We all have our favorite relaxing movies that help us unwind. After a bad day, week, month (tryyear),we call upon that one movie, or Netflix binge, that brings us some peace and quiet. There are movies we love, and then there are certain movies we need. Perhaps aCoen Brotherscomedy orSteven Soderberghclassics are the chill movies of choice for you. There are always characters and filmmakers that can flip a switch in our minds and brighten up our day. Feel-good movies check that box, and in the same vein, so do “chill movies.”By chill movies, we mean relaxing or lighthearted stories told about laid-back characters or movies clearly made by laid-back people. More often than not, these soothing movies are heavy on goodness and kindness.
Before reading this list, imagine going to a concert of one of your favorite bands later on in their careers. There are probably a lot of songs we all want to hear, right? Just like with a list, you can’t always get what you want. We all have our own ideas of what’s chill about a person, a character, or a movie. Below, in many of the movies listed, we’re talking about characters who spread kindness or are genuinely pleasant and peaceful to observe.
35. ‘The Holiday’ (2006)
Directed by Nancy Meyers
A romantic comedy film set around Christmas,The Holidayfollows two women from either side of the Atlantic Ocean who swap their homes for the holiday season to escape heartbreak.Kate Winsletstars as Iris, a shy and heartbroken London columnist who rents out a Los Angeles home from Amanda, the ambitious owner of a movie trailer-making company, played byCameron Diaz.Jude Law,Jack Black, andRufus Sewellalso share notable roles.
The Holidaybears all the warmth and cozy vibes that a holiday-themed rom-com should offer, making it a relaxing watch. It is endearing to watch two women from vastly different cultures and life backgrounds simultaneously go through similar journeys in dealing with breakups and end up with pleasant surprises. Highlighted by excellent performances from Winslet, Diaz, Law, and Black and supported by delightful cinematography,The Holidayremains a charming film that can easily be calleda modern Christmas classic. —Maddie P
The Holiday
34. ‘Amélie’ (2001)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
A warm, colorful blanket of a movie about enjoying the little pleasures in life and being good to your community and yourself. The shy but animated Amélie (Audrey Tautou) works in a café and lives a little more in her imagination than the great big world outside her mind. She’s hesitant to step outside of her comfort zone, but once she does, she starts doing the chillest act of all: helping others. Amelie’s kindness lights up almost everyone she crosses paths with and, based on directorJean-Pierre Jeanuet’s vision of Paris, the city itself.
Amélieis achingly heartfelt and nutritious eye candyabout a lovely character without a mean or cynical bone in her body simply spreading happiness. She’s a superhero in Paris, lighting up every shop, street corner, and subway stop she graces with her iconic presence.
33. ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ (2007)
Directed by Craig Gillespie
While its premise makes it seem as though it would be a lowbrow raunchy comedy film that was more than prevalent during the era,Lars and the Real Girlis, in reality, a calming and heartwarming story of connection and community. The film seesRyan Goslingas the incredibly shy Lars, who finds it impossible to socialize or make friends and has, as a result, lived a very isolated lifestyle. While his family members are worried about them, Lars ends up surprising them by revealing that he has a girlfriend, yet it soon dawns upon them that Lars' new girlfriend is a life-size plastic doll.
Despite all odds and preconceived notions,Lars and the Real Girlis not a mean-spirited comedy that makes Lars the butt of every joke but insteadpaints a wholesome portrait of an entire community coming together to help Lars in his time of need. While his solution is far from ordinary, the depression and loneliness that Lars faces throughout the film are deeply relatable and impactful for many audiences, so seeing him overcome these fears and difficulties makes for an uplifting and cathartic experience.
Lars and the Real Girl
32. ‘Before Sunset’ (2004)
Directed by Richard Linklater
Many,manyRichard Linklater moviescould go on this list. The filmmaker creates such lived-in, relaxed but tightly constructed stories that drop in on characters we wish or maybe we even do know in real life.Before Sunsetis Linklater’s peak relaxation film in his romantic trilogy, not without its highs and lows. The reunion between Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is a movie full of light that radiates off the screen every single second, though.
It’s a serene walk-and-talk with Celine and Jessie at their most relaxed with one another. There are awkward moments, complications, and some unhealed wounds, but for the most part,Before Sunsetis a triumphant reunion between two iconic characters at their most comfortable with themselvesand one another. The honeymoon phase isn’t quite over inBefore Sunset. Not that perfection matters, but it is Linklater’s closest shot to perfection.
Before Sunset
31. ‘Midnight in Paris’ (2011)
Directed by Woody Allen
StarringOwen Wilsonas the protagonist,Midnight in Parisfollows a debut novelist, Gil (Wilson), who ends up in Paris with his ambitious fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams), on a work vacation to finish his novel. Unable to align with Inez’s materialistic approach to everything, Gil escapes into the streets of Paris alone at night and travels back to the 1920s, where he interacts with various historical figures and literary geniuses, every night.
Different from most otherWoody Allenfilms,Midnight in Parisis a dreamy and humorous story of a free-spirited man’s love for life and art framed as time-travel. The film’s visual aesthetics and the sweetly sentimental narrative are sure to soothe the eyes and calm the soul of art, history, literature, and Jazz aficionados. What can be easily called a genre-overlapping film,Midnight in Parisis a wholesome blend of time-travel, fantasy, period drama, and adventure, that offers both whimsy and wisdom in the same breath. —Maddie P
Midnight in Paris
30. ‘Being There’ (1979)
Directed by Hal Ashby
Hal Ashby’s classic is gentle. The story still has Ashby’s and starPeter Sellers’ biting wit, as well as their more tragic qualities as storytellers. The satire resonates strongly today, watching Chauncey Gardiner (Sellers) become the popular kid among political royalty as he says nothing of substance. He’s just a man who enjoys gardening and watching television, but then again, maybe he’s more than that. The iconic final shot suggests so. Like everyone Chauncy meets, we always gravitate towards him and hang on to his every word.
Maybe it’s pointless to search for meaning inBeing There, but what isn’t pointless, is exactly what the title says. Sometimes being there is enough, even to get ahead in the world of politics. Satire, politics, and the buzzing but possibly inconsequential questions aside,Being Thereis also a movie that’s as delicate as Chauncey Gardiner. “Life is a state of mind,” is one of the many doses of wisdom thatBeing Thereleaves its audience with.
Being There
29. ‘Robot Dreams’ (2023)
Directed by Pablo Burger
A beautiful tale of connection and friendship that accomplishes its themes without a single word of dialogue,Robot Dreamshas proven itself to be easily one of thebest animated movies of the 2020s. The film follows a lonesome dog living in 1980s New York, who, in an attempt to tackle his uneventful lifestyle, purchases a robot companion to act as his new best friend. Dog and Robot immediately hit it off and have an array of adventures across the city, yet when an accident causes them to be separated, Dog and Robot will have to face the isolation head-on in their own ways.
Sporting beautiful 2D animation and an overwhelming joy and passion for life in all of its ups and downs, it’s difficult not to have a wide smile on one’s face while experiencing the majesty ofRobot Dreams. From an array of creative and colorful dream sequences to perfect usage of Earth Wind and Fire’s “September,“the aura ofRobot Dreamsis one that is largely defined by joy and whimsy for the world.
Robot Dreams
28. ‘Car Wash’ (1976)
Directed by Michael Schultz
The comedy classic keeps things loose. Wonderful characters pop in and out of the story, the laughs never cease, and directorMichael Schultzlands an unexpectedly poignant ending. Every character is an MVP and could be the star of their own movie. All of screenwriterJoel Schumacher’s characters entertain.
Car Washis a great ensemble movie with loads of energy and personality to spare. It’s Schultz’snear-perfect hangout movie, although shout out toKrush GrooveandCooley High. For a movie set almost entirely in one location, the filmmaker created a movie so high-spirited and easy on the eyes. The camera is unrestricted and free to follow different characters, tangents, and even a neighborhood kid on a skateboard (which is a strange, almost unexplainable highlight in the movie).Schultz’s best movies go with the flow, just like his sparkling characters.
27. ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ (2013)
Directed by Ben Stiller
A modern remake of the classic film from 1947,The Secret Life of Walter Mittyfollows a lonesome, timid magazine photo manager who often spends his simple life daydreaming of something more. While he dreams of living an extravagant and adventurous life, he is stuck in a loop of boredom and office work, something that suddenly finds itself changing when he ends up going on a real-life adventure when a photo negative goes missing.
Few films have been able to fully encapsulate the inherent wonder and majesty that can come from daydreaming, imagining oneself in another world with all the wonder and possibilities of imagination. While these daydream sequences are certainly a major highlight of the film,Ben Stilleralso does an exceptional job of showing the calming and powerful nature that everyday life can provide. Walter Mitty’s story has proven to be one that provides unending comfort and escapism to audiences, becoming one of thedefining hidden gem comedies of the 2010s.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
26. ‘Chan Is Missing’ (1982)
Directed by Wayne Wang
Wayne Wang’s (The Joy Luck Club) noir is a timeless indie from 1982. At times, the Chinatown-set mystery without a solution looks either modern or straight out of the 1950s. It’s a stunning, less-is-more film about identity, life in San Francisco’s Chinatown, politics, and coming to America.
For an 80-minute-long movie, it’s a dense piece of work that’s also elegant and relaxed.Chan Is Missingwas a serious influence on director Richard Linklater. The inspiration shows in the film’s vignettes and random yet vital conversations. The detectives in the film, a cab driver named Jo (Wood Moy) and his nephew Steve (Marc Hayashi), are a low-key ball to hang with as they search for a missing man.It’s a simple but complex tale with more questions than answers and exchanges you’ll never forget. What a movie.
