# 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:** 5
**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, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/81 "2020-04-01T21:47:06Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > 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_ Along that line, any Merchant/Ivory, but especially _A Room with a View_. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/82 "2020-04-02T00:14:12Z")
It starts with 3 roommates: Cowboy (a cowboy), Indian (an Indian) and Horse (a horse). Cowboy and Indian order bricks to build a BBQ grill for Horse’s birthday, but they order a few too many. Like, 50 million instead of 50. Thus begins the adventure that is [A Town Called Panic](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1433540/) (Panique au village) is a delightfully quirky and surreal stop-motion animated film made with toys and other props, as if someone in Belgium saw Robot Chicken and said to themselves “Pourquoi personne n’a-t-il fait un film entier comme ça? _Je_ vais le faire!” (“Why hasn’t anyone made a whole movie like that? _I’ll_ do it!”) Available on both Netflix and Amazon Prime. ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/83 "2020-04-02T05:40:53Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > _The Vultures_ (1984) > Riff on _Kelly’s Heroes_. Why not _Kelly’s Heroes_ itself? And you can get it in widescreen / anamorphic now, which you couldn’t the first couple of dozen times I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/84 "2020-04-02T06:24:23Z")
How about The Weavers: Wasn’t That a Time! It’s a documentary on the singing group The Weavers and their reunion concert. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/85 "2020-04-02T07:46:04Z")
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years. Documentary directed by Ron Howard. Interesting previously unreleased footage, and I thought a lot of work was put into polishing up the audio. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/86 "2020-04-02T08:11:23Z")
Here’s a few more I like: _The Borrowers_ movie from 1997, starring Jim Broadbent and Celia Imrie. _Aladdin_ from last year. A lot better than I anticipated. _The Jungle Book_, also the recent Disney remake, which is quite amazing. _Jumanji_, _Zathura_, _Jumanji Welcome To The Jungle_, and _Jumanji The Next Level._ All great fun. _Ladyhawke_. One of my favourite movies. Matthew Broderick is a stand-out. _Paddington_ and its sequel. Rightly lauded. _Peter Rabbit_. Better than it ought to be. _Christopher Robin_. Not as good as it might have been but still sweet-natured. _Mortal Engines_. Deserved better, but I can see why it wasn’t a hit. _Mary Poppins Returns_. A doggone delight. _The Kid Who Would Be King_. Fun for all the family. _Tintin_. I wish they’d make more like they said they were going to, but I think that ship has sailed. _The BFG_. Quite delightful. _Klaus_. It’s not Christmas but it’s still great. _The Peanuts Movie_. Faithful, even in 3D. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/87 "2020-04-02T10:42:15Z")
Here are some under-rated movies. Some aren’t really “light-hearted”, but none has “heavy drama” nor depressing themes. Most of these are very “sentimental.” _Good Thief_. A “heist” film, but much more. “The role Nick Nolte was born to play.” _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_. Animated comedy. _Whale Rider_. Brilliant tribute to another culture and its traditions, and to the courage of a young girl. _The Late Show_. A film noir detective film; but with the brilliant comedienne Lily Tomlin, it’s almost a parody of that style. _Third Miracle_. Interesting story with interesting themes. (After watching, come back and tell us what you think the “third miracle” was!) _The Score_. Brilliant heist film. Ed Norton and Robt de Niro are superb. _Across the Universe_. Would be a good story even without music. But it’s filled with Beatles songs sung by brilliant fresh voices. _Flower Drum Song_. Other Rodgers-Hammerstein musicals are more famous, but this one is light-hearted … and I like it best! _Bye Bye Birdie_. Perhaps too juvenile, but a fun and light-hearted musical. ---
**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 2, 2020, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/88 "2020-04-02T12:16:42Z")
\*\*\*Plan 9 from Outer Space They Saved Hitler’s Brain Dr Black and Mr Hyde Billy the Kid vs Dracula Terror at Party Beach Robot Monster Monster Zero The Giant Spider Invasion Flesh Gordon De Dove (The Dove)\*\*\* ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/89 "2020-04-02T13:20:14Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > **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. This is a really good movie- I always forget about it for awhile then stumble across it and re-watch again. For newer movies, Amazon Prime has “Britney Runs a Marathon” which I really liked- it’s a fat girl re-boot kind of movie but I liked how she had to work on her inner issues and not just the body work. The romance was fun and quirky as well. It was funny without being obnoxious. ---
**Author:** ![PaperBlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@PaperBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaperBlob)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/90 "2020-04-02T14:56:22Z")
Here’s one out of left field: **Heavy Trip**. It’s a Finnish movie about an amateur heavy metal band who get a chance for their big break; hilarity ensues when they go for it. It’s quirky and very funny. You DO NOT have to be a fan of that music (I’m certainly not) to enjoy it. If I’m remembering correctly, it’s subtitled, so that’s not ideal. It’s worth it though. Included with Amazon Prime. ---
**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 2, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/91 "2020-04-02T15:10:09Z")
> [@PaperBlob](#): > > Here’s one out of left field: **Heavy Trip**. It’s a Finnish movie about an amateur heavy metal band who get a chance for their big break; hilarity ensues when they go for it. It’s quirky and very funny. Aside from the nationality and genre, it sounds a lot like _ **The Commitments** _, a wonderful, wonderful movie! A somewhat older classic is \*\*\*It Happened One Night\*\*\*, with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Gable is said to have inspired Bugs Bunny's trademark carrot chomping in this film. (He also single-handedly brought the American undershirt industry to the brink of ruin by not wearing one.) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/92 "2020-04-02T16:00:16Z")
_One, Two, Three_. Cold War comedy starring James Cagney. _The Prisoner of Zenda_. There is the black-and-white version with Ronald Coleman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and the Technicolor version with Stewart Granger and James Mason, and several other versions that I haven’t seen. _The Man in the White Suit_ with Alec Guinness. _Kind Hearts and Coronets_. _The Thief of Bagdad_. 1924 Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. 1940 Sabu and Conrad Veidt. 1978 TV version with Kabir Bedi and Roddy McDowall. _Son of Sinbad_ with Dale Robertson and Vincent Price. _The Raven_. Made by Roger Corman, back in the days when he tried to make good movies. Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre doing comedy. A very young Jack Nicholson. _Young Sherlock Holmes. Without a Clue. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes._ ---
**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 2, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/93 "2020-04-02T18:41:59Z")
_ **The Odyssey** _, with Kirk Douglas as Ulysses. The original _ **Jason and the Argonauts** _, with lots of Harryhousen stop-action animation. The original _ **Clash of the Titans** _, with Laurence Olivier, Ursula Andress, and even more Harryhausen animation. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/94 "2020-04-02T19:01:29Z")
This isn’t exact;y what the OP was looking for but since there are obviously a lot of movie fans posting here and presumably reading thru the thread, I thought y’all would like to know that [South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival is coming to Amazon](https://apnews.com/ff142cd5f7c19454a642e62cd3b25c8d) in a few weeks. > [@](#): > > SXSW announced Thursday that it’s partnering with Amazon Prime Video to stream as much of its movie line-up as possible for a 10-day period in the U.S. **It will be free to viewers with or without an Amazon Prime membership.** > > South by Southwest organizers have worked frantically to salvage what they could of the festival and bring attention to the many films that had been planning to premiere there. SXSW, which had been scheduled to run March 13-22, last week announced awards for its competition categories, anyway. > > Individual films will choose whether they want to opt in to the 10-day “SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection” on Amazon. Don’t count on movies acquired by Netflix, for example, to participate. The festival declined to say how many films it expects to host. > > But for the filmmakers that do join in, the digital platform could offer a measure of solace for their missed SXSW premiere, and all the promotion benefit that a major festival entails. Filmmakers who participate will receive a screening fee. (bolding mine) ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/95 "2020-04-02T19:48:13Z")
A few we watched recently: Michael - John Travolta, Andie Macdowell, funny and lighthearted. The Cutting Edge - Miora Kelly, DB Sweeney, about a hockey player who learns to figure skate. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/96 "2020-04-02T20:07:41Z")
I recommend _ **The Rocketeer** _, a light-hearted pulp adventure set in the 1930s. Also in the same vein, but not quite as perfect, _ **Flash Gordon** _. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/97 "2020-04-02T20:10:57Z")
Also, you could do worse than to check out the Big Four Giant Bug movies: _ **Them!, The Deadly Mantis, Tarantula** _, and _ **The Black Scorpion** _. And the great Fifties sci-fi movies: _ **Forbidden Planet, This Island Earth, The Thing, Destination Moon** _, and _ **Rocketship X-M** _. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/98 "2020-04-02T20:15:47Z")
Not mentioned yet:\* Best In Show\* and _A Mighty Wind_. ---
**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 2, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/99 "2020-04-02T20:47:39Z")
On the one hand: _That Thing You Do!_ fits the bill. OTOH, the title song was written by Adam Schlesinger who just died of CV. And since the play the song a time or two in the movie ;), you gotta be able to get past that. If you do watch it, get the extended edition. More Tina\* and Marguerite plus a scene that tells you a bit more about Tom Hanks’ character. - A very early role for Charlize Theron. Her first real role was in _2 Days in the Valley_. Which fits the OP pretty good, if you ignore all the gore, violence, etc. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733/100 "2020-04-02T21:48:18Z")
I don’t know where you’d find it, but there’s an old movie I used to love called **Real Men** , starring John Ritter and Jim Belushi. It was one of HBO’s favorites in the early 90s; I swear there was a point where this movie was playing \*somewhere \*on cable pretty much 24/7. In many ways it’s completely stupid, but what’s brilliant about it is, it _completely embraces the stupidity_. Throughout absolutely ludicrous scenes that come one after another, Jim Belushi plays it completely straight the entire film, and to steal from somebody’s perfect comment on a review of the movie, this is the major reason it took me so long to realize Jim Belushi is terrible. He’s legitimately brilliant in this movie, as is Ritter, and I think this is one of the most underrated movies ever made. And as many times as I watched this movie, I don’t think that’s just fondness through endless repetition talking. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-movie-recommendations-lighthearted-but-not-stupid-juvenile/850733.md?page=6)