A Glean movie guide
Sincere Smiles: Grounded Feel-Good Films
No cheese, just soul.
Uplifting stories that earn their heart through realism, not clichés.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Peanut Butter Falcon
A gritty, naturalistic road trip anchored by a deeply sincere and unconventional 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.
- 02
Chef
A vibrant celebration of passion and family that swaps traditional villains for genuine personal growth.
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.
- 03
The Holdovers
A sharp, 1970s-set character study that finds warmth in the unlikeliest of holiday connections.
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
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Deadpan humor and stunning landscapes drive this unsentimental story of two outcasts on the run.
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.
- 05
Sing Street
A joyous, musically-driven coming-of-age tale grounded in the harsh realities of 1980s Dublin.
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.
- 06
The Intouchables
An irreverent and unsentimental true story about a life-changing bond that refuses to lean on pity.
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.
- 07
Little Miss Sunshine
A dryly satirical look at a dysfunctional family that subverts every 'winning' trope in the book.
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.
- 08
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
A profoundly simple mockumentary that explores community and loss with immense heart and zero fluff.
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.
- 09
Minari
A quiet, observational drama that finds beauty in the small, hard-won victories of an immigrant family.
A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
- 10
Moneyball
An intellectual underdog story where the satisfaction comes from logic, systems, and quiet persistence.
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
The Farewell
A warm, culturally rich exploration of family lies that avoids melodrama in favor of honest connection.
A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her beloved grandmother is given a terminal diagnosis. Billi struggles with her family's decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time.
- 12
Paddington 2
A masterclass in sincere kindness that uses impeccable craft to elevate its whimsical premise.
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.