Louisa Simmonds

Are you genuinely still socially distancing? Or just socially anxious like me, and pretending you still have to?

If so, let me plan out next weekend for you because Angela at Heritage Films has asked me to give a shout-out for this wonderful, feel-good movie starring Renee Zellweger that they are premiering online between the 29th and 31st May. It’s called “Same Kind Of Different As Me,” and for each ticket sold (drum roll) a donation will be made to the Salvation Army and its Red Shield Appeal, who have been hit really hard this year.

Check out the movie trailer here:

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A bit about the movie:

Ron Hall, played by Greg Kinnear in the movie, wrote the original story of “Same Kind Of Different As Me” – about a couple, whose lives change forever when they develop an unlikely friendship with Denver Moore, a homeless man – and sales from it have raised over $100,000 towards homelessness. As soon as Angela described it as “a true, inspirational story about a woman who transforms a city with kindness,” I knew it would be right up the street of a feel-good movie aficionado like me…especially now, during these dark, COVID times.

And who hasn’t loved Renee Zellweger since she dished up blue soup in Bridget Jones?

Evidently, Angela knew that flattery would get her everywhere (when she described me as a blogger with compassion in her pitch to me), but there are other (less shallow) reasons I want to endorse this movie premiere. Firstly, there are those massively important donations to The Salvation Army who “leave no-one in need” – and I know from personal experience how easy it is for any of us to suddenly find ourselves in a position of dependency on awesome charities such as these – and secondly, this is not just any old movie, it is a story with heart and soul, with an amazing cast, and I think most of us could do with a little of that right now.

Did You Know That Ugly-Crying Actually Enhances Your Mood?

This movie is guaranteed to release all those pent-up emotions of the last two months – which is a good thing because (interesting fact) a big, ugly cry actually ENHANCES your mood. Frankly, it sounds like a) the perfect antidote to the Corona blues and b) the ultimate way to waste a lazy weekend afternoon for those professional couch potatoes among us.

But if those aren’t big enough incentives, remember that feel-good stories like these force us to think about how lucky we are – a really important reminder for those of us fortunate enough to come out of COVID-19 relatively unscathed.

And anything that gives us pause for thought and time to reflect on our priorities is a good thing, right?

AND FINALLY, THE BEST BIT. With your invitation to watch this movie, you are ALSO invited to the pre-movie program which includes interviews with the stars and the author, i.e. the perfect excuse to put on your glad rags for the first time (in what feels like a decade) and crack open a bottle of bubbly.

You can buy your movie pass HERE, and once you receive it you’ll get 48hrs to complete the movie and two weeks to start it.

Don’t forget, the MAIN reason I’m giving you permission to take an afternoon off is because single and family movie passes make a direct donation to this year’s RED SHIELD APPEAL

But while I’m on the subject of THE BEST FEEL-GOOD MOVIES, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share a few of my own. I’m not an idiot, so I realise that anyone worth their salted popcorn (when it comes to tearjerkers) will have seen most of these already, but if you haven’t, hit up a box of Maltesers, get out the blankets and give them a shot.

1. The Green Mile – Starring Sandra Bullock, the queen of feel-good movies
2. When Harry Met Sally – Who hasn’t been in the situation this couple finds themselves in “the morning after”? Harry’s expression says it all. It always reminds me of the look on the old man’s face the morning after we (drunkenly) decided to try for a baby.
3. Chocolat – Everyone knows that anything French is as “HOT AF!” I would definitely turn for Juliette Binoche
4. Love Actually – So yeah, in terms of political correctness, this movie hasn’t aged that well, but who can forget the magic of that wedding, THAT funeral, or the brutal bedroom scene caused by Snape’s infidelity
5. Notting Hill – Every man’s fairytale. “I’m just a boy, standing in front of a girl, asking him to love her”
6. Steel Magnolias – The best southern drawls, the best story about friendship. Hankies at the ready!
7. Ten Things I Hate About You – Heath Ledger *sob*
8. Pride and Prejudice – Where Mr Darcy’s awkwardness is almost as sexy as a man washing the kitchen floor
9. Four Weddings And A Funeral – This movie always reminds me of the year of my wedding, minus the funeral. So many memories, so embarrassingly nineties
10. My Big Fat Greek Wedding – One of the great travesties of Hollywood is how much it has under-rated John Corbett’s appeal. This movie also taught us what a bunt is and we’ll never say the name I.A.N the same way again
11. Forrest Gump – An epic journey of kindness and another epic Tom Hanks feel-good movie
12. The Shawshank Redemption – The ultimate bromance after Brokeback Mountain
13. The Holiday – Cutest cottage, kid, and dad
14. Bridget Jones Diary – The most accurate depiction of those angst-ridden years of our late-twenties and early-thirties. The best song to lip-synch to with a hairbrush
15. Grease – This one is heart-string tugger for me because it was the first movie I saw with friends
16. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape – The subtle introduction of Leonardo to the world
17. Silver Linings Playbook – The most romantic take on love with mental illness
18. Dead Poets Society – Robin Williams “Oh captain, my captain…’
19. Bend It Like Beckham – An inspirational tale about standing up for what you believe in for young girls everywhere
20. My Left Foot – Method actor Daniel Day Lewis at his finest as he shows us the courage and determination of Christy Brown
21. The Full Monty – Finally, some titillation for the ladeez
22. Bridesmaids – Too many hysterical moments in this movie to mention, but this movie provides several visuals of every bride’s worst fears about her wedding day
23. The Untouchables – A touching, mesmerising story of friendship and hope
24. The Body Guard/Field Of Dreams/Dances With Wolves – There’s something for everyone in Kevin Costner’s long list of feel-good greats
25. Benny And Joon – A beautiful film about love and “difference”

Have I missed any?

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