At the end of a hard day, Netflix is never going to be able to give you the warm hug that you need. That’s something A.I. also falls well short on. But what Netflix can offer, that A.I. can’t, is a lineup of feel-good movies that serve as a reminder that humanity has more to offer than just our worst instincts. At our very best, we can all provide love, acceptance, friendship, and more.
This month’s top selections for the best feel-good movies on Netflix include the original version of Matilda, a sports drama called The Long Game, and Wonder, a film that has a very impressive cast. You can find all of these films and more below.
If this isn’t what you’re looking for, check out our other feel-good lists, including the best comedies on Netflix, the best stand-up comedy on Netflix, and the best romantic comedies on Netflix.
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Matilda1996 - The Long Game2024
- Wonder2017
Matilda (1996)
72%
7.0/10Danny DeVito threw himself into the first cinematic adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. DeVito not only directed the film, he cast himself as Harry Wormwood, and his then wife, Rhea Perlman, as Harry’s wife, Zinnia, the less-than-proud parents of Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson).
Matilda is a very bright six-year-old girl who has to fight to get an education, which earns her the attention of a kind teacher, Jennifer Honey (Embeth Davidtz). Matilda’s determination also makes the school’s evil principal, Agatha Trunchbull (Pam Ferris), target her. But Matilda has a big secret: She’s telekinetic and the power of her mind can make almost anything happen. Now, Matilda is ready to use that gift to create the life she’s always wanted.
The Long Game (2024)
65% 6.6/10Does Dennis Quaid star in anything anymore that isn’t an inspiring drama of some kind? Because he’s been in a lot of those in the last few years. Quaid may have the top credit in The Long Game, but he’s actually second banana to Jay Hernandez in this true story. In Texas during the ‘50s, anti-Mexican bias is so prevalent that even the superintendent of schools, JB Peña (Hernandez), is denied admission to a golf club despite his good buddy, Frank (Quaid), vouching for him.
When JB’s ambition is denied, he turns his attention to a group of young Mexican-American caddies who are so eager to learn how to play golf that they built their own mini golf course. This inspires JB, and later Frank, to help guide the teenagers and give them the lessons they need to succeed in golf and in life.
Wonder (2017)
66% 7.9/10Wonder is ultimately a feel-good film, but you may feel some very upset when you see the way that August “Auggie” Pullman (Room’s Jacob Tremblay) is treated by his classmates. Auggie was born with a severe facial deformity, and despite the best efforts of his parents — Nate (Owen Wilson) and Isabel Pullman (Ticket to Paradise‘s Julia Roberts) — he is mercilessly targeted by bullies at school.
Julian Albans (Bryce Gheisar) is by far the worst offender among the bullies. But despite the rejection from his peers, Auggie demonstrates great inner strength and he slowly makes real friends who can see past his disfigurement and accept him as he is.
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
77% 7.3/10Nadine Franklin (Hailee Steinfeld) faces a lot of inner and outer turmoil in The Edge of Seventeen, especially after her best friend, Krista (The White Lotus‘ Haley Lu Richardson), starts dating her brother, Darian Franklin (Blake Jenner). Nadine didn’t have the best relationship with her brother before this, and now she and Krista are barely speaking to each other.
Both Nadine and Darian are also dealing with their lingering grief over the death of their father. Nadine gets some guidance from her teacher, Max Bruner (Woody Harrelson), but she’s ultimately got to get her own answers about her life and how she can reconcile with her brother and her friend.
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
70% 7.6/10The most heartwarming thing about The Peanut Butter Falcon is the emotional bond that develops between two misfits: Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) and Zak (Zack Gottsagen), neither of whom knew each other before they both ran away from their lives in the hope of finding something better. Since Zak has Down Syndrome, Tyler becomes like an older brother to him. Tyler even tries to help Zak realize his ambition of becoming a professional wrestler.
Zak’s caregiver, Eleanor (Madame Web‘s Dakota Johnson), is supposed to bring him back to his assisted living facility. But because she actually does care about Zak’s well-being, Eleanor decides to stay with Tyler and see Zak’s dreams come to fruition.
Paddington (2014)
77% 7.3/10If you’re looking for a feel-good movie that will play especially well to children, then Paddington is an ideal choice. Even older viewers tend to be charmed by Paddington Bear (Ben Whishaw), a talking bear from Peru who is earnest, kind, and infallibly polite. All Paddington really wants is to find a new home in London and a family to love.
Henry (Hugh Bonneville) and Mary Brown (Sally Hawkins), and their children, Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), take Paddington in. But before Paddington officially becomes a member of the family, the Browns will have to protect him from Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman), a deranged woman who wants to have him stuffed.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022)
80% 7.7/10There’s something inspiring about the way that Dean Fleischer Camp and Jenny Slate turned their viral videos about Marcel the Shell with Shoes On into one of the rare independently produced animated films. Although this movie does have some live-action characters, including Fleischer Camp’s Dean, a filmmaker who moves into an Airbnb only to discover a childlike talking shell named Marcel (Slate) and his grandmother, Nana Connie (Isabella Rossellini).
Marcel and Dean quickly bond and the latter’s videos of Marcel make him famous in a very short period of time. That’s not something that Marcel is entirely on board with, but he does really want to reunite with his shell family after years of missing them. Now, Marcel will get a chance to have that reunion.
Love at First Sight (2023)
55% 6.8/10Do you believe in love at first sight? It’s hard enough to find any person who will return your love, much less make an instant connection. But it does make for some fun romantic comedies. Netflix’s Love At First Sight centers on Hadley Sullivan (The White Lotus‘ Haley Lu Richardson) and Oliver Jones (Ben Hardy), a pair of strangers who meet at an airport and spend time together before getting on a long flight to London.
Fate steps in to give the two a push towards love by moving Oliver into the vacant seat next to Hadley during the flight. From there, it’s pure love right until the duo lose track of each other in customs. Hadley realizes that they may have had something special, and the only question is simple: How far will she go to find Oliver again?
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
69% 7.9/10There’s something almost quaint about the idea of the biggest music stars in the world coming together to record a charity song to combat a famine in Africa. But it really happened in 1985 with the recording of We Are the World. Some of those superstars, including Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, and Harry Belafonte, are no longer with us.
One of the best Netflix movies of 2024 so far, The Greatest Night in Pop features an intimate look at the chaotic recording session that brought all these acts into the same room. Some participants, including Bruce Springsteen and Lionel Richie, participate in new interviews as they share their memories of the night they spent together almost 40 years ago.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)
The Speed Cubers (2020)
Your Place or Mine (2023)
The Redeem Team (2022)
76% 7.4/10Hustle (2022)
68% 7.3/10The Harder They Fall (2021)
68% 6.6/10Wine Country (2019)
56% 5.4/10The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
68% 7.6/10The Half of It (2020)
74% 6.9/10Dumplin' (2018)
53% 6.5/10Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
50% 6.5/10Concrete Cowboy (2020)
67% 6.3/10The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
55% 7.3/10
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
81% 7.8/10Set It Up (2018)
62% 6.5/10Work It (2020)
58% 6.1/10The Princess Switch (2018)
6/10Always Be My Maybe (2019)
64% 6.8/10To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
64% 7/10
