Good Vibe Films

The message that lives between the scripted words is the most valuable thing one can take away from a film.  It can lift you up to new heights.  With the stressful final weeks of the semester, an excellent and easy escapism to ease one’s mind would be to watch a good-vibe generating film.  A can-do attitude is generated and you’ll feel invincible soon enough.

Here are some spirit-lifting films to get you through research paper season. 

Silver Linings Playbook.  The most recent of the films listed, “Silver Lining Playbook” made waves during Awards Show Season.  Based on Matthew Quick’s novel of the same name, I immediately felt inspired after seeing it.  It has a positive message overall.  After seeing Cooper and Lawrence’s characters overcome woes beyond the norm, you find that no matter how hopeless you find life, “if you stay positive you have a shot at a silver lining. 

Crazy, Stupid Love.  This film has become my go-to romantic-comedy.  Starring Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, “Crazy Stupid Love” is Shakespearean in nature.  It is filled with misinterpretations, miscommunications.  It starts out with Emily (Moore) asking Cal (Carrell) for a divorce because she had an affair, and Cal’s whole world gets thrown into disarray until Gosling offers him a chance to rediscover who he is.  Everyone falls for the wrong person.  You laugh, you cry, you root for Steve Carrell and then wish him hell.  But like all Shakespearean plays, this movie leaves you reminded that love perseveres all. 

Julie & Julia.  What could be more adorable than a movie with Amy Adams AND Meryl Streep?  “Julie & Julia” is a duo-biopic about two extraordinary women-Julia Child and Julia Powell.  Based on Powell’s novel of the same name, the film follows the titular characters as they break through the mold of normal and become something more than what they are.  Powell (Adams) is looking to become something beyond a temp worker in post 9/11 New York.  She embarks on a mission to cook every meal in a cookbook penned by Child (Streep), who faced obstacles as a woman chef in 1950’s France.  Filled with its quirks, you will feel inspired by what they have done and will probably go make yourself a fancy French meal as the credits roll. 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  A classic John Hughes film (and what I think is his best), “FBDO” stars Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck and Mia Sara.  If you went through high school without seeing this film, you have missed out, reader.  Not a line is wasted, and the message is timeless.  Like the typical teenager looking for a personal day to get away from academic pressures, Bueller feigns illness.  With his best friend and girl by his side, he embarks on an unforgettable romp through Chicago.  The message of the film is to live life to its fullest and not to let it pass by; “if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”