# Seeking movie recommendations - lighthearted (but not stupid/juvenile) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2020, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733 "2020-03-31T11:03:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/61 "2020-04-01T13:09:59Z")
I’ll throw in a few morre: “Sunshine Cleaning” “You Can Count on Me”, with Laura Linney" “Gaby: A True Story” – this was better than “My Left Foot”, same year, similar story line. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/62 "2020-04-01T13:15:35Z")
_ **Funny Face** _, with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. _ **Chocolate** _, with the too-gorgeous-to-be-real Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/63 "2020-04-01T13:21:41Z")
The original theatrical _ **McHale’s Navy** _, with the TV cast and Claudine _“I didn’t mean to shoot him, honest!”_ Longet. The original theatrical _ **Batman** _, with the TV cast and Lee Meriwether filling in for Julie Newmar. :o ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/64 "2020-04-01T13:28:39Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > To Be or Not to Be (1942 version w/Jack Benny and Carole Lombard). This is my all-time favorite movie, but I didn’t suggest it, because it’s slightly dark. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > The remake of Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman > > The Third Man Excellent movies. Not in the slightest bit light or funny. _Gaslight_ is a particular favorite, and I highly recommend it, but, definitely not light. > [@flip-68](#): > > another vote for Local Hero (1983) > > also, Witness for the Prosecution (1957) Anything by Bill Forsyth (_Local Hero_), especially _That Sinking Feeling_. _Witness for the Prosecution_ will have you on the edge of your seat, but, not light-hearted. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/65 "2020-04-01T13:29:46Z")
_ **Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines** _, with Benny Hill (yes, Benny Hill!), lots of vintage aircraft, and the uberhot Sarah Miles. :o ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/66 "2020-04-01T13:48:45Z")
[Chocolat](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241303/) with Juliette Binoche, Judy Dench, Alfred Molina Johnny Depp. [Paris, je t’aime](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401711/) 18 short stories with different cast and directors ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/67 "2020-04-01T14:00:31Z")
_ **Hot Millions** _, with Peter Ustinov, Karl Maulden, Bob Newhart, and _“Oh, God, YES!!!”_ Maggie Smith. :o Probably the first movie to feature computer crime, this picture was years ahead of its time! _ **Never Steal Anything Small** _, with Jimmy Cagney, Roger Smith, and yummy Shirley Jones. _ **Bedtime Story** _, with David Niven, Marlon Brando, and still-yummy Shirley Jones. Later remade as _ **Dirty Rotten Scoundrels** _, with Michael Caine, Steve Martin, and the tempting Glenne Headly. _ **The Man Who Would Be King** _, with the great Sean Connery, Christopher Plummer, and Michael Caine. Kipling was never better! _ **A Shot in the Dark** _, with Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, and “Do me next, PLEASE!” Elke Sommer. Arguably the best of the Inspector Clouseau movies. _ **Yankee Doodle Dandy** _, with Jimmy Cagney as the great George M Cohan. You’ll love the part where he tap-dances out of the White House and into a parade with the Army of the Potomac! _ **This Is the Army** _, with Ronald You-Know-Who and a cast of thousands (all in uniform)! _ **Lady and the Tramp** _, my second favorite Disney movie. (You \*do \*know why all those male dogs are chasing her, \*don’t \*you? 😉 ) Any of the Wallace and Gromit movies, especially \*\*\*The Wrong Trousers \*\*\*and _ **The Curse of the Were-Rabbit** _. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/68 "2020-04-01T14:16:01Z")
The original _ **The Parent Trap** _, with Hayley Mills playing the twins. Far superior to the “Easy” Lindsay Lohan remake, IMHO. Hayley’s singing is worth the price of admission all by itself. _ **The Castaways** _, also with Hayley Mills. Her first movie, _ **Tiger Bay** _, in which she plays opposite her father John Mills, is a great picture but not exactly light. (Though I suspect you’ll shed a sentimental tear at the end.) _ **Pollyanna** _, again with Hayley Mills. She was everywhere in the early '60s. :o ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/69 "2020-04-01T14:36:52Z")
**The Station Agent** is light hearted and mature. There are some heartfelt sad moments, but the situation and the characters keep it moving. When it’s over you’ll be glad you saw it. I agree with the poster above, it would narrow our focus if we knew which platforms the OP has. ‘ALL MOVIES with these broad characteristics’ is a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/70 "2020-04-01T14:55:23Z")
Already been done: > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > At my disposal: Turner Classic Movies, Netflix streaming, Netflix discs, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/71 "2020-04-01T15:40:39Z")
Going to think of some obscure ones here and there that most people missed. Start with: _[Ed and His Dead Mother](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106792/)_. It’s like it says on the box. Would violate the OP’s “not stupid/juvenile” rule except that Steve Buscemi’s character lifts it up into something else. The sad sack with hope is perfect for him. (_Raising Arizona_ and _The Big Lebowski_ haven’t been mentioned. Maybe pushing the envelope, OP-wise.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/72 "2020-04-01T15:59:16Z")
_ **Harold and Maude** _. Bizarre, but light. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/73 "2020-04-01T17:52:25Z")
[Sirens](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111201/reference) – the 1994 one with Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerals, Sam Neill, Elle McPherson, Portia diRossi, etc. Gorgeous cinematography, quite a lot of non-gratuitous nudity, plenty of humor, lovely costuming and great dialogue, seriously, this is the movie I watch whenever I’m feeling blue and need to cheer up. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/74 "2020-04-01T18:31:40Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > …Any of the Wallace and Gromit movies, especially \*\*\*The Wrong Trousers \*\*\*and _ **The Curse of the Were-Rabbit** _. Ooo, good ideas. My personal W&G favorites are _The Wrong Trousers_ and _A Close Shave._ ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/75 "2020-04-01T18:44:17Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Back to the Beach. Frankie and Annette 20 years later. And Annette can handle anything. Wow, I just watched this in the past month. The brother is a little hard to take, but everyone else is enjoyable. Better than you’d think it could be. Plus bonus Stevie Ray Vaughan & Dick Dale. I just watched \*\*\*Bull Durham \*\*\*- the story of a rookie pitcher and the veteran catcher assigned to show him the ropes. Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, and an enjoyable supporting cast. Fun and funny. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/76 "2020-04-01T19:01:29Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > Wow, I just watched this in the past month. The brother is a little hard to take, but everyone else is enjoyable. Better than you’d think it could be. Plus bonus Stevie Ray Vaughan & Dick Dale. You left out Bob Denver: _“You know, I lived with a guy for years. A real genius. He could take a couple of these pineapples or a couple of coconuts with some strings and wire and make a nuclear reactor. But he couldn’t fix a two-foot hole in a boat.”_ ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/77 "2020-04-01T20:18:34Z")
_Hair_ directed by Milos Foreman. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/78 "2020-04-01T20:24:54Z")
Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain. Hugh Grant stars. > **[The Englishman who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Englishman_who_Went_up_a_Hill_but_Came_down_a_Mountain)** > > The Englishman who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain is a 1995 romantic comedy film with a story by Ifor David Monger and Ivor Monger, written and directed by Christopher Monger. It was entered into the 19th Moscow International Film Festival and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. > The film is based on a story heard by Christopher Monger from his grandfather about the real village of Taff's Well, in the old county of Glamorgan, and its neighbo... also Waking Ned [Waking Ned - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waking_Ned) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/79 "2020-04-01T20:31:58Z")
_ **Hugo** _, an absolute masterpiece by Martin Scorsese: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Hv3obL9HqyY/maxresdefault.jpg "Official "Hugo" Trailer- In Theaters November 23") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv3obL9HqyY) ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/80 "2020-04-01T21:37:38Z")
Some recent, critically acclaimed, feel-good movies from the past couple of years that I enjoyed. None of them are really comedies but they are light dramas with ample humor. _Brooklyn_ _Nebraska_ _Hidden Figures_ _The Martian_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733.md?page=5)