Endearing Movies

by sazesa | created - 19 May 2011 | updated - 2 months ago | Public

Pleasant, beautifully crafted, and generally touching.

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1. Kikujiro (1999)

PG-13 | 122 min | Drama, Comedy

44 Metascore

A young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.

Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Yusuke Sekiguchi, Kayoko Kishimoto, The Great Gidayû

Votes: 22,180 | Gross: $0.20M

2. The Way Home (2002)

PG | 80 min | Drama

63 Metascore

This is the story of a 7-year-old boy, Sang-woo, born and raised in the big city, and his mute grandmother, who has spent her whole life in a small rural village.

Director: Jeong-hyang Lee | Stars: Yoo Seung-ho, Eul-boon Kim, Hyo-hee Dong, Kyung-hyun Min

Votes: 5,900 | Gross: $0.44M

3. Everything Is Illuminated (2005)

PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Drama

58 Metascore

A young Jewish American man, with the help of an eccentric local, endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II in a Ukrainian village that was ultimately razed by the Nazis.

Director: Liev Schreiber | Stars: Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Lyoskin, Jonathan Safran Foer

Votes: 59,922 | Gross: $1.71M

4. Valentin (I) (2002)

PG-13 | 86 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

52 Metascore

An 8-year-old boy, raised by his grandmother, is surrounded by problems in his family he finds only himself capable of solving.

Director: Alejandro Agresti | Stars: Rodrigo Noya, Alejandro Agresti, Julieta Cardinali, Carmen Maura

Votes: 4,469 | Gross: $0.28M

5. Breaking Away (1979)

PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport

91 Metascore

A working-class Indiana teen obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl while searching for life goals with his friends.

Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley

Votes: 25,489 | Gross: $16.42M

6. Duck Season (2004)

R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama

74 Metascore

Flama and Moko are fourteen years old; they have been best friends since they were kids. They have everything they need to survive yet another boring Sunday: an apartment without parents, ... See full summary »

Director: Fernando Eimbcke | Stars: Diego Cataño, Daniel Miranda, Enrique Arreola, Danny Perea

Votes: 4,616 | Gross: $0.15M

7. Shopgirl (2005)

R | 106 min | Drama, Romance

62 Metascore

A film adaptation of Steve Martin's novel about a complex love triangle between a bored salesgirl, a wealthy businessman and an aimless young man.

Director: Anand Tucker | Stars: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras

Votes: 24,695 | Gross: $10.28M

8. Electric Shadows (2004)

Not Rated | 93 min | Drama

70 Metascore

For no apparent reason, a mute young woman assaults a youth who delivers water on his bicycle, injuring him and ruining his bike. Surprisingly, she asks him to feed her fish while she is in... See full summary »

Director: Jiang Xiao | Stars: Yu Xia, Haibin Li, Yijing Zhang, Zhongyang Qi

Votes: 1,071 | Gross: $0.01M

9. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

69 Metascore

In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman

Votes: 331,010 | Gross: $45.51M

10. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

R | 174 min | Drama, Romance

80 Metascore

A filmmaker recalls his childhood when falling in love with the pictures at the cinema of his home village and forms a deep friendship with the cinema's projectionist.

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore | Stars: Philippe Noiret, Enzo Cannavale, Antonella Attili, Isa Danieli

Votes: 283,105 | Gross: $11.99M

11. Juno (2007)

PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Drama

81 Metascore

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child.

Director: Jason Reitman | Stars: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman

Votes: 549,420 | Gross: $143.50M

13. Auntie Danielle (1990)

PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Auntie Danielle, supposedly in ailing health but in reality just a nasty old bitch, lives with a paid housekeeper who she regularly abuses. When the housekeeper dies falling off a ladder, ... See full summary »

Director: Étienne Chatiliez | Stars: Tsilla Chelton, Catherine Jacob, Isabelle Nanty, Neige Dolsky

Votes: 3,725 | Gross: $0.60M

14. Ushpizin (2004)

PG | 90 min | Drama

70 Metascore

An Orthodox Jewish couple's faith is tested after praying to the Lord for a child on the Succoth holiday.

Director: Gidi Dar | Stars: Shuli Rand, Michal Bat-Sheva Rand, Shaul Mizrahi, Ilan Ganani

Votes: 2,131 | Gross: $1.40M

15. Schultze Gets the Blues (2003)

PG | 114 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

67 Metascore

Schultze is an accordion player and newly without work. When the local music club celebrates its 50th anniversary, his taste of music changes unexpectedly.

Director: Michael Schorr | Stars: Horst Krause, Harald Warmbrunn, Karl-Fred Müller, Ursula Schucht

Votes: 3,769 | Gross: $0.59M

16. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

PG | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

89 Metascore

A prepubescent chess prodigy is encouraged to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

Director: Steven Zaillian | Stars: Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Max Pomeranc, Joan Allen

Votes: 42,420 | Gross: $7.27M

17. The Girl in the Café (2005 TV Movie)

TV-14 | 94 min | Drama, Romance

Lawrence, an aging, lonely civil servant falls for Gina, an enigmatic young woman. When he takes her to the G8 Summit in Reykjavik, however, their bond is tested by Lawrence's professional obligations.

Director: David Yates | Stars: Bill Nighy, Kelly Macdonald, Meneka Das, Anton Lesser

Votes: 8,742

18. Amélie (2001)

R | 122 min | Comedy, Romance

70 Metascore

Despite being caught in her imaginative world, Amelie, a young waitress, decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey where she finds true love.

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta

Votes: 794,531 | Gross: $33.23M

19. Rushmore (1998)

R | 93 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

87 Metascore

A teenager at Rushmore Academy falls for a much older teacher and befriends a middle-aged industrialist. Later, he finds out that his love interest and his friend are having an affair, which prompts him to begin a vendetta.

Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel

Votes: 198,053 | Gross: $17.11M

20. Lost in Translation (2003)

R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama

91 Metascore

A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.

Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris

Votes: 489,446 | Gross: $44.59M

21. The Razor's Edge (1984)

PG-13 | 128 min | Drama, Romance, War

47 Metascore

He had everything and wanted nothing. He learned that he had nothing and wanted everything. He saved the world and then it shattered. The path to enlightenment is as sharp and narrow as a razor's edge.

Director: John Byrum | Stars: Bill Murray, Theresa Russell, Denholm Elliott, Catherine Hicks

Votes: 5,955 | Gross: $6.55M

22. The Year I Became a Liar (2009)

Not Rated | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Family

Filmmaker Ricardo Trogi recalls the events surrounding his family moving to a new neighborhood when he was 11 years old.

Director: Ricardo Trogi | Stars: Jean-Carl Boucher, Claudio Colangelo, Sandrine Bisson, Gabriel Maillé

Votes: 2,044

23. Vizontele (2001)

110 min | Comedy, Drama

Lives of residents in a small, Anatolian village change when television is introduced to them.

Directors: Yilmaz Erdogan, Ömer Faruk Sorak | Stars: Yilmaz Erdogan, Demet Akbag, Altan Erkekli, Cem Yilmaz

Votes: 38,908

24. The Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005)

G | 93 min | Drama, Family

73 Metascore

The little Nansal finds a baby dog in the Mongolian veld, who becomes her best friend against all rejections of her parents.

Director: Byambasuren Davaa | Stars: Batchuluun Urjindorj, Buyandulam Daramdadi, Nansal Batchuluun, Nansalmaa Batchuluun

Votes: 3,534 | Gross: $0.14M

25. Departures (2008)

PG-13 | 130 min | Drama

68 Metascore

Soon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.

Director: Yôjirô Takita | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki

Votes: 55,004 | Gross: $1.50M

26. The Butterfly (I) (2002)

PG | 85 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

64 Metascore

This is the story of a young girl named Elsa who was raised by a single mother (Isabelle) in the city. Isabelle and Elsa begin the film moving in next door to an elderly man who collects ... See full summary »

Director: Philippe Muyl | Stars: Michel Serrault, Claire Bouanich, Nade Dieu, Jacques Bouanich

Votes: 3,311 | Gross: $0.04M

27. Shower (1999)

PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Drama

74 Metascore

A young wealthy businessman's icy attitude toward his working-class background is about to thaw as he is forced to reconnect with his elderly father and mentally challenged younger brother, who together run a public bathhouse.

Director: Yang Zhang | Stars: Jiayi Du, Zheng Fang, Bing He, Wu Jiang

Votes: 4,225 | Gross: $1.15M

28. My Sassy Girl (2001)

Not Rated | 137 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

A young man sees a drunk, cute woman standing too close to the tracks at a metro station in Seoul and pulls her back. She ends up getting him into trouble repeatedly after that, starting on the train.

Director: Jae-young Kwak | Stars: Cha Tae-hyun, Jun Ji-hyun, In-mun Kim, Song Wok-suk

Votes: 50,511

29. A Moment to Remember (2004)

PG-13 | 117 min | Drama, Romance

A young couple's enduring love is tested when 27-year-old Su-jin is diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.

Directors: Park Kyung-Jin, John H. Lee, Kim Tae-Won | Stars: Jung Woo-sung, Son Ye-jin, Jong-hak Baek, Lee Seon-jin

Votes: 25,580

30. The Lunchbox (2013)

PG | 104 min | Drama, Romance

76 Metascore

A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system connects a young housewife to an older man in the dusk of his life as they build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox.

Director: Ritesh Batra | Stars: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Lillete Dubey

Votes: 60,894 | Gross: $4.23M

31. Boy (I) (2010)

Not Rated | 87 min | Comedy, Drama

70 Metascore

Boy, an 11-year-old child and devout Michael Jackson fan who lives on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, gets a chance to know his absentee criminal father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.

Director: Taika Waititi | Stars: James Rolleston, Te Aho Eketone-Whitu, Taika Waititi, Moerangi Tihore

Votes: 29,550 | Gross: $0.26M

32. Adios Carmen (2013)

Not Rated | 104 min | Drama

In 1975, 10-year-old Amar lives in a village in northern Morocco with his violent uncle, waiting for the unlikely return of his mother, who has left for Belgium. He finds a friend in Carmen... See full summary »

Director: Mohamed Amin Benamraoui | Stars: Benjalil Amanallah, Paulina Gálvez, Ufrin Mustapha Azzarouali, Juan Estelrich Jr.

Votes: 105

33. Saint Ralph (2004)

PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport

51 Metascore

Saint Ralph is the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth-grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.

Director: Michael McGowan | Stars: Adam Butcher, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Tilly, Michael Kanevsky

Votes: 6,340 | Gross: $0.80M

34. A Man Called Ove (2015)

PG-13 | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

70 Metascore

Ove, an ill-tempered, isolated retiree who spends his days enforcing block association rules and visiting his wife's grave, has finally given up on life just as an unlikely friendship develops with his boisterous new neighbors.

Director: Hannes Holm | Stars: Rolf Lassgård, Bahar Pars, Filip Berg, Ida Engvoll

Votes: 68,545 | Gross: $3.48M

35. Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

PG-13 | 101 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

81 Metascore

A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.

Director: Taika Waititi | Stars: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House

Votes: 141,977 | Gross: $5.20M

36. She Remembers, He Forgets (2015)

108 min | Comedy, Romance

A dissatisfied housewife attends her high-school reunion and remembers the incident that changed her life.

Director: Adam Wong | Stars: Miriam Chin-Wah Yeung, Jan Lamb, Ranya Lee, Cecilia So

Votes: 529

37. Amanda (2018)

107 min | Drama

63 Metascore

After his sister is brutally killed, David finds himself in charge of his 7 year old niece, Amanda.

Director: Mikhaël Hers | Stars: Vincent Lacoste, Isaure Multrier, Stacy Martin, Ophélia Kolb

Votes: 3,496

38. Shoplifters (2018)

R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

93 Metascore

On the margins of Tokyo, a dysfunctional band of outsiders are united by loyalty, a penchant for petty theft and playful grifting. When the young son is arrested, secrets are exposed that upend their tenuous, below-the-radar existence.

Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Lily Franky, Sakura Andô, Kirin Kiki, Mayu Matsuoka

Votes: 86,511 | Gross: $3.31M

39. My Dad and Mr. Ito (2016)

119 min | Comedy, Drama

He is rejected by his sister when the brother floats the idea that their father move from his house to her apartment. The father has other ideas however and shows up unannounced at her ... See full summary »

Director: Yuki Tanada | Stars: Tatsuya Fuji, Sei Andô, Lily Franky, Tomoharu Hasegawa

Votes: 209

40. The Gilded Cage (2013)

G | 90 min | Comedy, Drama

For thirty years now Maria and José Ribeiro have been living on the ground floor of a Haussmannian building in one of the most exclusive districts of Paris. Everybody loves this nice couple... See full summary »

Director: Ruben Alves | Stars: Rita Blanco, Joaquim de Almeida, Roland Giraud, Chantal Lauby

Votes: 10,632

41. Minari (2020)

PG-13 | 115 min | Drama

89 Metascore

A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

Director: Lee Isaac Chung | Stars: Steven Yeun, Han Yeri, Alan Kim, Noel Cho

Votes: 97,160

42. Sweet Bean (2015)

Not Rated | 113 min | Drama

60 Metascore

Burdened with a heavy and ever-increasing debt, a dorayaki baker hires a kind ageing woman, after tasting her delicious surprise. Little by little, she unravels her beautiful inner world. Could she be holding the secret to his success?

Director: Naomi Kawase | Stars: Kirin Kiki, Masatoshi Nagase, Kyara Uchida, Miki Mizuno

Votes: 12,733 | Gross: $0.12M

43. Copenhagen (2014)

Not Rated | 98 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance

71 Metascore

When the girl of your dreams is half your age, it's time to grow up.

Director: Mark Raso | Stars: Gethin Anthony, Frederikke Dahl Hansen, Sebastian Armesto, Olivia Grant

Votes: 13,859

44. Little Forest (2018)

PG-13 | 103 min | Drama

A young woman grows tired of life in the city and returns to her hometown in the countryside.

Director: Soon-rye Yim | Stars: Kim Tae-ri, Ryu Jun-Yeol, Moon So-ri, Jin Ki-joo

Votes: 3,913

45. Unfinished Song (2012)

PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

57 Metascore

Grumpy pensioner Arthur honors his recently deceased wife's passion for performing by joining the unconventional local choir to which she used to belong, a process that helps him build bridges with his estranged son, James.

Director: Paul Andrew Williams | Stars: Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton, Christopher Eccleston, Vanessa Redgrave

Votes: 7,974 | Gross: $1.70M

46. Wild Bill (2011)

Not Rated | 98 min | Drama

A street-toughened parolee finds his two boys abandoned by their mum and fending for themselves. Time to step up, or not.

Director: Dexter Fletcher | Stars: Charlie Creed-Miles, Will Poulter, Sammy Williams, Iwan Rheon

Votes: 14,621

47. Il posto (1961)

Not Rated | 93 min | Drama

Bursting with big dreams and plans, an Italian teen goes to Milan to work in a big impersonal corporate office, where he becomes disillusioned and drained of all his individualism.

Director: Ermanno Olmi | Stars: Sandro Panseri, Loredana Detto, Corrado Aprile, Guido Chiti

Votes: 6,749 | Gross: $0.01M

48. A Simple Life (2011)

Not Rated | 118 min | Drama

78 Metascore

After suffering a stroke, an altruistic maid announces that she wants to quit her job and move into an old people's home.

Director: Ann Hui | Stars: Andy Lau, Deannie Ip, Hailu Qin, Fuli Wang

Votes: 6,310 | Gross: $0.19M

49. War of the Buttons (1994)

PG | 94 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

The children of Ballydowse and Carrickdowse engage in battles in which they cut off the buttons, shoelaces, and underwear of their captured opponents, in order to get the boys in trouble ... See full summary »

Director: John Roberts | Stars: Gregg Fitzgerald, Gerard Kearney, Darragh Naughton, Brendan McNamara

Votes: 4,593 | Gross: $0.01M

50. Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019)

110 min | Drama, Family

76 Metascore

An aspiring singer living with his grandmother in the capital of Bhutan dreams of getting a visa to move to Australia.

Director: Pawo Choyning Dorji | Stars: Sherab Dorji, Ugyen Norbu Lhendup, Kelden Lhamo Gurung, Pem Zam

Votes: 6,606

51. Driveways (2019)

83 min | Drama

83 Metascore

A lonesome boy accompanies his mother on a trip to clean out his late aunt's house, and ends up forming an unexpected friendship with the retiree who lives next door.

Director: Andrew Ahn | Stars: Lucas Jaye, Hong Chau, Brian Dennehy, Laurent Rejto

Votes: 6,495

52. Chinaman (2005)

88 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

In order to pay for his divorce, a plumber marries a Chinese woman who needs citizenship.

Director: Henrik Ruben Genz | Stars: Bjarne Henriksen, Vivian Wu, Lin Kun Wu, Paw Henriksen

Votes: 2,060



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