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Looking for an inspiring, uplifting movie night to get you in the right state of mind? We’ve got you covered! One of the best things about film is how deeply the art form can move an audience; great movies with powerful stories about courage and perseverance can genuinely influence our lives and motivate us. We’ve made a list of inspirational and uplifting movies you can watch right now on Netflix.
Some of these heartwarming selections are lighter, easy viewing, others are heavy. They all deliver powerful messages about the resilience of the human spirit; they all move us. We hope these highly recommended feel-good inspirational films will lift your spirits and fuel optimistic, productive thinking throughout the year. This list is updated regularly.
The most inspiring, uplifting movies on Netflix right now
Niko Tavernise/Netflix
1. The Trial of The Chicago 7 (2020)
Academy Award-winning The Social Network and West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed this uncommonly entertaining legal drama, drawing parallels between 1968 and today. Strong performances from an ensemble cast including Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Michael Keaton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and more benefit a film that racked up five Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
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2. 8 Mile (2002)
Remember that time Barbra Streisand presented Eminem with an Academy Award for Best Original Song? Granted, the actor wasn’t at the ceremony, but all the same, it’s hard to forget an awards show moment like that.
Yes, director Curtis Hanson’s gritty biopic is a textbook musical in its way. It’s also a gripping and emotional portrait of a struggling artist. The rock-solid supporting cast includes Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer and the late Brittany Murphy. White-knuckle “Lose Yourself” still has the power to raise the pulse.
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3. Darkest Hour (2017)
Gary Oldman won an Academy Award for playing Winston Churchill in Atonement director Joe Wright‘s tense, handsome drama about the dawn of WWII, and the prime minister’s struggle over negotiating with the Nazis, or choosing to fight against the odds. Crackling Darkest Hour was nominated for seven Oscars in total, including Best Picture.
4. Marriage Story (2019)
Noah Baumbach‘s emotional juggernaut showcases career-best work from Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. The rare kind of picture that can make you guffaw hysterically and ugly-cry within the same scene, this epic divorce saga is an instant classic. Laura Dern won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of an L.A. power-lawyer who wears pants so tight you can see bone, then fake-apologizes for looking like a slob. Perfect. Brilliant. Nailed it.
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5. RRR (2022)
The Rs stand for rise, roar, revolt—and international audiences have certainly risen and roared in response to this crossover hit of South Indian cinema, now streaming on Netflix. An epic buddy action musical that’s sort-of about real-life Indian revolutionaries and their struggle with the Raj, RRR is funny, bloody, and kinetic, with a touching bromance between stars N.T. Rama Roa Jr. and Ram Charan. The VFX are outlandish but remarkably detailed and eye-popping. The film is genuinely spectacular for 187 minutes.
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6. Love and Basketball (2000)
The reputation of Gina Prince Bythewood‘s brilliant romance has only grown over time. Love & Basketball explores complex themes with humor and passion in a story about childhood friends fall in love while aspiring to be professional athletes. Starring Omar Epps, Sanaa Lathan, Dennis Haysbert and Alfre Woodard.
7. A Little Princess (1995)
Two-time Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón‘s first English language film is based on Frances Hodgson Burnett‘s novel about Sara Crewe, a young girl who imagines she’s a princess to get through hard times in the custody of a boarding school’s cruel headmistress.
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8. The Prom (2020)
Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells, Kerry Washington and Jo Ellen Pellman star in Ryan Murphy‘s splashy adaptation of Matthew Sklar‘s 2018. The feel-good story follows four former Broadway stars who travel to the small conservative town of Edgewater to assist a lesbian teen banned from bringing her girlfriend to the prom. Corden’s performance has received considerable backlash, but most audiences and critics agree this is frothy fun that will put a smile on your face.
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9. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
The feature filmmaking debut of Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor is about the inspiring true story of William Kamkwamba (based on his memoir), a Malawian who ingeniously built a windmill to save his village from famine. This feel-good movie was the official British entry for Best International Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.
‘Get on Up’
10. Get On Up (2014)
The legacy of Chadwick Boseman lives on in Tate Taylor‘s acclaimed James Brown biopic. The late actor embodies The Godfather of Soul, in one of his best-known roles. Thanks to uniformly electrifying performances (the supporting cast includes Nelsan Ellis, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, Get On Up is head and shoulders above most biopics, transcending the standard trappings.
11. Charlotte’s Web (2006)
Tissues at the ready. The voice talents of a stunning A-list cast including Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, Robert Redford, Reba McEntire, John Cleese, Kathy Bates and Cedric the Entertainer star opposite a live-action cast including Dakota Fanning in a touching adaptation of E.B. White‘s beloved book about a friendship between a pig and a literate spider.
12. A Monster Calls (2016)
Based on the atmospheric children’s book of the same name, J.A. Bayona‘s visually breathtaking, highly emotional low fantasy centers on a boy facing the unthinkable: the inevitable death of his terminally ill mother (Felicity Jones). Sigourney Weaver co-stars in an inventive, highly emotional picture that made Bayona one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood.
13. Roma (2018)
Alfonso Cuarón‘s most personal film to date is a sprawling autobiographical saga set in 1970s Mexico City, a stunning, singular technical achievement. Yalitza Aparicio is vibrant as domestic worker Cleo, though the other characters aren’t as compelling as she is. The ingenuity and skill on display in Roma make it a must-see for anyone who loves this medium.
14. The Shack (2017)
Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer star in a faith-based drama based on the 2007 novel about a grief-stricken man’s encounter with the divine. The Shack received mixed-to-negative critical notices, but was a substantial box-office success. Co-written by Destin Cretton, who went on to direct Shang-Chi.
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15. Hustle (2022)
Adam Sandler has once again struck gold for Netflix—in fact, this is his best Netflix movie ever. In We the Animals director Jeremiah Zagar‘s sports film, Sandler plays NBA talent scout Stan Sugerman, who’s risking his reputation and career for a Spanish recruit (real-life Utah Jazz player Juancho Hernangómez) he believes in. With a quiet determination and subtle, deeper humor than you might expect, Sandler plays maybe his most sympathetic character ever, a 180 from his (lamentably Oscar-snubbed) titanic turn as the angel of death in Uncut Gems.
Sandler really is in top form here, and though he’s MVP of this instant sports classic, the supporting cast including Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, Robert Duvall and countless real-life sports stars, is uniformly excellent. Hustle doesn’t exactly transcend the inspiring sports pic genre, but it delivers everything you want from it with a crackling urgency. This is indeed a crowd-pleasing slam dunk for Netflix and one of the streamer’s biggest stars.
Next, check out: The 60 Best Romantic Movies of the 21st Century So Far, Ranked
What’s the most inspirational movie you’ve ever seen? Let us know in the comments.
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