Usually, when my husband goes out of town I post about all the fun food I cooked that he can’t normally eat. (I did that here, here, here and here.)

Instead, this week I’m posting about 5 movies that I watched during the eight days my husband was on vacay. Normally, my husband is the one who is in search of the movies for us to watch, whether it be at home or in the theater. I just like not having to think. But in my library account a couple of weeks ago, I found a “list” I created some time ago. It was probably collected from movies recommended on a blog.

And it’s not that my husband wouldn’t watch any of these movies. In fact, I think he would have liked almost all of them. It’s just sometimes the timing has to be right. Some of these movies I checked out on DVD from my local library, one or two I found on Netflix, and I believe one I found on Amazon Prime for free.

These are most likely movies the mainstream has not seen! If you click on the title, you can get a description and sometimes a trailer of each movie at imdb.com.

In no particular order, here they are:

Hector and the Search for Happiness
2014

This movie almost has it all. A feel-good movie at it’s best, it has love, humor and even adventure. Highly recommended.

~

The Grocer’s Son (Le fils de l’épicier) 
2007

I love foreign films, but especially French ones so I can brush up a bit. This one is quintessentially French, not in the upbeat, romanticized way that Amélie feels to the outsider (although I adore that movie!); but in a more rugged, real sort of way. In any case, I enjoyed it. So should anyone who has a family member who is an outcast or feels like an outsider. Recommended.

~

Madame Bovary
2014

This is probably the 6th version of this story ever filmed. This adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s novel is entirely in English. It made me realize that I had never read the book or saw any of the prior films. How can this be? It was time. It’s a classic tragedy that, although set in the 1800s, stands the test of time. Recommended.

~

Being There
1979

I have no idea where I found this film and what inspired me to put it on a wish list! I was a child when this film with adult themes debuted, so there was probably no other way I would have ever watched it. Oh how movies have changed in the past 30-40 years! I felt it a bit slow-moving; but that can just be what I’m used to these days. Interestingly Peter Sellers, who played the main character, was nominated for an Oscar in this role and won a Golden Globe for it as well. He died about six months later.

I did like the movie, but I didn’t quite understand the ending. (I also didn’t like the title. Just a simple The Gardener would have sufficed.) The screenplay was adapted from the book, by the author, so it prompted me to look it up. It was on my list of “short” books (under 200 pages) and on my (literal) TBR shelf. It ended up being the next book I read. (More on that in a book post!)

And although the protagonist is not autistic, because of the movie Rain Man, I pictured Dustin Hoffman playing this role within the first ten minutes of viewing this movie. Interestingly, he narrates the audiobook version!

~

The Hedgehog (Le hérisson)
2009

When I first slipped this French movie into the DVD player, I forgot to adjust to English subtitles. Then I realized, I was understanding nearly every word the girl was reciting! (As long as they speak clearly enough, I usually can get the general gist in most movies, but often put on subtitles when Rob is around or for extra help.)

Then I realized that I had seen this movie before! I don’t know when or where, but I had a vague recollection of the characters.

I didn’t remember everything; however and actually gasped?! shrieked?! out loud during the main turning point in the movie. It was an excellent rewatch. And while the thought of an 11-year-old planning a suicide attempt sounds dark, it’s not as depressing as that. It turns into a feel-good movie of sorts, highlighting many aspects of the human condition, in the most French way possible. Highly recommended

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I guess I was in the need for a few feel-good movies this week!

What kind of movies do you like to watch when you are alone?
What are your favorite feel-good movies?
I’d love to add them to my future watch list!

Cheers~
Carrie