Sometimes, you just want a movie that leaves you feeling a little lighter than when you hit play. That’s especially true when the weekend is winding down far too quickly and Monday is just around the corner. Whether you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy or inspiring underdog story, you'll find plenty of feel-good movies across the best streaming services.
But with streaming getting so pricey these days, I wanted to take this chance to shout out some free options to watch on Tubi. Tubi has plenty of feel-good movies that can turn your night around, including an iconic comedy from Ice Cube, a reimagined classic with one of Robin Williams' best performances, and Tim Burton's quietly emotional fantasy drama. So grab some snacks, get comfortable and settle in for a movie night that’ll help you start the week on a high note.
'Big Fish' (2004)
Love 'em or hate 'em, Tim Burton's built a career around making movies unlike anyone else's. "Big Fish" is one of Burton's most personal movies to date; when filming began, the legendary director had lost both his parents within the last two years. At the heart of "Big Fish" is a deeply moving message anyone will relate to: Parents aren’t perfect, but they're trying, and death comes for us all.
This fantasy drama stars Ewan McGregor as Edward Bloom, a tall-tale-telling charlatan who's come across witches and werewolves, mermaids and enchanted villages while on the hunt for his true love. Or maybe he's full of crap, just telling his captive audience exactly the fantastical story y'all want to hear. McGregor is charming as all get-out as the story's unreliable narrator, backed by an outstanding cast that includes Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito and Steve Buscemi.
Watch "Big Fish" on Tubi now
'Hook' (1991)
For a movie that'll transport you back to the summer days of yore, look no further than "Hook," Steven Spielberg take on the classic tale of "Peter Pan." Robin Williams gives an unforgettable performance as an adult Peter Pan, now a workaholic lawyer that's long forgotten his adventures in Neverland. But when Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps his children, he'll have to tap into his imagination once more to have any hope of saving them.
With Tinker Bell (Julia Roberts) and the scrappy Lost Boys by his side, Peter returns to Neverland to rescue his children and defeat Hook once and for all. Full of action, adventure, humor, and heart, "Hook" is a nostalgic family favorite that deserves far more love than its 37% critics score Rotten Tomatoes score suggests. I'm with audiences on this one, which gave it a much more fair 76% on the Popcornmeter.
Watch "Hook" on Tubi now
'Barbershop' (2002)
Say what you will about the sequels, but the original "Barbershop" still holds up. Or maybe I've just got a soft spot for Ice Cube's movies (you'll still catch me watching "Friday" on a Friday where I ain't got shit to do). Set entirely over the course of one long, cold day at a neighborhood barbershop on Chicago’s South Side, "Barbershop" stars Cube as Calvin, an exhausted barber struggling to keep his late father's shop afloat.
Fed up, he decides to wash his hands of the money pit his father left him and sells it to a loan shark (Keith David). But when he learns the buyer plans to tear it down and build a strip mall, he has a change of heart. With the shop's future in the balance — and another barber (Michael Ealy) facing jail time — Calvin gets caught up in a series of misadventures with plenty of slapstick as the barbershop crew rallies to prove his innocence and save the shop in the process.
Watch "Barbershop" on Tubi now
More from Tom's Guide
- 7 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Prime Video and more (Aug. 14-16)
- You probably skipped this Netflix thriller. I almost did, but now I can't stop thinking about it
- Netflix top 10: I watch movies for a living, and here are the only 3 worth your time this weekend (August 15-16)
