The 17 best happy movies on Netflix to watch in June 2024

Here's your guide to a feel-good movie night.

To paraphrase Nicole Kidman’s now-iconic ad for AMC theaters, audiences watch movies “to laugh, to cry, to care,” but sometimes they put on a movie just to feel good. Whether it’s to keep a euphoric buzz going after a perfect day or for a much-needed boost after a hard week, a happy movie can wrap us in a warm, comforting embrace.

The films on this list range from enlightening documentaries like My Octopus Teacher (2020) to charming rom-com classics like The Holiday (2006). We selected each one for its ability to inspire bliss, whether from a well-told joke, two lovers finding each other, or the joy of family and self-discovery. Read on for Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 17 best happy movies on Netflix right now.

The Adam Project (2022)

Fighter pilot Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds) travels back in time from the year 2050 to save his wife Laura (Zoë Saldaña) but misses his mark and crash lands in 2022. He stumbles upon his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell) as he mourns his father, Louis (Mark Ruffalo), and struggles with his relationship with his mother, Ellie (Jennifer Garner). As the two Adams are hunted by sinister forces from the future, the older Adam must embrace the younger Adam he has tried so hard to forget. Beyond the notable 13 Going on 30 reunion between Ruffalo and Garner, EW’s critic said the film delivers an “all-you-need-is-love message… with a Spielbergian sense of wonder.”

Where to watch The Adam Project: Netflix  

Director: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Zoë Saldaña, Catherine Keener

Related content: Watch The Adam Project child star recite Ryan Reynolds' R-rated Deadpool speech from memory

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) were best friends turned high school sweethearts who, after a post-coital fight, lost contact for 16 years. When Sasha makes a triumphant return to San Francisco as a big-time chef, she and Marcus, who is not doing quite as well, find themselves nursing old grudges and long-dormant feelings. EW praised the stars' effortless chemistry, writing, “the bond between them is one of the many elements that make the film feel authentic, sweet, and wildly funny.”

Where to watch Always Be My Maybe: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Nahnatchka Khan

Cast: Ali Wong, Randall Park, James Saito, Michelle Buteau, Daniel Dae Kim, Keanu Reeves

Related content: Ali Wong and Randall Park talk Always Be My Maybe, D'Angelo, and romance

Annie (1982)

The rags to riches story of Broadway’s pluckiest orphan, 1982’s film adaptation of the blockbuster musical Annie has reminded audiences for over 40 years that even if you’re “stuck with a day that’s gray and lonely… the sun’ll come out tomorrow.” Starring a stellar cast that includes the legendary Carol Burnett and packed with famous show tunes like "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard-Knock Life," this Depression-era song and dance extravaganza is an uplifting ray of sunshine.

Where to watch Annie: Netflix 

Director: John Huston

Cast: Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters

Related content: Carol Burnett reflects on her most iconic roles, from Annie to The Carol Burnett Show

Crossroads (2002)

The film debut of Britney Spears is, as EW’s critic called it, a “sporty girl-dream road trip” about three childhood best friends, Lucy (Spears), Kit (Zoë Saldaña), and Mimi (Taryn Manning), who drive cross-country from Georgia to Los Angeles after digging up a wish box they buried as kids. As they cruise the open road in a classic convertible, the girls reconnect and embark on a coming-of-age journey, facing pregnancy, romance, absentee parents, and dive bar karaoke along the way. While life doesn’t always go their way, the not girls, not yet women, learn they will always have each other.

Where to watch Crossroads: Netflix 

EW grade: B+ (read the review) 

Director: Tamra Davis

Cast: Britney Spears, Zoë Saldaña, Taryn Manning, Anson Mount, Dan Aykroyd

Related content: Crossroads director says she'd 'love' to do a sequel to Britney Spears' first film

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)

Icelandic musicians Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) are lifelong friends and not-yet-sweethearts who dream of winning the Eurovision Song Contest. Despite disapproval from their parents, their town, and the local Eurovision selection committee, the duo dubbed “Fire Saga” refuses to let anything stop them from achieving their goal of songwriting immortality — including their romantic feelings for each other. Underneath all the spandex and over-the-top production numbers is a sincere film that cares as much about sharing the joy of music as satirizing its ostentatious performance.

Where to watch Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga: Netflix 

Director: David Dobkin

Cast: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Dan Stevens, Pierce Brosnan

Related content: It happened: Eurovision's Icelandic contestant performed 'Jaja Ding Dong' from the Netflix movie

Dumplin’ (2018)

Frustrated by the judgment of her pageant-obsessed Texas town, as well as her former beauty queen mother Rosie (Jennifer Aniston), Willowdean (Danielle Macdonald) — a.k.a. Dumplin’ — decides to enroll in the Miss Teen Bluebonnet contest as “a protest in heels.” Despite declaring she’s not the “Joan of Arc” of plus-sized girls, her actions do inspire a few other outsiders to join her Dolly Parton-scored revolution and shake things up. “Like a pillow cross-stitched with sassy aphorisms,” EW’s critic said, “Dumplin’ is kitschy and squishy and, if you let yourself, pretty sweet to sink into.”

Where to watch Dumplin’: Netflix 

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Anne Fletcher

Cast: Danielle Macdonald, Jennifer Aniston, Odeya Rush, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Dove Cameron, Harold Perrineau

The Holiday (2006)

When SoCal entrepreneur Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and U.K. newspaper columnist Iris (Kate Winslet) experience mutually awful break-ups right before Christmas, the strangers find each other online and agree to escape their lives and swap houses for the holidays. Their vacation from romance takes a turn when Amanda meets Iris’s dashing brother Graham (Jude Law) and Iris befriends Amanda’s equally lovelorn colleague Miles (Jack Black). There’s a reason Nancy Meyers is known as a rom-com specialist; here, she delivers the “happily ever after” expectation of the genre with a depth rarely achieved in frothier films. The Holiday gives us reason to celebrate the characters’ romantic wins and their personal milestones with equal importance.

Where to watch The Holiday: Netflix 

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Nancy Meyers

Cast: Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black

Related content: This incredibly dark fan theory will change the way you see The Holiday

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is an irreverent action comedy from director Taika Waititi about a would-be adoptive father and son duo who form a bond by… well, by becoming fugitives on the run. Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is a foster kid who’s spent much of his life bouncing from home to home. When it seems like he will be separated from his latest caretaker, “Uncle” Hector (Sam Neill), Ricky ineptly fakes his death and takes off into the New Zealand wilderness. A frantic manhunt ensues; Hector goes after Ricky and the two become an unlikely pair of outlaws being hunted by a hilariously overzealous child services agent (Rachel House). “When it works, it really works,” EW’s critic said. “Dennison juggles foulmouthed brattiness and sweet sincerity… and Neill soars as a gruff outdoorsman hiding a soft, chewy center.”

Where to watch Hunt for the Wilderpeople: Netflix  

Director: Taika Waititi

Cast: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House

It Could Happen to You (1994)

Nice guy NYPD officer Charlie (Nicolas Cage) realizes he doesn’t have enough money to tip his kindhearted waitress Yvonne (Bridget Fonda), so he promises to split his winnings with her if the lottery ticket he bought that morning should hit. Of course he wins and, true to his word, shares the $4 million prize with her. The duo suddenly finds themselves on the receiving end of a tabloid frenzy and at odds with their less-than-ideal romantic partners. It Could Happen to You is a syrupy modern-day fairy tale, and EW's critic highlighted its leads as a “winning” pair with “aw-shucks chemistry.”

Where to watch It Could Happen to You: Netflix

Director: Andrew Bergman

Cast: Bridget Fonda, Nicolas Cage, Rosie Perez, Stanley Tucci

Related content: Based on a True Story: Meet the real people behind the lotto premise of It Could Happen to You

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)

Based on a series of YouTube shorts by Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer Camp, this Oscar-nominated film follows the adventures of the adorable, anthropomorphic shell Marcel (Slate) after he, along with his grandmother Connie (Isabella Rossellini), are discovered in their home by the new (human) tenant, Dean (Camp). Armed with Dean’s camera, they stage a search for Marcel’s missing family that goes viral and turns him into an unlikely internet celebrity. Marcel blends stop-motion animation and live-action photography to create a moving alchemy of special effects and sincere humanity. It’s earnest, occasionally profound, and consistently cute as hell.

Where to watch Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: Netflix

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Cast: Jenny Slate, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Dean Fleischer Camp, Lesley Stahl, Isabella Rossellini

Related content: How Lesley Stahl wound up interviewing her tiniest subject in Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Mixtape (2021)

This late '90s-set YA dramedy is the perfect choice for a sweet, nostalgic watch complete with a sweeter, even more nostalgic soundtrack. Beverly (Gemma Brooke Allen) is an orphaned 12-year-old being raised by her grandmother, Gail (Julie Bowen). When Beverly finds a damaged mixtape left behind by her deceased parents, she enlists the help of a jaded record store owner (Nick Thune) and goes on a quest to reassemble the track list to gain insight into who they were. Coming-of-age movies are a dime a dozen; what sets Mixtape apart is how it lives and breathes the experience of discovering music, obsessing over it, and even making some of your own.

Where to watch Mixtape: Netflix  

Director: Valerie Weiss

Cast: Gemma Brooke Allen, Audrey Hsieh, Olga Petsa, Julie Bowen, Jackson Rathbone, Nick Thune

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

My Octopus Teacher is an Oscar-winning documentary that chronicles South African free-diver Craig Foster’s bond with an octopus he discovers while on an underwater expedition. As he observes the creature’s life, its playfulness, and its harrowing encounters with predators, he notices changes in his approach to his own life and relationships out of the water. Filled with gorgeous, entrancing cinematography, this true story of an unlikely friendship inspires wonder about the natural world and our place in it.

Where to watch My Octopus Teacher: Netflix

Director: James Reed, Pippa Ehrlich

Cast: Craig Foster

Related content: Get an exclusive look at ‘My Monkey Grifter,’ the Documentary Now! parody of My Octopus Teacher

Nimona (2023)

Shape-shifting troublemaker Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) aspires to be the villainous sidekick to the Queen’s would-be assassin, Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), despite his protests that it was a frame-up. As the unlikely pair of outcasts team up, the kingdom’s ancient history and modern politics throw unexpected wrinkles into their quest to clear Ballister’s name. We expect animated family adventures like this to be uplifting and heartfelt, but Nimona ups the ante with its explorations of chosen families, queer identity, self-expression, and its complex but inspiring understanding of heroism.

Where to watch Nimona: Netflix 

EW grade: B+ (read the review) 

Director: Troy Quane, Nick Bruno

Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint

Related content: The story of Nimona, the groundbreaking animated film that refused to die

Paddington (2014)

Perhaps the cuddliest of the entries on this list, Paddington brings the beloved children’s book character to life in a zany adventure so sweet it reportedly increased sales of marmalade ingredients (a.k.a. the stuffed bear's favorite condiment). “The unfailingly polite, marmalade-munching English teddy from Darkest Peru,” EW’s critic said, “gets a gloriously whimsical big-screen debut that’s closer to the madcap spirit of the Muppets and the lovingly rendered style of a Wes Anderson film than to standard multiplex family fodder.” And what better way for a kids’ movie to use an Oscar winner like Nicole Kidman than as a diabolically evil taxidermist?

Where to watch Paddington: Netflix

EW grade: A- (read the review) 

Director: Paul King

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Ben Whishaw, Nicole Kidman

Related content: Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, and Rachel Zegler join Paddington in Peru cast

Rescued by Ruby (2022)

Based on real events, this heartwarming tale of interspecies friendship stars Grant Gustin as Dan O’Neill, a state trooper who dreams of joining the K-9 unit. The only obstacle in his way is his lack of an actual canine. Enter Ruby: a rescue dog whose behavioral issues have kept her from finding a home outside of an animal shelter. Dan, who has dyslexia and ADHD, recognizes a kindred spirit, and the two set out to rescue each other. Rescued by Ruby is a treat for animal lovers, but also ideal for anyone who loves a good underdog story.

Where to watch Rescued by Ruby: Netflix

Director: Katt Shea

Cast: Grant Gustin, Scott Wolf, Kaylah Zander, Camille Sullivan

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

Lara Jean’s (Lana Condor) meddling little sister Kitty (Anna Cathcart) unleashes havoc on her life when she finds the teen's secret collection of love letters and mails them to her crushes — including to their older sister Margot's (Janel Parrish) ex-boyfriend, Josh (Israel Broussard). To do damage control, Lara and classmate Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) agree to fake being in love to disguise her feelings from Josh and make Peter's ex jealous. EW praised the film for having “more substance than you expect. And Condor as Lara Jean has a winning, be-true-to-yourself sense of independence that’s infectious.”

Where to watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: Netflix 

EW grade: B (read the review) 

Director: Susan Johnson

Cast: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Anna Cathcart, Janel Parrish, Israel Broussard, John Corbett

Related content: XO, Kitty star Anna Cathcart is ready to take the lead

Won’t You Be My Neighbor (2018)

Slip into a pair of comfy sneaks and a cozy cardigan, then push play on this uplifting documentary from director Morgan Neville about the life and career of Fred Rogers, host of the legendary PBS children’s show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001). As EW's critic put it, “Neville… hasn’t made a flashy movie here. It’s an intimate profile of a simple — and, let’s admit it, pretty square — guy who beamed childlike innocence and everyday goodness into our living rooms for 40 years.”

Where to watch Won’t You Be My Neighbor: Netflix 

EW grade: A (read the review) 

Director: Morgan Neville

Cast: Fred Rogers, Margaret Whitmer, Tom Junod, Joanne Rogers

Related content: The relics of Mister Rogers: 7 emotional items from the new film Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.