A Glean movie guide
Sincere Smiles: Grounded Feel-Good Films
Heartwarming, not hollow.
Uplifting stories that trade saccharine tropes for genuine heart and realistic grit.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Chef
A low-stakes, high-reward journey through the culinary world that celebrates passion and family.
When Chef Carl Casper suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner, he is left to figure out what's next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife, his friend and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen -- and zest for life and love.
- 02
The Peanut Butter Falcon
A gritty yet soulful adventure anchored by a sincere, unsentimental friendship.
A down-on-his-luck crab fisherman embarks on a journey to get a young man with Down syndrome to a professional wrestling school in rural North Carolina and away from the retirement home where he’s lived for the past two and a half years.
- 03
The Holdovers
A sharp, character-driven story about finding connection in the most unlikely of places.
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.
- 04
Sing Street
An earnest tribute to teenage creativity that balances musical joy with tough economic realities.
A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.
- 05
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
A deadpan comedy that finds warmth in the bond between two stubborn outsiders.
Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.
- 06
CODA
A vibrant and irreverent look at family dynamics that feels earned and authentic.
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
- 07
The Big Sick
A refreshingly honest take on romance that navigates cultural friction with sharp wit.
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
- 08
Little Miss Sunshine
A dysfunctional family road trip that finds beauty in imperfection rather than a polished finish.
A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.
- 09
The Intouchables
A brisk, humorous true story of an unconventional friendship built on mutual respect.
A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.
- 10
Moneyball
An intellectual underdog story where the satisfaction comes from logic and systemic change.
The story of Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball team on a budget, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
- 11
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
A quiet, thoughtful mockumentary that explores community and loss with gentle whimsy.
Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. When a documentarian discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, his resulting short film brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope at finding his long-lost family.
- 12
Paddington 2
A masterclass in sincere optimism that treats kindness as a genuine superpower.
Paddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy, but it is stolen.