There are days when the mind of a cinephile craves dark thrillers. But then there are other days when one only wishes to blind the shades, curl up in a blanket, and enjoy a warm cup of cinematic slice-of-life. For days like these, Hulu has viewers covered.
From surprisingly sentimental comedies to coming-of-age dramas that instill nostalgia, the platform has something for every taste. So for those who are distressed by the tedium of life or are struggling to find an antidote to their day-to-day snags, here's a list of some feel-good epics on Hulu that can lighten up the not-so-sunny days.
Palm Springs
Time-loop movies have become genre staples over the years. However, among them, only a few like Palm Springs are able to strike a chord with a viewer's heart and add a layer of introspective drama to an otherwise gimmicky trope.
The movie, replete with heart and humor in equal volume, revolves around two wedding guests who find themselves reliving the same day over and over. Their time-loop snafu not only brings them closer but helps them rethink their perception of life.
Love, Simon
By virtue of its sentimentality and light humor, Love, Simon easily ranks among the best cult-teen movies of the past decade. Starring John Duhamel, Jennifer Garner, and Nick Robinson, the coming-of-age drama revolves around 17-year-old Simon Spier.
At an age where almost everyone's looking for a love story, Simon struggles to tell his family and friends that he's gay. His dilemmas further escalate when he falls for an anonymous classmate online and in turn, sets out to fit into a world where he believes he won't be accepted.
Hearts Beat Loud
If there's one movie that can make a viewer smile ear to ear throughout its runtime, it is this one. It takes on a father-daughter duo, Frank and Sam, both of whom are avid music composers. But their relationship reaches a complex crossroads when one of their songs goes viral online right before Sam is about to leave for college.
As a result, Frank is torn between two tough choices: take advantage of his new fame and pursue his dreams or let his daughter go and let her find her own path.
Instant Family
Instant Family is a comfortingly familiar tale of a couple, Pete and Ellie, who decide to start a family. After pondering the idea for a bit, they reach the conclusion that they will adopt a child. Enters Lizzy, a complicated teenage girl who makes them learn parenting the hard way.
Adding more to their troubles, Lizzy has two more siblings the couple has to look after. Going from zero to three children on a whim, they stumble, only to find their way back as a loving family. Highlighting the ups and downs of real-life adoption, Instant Family never leaves a dull moment. It does, however, leave a viewer with a tear or two.
Fighting With My Family
On the surface, the title of this one highlights the life of Paige, a WWE star, who started her wrestling endeavors by literally fighting with her family in the ring. But on a deeper level, Fighting With My Family walks a viewer through Paige's complex relationship with her family after she earns a spot in WWE's competitive training program and tries to find her own place in the cutthroat world of wrestling entertainment.
Other than its uplifting rags-to-riches biographical appeal, Fighting With My Family is elevated by its realistic performances and Dwayne Johnson's hilarious cameo.
Captain Fantastic
Boasting a unique roster of characters powered by great performances, Captain Fantastic is a poignant drama that discusses themes surrounding parenting and grief without being overly preachy.
It starts off by introducing viewers to Ben (Viggo Mortensen) and his family. They've been living in the forest for a very long time, bereft of technology and any material needs of the real world. But after fighting against the ways of modern society for so long, their circumstances force them out of the woods and question the life they've been living all this while.
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
Surprisingly underrated, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty shows how a man goes from being a compulsive maladaptive daydreamer to living the life of his dreams. The film unfolds its premise like a journey through which its titular protagonist goes through an awe-inspiring catharsis. Not to mention, its stunning cinematography in beautiful Icelandic backdrops—complemented by Jose Gonsalez's tracks—is enough to keep a viewer engaged.
The Peanut Butter Falcon
Breezy yet impactful with its flaccid runtime of an hour and a half, The Peanut Butter Falcon follows a very simple storyline. At its fore is a man with Down Syndrome who runs away from his home, hoping that he'll someday become a pro-wrestler.
His journey fatefully leads him to Tyler, an outlaw with a heart of gold. Arguably, the events of The Peanut Butter Falcon are, at times, too good to be true. But it's this extra layer of corniness that makes a viewer forget all about the troubles of the day and crackle at the day-to-day snags of its dynamic duo.
Support The Girls
Support the Girls is about a committed young woman named Lisa who is the general manager at a sports bar named Double Whammies. Although she doesn't seem like the person who would be working at a sports bar with skimpy-clothed waitresses, she does her job with the utmost optimism and faith.
Unfortunately for her, her optimism is soon tested when things suddenly go downhill. Support the Girls is neither overly dramatic nor does it try to stand out in any way. It just highlights the hardships of everyday people and inspires a viewer to keep going even when things don't work out.
Hunt For The Wilderpeople
Anyone who's on the Taika Waititi train will agree that only a few other auteurs can match the level of wonder and imagination that he brings to the table. Melding his imagination with a tinge of comedy, sentimentality, and coming-of-age drama in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the director takes viewers on a journey through New Zealand's wilderness where A boy (Julian Dennison) and his foster father (Sam Neill) get stranded.