who is working to secure the rights to Mary Poppins to make the movie.
On review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, Saving Mr. Banks was given a 79 percent fresh score with the consensus, "Aggressively likable and sentimental to a fault, Saving Mr. Banks pays tribute to the Disney legacy with excellent performances and sweet, high-spirited charm."
Bruce Almighty
Bruce Almighty stars Jim Carrey as Bruce, a man who wakes up one day as God after complaining that the man upstairs wasn't doing a good job. The real God, played by Morgan Freeman, lets Bruce take his place for a week to see if he can do any better.
The film earned nearly $500 million worldwide and spawned a sequel -- Evan Almighty starring Steve Carrell. Freeman returned for the sequel, but Carrey did not.
Dumplin'
Another Netflix original, Dumplin' tells the tale of Willowdean "Dumplin'" Dickson, an overweight teen with an overbearing mother (Jennifer Aniston) who decides to enter herself into a local beauty pageant. The sweet coming-of-age comedy is accompanied by a soundtrack full of Dolly Parton songs.
Dumplin' received an 85 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes with the critical consensus, "Elevated by a solid soundtrack and a terrific cast, Dumplin' offers sweetly uplifting drama that adds just enough new ingredients to a reliably comforting formula."
Space Jam
One of the biggest hits of the '90s, Space Jam, can now be streamed on Netflix. The lighthearted comedy featured Michael Jordan teaming up with Looney Tunes characters in order to save the universe.
Just as ridiculous as it sounds, it's hard not to laugh and smile as all the shenanigans take place. A sequel starring LeBron James is currently in development and has some pretty big shoes to fill.
Hook
Did you ever wonder what happened to Peter Pan after he grew up? That's the premise of Hook, the classic Robin Williams movie from the '90s. Williams plays a grown-up Peter who has lost his imagination.
He is forced to rediscover his imagination when his children are kidnapped and brought to Neverland. Williams' charm and childish innocence make him perfect for the role. Dustin Hoffman is also barely recognizable as Captain Hook.
Always Be My Maybe
Always Be My Maybe stars Ali Wong and Randall Park as childhood friends who reunite 15 years are setting out on different life paths. Upon reuniting, they realize that the chemistry they had all those years ago was really love.
With a 91 percent fresh score, the consensus for the movie reads, "Carried by the infectious charms of Ali Wong and Randall Park, Always Be My Maybe takes familiar rom-com beats and cleverly layers in smart social commentary to find its own sweet groove."
The Pursuit Of Happyness
The Pursuit of Happyness stars Will Smith and tells the true story of a homeless father and genius who lands an internship at a stock brokerage firm to work his way up the corporate ladder.
Making the film extra sweet is Smith's real-life son, Jaden, who stars alongside him in the movie. Earning $307 million worldwide, critics praised the films more humanistic approach to a heartwarming story. Smith was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his endearing performance.
Julie And Julia
Any movie starring Meryl Streep is bound to be a winner, and Julie and Julia is no exception. The movie follows two women -- Julia Childs (Streep) as she becomes a world-famous food personality, and Julie (Amy Adams), as she grows her food blog.
Directed by Nora Ephron, critics were enchanted by Streep's performance with the Los Angeles Times writing, "A consummate entertainment that echoes the rhythms and attitudes of classic Hollywood, it's a satisfying throwback to those old-fashioned movie fantasies where impossible dreams do come true. And, in this case, it really happened. Twice."
Kate And Leopold
Looking for a light-hearted romantic comedy to watch after a long day working? Kate and Leopold should be just what you're looking for. Starring Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan, the film follows Leopold as he is transported from 1876 to modern-day and falls in love with Kate.
Hugh Jackman was nominated for a Golden Globe for his charming "lost in time" performance. Oddly enough, the director would move on to less feel-good fare after, including Ford v Ferrari and Logan.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark was the first Indiana Jones movie. Starring Harrison Ford as the intrepid explorer, the film wanted to be a throwback to the adventure serials of the 1930s.
It's hard not to smile along with Jones during the movie, even as he continues to get knocked down. Critics praised it as "the ultimate Saturday action matinee–a film so funny and exciting it can be enjoyed any day of the week." It was even nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars!
Set It Up
If you want to watch a more modern romantic comedy on Netflix, we recommend Set It Up. Directed by Claire Scanlon, the feel-good romp follows two assistants who team up to make their bosses fall in love, making their lives easier in return.
Of course, as they work together, the pair, played by Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell, begin to develop feelings for each other. Critics gave it a 91 percent fresh score saying, "Set It Up follows the long-established outlines of the rom-com template – and in the process, proves there's still substantial pleasure to be wrought from familiar formulas."
The Princess Diaries
One of the surprise hits of 2001, The Princess Diaries stars Anne Hathaway as an awkward teen who just wants to disappear. Except she can't because it turns out she's also the princess of a tiny European country.
Critics weren't as kind to this film as others on our list, but audiences ate it up. The Princess Diaries grossed $165 million worldwide and spawned one sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
The Bucket List
While you might not think a movie about two terminally ill aging men completing their bucket lists sounds uplifting, The Bucket List is. The movies take the dark subject matter and creates a buddy comedy between the men as they learn to accept their past mistakes and find peace.
Starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, the movie was too sweet for some critics, but not audiences. The Bucket List made $175 million worldwide.
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Poppins Returns was the long-awaited sequel to the original Disney classic. Arriving in theaters in 2018 and starring Emily Blunt as the titular Poppins, the movie didn't miss a beat in bringing audiences back into her magical world.
Critics were more than happy to award Mary Poppins Returns a 79 percent fresh score with the consensus, "Mary Poppins Returns relies on the magic of its classic forebear to cast a familiar – but still solidly effective – family-friendly spell."
Wine Country
Wine Country premiered on Netflix in 2019 and served as the directorial debut of Amy Poehler. The comedy follows a group of women who travel to California's Napa Valley to celebrate one of their 50th birthdays.
Critics enjoyed the film's light-hearted touch and the comedic timing of the star-studded cast. Poehler's second directing effort, Moxie, began filming in 2019 and is based on a 2017 novel of the same name.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Few movies are better to sit and laugh your worries away watching like Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Starring a baby-faced Matthew Broderick as a kid who just wants to skip school and have fun, the movie has lived on as a high school comedy classic since 1986.
Critics showered Ferris Bueller's Day Off with praise. Richard Roeper called it one of his favorite movies of all time. Steve Almond wrote it was, "one film [he] would consider true art, [the] only one that reaches toward the ecstatic power of teendom [sic] and, at the same time, exposes the true, piercing woe of that age."
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Solo: A Star Wars Story was the second Star Wars spin-off movie to come out. It took audiences inside the life of a young Han Solo before he got tangled up with the Skywalker family.
The fast-paced and action-packed film came out in 2018 and was called a "fun and fast-paced space adventure, Solo: A Star Wars Story should satisfy newcomers to the saga as well as longtime fans who check their expectations at the theater door."
