I’ve been in a bit of an emotional funk the last two weeks. Long story short, my dog of almost 12 years had to be put down two weeks ago. He had Laryngeal Paralysis – basically the nerves in his neck were dying and causing breathing issues. About a week prior to us making the impossible decision, he had a really bad episode and just never fully recovered and quickly got worse. The day we had to give him up was the worst day of my life. If you want a little bit more backstory – I talk about it a bit more in these two posts – 1 / 2 – and maybe others, honestly, I’m not sure. My head’s been in a bit of a fog for a while now, understandably.
That’s why I thought I’d share a few movies that make me feel better. They rarely not work and always are able to lighten my mood. I’m able to just turn my mind off, get a few laughs and just enjoy myself. I’ve watched a few of these in the last two weeks (as well as a lot of TV) and they’ve at least taken my mind off the harsh reality. This is one of those rare times that they don’t cure my “bad” mood.
In the case that someone or something makes me angry, these movies usually do the trick to snap me out of it, and most of them I found by complete accident trolling through Netflix over the years. They’re all rom-coms and fantastic movies.
*These are in no particular order.
All’s Faire in Love
Set in the world of a Renaissance Faire, “All’s Faire in Love” is a light-hearted romp, a romantic camp comedy, falling somewhere between “Shakespeare In Love” and “Meatballs”. After years of performing together, a rag-tag theatre troupe is about to lose its prime gig at Ye Olde Times Renaissance Faire when the Faire’s owner threatens to hand over their stage to a rival troupe of conceited, classically-trained Shakespearean actors. The gonzo group must revive their act and find help from an unexpected source – their two new backstage hands, a young actor and actress who must overcome all manner of subterfuge and opposition to prove their worth, win the day, and – perhaps – fall in love.
This is probably my favorite rom-com of all time and I just love it to bits. It’s perfectly wonderful and equally ridiculous – I love it. I’ll admit that that acting could be better, but you’re not watching this to critique it. You’re watching this for pure enjoyment and fun.
The Decoy Bride
Famous actress Lara Tyler can’t get married to author James Arber without intrusive paparazzi crashing the ceremony. Because of James’s best-seller, Lara’s agent, Steve, checks out the little known Hegg Island in Scotland as the site for their next attempted wedding. Unfortunately, James is a hack, and his book (supposedly based on Hegg) relays little of it accurately. Katie, an island native and the only unmarried woman on it, has been unlucky in love. She’s working on writing her own guide to Hegg Island when Steve and crew arrive, eventually hiring her as a reluctant decoy bride to distract the paparazzi. In a mix-up, she and James end up married to each other while Lara, having spotted the press, goes into hiding. Katie and James now have to get an island divorce while avoiding the press while other parties seek out Lara (who has disguised herself as one of the elderly islanders).
David Tennant. Need I say more? If you’re a fan of fake relationships and blossoming feelings, then you’ll want to check this out. It’s so good and so cute and I love it.
The Duff
Bianca is a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as ‘The DUFF’ (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends. Now, despite the words of caution from her favorite teacher, she puts aside the potential distraction of her crush, Toby, and enlists Wesley, a slick but charming jock, to help reinvent herself. To save her senior year from turning into a total disaster, Bianca must find the confidence to overthrow the school’s ruthless label maker Madison and remind everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone’s DUFF.
I never read the book, but I thoroughly enjoy this movie whenever I watch it. It’s just easy to turn your mind off and sit back and just have fun.
Austenland
Austenland is a romantic comedy about 30-something, single Jane Hayes, a seemingly normal young woman with a secret: her obsession with Mr. Darcy-as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice-is ruining her love life; no real man can compare. But when she decides to spend her life savings on a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined.
Honestly, if you haven’t seen this movie yet, you’re seriously missing out. It’s brilliant and hilarious and overall just a great movie. I pop it into the DVD player, make some popcorn and have fun with it. If you’re a Mr. Darcy fan, you’ll want to check this out.
Chalet Girl
Pretty tomboy Kim Matthews, 19, used to be a champion skateboarder – but now she’s stuck in a dead end job trying to support her Dad. Opportunity comes knocking in the form of a catering job in the one of the most exclusive chalets in the Alps. At first, Kim’s baffled by this bizarre new world of posh people, champagne and skiing – but then she discovers snowboarding, and the chance to win some much-needed prize money at the big end-of-season competition. But before she can become a champion again, Kim’s going to have to dig deep to overcome her fears. Hard enough, without the complicating factor of Jonny, her handsome – though spoken for – boss…
This movie is so much fun. (Do I sound like a broken record yet?) But it is. The cast of characters is great – Chuck Bass, anyone? It has everything you could want in a rom-com with a sing-along credit scene.
All these movies leave me in a better mood than I started. They make me feel happy and carefree. I usually end up watching these movies by myself, in bed, but they are great for movie nights with friends. If you’re like me and you watch them all the time, then they become great background noise while doing other things. They’re just fun rom-coms that allow you to turn off your brain and just forget for a bit…sometimes that’s all you want in a movie.
What movies/shows make you feel better when you’re in A Mood™?
Honestly, I can barely keep my eyes open while writing this, and I still have a few other things to do before I legit drop into my bed. So, sorry in advance if this post is on the shorter side.
Writing The Universe 