Not every movie has to have an uplifting conclusion to be moving and satisfying, because sometimes, tragedy is what works. Other times, having an ending fall between misery (not that one) and happiness can be most fitting. But then, depending on the story and the execution, having an outright optimistic and totally feel-good ending can feel most appropriate. At least, that’s the case with the following movies.
Some of these films have their characters go through hell and emerge, by the end, in one piece (and as better people), while others manage to feel feel-good, for lack of a better term, throughout. Maybe a movie being here technically means they’re being spoiled, but also, they’re probably the sorts of movies you’d expect to end happily, or at least hope to see end happily. Still…
This article will contain unavoidable spoilers for the movies discussed.
10
‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ (1987)
Directed by John Hughes
While it might not be as frequently represented throughout cinematic history as some other holidays, there are nonetheless a handful of Thanksgiving movies out there, and the best of them is probably Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Take it from, um, someone who’s not supposed to speak in first-person… uh… someone who wishes they could speak in first-person for a second, and acknowledge that even though they live in a country where no one does Thanksgiving, people still like Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Imagine someone just spoke in the first-person and suggested as much.
Maybe it’s because this is the ultimate comedic road movie, and has a genuine heart to it that makes it endearing, even if you’re not in the U.S. It gives one a sense of what Thanksgiving could – or should – be, and proves genuinely moving in its final act, and especially moving in its final moments. At the end of the day, it’s just a nice film, and also a hard-to-resist one.
9
‘WALL•E’ (2008)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
If you need to feel the cinematic equivalent of a good hug, you can’t go wrong with most of what Pixar put out between 1995 and 2010 (Cars aside, though that one does still have its fans, admittedly). WALL•E goes the extra mile, too, in being heartwarming, even by Pixar’s standards, and stands out further for being a science fiction movie and one that plays out with very little dialogue for almost half of the film’s runtime.
The unambiguously happy ending feels especially well-earned, and helps make WALL•E genuinely one of the best films of the past few decades.
The titular WALL•E goes through a lot, falls in love, and eventually saves the world, but all in a way that feels endearing, entertaining, funny, moving, and incredibly easy to get swept up in. The unambiguously happy ending feels especially well-earned, and helps make WALL•E genuinely one of the best films of the past few decades, animated or otherwise.
8
‘When Harry Met Sally’ (1989)
Directed by Rob Reiner
When Harry Met Sally might well be the quintessential romantic comedy, at least as far as the modern understanding of the genre is concerned. The two title characters are mismatched and at odds at first, but, over the course of many years, they begin to realize that they do feel a certain kind of way toward each other, and then love inevitably follows.
But it’s all in the execution. When Harry Met Sally has all this happen very organically and in a way that’s surprisingly moving once all is said and done. It doesn’t feel cheesy or forced in the ways that some other lesser (albeit still potentially enjoyable) rom-coms do, and so the fact that it all ends very positively doesn’t feel contrived. Instead, it’s just pleasant and, indeed, feel-good.
7
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008)
Directed by Danny Boyle
Few movies showcase as much hardship before ending on an uplifting note to the extent that Slumdog Millionaire does. This is a rather intense movie for so much of its runtime, being about a young man who’s a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, doing exceedingly well – and thereby being suspected of cheating – because his dramatic life has given him all the answers to the questions at hand.
He outlines all these life events, which reveal the hardships to the audience while also explaining why he got as far as he did in the game show. And so, when Slumdog Millionaire does eventually end with him winning, it’s uplifting and contrasts heavily with the intensity that came before (one can only wonder what sort of reputation the film would have if it ended on a miserable note after so much misery).
6
‘Singin’ in the Rain’ (1952)
Directed by Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Unlike some of the other movies being discussed here, Singin’ in the Rain is a generally feel-good affair from start to finish. The characters have obstacles to overcome, being involved with the movie-making business at a time when things were rapidly and dramatically changing (the transition from silent film to the era of talkies), but never in ways that feel heavy or emotionally overwhelming.
So, when Singin’ in the Rain ends well for the sympathetic characters, it’s kind of like, yep, cool. But also, the whole movie is so enjoyable and breezy that it works, rather than running the risk of feeling one-note. There are plenty of reasons why this is considered one of the all-time great movie musicals, and that pervasive optimism (which still manages to feel natural and effortless) is one of them.
5
‘Ratatouille’ (2007)
Directed by Brad Bird
One year before WALL•E, Ratatouille proved to be a similarly perfect and moving Pixar film, with this pair of movies being arguably the studio’s greatest Toy-free efforts. Ratatouille is, undeniably, a very high-concept movie, being about a rat who wants to become a chef, and he eventually does, working in a restaurant by the film’s end, and yes, that sounds ridiculous, but it works.
Anyone who’s seen Ratatouille can surely confirm the fact that it somehow pulls off the wild plot at hand and proves moving in the process. It’s about an unlikely hero being capable of anything, and it was a sign that, for a while, the studio behind this movie could similarly get away with pretty much anything. A fish looking for his son? A family of superheroes pretending to be ordinary? A rat cooking? A robot falling in love? Yes x4.
4
‘Return of the Jedi’ (1983)
Directed by Richard Marquand
If there’s a flawed film in the original Star Wars trilogy, it’s Return of the Jedi, given the original was so groundbreaking and the first of the sequels, The Empire Strikes Back, was such a significant improvement on something that was already great. But Return of the Jedi, despite its flaws, still works as a very satisfying conclusion, and has a largely uplifting conclusion that was very well-earned.
Of course, the sequel trilogy, for better or worse, undid a lot of that happiness, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Return of the Jedi still has a feel-good ending. Han survived, even if Harrison Ford didn’t want that, as did all the other main characters, and Darth Vader redeemed himself before his death, and connected with his son, Luke, and for a while, all was right in that much-beloved galaxy far, far away, though to be fair, that was a long time ago.
3
‘Rocky’ (1976)
Directed by John G. Avildsen
It’s a little strange to consider just how good the feel-good ending of Rocky feels when, technically, the titular character doesn’t win the fight he’s been spending a good chunk of the movie training for. Though it wasn’t about winning, and was more about going the distance, and being good enough. Also, Rocky is arguably more of a romantic drama than a sports movie, and so when things end with Rocky and Adrian undeniably in love, it feels like that’s what matters most.
Still, Rocky works as one of the quintessential sports movies, and also as an underdog movie; probably the most uplifting of the bunch, even without a “technical” victory at the end. It shows that there are more important victories, and more fulfilling ones, that a person can achieve. And, besides, Rocky winning all the time? That’s what the eventual sequels were (largely) for.
2
‘The Shawshank Redemption’ (1994)
Directed by Frank Darabont
Given The Shawshank Redemption is often considered one of the greatest films of all time, can it really be all that surprising that it also has one of the most satisfying endings in movie history? It’s a film that has its two main characters go through hell, with one maintaining his innocence throughout a lengthy prison stay, and the other more or less accepting the tedium of his life in prison after years spent there.
But the innocent guy? He eventually breaks free, and the other prisoner finally has a successful parole hearing, and so he gets to live out the end of his life no longer behind bars. When The Shawshank Redemption ends with them reuniting, finally outside the prison walls that contained them for so long, it’s moving in a way that’s hard to describe, and even harder to emotionally resist. Tears will probably be shed, but at least they’ll be happy tears.
1
‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946)
Directed by Frank Capra
Just as it’s hard to top Planes, Trains and Automobiles as far as Thanksgiving movies go, so too is it hard to imagine a more definitive Christmas movie than It’s a Wonderful Life. Well, Gremlins and Die Hard give it a run for its money, maybe, but the former is a comedy horror movie and the latter is an action/thriller film, while It’s a Wonderful Life is a bit more grounded and traditional… though, thinking about it further, it does have that fantastical element to it.
Look, the main thing is that it has the undeniable spirit of a feel-good Christmas movie, and it tells a story that puts its central character through numerous hardships before he can understand his place – and usefulness – in life. It’s heartwarming, life-affirming, inspiring, stuff… and lots of other positive adjectives, too. It’s a Wonderful Life, and most people find it pretty damn wonderful.