There’s nothing quite like catching a feel-good movie at the cinema or on TV. Leaving the cinema after a feel-good classic is tenfold the caffeine charge, minus the overwhelming feeling of the crippling anxiety it induces. Feel-good movies will often have a special significance in our memories, too. Whether it be Groundhog Day, Home Alone, or Forrest Gump, people commonly fall back on subtle references to these films, allowing them to unlock the endorphins they enjoyed while watching them for the first time, or simply to be able to relate to their peers.

While typically falling in the comedy/drama bracket, feel-good films have a broad cross-genre grip, taking several forms beyond the stereotypically funny or dramatic flicks. The 1990s was a golden age for definitive movies of this kind, as the decade was notable in American history. It had a booming economy and no major wars or global conflicts to be involved in. For a brief moment in time, it appeared that everything was going great. There was a lot to feel good about in the decade, and filmmakers certainly tapped into that feeling. These are the best feel-good movies of the 1990s.

Update January 19, 2024: This article has been updated with even more great feel-good movies from the 1990s, and where you can stream each title.

10 Home Alone (1990)

A Christmas classic that many have to resist the urge to watch during the rest of the year, Home Alone has seared itself into the collective pop consciousness for three decades. A pre-teen is unintentionally left at home by his forgetful family, who heads to France for the festive holidays. Targeted by particularly idiotic burglars, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) sets about protecting his home in this perfectly efficient film which is adored by adults and children alike.

Is Home Alone the Perfect Christmas Movie?

Not all Christmas movies are supposed to be feel-good movies. In fact, Christmas horror movies have become much more popular in recent years, and there's nothing pleasant about horror except in the case of horror hounds. Home Alone has everything you would expect from a pleasant experience that, putting all violence aside, has the right tone to make you feel embraced like a warm blanket. When Kevin reunites with his mother, it is a great feeling that can't help but make the audience's heart soar. Stream on Disney+

9 Pretty Woman (1990)

Featuring Richard Geer and Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman is the charming tale of a hotshot socialite sparking up an unlikely friendship and relationship with a prostitute. Consequently, Edward (Geer) takes Vivian (Roberts) under his wing, recognizing her potential as not just a pretty woman but a highly astute and intellectual person simply out of luck. The result is exactly what you would expect and it became one of the biggest movies of the 1990s.

High-Profile Romantic Comedy

Pretty Woman isn’t just a romantic drama but a representation of the disbarring of a false conception that a woman can be defined by her sexuality. As such, it's been enjoyed repeatedly and is a feel-good lift-me-up. The performance by Julia Roberts put her out there as a potential film star with a golden smile and the right laugh. It's no secret why she got nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for her role in Pretty Woman. To this day, it remains an enduring classic and a defining movies of the decade. Rent on Prime Video

8 Scent of a Woman (1992)

In Martin Brest's Scent of a Woman, the irrepressible Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino), a blind and disgruntled army veteran, is placed in the day-care of Charlie Simms (Chis O’Donnell), a scholar at an exclusivel preparatory school. Despite Frank’s reservations and frostiness toward the sensitive Charlie, the pair form a flourishing bond and see Frank’s aversion to aid turned on their head. The film is a remake of an Italian film called Profumo di Donna.

Related: These Are the Best Movies to Watch When You're Feeling Stressed

An Actor in His Prime

Al Pacino seized the Best Actor award with his performance as Slade in a very tight race in a year (nominees included Denzel Washington, Clint Eastwood, and Robert Downey Jr. in Malcolm X, Unforgiven, and Chaplin, respectively). Filled with some of cinema's most quotable dialogue (Pacino's delivery of Hoo-ah is a classic!), Scent of a Woman is a low-stakes good time that you probably remember well because it features the Tango Dance scene between Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar. Pacino is often associated with very serious films like The Godfather trilogy, Heat, Scarface, and Dog Day Afternoon, so this is certainly a nice change of pace for the actor. Rent on Vudu

7 The Big Lebowski (1998)

The Coen Brothers have conjured up winning formula after winning formula, and The Big Lebowski is no different. Starring Jeff Bridges as Jeff “the Dude” Lebowski, John Goodman as Walter, and Steve Buscemi as Donny, the troubled, bowling-loving trio slip down a particularly greasy alley when they mistakenly become ensnared in a case of mistaken identity and subsequently seek compensation for a damaged rug. Surreal, silly, and brimming with lovable and wacky characters, it's impossible not to hold onto a lingering smile after watching The Big Lebowski.

Characters You Just Want to Vibe With

Even though it was far from successful at the box office, performances were fantastic, and the Coens guaranteed to make an original film out of a risky concept that relied heavily on the engagement of memorable characters played by fantastic actors, giving some of the best performances of their careers. Today, it's a cult classic that's often featured in memes and might be the duo's most enduring film, even surpassing their popular film Fargo as their defining movie of the decade. Stream on Peacock Premium

6 As Good as It Gets (1997)

In As Good as It Gets, Jack Nicholson stars as Melvin Udall, a prejudiced writer with serious obsessive-compulsive disorder, to the extent that he even takes his own cutlery to the local café. Forced to take care of a neighbor’s dog, he loathes in the first instance, Melvin quickly grows an attachment to it while concurrently falling in love with a waitress at his favorite restaurant, Carol (Helen Hunt). Nicholas won his second Academy Award for his performance, and Helen Hunt walked away with the Best Actress Oscar.

The Magic of Good Characters. And Performers

James L. Brooks has been a master of emotionally resonant cinema focused on great character performances, from Terms of Endearment and Broadcast News, but As Good as It Gets remains his best film. As Good as It Gets definitely helped make 1997 a great year for cinema, and has the lightness and joy to make any day feel great. Rent on Apple TV

5 Sister Act (1992)

Whoopi Goldberg stars as Deloris Van Cartier in the crime comedy Sister Act, a story about a lounge entertainer who’s forced to change her life after witnessing a crime. After she becomes a member of the witness protection program, she’s put in a place where no one will look for her: she becomes Sister Mary Clarence, a prominent nun in a convent. Sister Mary Clarence becomes the leader of the choir, providing some life to the lost art of the church choir.

Comedy and Musical Genius Fused Together in a Feel Great Movie

The film was one of the most beloved films of the decades, but one that had a difficult time getting off the ground. Bette Midler rejected the role, and the script was rewritten several times (writers included Carrie Fisher and Nancy Meyers), but in the end, it was all worth it. The crime content of the film feels a little bit outdated, but it's not a prominent aspect of the film, whose greatest scenes include Goldberg trying to lead conservative nuns into not just singing but performing for the Lord. It was so successful it launched an equally beloved sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. Stream on Disney+

4 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You isn’t a modern-day retelling of the William Shakespeare play, Taming of the Shrew. In the film, Cameron James (Joseph Gordon Levitt) wants to date Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik). However, Bianca’s dad won’t let her date if her sister Kat (Julia Stiles) doesn’t date. So Cameron comes up with a plan to pay Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to ask Kat out. Of course, things don’t go exactly as planned as Patrick begins to fall for Kat.

Greatest Feel Good Teen Comedy Ever Made?

While it's not exactly a niche film, 10 Things I Hate About You heavily appeals to everyone with its very simple premise, the lighthearted execution, and the performances by a great cast that seem tailor-made for their roles. At times, it's hilarious, but it's also very dramatic when it must make the essential tone shift of all teen comedies. It also was the debut film of the late great Heath Ledger and also features great early performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julia Stiles, David Krumholtz, and Gabrielle Union. When it comes to teenage films, it doesn't get much better than this. Stream on Disney+

3 Groundhog Day (1993)

In Groundhog Day, the fantasy comedy by Harold Ramis, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is reporting on the Pennsylvania festivity when something very improbable happens: Connors gets stuck in a time loop that forces him to wake up on February 2 and must repeat the same day over and over again. He is stuck in there for so long her undergoes so many possibilities but he must become a better person to escape the time loop.

Related: Best Feel-Good Movies of the 1980s, Ranked

A Great '90s Film that Embraces Viewers like a Cozy Blanket

The comedy of Bill Murray isn't exactly suited for everyone. However, in Groundhog Day he dominates every single theme and joke, and provides laughs in every corner of the film. It's one of those films where you truly never stop laughing. It's also a very compelling film whose third act is much sweeter than it needs to be. That shift towards a romantic turning point is part of what makes a great feel-good pick that not only has become a classic but such an influential film it has essentially created an entire genre into itself of time loop movies being referred to as Groundhog Day. Stream on AMC+

2 You've Got Mail (1998)

Nora Ephron almost specialized in feel-good movies, and the world has been missing her creative voice since she passed away in 2012. One of her best works is You've Got Mail, a rom-com that centers on two people (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan) in an online romance who are unaware they are also business rivals. The film is a modern day retelling the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László, which had previously been adapted in 1940 as The Shop Around the Corner and in 1949 as In the Good Old Summertime so it is clearly a story that endures across generations.

A Delightful Cup of Joy

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were two of the most beloved actors of the 1990s, and You've Got Mail is a peek 1990s movie as its emphasis on bookstores and coffee shops perfectly captures the decade. The changing seasons, cozy aesthetics, and delightful supporting characters played by Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Steve Zahn, and Dave Chappelle make this one of the best from the decade and one that can't help but put a smile on your face. Rent on Prime Video.

1 Forrest Gump (1994)

Tom Hanks claimed the Academy Award for Best Actor, alongside the movie’s win for Best Picture, and it undoubtedly remains the decade's best feel-good offering. For those who’ve committed the cardinal sin of having not watched it already, the film follows the story of a kind man whose intellect isn't his best feature. However, luck and chance will make him a star in important events during the 20th century. Gump inadvertently finds himself embroiled in major events throughout world history (thanks to some great editing effects), from patrols through Vietnamese jungles during the Vietnam War, unintentionally uncovering the Watergate Scandal, and continuously running for three years, two months, 14 days, and 16 hours. "Run, Forrest, Run!" has probably been uttered by most people witnessing a victim flee the wrath of their bullies ever since.

A Lovely Journey Through Modern Times

Forrest Gump is one of those films without a single pinch of malice in it. Violence is circumstantial, and tragedy becomes part of everyone's path because that's the way it has to be. As life is seen through the eyes of a very innocent soul like Gump's, all events call for a relative and uncorrupted take. We all wish we could be Gump amid chaos and in the face of tragedy. It was very much a movie of its time, but one that captured the hearts and minds of audiences all over the world and remains to this day a beloved cultural touchstone. Stream on Prime Video

To provide some balance to feel-good movies, here's a video about movies where love doesn't exactly conquer all: