Cinema has always been a tool for escapism, so in these extremely challenging times, Nicholas Barber selects some cinematic gems to help you feel better.
If you want to be footloose and fancy-free
In times of trouble, it can be oddly uplifting to see people with no troubles at all. One example would be J Harold Manners, the blithe millionaire played by Harold Lloyd in For Heaven’s Sake (1926).
If you want to sing along
Singin’ in the Rain (1952), starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor, is the most acclaimed of all Hollywood musicals, an exuberant, brightly-colored comedy about the bumpy transition from silent cinema to the talkies.
If you want some tender loving care
Sometimes we all feel as if we’re children in need of some grown-up support, and who better to provide it than Baloo the Bear and Bagheera the Panther in The Jungle Book (1967)?
If you want someone to save the world
Bond movies are intrinsically comforting to Brits of a certain age because they bring back memories of flopping in front of the television on Christmas day.
If you want to be reassured that films really are comforting
Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind (2008) is a ramshackle comedy about two friends (Jack Black and Mos Def).
If you want to see light at the end of the tunnel
At the start of Pixar’s Wall-E (2008), Earth is a wasteland piled high with rubbish, and its lone inhabitant is a rusting robot. By the end, the human race has returned from its star cruisers, and crops are growing again.