These Feel-Good Movies On Netflix Will Help You Escape The Doom Of The Newscycle

When your faith in humanity is yet to be restored, it means it’s time to throw your feet up and hit the best feel-good movies on Netflix.

To save you time in culling the white noise, we’ve put together a fool-proof guide to the movies guaranteed to treat your soul and sanity. Watching one of these movies will do the trick but if it tickles your fancy, binging through all of them will do you a world of good too.

Here are the best feel-good movies to watch on Netflix.

Nonnas

This 2025 film starring Vince Vaughn and Susan Sarandon will have you feeling all of the feels. After losing his mother, Joe (Vaughn) feels he’s been wasting his life, so decides to open a restaurant with Italian grandmothers (Nonnas) as the chefs. It is such a wholesome movie and has that Vince Vaughn humour and charm, sprinkled with the class and acting chops of Sarandon.

Dog Gone

After a young man and his beloved dog are separated on the Appalachian Trail, he and his father begin a desperate search to find him before it’s too late. The stickler for this one is that it's based on an incredible true story and stars Rob Lowe, who basically wrote the manuscript for feel-good movies. It's cliche and the script has more cheese than Switzerland so it's perfect for your weekend streaming.  Watch it now. 

Look Both Ways

On the eve of her college graduation, Natalie’s (Lili Reinhart) life diverges into parallel realities: one in which she becomes pregnant and remains in her hometown, and another in which she does not and moves to Los Angeles. In both alternate realities, Natalie experiences life-changing love, pursues her dream career as an artist and rediscovers herself. Watch it now.

Love & Gelato

Oh yes, let the escapism begin. While this film isn't for everyone (bar those that absolutely loved Emily In Paris or The Bold Type), it's the kind of flick you can switch on for a well-deserved break from the news or you know, heavy true crime documentaries. Lina, a 17-year-old American, finds herself having to travel to Rome to honor her mother's memory. Catapulted into an unknown country, too messy and full of chaos for her serious, methodical and even a little nerdy nature, she has to reckon with her obsessions, anxieties and fears. For us, we're loving this one for the Italian fashion montages and beautiful Roma scenery. Watch it here.

Rescued By Ruby

We mean, nothing will bring your spirits up more than a dog movie, right? State trooper Dan (Grant Gustin) dreams of joining the K-9 Search And Rescue team, but no one will give him the chance. Shelter dog Ruby has been unlucky finding her forever home. When fate brings Dan and Ruby together, it's their unshakable bond that helps them face their toughest challenge yet. The best bit? it's based on a true story. Watch Rescued By Ruby here.

13 Going On 30

If it’s been a while since you watched this one, notch it up to the top of your rewatch pile. The basic story is 13-year-old Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) wishes she could be older after she was humiliated at her 13th birthday. Then she wakes up “30, flirty and thriving!”. The story is fun, the premise ridiculous but oh-so-enjoyable and the characters endearing. You won’t regret watching this one.

Holidate

Netflix continues to serve us cliche rom-coms that are just excellent, doesn’t it? Holidate follows Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Roberts) as strangers who agree to be each other’s platonic plus ones to avoid the “why are you single?” questions. All goes well, until one develops feelings. Like I said, it’s cliche, but you don’t mind with such an excellent cast and genuinely fun plot. If you want a wholesome and funny movie, this is it.

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Eurovision

It may seem a strange time to be enthralled by a Netflix movie in the midst of a global pandemic, racial injustice riots, anti-terror protests, a sport standstill, a climate crisis and political campaigns that outwardly discriminate against LGBQTI+ rights, but Will Ferrell’s latest comedy is the sort of brilliance that kicks back at the world’s divide right now. It’s not hard to realise why Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga is a glorious success. Written by Will Ferrell, the comedy follows aspiring Icelandic musicians Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) who are given the opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country at Eurovision and from here — the Eurovision cameos and references literally spiral out of control.

Moxie

Directed by Amy Poehler, Moxie is the kind of movie bound to lift your spirits. Vivian (Hadley Robinson), a seemingly shy 16-year-old, has always preferred to keep her head down and fly under the radar. But when the arrival of a new student (Alycia Pascual-Peña) forces her to examine the unchecked behaviour of her fellow students running rampant at her high school, Vivian realizes she’s fed up. Inspired by her mother’s (Amy Poehler) rebellious past, Vivian anonymously publishes an underground zine called Moxie to expose bias and wrongdoing in her high school and unexpectedly sparks a movement. Watch it here.

Charlotte's Web

I hadn’t seen this classic since I was a child, but trust me, it’s much better than I remember. The 2006 film based on EB White novel follows a clever spider, Charlotte, who saves a pig, Wilbur, intended for slaughter. I don’t know how many times I cried throughout this film but it was a lot. It’s just that wholesome. Put it on when you need a hug through the screen. Watch it now.

Paddington

This joyful, live action film was everything Paddington fans wanted it to be and more. If you aren’t aware of Paddington, he is a talking bear that comes from Peru. In the film, he moves to London and stays with a British family and ends up taking pretty well to city life. But can he avoid the evil taxidermist (Nicole Kidman – yes, that Nicole Kidman) who has him in her sights? The movie is fun, the storyline wholesome and you will end up clicking to watch the sequel Paddington in Peru, immediately afterwards.

The Fundamentals Of Caring

Based on the novel by Jonathan Evison and written, directed and produced by Rob Burnett, The Fundamentals of Caring stars Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Ehle, Megan Ferguson and Frederick Weller. The film follows the story of Ben, a retired writer who becomes a caregiver after suffering a personal tragedy. After six weeks of training, Ben meets his first client, Trevor, a foul-mouthed 18-year-old with muscular dystrophy. One paralyzed emotionally, one paralyzed physically, Ben and Trevor take an impromptu road trip to all the places Trevor has become obsessed with while watching the local news, including their holy grail: the World's Deepest Pit. Watch it here.

Vacation

If you grew up watching National Lampoon’s Vacation, you’ll want to hit play on its next-generation spin-off. Vacation follows the infamous Clark Griswold’s son, Rusty, as he tries to reconnect with his family in true Griswold style. Rusty (Ed Helms) basically goes all or nothing and forces his family into a week-long road trip to the nostalgic Walley World and, as you might have guessed, everything that can go wrong absolutely does. The Vacation also stars the hilarious Christina Applegate and Aussie talent Chris Hemsworth.

The Blind Side

The Blind Side tells the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless teen who has been the victim of  abuse his whole life—stay with us the feel-good part is coming. But everything changes when he’s adopted by local do-gooder Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her family, who introduce Michael to football and proceed to change the course of his life for the better. This one is the ultimate heart-warmer.

Someone Great

If you need a break from the seemingly dark world of Netflix right now, Someone Great is your fix for laughs, the reality of relationships and the beauty of amazing best friends. Extremely relatable, this hilarious film stars Gina Rodrigues as Jenny, an aspiring music journalist who has just landed her dream job across the country. Things fall through with her boyfriend of nine years which naturally means her two best friends rally together to give her a mammoth send off and hit one last adventure around the city for old times sake. 

Dumplin’

Not only is Dumplin’ one of the best Netflix Originals, it’s also one of the best feel-good movies you could treat your soul to. Dumplin’ (you know her as Aussie star Danielle Macdonald) is the plus-size, teenage daughter of a former beauty queen, played by Jennifer Aniston), who signs up for her mum’s pageant in protest. When this escalates and more contestants follow suit, the pageant and town it's based in, are slowly revolutionised.

Dirty Dancing

For the nostalgic feel-good flick, your go-to has to be Dirty Dancing. Hit play on this gem for all the on-screen magic between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey that’s guaranteed to give you all the feels. Telling the story of a young girl who heads to holiday camp with her family, “Baby” falls hard for the camp’s dance instructor Johnny Castle.

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Image credit: Netflix