It can be easy to get dragged down by certain things in life, but movies can often act as a soothing balm. For anyone struggling with heavy existential dread, the best solution can sometimes be pure escapism. Some comedy movies go one step further, offering a life-affirming message to boost anyone’s spirits.

Everyone has their own favorite comfort movies that they return to in tough times, but a new movie is sometimes more effective. These emotional classics can snap people out of existential malaise and leave them with a renewed vigor for life, thanks to their brilliant comedy and humanist storytelling.

10

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Studio Ghibli Has A Reputation For Lifting People’s Spirits

Many of Studio Ghibli’s movies are known for their power to lift people out of bad moods, and My Neighbor Totoro is one of the most wholesome and magical. The story follows two sisters who discover a community of forest sprits after moving to a new house in the country.

My Neighbor Totoro is replete with Studio Ghibli’s quirky charms, as each frame erupts with vibrant color and Hayao Miyazaki constructs an immersive world of fantastical creatures. It’s a kind of fairy tale that audiences will want to live inside, perfect for young children but also deeply rewarding for adults.

9

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2021)

The Winning Combo Of Live-Action And Animation Is Hard To Resist

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On started out as a series of YouTube shorts, and the movie retains the same feeling of creative, snappy fun. There are several brief scenes which show Marcel, the lovable one-inch shell, using his clever contraptions to maneuver around the house and carve out his wholesome existence.

Marcel has an impish quality that helps steer the movie away from sticky sentimentalism. The story is also surprisingly mature, given the child-friendly aesthetic. It balances themes of grief, loss and loneliness, but it offers a positive message. Ultimately, it’s a life-affirming movie that can make its audience cry as well as laugh, and it deserves more appreciation.

8

About Time (2013)

Richard Curtis Proves His Rom-Com Credentials Once Again

Richard Curtis is behind many of the best British rom-coms, having written Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary and more. He doesn’t often direct his own movies, however, with About Time being one exception. The story follows a man who discovers that he can travel back in time, and he uses this power to mend his relationships.

Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams strike up a charming chemistry in About Time, which helps keep an unconventional love story with its feet on the ground. However, About Time expands its scope as the story develops, and it soon becomes a much broader movie about finding a deep appreciation for the beauty in everyday life.

7

Singin’ In The Rain (1952)

The Classic Musical Is Still A Treat

Singin’ in the Rain is an emblem of Old Hollywood, and not just because the story tracks the transition from the silent-film era to the talkies. The lavish sets, gorgeous technicolor visuals and wide framing are all reminders that Singin’ in the Rain is the kind of grand, spectacular movie musical that doesn’t seem to get made these days.

Singin’ in the Rain remains one of the most entertaining movies ever, with a fleet-footed mix of great jokes, romance, and stunning musical numbers. It invariably leaves audiences with a warm feeling, showing that its magic hasn’t worn off in the many decades since its release.

6

Paddington 2 (2017)

Paddington’s Second Adventure Is A Perfect Crowdpleaser

Paddington 2 stands out as the best movie of the three so far, although the trilogy sets a very high bar to begin with. Paddington 2 sees the beloved British bear being framed of theft and sent to prison, but a hilarious, charming story springs from this surprisingly dark premise. It helps that Paddington is one of cinema’s most lovable characters, in keeping with the wholesome reputation of the books.

Paddington offers a crowdpleasing kind of comedy for people of all ages, and it’s also an uplifting tale about the power of family and community. The ending ties all the narrative threads together in an immensely satisfying climax, piling callback jokes on top of one another with a rare lightness of touch.

5

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

The Old Hollywood Comedy Is Full Of Warmth And Wit

Bringing Up Baby is one of the funniest Old Hollywood comedies; one that remains just as enjoyable over 80 years later. This is partly thanks to the wonderful performances from both Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, but it’s also down to the story’s frantic energy and appealing approach to romance.

The presence of the leopard is just one of many chaotic factors at play in Bringing Up Baby. Hepburn’s character can be just as unpredictable, which pairs perfectly with Grant’s high-strung comedic persona. The considerable flaws in the relationship between the two characters create a strangely realistic vision of love, and it’s always a delight to watch them struggling and stumbling to arrive at the natural conclusion that they are destined to be together.

4

The School Of Rock (2003)

Richard Linklater Is One Of Comedy’s Great Humanists

School of Rock, like many of Richard Linklater’s movies, is a perfect pick-me-up. It’s filled with great humor, much of which comes from Jack Black’s affable, expressive performance, but it’s also a surprisingly tender portrait of a group of children who find a sense of community to shake up their rigid lives.

School of Rock is Linklater’s love letter to the spirit of rock and roll, as bending the rules and being original leads to his characters building a new appreciation for life. It’s not just the students either, as Jack Black’s phony teacher learns a valuable lesson or two along the way.

3

Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016)

Taika Waiтιтi Ventures Off The Beaten Path

Before his mainstream successes in America, Taika Waiтιтi developed a reputation as one of New Zealand’s most exciting directors. Hunt for the Wilderpeople could be his finest achievement from this period. It’s an emotionally intelligent and deeply resonant story about an unusual family structure and a journey into the unknown.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a quirky, offbeat comedy, but it’s capable of sweeping its audience away in a wave of emotion. With irreverent humor one moment and deeply affecting personal drama the next, Hunt for the Wilderpeople keeps things constantly surprising. Sam Neill’s performance is key to the emotional side of things, acting as an unorthodox father figure who isn’t too stuck in his ways to take a chance on a boy who needs him.

2

The Princess Bride (1987)

The Modern Fairy Tale Has Plenty Of Retro Charm

The Princess Bride has taken on a nostalgic quality since its release, but it was already a romantic fairy tale that evoked an earlier time. The Princess Bride looks and feels like an old bedtime story – indeed, this is how it’s framed in the movie – but it’s a modern creation that simply attempts to recapture that same feeling of wholesome adventure.

The quality of the storytelling is what keeps The Princess Bride from feeling stale and outdated. It’s easy to get lost in the world of Westley and ʙuттercup, partly because a lot of the humor feels so modern that it keeps the entire story fresh. A great ensemble cast does the rest of the work.

1

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Wes Anderson’s Quirky Romance Is Hilarious And Tender

Many of Wes Anderson’s movies have a strong undercurrent of emotional maturity, even if his quirky aesthetic style can be a barrier for some people. Moonrise Kingdom is one of his most charming movies, as it tells the story of two young lovers who elope, leaving their parents and their insular community in chaos.

Moonrise Kingdom urges its audience to empathize with the couple, even if their romance has no consideration of practicality or longevity. Perhaps this is how love should be after all, especially when compared to the dysfunctional, squabbling adults in the story.