9 Movies like 'The Intern' for the Fans of Feel Good Films That Make Them Rethink Their Lives

The value of movies like "The Intern" is that they are a sure thing ― feel-good movies that will turn your dark day around. This list of films will have you cry over the lead's losses, cheer at their wins, and possibly learn a lesson for two.

"The Intern" is a comedic drama by director and writer Nancy Meyers starring Anne Hathaway as Jules, the CEO and founder of an e-commerce company, and Ben, a 70-year-old lonely widower and intern portrayed by Robert De Niro.

The pair forms a father-daughter-type connection that serves them both in a transitional phase. The film is set in Brooklyn in autumn, with beautiful shots of the changing seasons, brownstones, and city life.

"The Intern" follows the tried and tested feel-good formula that is seen in some of the filmmaker's other hits like "What Women Want," "The Holiday," and "Something's Gotta Give."

Feel-good movies come in many forms, and this list includes drama ("It's Kind of a Funny Story"), romance ("Eat, Pray, Love"), and the resilience of the human spirit in "The Help," and "Forrest Gump."

'The Fundamentals of Caring'

"Caring is a funny thing," reads the tagline for Netflix's "The Fundamentals of Caring." A personal tragedy has Ben Benjamin (Paul Rudd) retire from his writing career and retrain as a caregiver.

His first client is a foul-mouthed British teen with muscular dystrophy, portrayed by Craig Roberts. They go on a spontaneous road trip to visit off-beat roadside attractions. The charming film is wholesome, yet not quite family-friendly at the same time.

'Chef'

Jon Favreau wrote, directed, and starred as the title character in "Chef," Carl Casper, an acclaimed chef whose creativity is suppressed by his boss. A viral confrontation with a restaurant critic blows up his career and professional reputation.

Redemption comes in the form of a decapitated food truck. With the help of his old sous-chef Tony (Bobby Cannavale) and the social media savvy of his son Percy (Emjay Anthony), they create a foodie phenomenon by cooking food the way he always envisioned.

The star-studded cast also features Sofía Vergara as Carl's ex-wife Inez Casper, who still has a soft spot for him, Robert Downey Jr., Amy Sedaris, Bobby Cannavale, and Oliver Platt. Visuals of the food alone make this R-rated comedy worth the watch.

'Eat Pray Love'

Based on Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling memoir of the same name, "Eat Pray Love" follows Julia Roberts as Liz Gilbert, a newly divorced woman who travels to Italy, India, and Indonesia to find meaning in her life.

In Italy, decadent food and Italian classes nourish her soul and body. She finds inner peace and leans into her strengths in India. Finally, she is open to experiencing love in Bali, Indonesia, in the arms of Javier Bardem's Felipe.

'Little Miss Sunshine'

The dysfunctional Hoover family, made up of the ensemble talents of Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, and Abigail Breslin as Olive, go on a cross-country road trip in an old yellow VW bus for the Little Miss Sunshine pageant.

The multi-generational family comedy won audiences with its frank depiction of drug abuse, mental health, and body issues. It also won the Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Supporting Actor for Alan.

'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

As its name suggests, "Everything Everywhere All At Once" is an ambitious film that straddles multiple genres: action, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy. It depicts a surreal multiverse where audiences cry over pet rocks.

Bagging multiple awards, including seven Oscars, the film follows an unassuming laundromat owner about to lose her business, Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), as she gets sucked into parallel universes where she is anything but ordinary.

At its heart, this is a mother-daughter story of acceptance and forgiveness. The cast is brilliantly rounded out by Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, and Jenny Slate.

'It's Kind of a Funny Story'

Like "The Intern," this film is set in Brooklyn. It is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Ned Vizzini, who drew from his hospitalization for depression. "It's Kind of a Funny Story" breaks through the stigma of mental health with humor.

Craig (Keir Gilchrist) is a clinically depressed high schooler who gets transferred to a psychiatric ward for a week when he sees a doctor about his suicidal thoughts. With the juvenile section being renovated, he is placed in the adult ward. Also starring Zach Galifianakis and Emma Roberts.

'Forrest Gump'

History tends to be told by the victors, but in "Forrest Gump," it is shown through the eyes of a man who is as slow as his heart is big. The most famous line from the 1994 classic sums up the message beautifully:

"Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get."

In an Oscar-winning turn by Tom Hanks, Forest Gump tells his life story, set against major US events between the 50s and 70s, as he sits on a bench waiting for the bus to see his childhood sweetheart Jenny Curran (Robin Wright).

'The Help'

The novel by Kathryn Stockett, which provided the source material for the film, was rejected over 50 times before it found a publisher. The film grossed $200 million plus at the box office globally.

The movie stars an ensemble female cast of Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Sissy Spacek, and Cicely Tyson.

Set in the 1960s South, "The Help" is framed by an aspiring writer who aims to write a book sharing the views of the black women who clean the houses and raise the children of prominent white families.

'The Pursuit of Happyness'

Real-life father and son Will Smith and Jaden Smith star in this film based on the true story of Chris Gardner. Chris is a struggling medical equipment salesman and later a single father when his wife Linda (Thandiwe Newton) leaves him.

Chris and his son overcome homelessness and other obstacles as he hustles to start a new career as a stock broker. The misspelling of "Happyness" is deliberate, and so are the emotional scenes that provoke streams of tears.