If Netflix is where you go when your brain needs a break from prestige misery, you have plenty of options. The streamer’s feel-good library shifts often, but the best picks usually fall into a few reliable buckets: warm rom-coms, underdog sports stories, family-friendly adventures, and sentimental dramas that know how to land the hug without squeezing too hard.
This best feel-good movies on Netflix include the family fantasy IF, the romantic comedy Letters to Juliet, the confidence-comedy I Feel Pretty, and Netflix originals like The Life List, Hustle, and The Adam Project. Keep scrolling for the movies most likely to leave you in a better mood than when you pressed play.
Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
The Life List (2025)
Starting out a movie with the aftermath of a parent’s death may not sound like a feel-good experience, but The Life List isn’t about wallowing in grief. Before she died, Elizabeth (Connie Britton) stripped her daughter, Alex (Sofia Carson), of her cushy job and put her inheritance on the line. Elizabeth felt that Alex was settling in life, and challenged her daughter to complete the list of things she wanted to do when she was 13 to claim what she’s owed.
Alex has one year to finish the list, but the hardest item to check off might be finding her one true love. She realizes pretty quickly that she doesn’t love her current boyfriend. Finding the right man proves to be a lot harder.
Stream The Life List on Netflix.
IF (2024)
IF is a movie about imaginary friends, which means it is already operating at maximum emotional ambush potential. Cailey Fleming plays Bea, a young girl who discovers that imaginary friends are real, and that many of them have been forgotten by the children who created them. Ryan Reynolds co-stars as Cal, the adult helping her reconnect these lonely creatures with new kids.
The movie is whimsical without being completely weightless, and that helps. It is silly, colorful, and loaded with celebrity voices, but underneath all the fuzzy creature business is a story about grief, memory, and the little coping mechanisms people outgrow before realizing they still needed them. In other words, it is very much a family movie, but not only for kids.
Stream IF on Netflix.
I Feel Pretty (2018)
I Feel Pretty is not subtle, and it was never trying to be. Amy Schumer stars as Renee, a woman whose self-esteem changes overnight after a spin class accident leaves her convinced she has become impossibly beautiful. Nothing about her appearance has actually changed, but her confidence has, and the movie builds its comedy around what happens when she finally moves through the world like she belongs in it.
The premise is broad, but the feel-good payoff is easy to understand. Renee’s problem is not that she needs to become someone else. It is that she has spent too much time assuming everyone else already sees her as less than. Michelle Williams also walks away with every scene she touches, which helps the whole thing feel goofier and sharper than the poster suggests.
Stream I Feel Pretty on Netflix.
Letters to Juliet (2010)
There are rom-coms that chase cleverness, and then there are rom-coms that understand the power of Amanda Seyfried wandering around Italy. Letters to Juliet belongs firmly in the second camp. Seyfried plays Sophie, an aspiring writer who finds an unanswered love letter in Verona and decides to help its author track down the man she loved decades earlier.
The result is sunny, old-fashioned, and almost aggressively pleasant. That is not an insult. Sometimes the assignment is beautiful scenery, low-stakes longing, and the comforting belief that love might simply be late rather than gone forever. Letters to Juliet knows exactly what kind of movie it is, and it does not pretend otherwise.
Stream Letters to Juliet on Netflix.
The Adam Project (2022)
The Adam Project is technically a time-travel adventure, but its real engine is family repair. Ryan Reynolds plays Adam Reed, a fighter pilot from the future who crash-lands in 2022 and has to team up with his younger self, played by Walker Scobell. Their mission involves saving the future, but the emotional hook is Adam being forced to confront the grief and resentment he has carried since childhood.
The movie has plenty of Netflix blockbuster gloss, but it works best when it slows down and lets Reynolds, Scobell, Mark Ruffalo, and Jennifer Garner bounce off one another. It is funny, fast, and sentimental in a way that sneaks up on you between the sci-fi chases.
Stream The Adam Project on Netflix.
Last Christmas (2019)
There aren’t many movies based on a song by Wham!, but Last Christmas lives up to that odd billing. Critics didn’t like it very much, but almost everyone praised Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke as Kate Andrich. Kate is recovering from a near life-ending health ordeal, but she knows she isn’t living up to her full potential.
That’s when Kate meets Tom Webster (Henry Golding), a man she finds charming and unusual. He’s the kind of guy that she’d love to give her heart to, if he didn’t disappear from her life at odd intervals. But Tom’s influence is enough for Kate to start putting her own life back on track while hoping she may find love as well.
Stream Last Christmas on Netflix.
13 Going on 30 (2004)
The year 2004 was when Jennifer Garner was at her peak in the rom-com scene. 13 Going on 30 casts Garner as the older version of Jenna Rink, who makes a heartfelt wish to be 30 and awakens to discover that it’s been granted by skipping over the 17 years in between.
Although Jenna is outwardly successful, she discovers things about her life that give her pause. The future Jenna isn’t the good person that young Jenna tried to be, and she’s estranged from her oldest friend, Matty Flamhaff (Mark Ruffalo). However, Jenna is determined to put her life back on track and rediscover the romantic spark she once shared with Matty.
Stream 13 Going on 30 on Netflix.
Race (2016)
Imagine being so good at a sport that you set records at the Olympics and take home the gold. Jesse Owens (Stephan James) did more than that in 1936. He came to Germany during the Nazi reign and proved that their racial superiority myths were just that. Plus, he did it in front of Hitler. Race doesn’t pick up Owens’ story there, but it does get to it.
This biopic demonstrates that Owens’ biggest battle wasn’t at the Olympics; it was back at home as he trained relentlessly to become a world-class athlete while dealing with racism in his own country. Jason Sudeikis co-stars as Larry Snyder, the former competitive runner who helps train Owens, while Carice van Houten has a small role as Nazi propaganda filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl.
Stream Race on Netflix.
The World’s Fastest Indian (2005)
The title of The World’s Fastest Indian is a little misleading, as it’s not referring to the main character, Burt Munro. Rather, it’s Munro’s customized Indian Scout motorcycle that made him a folk legend in his native New Zealand. Anthony Hopkins plays Burt as an elderly thrill-seeker who has already done all he can in his home country. What he really wants is to show off his bike’s speed on an American racetrack.
After suffering a heart attack, Burt is even more determined to fulfill his life’s dream. After making the journey to America, Burt faces a number of complications that could have ended badly. Instead, he perseveres and moves closer to his goal of achieving speeds that few others have.
Stream The World’s Fastest Indian on Netflix.
The Long Game (2024)
Does 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.
Stream The Long Game on Netflix.
Love at First Sight (2023)
Do 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 (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 toward love by moving Oliver into the vacant seat next to Hadley during the flight. From there, it’s pure romance 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?
Stream Love at First Sight on Netflix.
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
There’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.
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.
Stream The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023)
For the first time in more than two decades, animated film fans can return to the world of Chicken Run with the long-awaited sequel to the 2000 classic. Dawn of the Nugget features much of the same British humor seen in the original, but with more advanced animation this time around.
This sequel follows Ginger, Rocky, and their daughter, Molly, as they face a new threat to poultry-kind. It’s an easy family pick, especially for viewers who still remember when the first movie made escaping a chicken farm feel like a miniature prison-break epic.
Stream Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget on Netflix.
The Redeem Team (2022)
Nobody would be bold enough to call the USA men’s basketball team an underdog at any point in the last 30 years. But entering the 2008 Summer Olympics, the squad certainly had something to prove coming off a shocking bronze medal finish in 2004. The biggest names in basketball, including LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony, put ego aside to come together and bring the gold back to the United States.
The team came to be known as the Redeem Team, earning redemption with a gold medal performance in Beijing. The documentary also offers an interesting view of the late Kobe Bryant, featuring his lethal mentality on the court and a more human side off of it.
Stream The Redeem Team on Netflix.
Hustle (2022)
During the rare times that Adam Sandler gets serious, his performances get much better. Following his turn in Uncut Gems, Sandler stars in Hustle. While this Netflix original film feels at times like a chance for Sandler to simply hang out with people involved in the sport he loves, it tells a heartfelt story about an NBA scout at a crossroads in life when he stumbles upon the best-kept secret in basketball.
The film stars real NBA player Juancho Hernangómez, who could have a career in Hollywood when his playing days are over. Fellow player Anthony Edwards also has a significant role. This feel-good story has a lot of dark turns and isn’t for young viewers, but seeing Sandler and Hernangómez’s characters try to rise above their faults is a satisfying experience.
Stream Hustle on Netflix.
Wine Country (2019)
An ensemble laugh-fest featuring several great female comedy talents, Wine Country follows Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and more into Napa Valley, California, for a weekend of drinking and celebration, as one of the ladies is tying the knot. But as the long weekend ensues, the working-life tribulations of the six longtime friends start bubbling to the surface, upending their getaway entirely.
The feature directing debut of Amy Poehler, the onscreen chemistry between the main players is the biggest draw. And really, what’s not to like about the glorious sights and sounds of beautiful California vineyards?
Stream Wine Country on Netflix.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
The vast majority of feel-good films tend to involve romance and courtship. However, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind draws its inspirational and heartwarming moments from the true story of William Kamkwamba (Maxwell Simba). Chiwetel Ejiofor directed the film, wrote the script from William’s novel, and co-stars as William’s father, Trywell Kamkwamba. As a young child in an impoverished village in Malawi, William struggles to educate himself after he is forced to withdraw from school.
While nurturing his love for electronics and his ingenuity, William builds a working wind turbine that transforms the lives of his family, as well as his own.
Stream The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind on Netflix.
The Half of It (2020)
In The Half of It, Leah Lewis stars as a lonely yet academically successful high school student named Ellie Chu. Much to Ellie’s surprise, her classmate Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) earnestly approaches her to get help wooing Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). What Paul doesn’t know is that Ellie is also infatuated with Aster, and the feelings and words that she tells Paul to express are a reflection of her own.
Additionally, Ellie is conflicted about what to do after graduation because she is reluctant to leave her father, Edwin (Collin Chou), behind to live out his life alone. Over time, Ellie comes to realize whom she can really rely on, even if she doesn’t get everything she wants.
Stream The Half of It on Netflix.
Dumplin’ (2018)
In Dumplin’, Danielle Macdonald plays Willowdean Dickson, whose mother Rosie Dickson (Jennifer Aniston) calls her daughter Dumplin’ both as a sign of affection and because of her plus-size body. For years, Rosie has neglected her daughter’s needs in favor of running beauty pageants, while Rosie’s sister, Lucy, essentially raised Willowdean herself.
In the wake of Lucy’s unexpected death, Willowdean enrolls in one of her mother’s pageants as a form of protest. Willowdean’s best friend, Ellen “Elle” Dryver (Odeya Rush), also joins the pageant to support her. However, their friendship is tested when Elle becomes more enthusiastic about the pageant. This also forces Willowdean to reexamine her own reasons for entering the pageant.
Stream Dumplin’ on Netflix.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
American fans may find this hard to believe, but the Eurovision Song Contest is very real, and it’s also a pretty big deal across the Atlantic. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a very silly movie, but it is also a loving tribute to the annual competition. Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams co-headline the film as Icelandic singers Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdóttir. The duo’s band, Fire Saga, has only a limited amount of success together.
Yet through a freak occurrence, Fire Saga is chosen to represent Iceland in Eurovision. Unbeknownst to Lars, Sigrit is deeply in love with him. But the pressure of the contest may doom their personal and professional relationships.
Stream Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga on Netflix.
Concrete Cowboy (2020)
If you want the feel-good vibes from Concrete Cowboy, you’re going to have to be patient. It’s a family drama first and foremost. Caleb McLaughlin stars as Cole, a troubled 15-year-old boy who is sent to live with his estranged father, Harp (Idris Elba). As it turns out, Harp is really into the local horse-riding subculture, and he clearly loves his horses more than most of the people in his life.
Although Cole has an affinity for one of the more difficult horses, he’s more drawn to his cousin, Smush (Jharrel Jerome). Smush was once a rider himself, but he turned to dealing drugs in order to fund his escape from the city. Ultimately, Cole has to choose between following his father’s example or his cousin’s darker path.
Stream Concrete Cowboy on Netflix.
The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
When Ben (Paul Rudd) becomes a registered caregiver, nothing prepares him for the once-in-a-lifetime road trip he takes with 18-year-old Trevor (Craig Roberts), a boy with muscular dystrophy. Convincing Trevor’s mother, Elsa (Jennifer Ehle), to allow him and Trevor to leave Seattle on a quest to visit roadside oddities, Ben and Trevor form an undeniable bond that weathers a number of emotional events on their journey.
In this adaptation of Jonathan Evison’s 2012 novel The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, Paul Rudd delivers a stirring and grounded performance as Ben, helping this fairly familiar road comedy become something much greater than just another buddy movie.
Stream The Fundamentals of Caring on Netflix.
Set It Up (2018)
Charlie (Glen Powell) and Harper (Zoey Deutch) are the dedicated assistants to two highly demanding bosses, Kirsten (Lucy Liu) and Rick (Taye Diggs). Tired of their lives as overworked go-getters, Charlie and Harper take it upon themselves to set their bosses up with the hope that once the two begin dating, their assistants will have more time to enjoy their lives.
What ensues is a series of missteps and hijinks that hits all the major beats of the tried-and-true rom-com formula, but in a way that still feels fresh and authentic.
Stream Set It Up on Netflix.
Work It (2020)
Dance competition films tend to have a formula, and Work It is no exception. The key difference between Work It and other movies in its genre is that it executes the formula extremely well. Sabrina Carpenter stars as Quinn Ackerman, a high school senior who is desperate to build up her résumé with some extracurricular activities so she can get into the college of her dreams.
When Julliard Pembroke (Keiynan Lonsdale) denies Quinn a place on the dance team, she joins forces with Jake Taylor (Jordan Fisher) and forms her own team. However, the demands of Quinn’s ambitions and her mother’s plans threaten to end Quinn’s burgeoning romance with Jake, as well as her team’s chances to go all the way.
Stream Work It on Netflix.
The Princess Switch (2018)
Vanessa Hudgens has a very charming dual turn in The Princess Switch as both an ordinary young woman named Stacy DeNovo and the Duchess of Montenegro, Margaret Delacourt. Because Stacy and Margaret feel trapped in their respective lives, they agree to pull a Prince and the Pauper-style caper and temporarily trade places.
Complications ensue when both women start having romantic feelings for the men in each other’s lives. But don’t worry, there are no broken hearts in this movie.
Stream The Princess Switch on Netflix.
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Ali Wong and Randall Park co-star in this clever 2019 romantic comedy about a pair of childhood friends who rekindle their romantic relationship after their paths cross as adults. The pair co-wrote with Michael Golamco, and the story has the two lead characters deal with the stresses that fame, fear, and old memories can have on a new relationship.
While the pair’s experiences are funny enough on their own, the film also includes a cameo role for Keanu Reeves that ranks right up there among the actor’s most memorable performances of all time.
Stream Always Be My Maybe on Netflix.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
A teenage girl, content to spend her days with her nose in a romance novel, discovers that several secret letters she’d written to her crushes over the years were mysteriously mailed to them. This causes a domino effect of hilarious hijinks and heartwarming moments, and leads this teen in a direction she never expected.
This 2018 romantic comedy is based on Jenny Han’s novel of the same name. It featured Lana Condor and became an overnight hit on Netflix. Two sequels have since debuted on Netflix.
Stream To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on Netflix.
