Christmas is over, the decorations are down and it is back to work and the day to day routine. I’m actually really enjoying it at the moment but it’s not uncommon for the January blues to strike so I thought I would share a few films that make me smile whenever I see them. So if you get hit with the January blues (or February in fact… my hubs gave me a very cheerful statistic about February being the month when most suicides occur, lovely!) and its cold and grey outside, curl up, get cosy and watch something to make you smile.

The Day After Tomorrow

Ha, bet you thought this would be a list of chick flicks and rom coms right? There are some of those but come on, who doesn’t love a good disaster movie? I’m not sure why but this has got to be one of my favourites.

Storyline: Thanks to global warming Earth is hit by a series of super storms which change the face of the planet and start another ice age. Dennis Quaid is the only scientist who spots this coming but, uh-oh, his son is stuck miles away in New York with a few friends. Cue the best line of the film “I will come for you.” He he full of fab effects and awesome scenes. Just good fun and totally cheesy but makes me smile.

The Sound of Music

An oldie but such a goodie. Happy music and a goody two shoes Julie Andrews frolicking about in the hillside but it’s just so much fun and the kids are cute. Love it.

Storyline: Julie Andrews is a terrible novice nun so they send her to be governess for the 7 (?!) children of a very strict ex sea Captain (Christopher Plummer) whose wife has died. She is obviously the best governess ever and a perfect new mum for the children. She and the Captain fall in love and all looks rosy except for the arrival of the Nazis who threaten to throw a spanner in the works.

What Women Want

This one always gets terrible reviews and okay it’s a bit cheesy and predictable but it is such good fun. I got Hubs to watch it with me over Christmas and he said he had a smile on his face the whole way through. Just good daft fun from start to finish.

Storyline: Mel Gibson is a chauvenist pig advertising exec who missed a promotion when it was given to a woman – Helen Hunt. A freak accident leads to him being able to hear what women are thinking. Cue much fun and him using this new found talent to steal his new boss’s ideas and get her fired. But of course, he ends up turning into a much better person as a result and falls in love along the way. Cheesy? Oh yes! Full of fun? Double Yes.

Julie vs Julia

A must for everyone but especially bloggers and foodie lovers. Maybe not good if you are trying to diet as there is tonnes of delicious food but it is brilliant. Meryl Streep is awesome and so funny and I love Amy Adams.

Storyline: Julie (Amy Adams) hates her job in New York and loves cooking. She challenges to cook all of the recipes from a Julia Childs recipe book and writes a blog about her journey. On the flipside we go back in time to meet Julia Childs, played by Meryl Streep, at the time she is learning to cook and writing said recipe book. Both parts of the story are hilarious and wonderful and it’s just a really feel-good film.

The Help

Bit of a political one this one but such a lovely story makes this tale set in a time of racism and segregation heart warming and so so funny. The way “the help” were treated is horrific but they get their own back, and come on, who doesn’t like a good bit of comeuppance?

Storyline: 1960s Mississippi and a society girl (Emma Stone) who doesn’t quite fit in has dreams of becoming a writer. She has the great idea of persuading the black women who work for the upper class white families to share their stories of life as “the help” raising their children and cleaning their houses, much to the horror of their employers. Great fun and you have to watch it.

Somethings Gotta Give

A rom com with a bit of a difference as it isn’t all about the young and the beuatiful. So so funny watching Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson navigate the world of sex and romance for the over 60’s. Brilliant acting obviously and it is so so funny and heart warming.

Storyline: Jack Nicholson is a rich and successful batchelor who only dates young women, much to the disgust of Diane Keaton when he is dating her daughter (Amanda Peet). They hate each other on sight but when he has a heart attack they are forced to spend time together, and even though she is dating his doctor (Keanu Reeves) the pair end up falling in love.

What to expect when you’re expecting

A must see for parents and parents to be. Unlike the usual glossy view of pregnancy being all about happiness and glowing women, this film very amusingly shows the realities of pregnancy. There is also a fantastic group of dads who take the kids to the park every week, headed by Chris Rock so I am sure you can guess how funny that is.

Storyline: The film basically follows a number of couples as they discover they are pregnant right through until birth. Dealing with everything from flatulence and wetting yourself to relationship troubles and miscarriage. A fantastic cast including Cameron Diaz, Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks and as mentioned, Chris Rock. Just great fun and like I say, parents will love it.

Matilda

I love Roald Dahl and this has got to be one of my favourites. What kid wouldn’t love to have magical powers meaning you can get your own back on the people who treat you badly? It’s full of so much wonderful language such as “festering pustule” and “carbunkle” it is great fun from start to finish.

Storyline: Matilda is born into a family who doesn’t appreciate her and she is generally left to her own devices. Sent to a school presided over by the awesome Principal Trunchbull who hates children, things aren’t looking much better for Matilda, until she meets her lovely teacher, Miss Honey. Oh and did I mention? Matilda learns she has magical powers meaning she can move this things with her mind. This enables her to get her own back on Ms Trunchbull and her family. Great fun.

Ooh I could probably go on forever as the more I think about it, the more films I can think of that make me smile! Rom-coms such as Wimbledon and my new favourite About Time are just lovely and cheerful. Both the Sex and the City films make me smile, and the second one especially with the honesty for how hard being a mother is! More good fun action romps include White House Down and Olympus has fallen… the latter including the wonderful line “Let’s play a game of f**k off, you go first.” haha But I won’t go on.

The point is, don’t get hit by the January blues, watch something that will make you smile instead. What films are guaranteed to make you smile?