Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith knows a thing or two about writing movies that people return to over and over and over again, having scripted such films as 10 Things I Hate About You, Legally Blonde, She's the Man and The House Bunny, to name a few.
"Feel-good movies don't get a lot of Academy love, but they're the films we turn to in challenging times," she says. "They transport us to a place of love and laughter, and they remind us how transformative and powerful our relationships with other people can be."
Below, Smith shares with A.frame five feel-good films she keeps coming back to.
Every feel-good note is struck perfectly in this romantic comedy about an idealistic activist who's hired to work for a greedy real estate mogul. Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant are a perfect team, as she helps transform him from an arrogant, superficial capitalist into the socially conscious man of her-slash-our dreams.
Virginia Madsen, Cynthia Gibb, and Daphne Zuniga play roommates in LA who have the worst day of their lives, and the only way to forget their problems is by going on a crazy night out. What inspires happiness more than a neon-infused, new-wave romp through 1980s Hollywood with three best friends?
Julia Roberts embarks on a misguided goal to steal her best friend away from his new fiancée. This fizzy, musical-inspired screwball comedy manages to make us love her all the more… and simultaneously fall head over heels for Cameron Diaz as the fiancée and Rupert Everett as Julia’s other bff.
The angsty Gen X-ness of this movie takes us back to a simpler time — the '90s, where the worst thing you could do was be a sell-out. Ben Stiller makes an epically sweet directorial debut, highlighted by a tart script, great soundtrack, and the swoon-worthy chemistry of Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke.
This brilliant political comedy harkens back to a time where we could possibly switch out our president with a more optimistic lookalike. What would feel better than that?
