Pop Culture Pick: 10 Feel-Good Films And TV Shows

This week, I think many of us need a pick-me-up. So here are some suggestions...

Welcome to Pop Culture Pick, a catch-all for subjects I want to highlight outside of the usual weekly Weekend Watch columns. In this edition, I offer some pop cultural pick-me-ups if you’re having a bad week. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite and Threads/Instagram: @jammerwhite

In a programming change for this week (partly due to a dearth of new releases I’ve had the chance to see, and mostly because of the dumpster fire that was this week), I’m switching tracks to the Pop Culture Pick strand, to highlight some heart-warming and positive TV and movies I can recommend if you require some fun.

The West Wing

Don’t come at me with your “it’s a liberal fantasy!” I know. That’s part of the reason I love it so. Good people trying to do the right thing while speaking Aaron Sorkin’s (at least for the first four seasons) operatic dialogue. Is it a perfect show? No. Does it falter a little after Sorkin’s departure? Yes, but by Season 6 it has found a groove that works, even if it doesn’t replicate what came before. The cast are uniformly excellent and WG “Snuffy” Walden’s music is enough to lift my spirits all by itself.

The Martian

Also on the scale of “smart people using their brains to do a good thing,” this 2015 Ridley Scott film (adapted by Drew Goddard from Andy Weir’s book) remains a constant favourite for me. Matt Damon’s botanist astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after a storm and must cook up a way to survive, landing on the idea of growing potatoes on a planet traditionally hostile to Earth life. And yes, that means sprouting them using a combination of created water and his own faeces. What could’ve been a gloomy survival thriller is lightened by a hefty dose of comedy and the sheer joy of watching Damon’s Mark Watney and his NASA colleagues figure out each problem.

Shrinking

Bill Lawrence knows how to create a good hangout comedy. And this latest offering, co-created with star Jason Segel and Ted Lasso veteran (and all-round Good Bloke) Brett Goldstein, has plenty of the strengths that have defined previous Lawrence series such as Scrubs and Cougar Town. The basic premise of Segal’s grieving therapist deciding to start telling his patients what they should really do remains the spine, but the real draw is the deep bank of characters who like each other’s company, and you have fun watching them too.

Paddington 2

Along with its 2014 predecessor, this modern classic from 2017 rightfully enjoys a place as one of the best-reviewed movies in history. It’s brimming with heart and invention, featuring the loveable, bumbling title figure as he navigates life with a new family in London. Director Paul King, his cast and crew have such an assured take on what makes you smile without feeling saccharine and even the villains (Nicole Kidman in the first, Hugh Grant in the second) are dynamite. A third film, Paddington In Peru, arrives today in UK cinemas and 17 January in the States, though I’ve yet to see it.

Amélie

Jean-Pierre Jeunet was a director I’d previously admired more than loved for his offbeat aesthetic and commitment to strange tales. But this film, starring the luminous Audrey Tautou, converted me. It might seem on the surface to be more traditional than some of the director’s other work, but it’s no less crammed with quirk and creativity, and the story of a young woman who looks to help others while accidentally finding love herself is one I can revisit time and time again without ever getting tired.

The Princess Bride

A fantasy about good overcoming evil? Can’t think why that was on my brain right now. Rob Reiner’s movie is no simple fairy tale, though, boasting a script from William Goldman and pitch-perfect performances from everyone involved. It’ll make you believe in love again –– just not in sickly sweet way.

Only Murders In The Building

Pairing Steve Martin and Martin Short is never a bad idea (see also: the Father Of The Bride films and Three Amigos!), and Murders makes perfect use of them, teamed up with Selena Gomez, whose world-weary energy complements them so well. Created by Martin and John Hoffman, the mysteries are great, the odd characters who populate the stories work and the show has held up well over four seasons so far.

Wallace & Gromit: Curse Of The Were-Rabbit

While I’ve plumped for one of the most easily accessible outings from this classic Claymation duo, any title that features them will work, from the early shorts to Vengeance Most Fowl, their new movie, which will be out in the UK on BBC One on Christmas Day and hits Netflix elsewhere on 3 January (I’ve seen it, but will reserve my review for closer to release). The absent-minded, cheese-loving inventor and his world-weary, smart, silent pooch here take on horror tropes as a local vegetable competition becomes the target of a strange, toothy creature. Nick Park’s characters really work well, and this movie has a Best Animated Feature Oscar to prove it.

The Good Place

Mike Schur is one of the most reliable show-creators around. He was one of the driving forces of The Office, co-created the likes of Parks & Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and also brought us this meditation on morality and the afterlife. Which makes it sound like dull drudgery, but is absolutely delightful. With a cast led by Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, it’s hilarious and caring all at once, and feels like a hug from your TV. Schur has another new show on the way, also starring Danson, called A Man On The Inside, which arrives on Netflix on 21 November. More on that in a couple of weeks…

Ghostbusters

Look, sometimes I just have to be on brand. So let me beat the drum for my favourite movie, one I watch every year (usually on Halloween, but it’s not season-specific). Ghostbusters is what helped inspire a very young me to write, so it’s to blame… er… credit for all this and my entire career. Created by Dan Aykroyd with no little assistance from Harold Ramis and director Ivan Reitman, the story of college slackers-turned-professional paranormal investigators and eliminators is rich with both laughs and scares. The dialogue crackles and the performances from Aykroyd, Ramis, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis and more are so well pitched.

Weekend Watch will return next week. If you’re after more suggestions of uplifting films and shows, check out this list I wrote during the Pandemic back in 2020.