Several uplifting movies on Amazon prime will make you laugh, smile, and possibly make you teary. This compilation of uplifting movies is a celebration of how touching movies may improve one’s outlook on life and the world.
This list has something for everyone who wants to honor both real-life heroes and fictional characters who strive to make a difference in the world.
When you’re feeling down, weary, and emotionally disconnected from the world around you, it might help to watch a movie.
Here are some uplifting movies on Amazon Prime that will help you see things in a new light and move on.
1. Green Book (2018)
- Director: Peter Farrelly
- Star cast: Mahershala Ali, Viggo Mortensen, Linda Cardellini
- IMDB rating: 8.0
One of the best uplifting movies on amazon prime, “Green Book,” is a classic. Two men’s friendship is explored against the backdrop of racial segregation in the United States in the 1960s.
The intelligent American-African classical pianist and the rough, harsh, but smart American-Italian bouncer don’t get along at first.
They grow to appreciate one other’s abilities while bearing witness to and enduring America’s injustices together along the way. Both of them can nurture a relationship over time.
2. The Farewell (2019)
- Director: Lulu Wang
- Star cast: Shuzhen Zhao, Awkwafina, and X Mayo
- IMDB rating: 7.5
In The Farewell, based on a real incident, Awkwafina plays Billie, a Chinese-American lady who is angry at her family for keeping the news of her grandmother’s cancer diagnosis from her.
Instead, they arrange a wedding for a cousin so that everyone may get together in China one more time. This 2019 movie about an immigrant family will win your heart over because of the strength and determination of Billie’s grandmother, NaiNai.
3. Lady Bird (2017)
- Director: Greta Gerwig
- Star cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, and Tracy Letts
- IMDB rating: 7.4
Lady Bird is among the amazing uplifting movies on Amazon Prime because of its powerful message of female empowerment and self-expression.
The movie portrays the hardships endured by a woman whose husband has lost his job and the great lengths she goes to provide for her family.
Her complicated but ultimately loving bond with her adolescent daughter is shown as well. Finally, Lady Bird receives acceptance to the institution of her choice, and she expresses her gratitude to her mother for everything she has done for her.
4. Book Club (2018)
- Director: Bill Holderman
- Star cast: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, and Candice Bergen
- IMDB rating: 6.1
In this 2018 romantic comedy, Mary Steenburgen, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, and Candice Bergen play lifelong friends.
They decide to spice up their book club by reading Fifty Shades of Grey, encouraging them to spice up their love lives. Book Club is a rare example of a movie focusing on middle-aged women’s love and sexual lives.
There’s a lot of familiar ground covered as well, such as getting back together with an old flame, trying out internet dating for the first time, and coping with the interference of grown children. You’ll feel a warm glow from the friendship between these women throughout it all.
5. Fighting With My Family (2019)
- Director: Stephen Merchant
- Star cast: Dwayne Johnson, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughn
- IMDB rating: 7.1
If you are looking for one of the best uplifting movies on Amazon prime, check out “Fighting with My Family.” Zak and his sister Paige, both of whom were born into a wrestling family, are thrilled to have been allowed to try out for WWE.
The ruthless competition only serves to reinforce Paige’s conviction that she must go through it alone.
During training, she undergoes a remarkable transformation and eventually serves as an inspiration to her fellow students.
The movie tells people not to give up in the face of adversity but rather to dig in and grow all the more, therefore strengthening their individuality.
6. The Birdcage (1996)
- Director: Mike Nichols
- Star cast: Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, and Gene Hackman
- IMDB rating: 7.1
Armand and Albert unwillingly agree to conceal the truth about their family and send Albert away before the in-law’s visit for dinner after their son becomes engaged to the daughter of a conservative politician.
However, he shows up to the dinner in drag and becomes the hit of the party. The Birdcage is a movie released in 1996 that is both hilarious and full of memorable lines.
It has some important things to say about being comfortable in one’s skin, accepting those who are different from oneself, and providing for one’s offspring without compromising one’s principles.
7. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
- Director: Steve Conrad
- Star cast: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, and Thandie Newton
- IMDB rating: 8.0
If you are sad and discouraged, go see this movie. It’s one of the best uplifting movies on Amazon prime because it shows that no matter how bad things seem, success is just around the corner if you have faith in yourself and the love of those closest to you.
Chris Gardner, a single parent, faces adversity but ultimately succeeds in landing a position with a prominent firm thanks to his courage, tenacity, and endurance.
His wife is often berating him for his shortcomings, and he has been kicked out of his apartment. Nevertheless, he and his son continue to go about their daily lives, perform their responsibilities, and ultimately prevail.
8. Creed (2015)
- Director: Ryan Coogler
- Star cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson
- IMDB rating: 7.6
Michael B. Jordan reprises his role as Adonis “Donnie” Creed in the sequel to the critically acclaimed Rocky series spinoff film Creed.
In this 2018 movie, Donnie meets Viktor Drago Jr., the son of the man who murdered his father in the ring, and adds to his family when his fiancée Bianca gets pregnant.
Despite its ups and downs, this boxing drama eventually has a positive message about the importance of family, legacy, and doing one’s best to be a decent man.
9. The Theory of Everything (2014)
- Director: James Marsh
- Star cast: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Prior, and Felicity Jones
- IMDB rating: 7.7
This is one of the best uplifting movies on Amazon prime to watch. Stephen Hawking is the best living scientist, cosmologist, and novelist.
A deadly sickness struck him at age 21, but it didn’t stop him from succeeding in his career and his family life. He eventually became a professor at Cambridge University and married his college love, Jane Wilde.
The movie does not focus just on Hawking’s successes; it also details the strains his illness had on his marriage and how he surmounted them to write “A short history of time.”
10. The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
- Director: Matt Brown
- Star cast: Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Malcolm Sinclair
- IMDB rating: 7.2
This movie follows the life of the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. He overcame incredible odds in his quest to demonstrate his mathematical prowess to his instructors and shock the world into taking notice of him.
Dev Patel plays the brilliant mathematician in this movie, which shows how one may succeed despite the many obstacles one faces.
11. Instant Family (2018)
- Director: Sean Anders
- Star cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, and Isabela Merced
- IMDB rating: 7.3
When you need a quick dose of joy, watching Instant Family is one of the best choices. Ellie and Pete, who are missing something in their marriage, decide to explore the prospect of adopting children.
They’re on the lookout for adoptable children and come across an adolescent girl; they also take in her two younger brothers.
Ellie and Pete learn the ins and outs of fostering from their three very different children, and the experience gives them renewed hope that they may build a family of their own.
12. Billy Elliot (2000)
- Director: Stephen Daldry
- Star cast: Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, and Jean Heywood
- IMDB rating: 7.7
Billy Elliot, a young boy of eleven, lives in a harsh part of England during the Thatcher era, where his mother has just passed away, and his father and older brother are coal miners on strike.
Then one day, while on his way to boxing classes, Billy stumbles onto a neighborhood ballet class, and everything in his life changes.
Not only does this movie demonstrate how the arts can improve people’s lives, but it also features one of the most rewarding climaxes of any of the movies here.
13. Good Will Hunting (1997)
- Director: Gus Van Sant
- Star cast: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, StellanSkarsgård, and Minnie Driver
- IMDB rating: 8.3
Another uplifting movies on Amazon prime is this 1997 movie written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Will Hunting is a talented mathematician, but he turns to Dr. Sean Maguireto, a psychiatrist, for aid during an emotional crisis.
Will’s recovery goes easily thanks to Dr. Maguireto, and he picks up a lot of valuable knowledge in the process. Good Will Hunting is a must-see movie, having received accolades all around the world for its stellar cast and plot.
14. Hairspray (2007)
- Director: Adam Shankman
- Star cast: John TravoltaQueenLatifahNikkiBlonsky
- IMDB rating: 6.7
This colorful confection is based on the 2002 Broadway musical that was adapted from writer-director John Waters’ 1988 movie.
It gives you a million different reasons to smile, from the eye-popping costumes and wigs to John Travolta’s spot-on Baltimore accent as housewife Edna Turnblad.
It also includes the uplifting story of a group of teens desegregating a popular TV show. The catchy tunes, though, are what will put you in a better mood.
15. Forrest Gump (2017)
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Star cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field
- IMDB rating: 8.8
Based on the same-named novel published in 1986, Forrest Gump is one of the best uplifting movies on Amazon prime. Forrest, a low-IQ simpleton, tells the story of his early years when he was thrust into the center of several pivotal events in American history.
Forrest experiences companionship, loss, sorrow, and happiness during his lifetime. In this movie, you’ll travel the world with Forrest, his friends, and his high school girlfriend, Jenny.
16. Breaking Away (1979)
- Director: Peter Yates
- Star cast: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, and Daniel Stern
- IMDB rating: 7.7
Everything about this movie is spot on. From it’s the effortless banter between best friends Dave, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher, or Dave’s attempts to woo a pretty college co-ed by pretending to be an Italian exchange student.
The breathtaking, adrenaline-pumping bike racing sequences, shot during Indiana University’s annual Little 500 cycling race, are what will have you cheering for Dave and the crew.
17. A Brilliant Young Mind (2014)
- Director: Morgan Matthews
- Star cast: Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, and Sally Hawkins
- IMDB rating: 7.1
The premise of “A Brilliant Young Mind,” one of the most highly suggested movies on Amazon Prime, is that everyone is unique in some way.
Nathan, the movie’s protagonist, is a socially awkward teenager who has difficulty making sense of his surroundings.
For this reason, he can’t even communicate with the people in his immediate vicinity. However, numbers are his thing, and thanks to his eccentric tutor Mr. Humphreys, he joins the British team competing in the International Mathematics Olympiad.
