hopeful backdrop

Movies with hopeful vibe

281. The Bucket List

The Bucket List
Drama Comedy Buddy Comedy Relationship Drama
7.3
20071h 37minUnited States
Director: Rob Reiner

Overview

Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they are. Together they embark on the road trip of a lifetime, becoming friends along the way and learning to live life to the fullest, with insight and humor.

Themes

Travel as transformation, Class disparity and friendship, Mortality and meaning, Aging and legacy, Estranged family ties, Life-affirming experiences

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

282. The Water Horse

The Water Horse
Family Adventure Fantasy Maritime Adventure Mythological Fantasy
6.4
20071h 52minUnited States, United Kingdom
Director: Jay Russell

Overview

A lonely boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a sea creature of Scottish legend.

Themes

Wartime disruption, Protective bonds in crisis, Coming-of-age under pressure, Guardianship and isolation, Resilience through uncertainty, Coexistence with mythic presence

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

283. Caramel

Caramel
Drama Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Relationship Drama
7.1
20071h 36minLebanon, France
Director: Nadine Labaki

Overview

In a beauty salon in Beirut the lives of five women cross paths. The beauty salon is a colorful and sensual microcosm where they share and entrust their hopes, fears and expectations.

Themes

Female friendship under pressure, Aging and desire, Societal expectations, Premarital pressure, Romance and stigma, Beauty as social currency

Available on

Filmin
Google Play Movies
Canal VOD
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

284. Shelter

Shelter
Drama Romance Coming-of-Age Drama Passionate Romance
7.6
20071h 29minUnited States
Director: Jonah Markowitz

Overview

Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach works dead-end jobs to support his sister and her son. Questioning his life, he paints, surfs and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe. When Gabe's older brother returns home for the summer, Zach suddenly finds himself drawn into a relationship he didn't expect.

Themes

Romance under social scrutiny, Family obligation vs ambition, Identity and acceptance pressures, Creative dreams under pressure, Class tensions and aspiration, Caregiving vs personal growth

Available on

Here TV
Here TV  Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

285. Waitress

Waitress
Drama Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Awkward Comedy
7.0
20071h 45minUnited States
Director: Adrienne Shelly

Overview

A small town waitress stuck in a lousy marriage finds love when an exciting out-of-towner enters her life.

Themes

Economic dependence and escape, Illicit relationship and consequences, Domestic abuse and autonomy, Female friendship and solidarity, Creative coping through work, Dream pursuit and risk

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

286. Meet the Robinsons

Meet the Robinsons
Animation Comedy Family Family Animation Parent-Child Family
6.8
20071h 35minUnited States
Director: Stephen J. Anderson

Overview

Lewis, a brilliant young inventor, is keen on creating a time machine to find his mother, who abandoned him in an orphanage. Things take a turn when he meets Wilbur Robinson and his family.

Themes

Adoption and family identity, Trust and deception, Belonging across timelines, Technological ambition vs duty, Self-discovery through mentorship, Found family through invention

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

287. Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia
Adventure Drama Family Coming-of-Age Adventure Family Drama
7.2
20071h 35minUnited States
Director: Gábor Csupó

Overview

Jesse Aarons trained all summer to become the fastest runner in school. So he's very upset when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns him and everyone else. Despite this and other differences including that she's rich, he's poor, she's a city girl, and he's a country boy the two become fast friends. Together they create Terabithia, a land of monsters, trolls, ogres, and giants where they rule as king and queen.

Themes

Outsider friendship, Bullying dynamics, Economic disparity, Sibling bonds, Memory and loss, Imagination as refuge

Available on

Disney Plus
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

288. Freedom Writers

Freedom Writers
Crime Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.6
20072h 3minGermany, United States
Director: Richard LaGravenese

Overview

A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.

Themes

Educational equity at high school, Gang violence dynamics, Diary entries shape identity, High school pressure, Racial segregation pressures, Cross-cultural empathy in class

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

289. The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness
Drama Professional Drama
8.0
20061h 57minUnited States
Director: Gabriele Muccino

Overview

A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.

Themes

Economic precarity, Homelessness hardship, Mentorship opportunity, Single parent resilience, Social mobility barriers, Perseverance under pressure

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

290. Miss Potter

Miss Potter
Drama Family Romance Historical Drama Bittersweet Romance
7.0
20061h 32minUnited Kingdom, United States
Director: Chris Noonan

Overview

Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved children's book "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", struggles for love, happiness and success.

Themes

Class inequality, Social climbing, Marriage expectations, Land preservation, Family disapproval, Female agency

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.