The Movie List for Happiness

The Movie List

Here's a list of recommended recent movies that you can use to explore cinematic representations of the problem of happiness. You can also use this list on a slow Thursday or weekend night. I'm not sure all of these will work for an individual paper, but I'll make notes about the ones I know about. Please look at the assignment description for advice on how to do a movie reflection paper. Feel free to add your thoughts on these movies or suggest others.

The first nine are solid.  Add your own suggestions and we'll talk:

1. 13 Conversations about One Thing - Should almost be required viewing.
2. Amelie - Excellent at capturing the subtlety of a form of state-happiness that is often overlooked.
3. Crash
4. American Beauty - Good for both cultural critique of forms of American happiness and for state-happiness.
5. Lost in Translation
6. About Schmidt - Excellent for issues of meaningfulness.
7. Life is Beautiful - Raises profound questions about how we respond to evil in maintaining happiness.
8. Groundhog Day - Makes a philosophically interesting case for perfectionism and happiness.
9. 21 grams -- important reflection on death. Referenced in our death class resources.
10. Broken Flowers
11. The Pusuit of Happyness
12. Mary and Max
13. Last Night
14. Spring Forward

I'm not sure that next ones will work, even though some of them are really good movies:

1. Lost Horizon
2. The Family Man
3. It's a Wonderful Life - a classic with a good message, but let's skip it, ok?