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10 ultimate FEEL GOOD movies to watch post Election Day & where to stream them
We could all use a little hope and a little inspiration today, and these 10 movies will do just the trick.
It's a hard day in the US. Donald Trump is once again the President-Elect of the United States, a statement that doesn't bode well for anyone at all. We're not going to lose hope though. This election was only ever to decide what circumstances we would continue to organize under, and these conditions are going to be significantly harder than those of a Harris presidency but it doesn't change the plan.
We could all use some hope, some guidance, some inspiration today. It's easy to feel directionless. These 10 movies were collected to help everyone regroup, find some light in the dark, and to offer some joy while we take a beat and begin to heal. I hope they bring you some solace on what is truly a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
The Birdcage is my personal favorite film of all time. I've literally written an essay about all the things I love about it. In this film adaptation of the 1973 French musical La Cage aux Folles, Robin Williams and Nathan Lane play Armand and Albert, respectively, a gay couple who own a drag club in South Beach, Florida. Their son has just come home and announced he's engaged to a prominent Republican senator's daughter, and that his fiancee and her parents are coming to visit imminently. Armand and Arnold have to figure out how to convince their son's future in-laws that they're just another wholesome, heterosexual, red-blooded American family. Hilarity ensues.
Every single performance is spectacular — Diane Weist (the future mother-in-law) and Hank Azaria (Armand and Albert's housekeeper) really shine here. There are valid arguments to be made about not wanting to have straight actors play gay characters, but Robin Williams gives a career defining performance, on par (and arguably exceeding) his most acclaimed roles in films like The Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting. I watch The Birdcage easily once every six weeks, and never regret it. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be touched to your very core. Watch The Birdcage if you know who you are and you're not going to let some idiot senator (or President) destroy that.
Available to stream on Apple TV+.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar or simply To Wong Foo follows three drag queens (who are also very arguably three also three trans women) on a classic road trip comedy with a queer twist. After tying for New York City's "Drag Queen of the Year," the queens, Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze), Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes), and their drag protege Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo), travel via convertible to compete in Hollywood at the "Miss Drag Queen of America Pageant." After defending themselves from a racist, transphobic cop, the women must make a detour in the rural town of Snydersville. RuPaul also makes an appearance as the drag queen "Rachel Tensions," a joke I find funny every time.
In Snydersville, Chi-Chi develops a relationship with a young man while Vida helps Carol Ann escape her relationship with her abusive husband, Virgil. It's a queer classic for a reason. If you haven't seen it, it's required watching. Also, the way Swayze speaks about what it was like to play Vida always touches me deeply. The tensions are high, but every thing works out in the end. Watch if you need to experience some schadenfreude for some people who really deserve what they get.
Available to stream on Apple TV+.
When Harry Met Sally is a perfect film. Director Rob Reiner and writer Nora Ephron can do no wrong together, as proven with not just When Harry Met Sally. They also teamed up for Sleepless in Seattle, another truly perfect movie. When Harry Met Sally might seem dated, the whole movie focusing on answering the question "Can straight men and women every really, truly be friends with each other?" but there are so many parts of Harry and Sally's decades long friendship that run timeless.
What's not to love about this film? The costume design is immaculate, the performances are inspired, and the writing is iconic. Every friends-to-lovers romances wishes it was When Harry Met Sally. Watch this if you need a reminder that good things are to come, but they will take time, or if you're a bisexual with a thing for curly hair and quality knitwear.
Available to rent on Apple TV and Amazon Video.
School of Rock is an excellent film, I don't care what anyone has to say otherwise. School of Rock is about Dewey Finn, a wannabee rockstar trapped arrested development, low on funds, and freshly kicked out of his band. When Dewey's best friend and roommate Ned Schneebly answers a call offering Ned a job substitute teaching at an upper echelon private school, Dewey takes it instead, pretending to be Ned. After finding out his class is incredibly musically gifted, he decides to ditch the regular curriculum and focus their efforts on rocking out and winning the upcoming battle of the bands.
Jack Black's performance as Dewey Finn/Ned Schneebly is timeless, and as always Joan Cusack is a steals the show even playing School of Rock's straight man, the uptight and overworked Pricipal Rosalie Mullins. It's a great ensemble as well, all the child performers really give it their all. The musical adaptation of School of Rock also has a killer soundtrack if you're coping with showtunes. Watch School of Rock if want to stick it to the man.
Available to stream on Prime Video, and for rent on Apple TV.
A spin off sequel to the 2000's reboots of the Ocean's franchise, Ocean's Eight follows Danny Ocean's sister Debby Ocean (Sandra Bullock) on a heist set during the Met Gala. It's an absolutely stacked ensemble cast: Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, and Rihanna are there to name a few. And the costume design, especially during the Met Gala scenes, is unreal. It's absolutely the best film in the franchise and you cannot change my mind. Watch if you need something fun to focus on or if you're coping by fully dyking out.
Available to stream on Apple TV+.
Controversial opinion, but I can't stand a "the book is always better than the movie" attitude. Some stories work better as books, but sometimes film and television do end up being better mediums to tell a story. Or, most rarely, you end up with a perfect book that gets translated into a perfect movie. Holes is always my case in point.
Holes, based on the book of the same name by Louis Sachar (who also wrote the screenplay for the movie), about a teenage boy named Stanley Yelnats IV (Shia LaBeouf), who gets sent Green Lake, Texas to a juvenile detention work camp instead of serving jail time for a crime he didn't commit. There, Stanley spends every day digging holes in the relentless heat of the desert. Why is he digging holes? To build character. At least that's what he's told.
This kind of misfortune isn't surprising to Stanley, who's family has been plagued by a curse for the last four generations. Effortlessly jumping between the timelines of Stanley Yelnats the first, present day Stanley Yelnats IV, and Texas outlaw "Kissin'" Kate Barlow, Holes still delivers ever time. Watch if you need hope that all curses can one day be broken or if you've ever been in love with Dule Hill.
Stream for free on Disney+.
A Goofy Movie is a classic, only a somewhat hidden gem because the Disney renaissance produced so many animated juggernauts such as The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. A Goofy Movie follows Goofy and his teenage son Max on a cross-country road trip with a TBD destination. Goofy, trying to bond with his son through his tumultuous teen years, wants to take Max to Lake Destiny, Idaho for a father-son fishing trip. Max, no longer a little kid and now embarrassed by his bumbling yet earnest father, wants to detour to California to see global pop sensation Powerline (which he may have already told his crush Roxanne he was doing).
A Goofy Movie boasts an original soundtrack that is banger after banger. Powerline's hit "I2I" has made it on my Spotify top 100 for the past 4 years in a row. It's also one of the best coming of age films of all time, animated or otherwise. If you've never seen it, or haven't revisited it since childhood, it's a funny, heartfelt, and well paced 90 minutes of movie. Watch if you're having a lot of feelings about your familial relationships today.
Available to stream on Disney+.
Pride is based on the true story of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, a group created to support the families impacted by the 1984 National Union of Mineworkers strike across the UK. The story of the creation of LGSM, it's members, and how the town of Onllwyn, Wales grew to welcome their support is a beautiful piece of history. It's an incredible story, and a gorgeous film. Watch if you know that solidarity is our only way through all this.
Available to stream on Apple TV+.
Almost 25 years later it feels like it feels like Big Eden is still somewhat of a deep cut, even though it should be easily thrown around as one of the best rom-coms of all time. They just don't make them like this anymore. Big Eden is the story of Henry Hart (Arye Gross), a gay painter living in NYC, after he returns to his hometown in rural Montana to care for his Grandpa Sam (George Coe) who is adorably referred to as "Sampa". Henry spends his time reconnecting with his childhood best friend and recently divorced dad of two, Dean (Tim DeKay). Meanwhile, Henry is oblivious to the courting attempts of Pike (Eric Schweig) the shy, beautiful general store owner.
As a queer, Native person growing up in the intermountain west, rarely did I get to see representation like Pike on screen. But arguably more impactful than the queer representation in the film is the representation of Henry and Pike's friends, family, and community. Both Grandpa Sam and Dean get their own monologues about their unconditional love of Henry that make me weep every single time. The entire town is meddling and scheming to help Pike and Henry get together, showing exactly what it's like to live somewhere small enough that everyone knows everyone else's business. Watch this if you need reminding that queer people exist and are beloved everywhere, or if you need a reminder that you specifically are loved exactly as you are.
Available to rent from Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
Crip Camp is a documentary by disability rights activist and filmmaker James LeBrecht about Camp Jened, a New York summer camp for disabled kids and teens that opened in 1971. Many of Camp Jened's campers and counselors ("Jenedians" as they were collectively referred to) grew up to spearhead the disability rights movement. These Jenedians included LeBrecht, author and disability educator Denise Sherer Jacobson, and "the mother of the disability rights movement", the late Judith "Judy" Heumann.
Crip Camp, in its celebration of Camp Jened and disability rights activism, serves as both history and hope for the future. Watch if you've texted any of your friends "we should all pool our resources together and make a commune in the woods" or know we need to keep building our own systems to care for each other but don't know where to start.
Available to stream on Netflix.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
