There are days in which you need to just chill out after an aggravating day at work, hearing some stressful news, or just after a high-strung situation. You may want to just put on a movie to help take your mind off things, but something too high-octane, suspenseful, mysterious, or manic can be a little bit too much for your fried brain to handle. It may be time for a movie that can grab your attention but also lower your blood pressure. Maybe even relax you enough to get a welcomed nap afterward.
Here are some of the best movies to watch when you’re in the mood to just chill and enjoy or let wash over you.
Amélie
This 2001 French rom-com focuses on the main character creating very intricate schemes to bring more positivity and love to the people around her, ultimately ending in a happy ending for Amélie herself. It’s a great film to watch for the plot but also the striking yet not harsh color palette. Film critic Roger Ebert said that the film “takes so much confidence to dance on the tightrope of whimsy. Amélie takes those chances, and gets away with them.”
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My Neighbor Totoro
This Hayao Miyazaki anime classic is a great example of a chill hangout of a film. The plot focuses on two little girls adjusting to living in an old house by the forest, befriending the spirits around them, including the titular Totoro. While highly imaginative, the movie is a slow burn, not afraid to let the audience take in the ambience of the outdoors and enjoy the laughter of the child characters. The Guardian praises the film’s “simple hand-drawn design whose innocence only becomes more beguiling with repeated viewings, along with its bright, expansive, Gershwin-esque musical score.”
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Dune (2021)
The first part of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the space opera isn’t without moments of tension and strife, however it is dominated by a soft faded color palette, slow hypnotic dialogue, and an enchanting score that brings quiet in your ears and body within the movie’s slow pace. The movie is 83% FRESH on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics and viewers alike praising its production design and score.
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The Straight Story
Did you know David Lynch made a G-rated Disney movie? The Straight Story follows an old man named Alan Straight who finds out that his estranged brother suffered a stroke. Since he cannot legally drive to visit his brother, Alan decides to make the 240-mile trek to his brother’s home on his riding lawnmower. The movie is meditative and quiet, a peaceful road trip that stops along the way for Alan to interact with the various strangers on his journey and enjoy the stars at night. The New York Times praised the film’s “wholesome radiance and soothing natural beauty.”
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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
A 2021 stop-motion mockumentary, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a cute day-in-the-life of a googly-eyed seashell living in a house with his grandmother and a recently divorced filmmaker that moved in. The movie is quiet and cute, with good laughs and touching emotion as Marcel’s internet popularity grows to a point that he can hopefully find the rest of his family.
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Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
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While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
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The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
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