With the January blues setting in, Cool Runnings has been named as the best film to watch to banish post-Christmas sadness, in a top ten list of mood enhancing movies.
To help Brits tackle ‘Blue Monday’, said by experts to be the most depressing day of the year, LOVEFiLM – Europe’s largest subscription service instantly streaming films and TV series over the internet and sending DVDs and games by post – asked more than 3,000 film fans to vote for their favourite mood boosting movies, with the feel-good sports film ‘sleighing’ the competition to take the top spot (ten per cent).
The ‘90s Disney film follows the story of the Jamaican bobsled team’s bid for success at the Winter Olympics. Despite a much smaller budget, the underdog tale managed to steal the top spot from The Shawshank Redemption, which took second place in the list with nine per cent.
As sweet as a box of chocolates, the multiple award winning tale of Forrest Gump and his innocent but influential contribution to the world ran into third place with eight per cent of the vote.
Audrey Tatou’s portrayal of the wide-eyed and generous Amelie, who devotes her life to helping others, fluttered into fourth spot with seven per cent ahead of high school favourite Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, whose teenage antics helped him claim fifth place in the list.
The Hoover family’s determination to get their daughter Olive into the final of a beauty pageant in the critically acclaimed Little Miss Sunshine saw them into sixth place with five per cent of the vote. The charming movie fought off stiff competition from chick flick, Dirty Dancing. Featuring some serious hip action from Patrick Swayze and his dancing partner Jennifer Grey, the timeless ‘80s classic is guaranteed to lift spirits as high as the film’s iconic and much copied dance move.
Far from being repetitive, Bill Murray’s portrayal of the negative and self-asborbed weatherman forced to re-evaluate his life after he becomes stuck in a Groundhog Day time loop secured three per cent of the vote and eighth place in the list.
Despite performing poorly at the box office at the time of its release, the now Christmas staple It’s a Wonderful Life took the penultimate spot with two per cent, followed by the ultimate modern day movie fairytale Pretty Woman which rounds off the top ten with one per cent of the vote.
The top 10 uplifting films are:
1. Cool Runnings – 10%
2. The Shawshank Redemption – 9%
3. Forrest Gump – 8%
4. Amelie – 7%
5. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – 6%
6. Little Miss Sunshine – 5%
7. Dirty Dancing – 4%
8. Groundhog Day – 3%
9. It’s A Wonderful Life – 2%
10. Pretty Woman – 1%
Other – 45%
Helen Cowley, Editor of LOVEFiLM said:
“There’s no better way to banish the January blues than by instantly lifting the spirits with a feel-good movie and even Blue Monday is no match for our mood boosting top ten.
“Whether it’s the heart-warming feeling that comes from cheering on an underdog team like Cool Runnings, or the sheer pleasure that a classic chick flick like Dirty Dancing brings, with our top ten just a click or two away on LOVEFiLM.com, they are guaranteed to raise a smile and deliver an instant boost of happiness.”
