Top 10 Movies That INSTANTLY Make You Happier

Early aughts teen movies will always give us the nostalgic feels, and one of the best has to be the definitive cheerleader flick, “Bring It On.” Starring Kirsten Dunst as Torrance, who has just become captain of her high school cheerleading squad, the movie is endearingly over-the-top from its opening sequence. There’s bitter rivalry, fun cheer routines, an adorable romance, and plenty of cattiness. It may not have been a major blockbuster upon release, but it has since become a cult classic and even two decades later, we can’t get enough.

When a movie opens with an elaborate musical sequence set on a busy Los Angeles freeway, you know it’s going to be good. “La La Land” is one of the more serious picks on our list, and while it may not be uplifting all the way through, it’s full of enough music, color, and gorgeous California scenery that the film still makes us feel good. Also, it stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and really what more can you ask for from a movie couple? No wonder it got 14 Oscar nods!

Sometimes movies that are made for kids are the most comforting. In “The Parent Trap,” Lindsay Lohan plays a set of twins who were separated as babies when their parents split up (because that’s how child custody works) and are inadvertently reunited at a summer camp. They end up switching places (because of course they do), with the goal of ultimately getting their estranged parents back together. From the early summer camp shenanigans to the absolutely enviable living situations they both find themselves in, in Napa and London respectively, this movie is one we just want to jump right in to.

We often have to look to older movies to find something to make us happier, but every once in a while, a new film is released that fits the bill. When “To All the Boys I've Loved Before” was made available on Netflix in 2018, the world felt like a pretty dark place and this teen romance was exactly the antidote we all needed. The story is about an introverted girl who writes love letters to the boys she has crushes on, without any intention of sending them. But when they all end up in the mail, her life is changed forever in one of the most enjoyable rom-coms of recent years.

No matter what time of year it is, sometimes you just need the upbeat tone of a holiday movie. “Love Actually” is probably the most iconic modern example of a Christmas romance movie, telling interweaving plots all set in London in the lead-up to December 25th. While in recent years there has been a bit of a backlash against “Love Actually” because of its saccharine tone and dated views of what’s considered romantic, we’re still able to suspend our disbelief and enjoy it, feeling our hearts swell alongside the characters’.

Speaking of holiday movies, we’ve got one more for you. Starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, “The Holiday” is another lighthearted romance movie set at Christmas time. The two women swap houses over the holiday season when both of their lives are falling apart, and both manage to find what they’re looking for on the other side of the pond. There are beautiful settings, motivational speeches, quirky side characters, and of course, some pretty heartrending romance. Whenever the snow starts to fall, we know it’s time to put this one on again!

We love a good makeover scene, and that’s pretty much at the center of this fun live-action Disney movie. Mia is a regular, dorky teenage girl who finds out that she’s actually part of the royal family of an obscure European country. She has to basically go through a speed round of finishing school and get an entirely new look in order to appease her prim and proper grandmother, the queen of Genovia. This entire movie is basically every young girl’s dream come true, but even now that we’re grown up, it still charms us.

This movie may have come out in 2001, but it’s still extremely relatable. Bridget Jones is single, smokes too much, drinks too much, and isn’t happy with her weight, but she’s got a good group of friends. Her life may seem bleak at the beginning of the film, but that doesn’t mean her story isn’t an uplifting one. You’ll be rooting for Bridget all the way through, even as she makes mistake after mistake, making viewers feel plenty of second-hand embarrassment. Also, if you’re an Anglophile, the entire story is so delightfully British.

If what you’re looking for is a fun girl-power movie, you can’t get much better than “Legally Blonde.” Starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a girl who has never been taken seriously who decides to go to Harvard Law School after a bad breakup. Her rise to success is a triumphant one, showing that you can be yourself and still achieve your goals. Elle may not seem like your typical feminist hero, but even in the modern day, this movie totally holds up and makes us believe in ourselves.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (2002)

“Spice World” (1997)

“Freaky Friday” (2003)

“Bridesmaids” (2011)

“Grease” (1978)

While all the other movies on our list are great, it’s almost like this one combines the best parts of them all. There’s a bubbly blonde at the center of it who somehow has wisdom behind her ditzy exterior. “Clueless” has retroactively defined a generation, bringing valley girl dialect into the cultural lexicon. Like all our favorite feel-good movies, the stakes are pretty low, with Cher’s biggest problems being finding great outfits and a decent guy to lose her virginity to. This ‘90s classic encapsulates a simpler time for high schoolers that always makes us nostalgic.