Small town/rural movies
I like to watch movies set in small towns. Doesen't matter much what it's about. Just a question of surroundings. Could even be a horror flick or a comedy, wich generally are genres i avoid. It's a big plus if it has some quirky characters with hearts of gold in it. You will find a lot of films typically known as "feelgood movies" in this list.
Sometimes i even get my son to watch them with me.
For more titles tha could fit this description, please look among my other lists.
Sometimes i even get my son to watch them with me.
For more titles tha could fit this description, please look among my other lists.
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- DirectorJon AvnetStarsKathy BatesJessica TandyMary Stuart MastersonEvelyn, an ordinary housewife, visits a nursing home and befriends the old lady Ninny. Together, they bond over stories from the past about two intrepid women of Whistle Stop Cafe.
- StarsEd HarrisPhilip Seymour HoffmanHelen HuntA decaying New England town is the backdrop for its unique citizens, led by unassuming restaurant manager Miles Roby.This one is a real gem. Paul Newman in one of the best roles i've seen him in.
- DirectorLee David ZlotoffStarsAlison ElliottEllen BurstynMarcia Gay HardenOscar-winner Ellen Burstyn (The Exorcist) headlines this critically praised drama about a young woman, just out of prison, who finds spiritual redemption working at a cafe in Maine.
- DirectorTed DemmeStarsMatt DillonTimothy HuttonNoah EmmerichA piano player at a crossroads in his life returns home to his friends and their own problems with life and love.
- DirectorDavid DobkinStarsRobert Downey Jr.Robert DuvallVera FarmigaBig-city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth; along the way he reconnects with his estranged family.
- DirectorRobert BentonStarsPaul NewmanBruce WillisJessica TandyA stubborn man past his prime reflects on his life of strict independence and seeks more from himself.
- DirectorDonald PetrieStarsAnnabeth GishJulia RobertsLili TaylorThree teenage girls come of age while working at a pizza parlor in the Connecticut town of Mystic.
- DirectorPeter Ho-Sun ChanStarsKate CapshawTom Everett ScottTom SelleckThe life of a provincial town becomes stormy after the appearance of an anonymous love letter.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsDavid StrathairnMary Elizabeth MastrantonioVanessa MartinezIn an economically devastated Alaskan town, a fisherman with a troublesome past dates a woman whose young daughter does not approve of him. When he witnesses the murder of his shady brother, he, the woman and the kid run to the wilderness.
- DirectorJack GoldStarsJohn ThawNick RobinsonAnnabelle ApsionA shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsShirley MacLaineOlympia DukakisSally FieldA young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship, and welcome her into the fold.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsWil WheatonRiver PhoenixCorey FeldmanA writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsRichard DreyfussRon HowardPaul Le MatA group of teenagers in California's central valley spend one final night after their 1962 high school graduation cruising the strip with their buddies before they pursue their varying goals.
- DirectorPaul NewmanStarsPaul NewmanHenry FondaLee RemickA family of fiercely independent Oregon loggers struggle to keep the family business alive amidst changing times.
- DirectorScott HicksStarsAnthony HopkinsAnton YelchinHope DavisWidowed Liz Garfield and her son Bobby change when mysterious stranger Ted Brautigan enters their lives.
- DirectorPhil Alden RobinsonStarsKevin CostnerJames Earl JonesRay LiottaIowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.A movie for everyone who lost a parent when they where little...
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsGene HackmanWillem DafoeFrances McDormandTwo F.B.I. Agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists.
- DirectorMichael Caton-JonesStarsMichael J. FoxJulie WarnerBarnard HughesA young doctor on his way across the country to a job interview crashes his car in a small town and is sentenced to work for several days at the town hospital.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsJulianne HoughJosh DuhamelCobie SmuldersA young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
- DirectorBill ForsythStarsBurt LancasterPeter RiegertFulton MackayAn American oil company has plans for a new refinery and sends someone to Scotland to buy up an entire village, but things don't go as expected.
- DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsElle FanningAJ MichalkaKyle ChandlerDuring the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.
- StarsRichard ThomasTim ReidAnnette O'TooleIn 1960, seven pre-teen outcasts fight an evil demon who poses as a child-killing clown. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the demon once and for all when it returns to their hometown.
- CreatorMatt DufferRoss DufferStarsMillie Bobby BrownFinn WolfhardWinona RyderWhen a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl.
- DirectorChristopher MongerStarsHugh GrantTara FitzgeraldColm MeaneyWhen an English cartographer must tell a Welsh village that their mountain is only a hill, the offended community sets out to change that.
- DirectorTony GoldwynStarsDiane LaneViggo MortensenBobby BorielloThe world of a young housewife is turned upside down when she has an affair with a free-spirited blouse salesman.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsRichard GereDebra WingerDavid KeithA young man must complete his work at a Navy Officer Candidate School to become an aviator, with the help of a tough Gunnery Sergeant and his new girlfriend.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsKevin KlineJoan AllenSigourney WeaverIn suburban New Canaan, Connecticut, 1973, middle-class families experimenting with casual sex and substance abuse find their lives beyond their control.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsAl PacinoRobin WilliamsHilary SwankTwo Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
- DirectorHarold RamisStarsBill MurrayAndie MacDowellChris ElliottA narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsJim CarreyMartin LandauBob BalabanIn 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town where he is mistaken for a long-lost son.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsKevin SpaceyJulianne MooreJudi DenchAn emotionally beaten man with his young daughter moves to his ancestral home in Newfoundland to reclaim his life.
- DirectorLuis MandokiStarsKevin CostnerRobin WrightPaul NewmanA woman discovers a tragic love letter in a bottle on a beach, and is determined to track down its author.
- DirectorCraig RosenbergStarsDemi MooreHenry Ian CusickNicholas GleavesRachel Carlson, a successful novelist moves to a small Scottish village to move on with her life after the death of her son. Strange things start to happen when she is haunted by ghosts and real life terror.
- DirectorDon McKellarStarsTaylor KitschBrendan GleesonLiane BalabanTo survive, a dying Newfoundland fishing village must convince a young doctor to take up residence by any means necessary.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsKathy BatesJennifer Jason LeighChristopher PlummerA big city reporter travels to a small town where her mother has been arrested for the murder of an elderly woman for whom she worked as a housekeeper.
- DirectorDavid Mickey EvansStarsTom GuiryMike VitarArt LaFleurIn the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures.
- DirectorZach BraffStarsZach BraffPeter SarsgaardNatalie PortmanA quietly troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
- StarsFrances McDormandRichard JenkinsAnn DowdA middle-school math teacher Olive and her marriage with Henry which spans 25 years.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsJude LawNicole KidmanRenée ZellwegerIn the waning days of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsCate BlanchettKatie HolmesKeanu ReevesA fortune teller with extrasensory perception is asked to help find a young woman who has mysteriously disappeared.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsJennifer LopezRobert RedfordMorgan FreemanDesperate to provide care for her daughter, down-on-her-luck Jean moves in with her father in-law from whom she is estranged. Through time, they learn to forgive each other and heal old wounds.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsRobert RedfordKristin Scott ThomasSam NeillThe mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer to help the girl's equally injured horse.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsJake GyllenhaalChris CooperLaura DernThe true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksRobin WrightGary SiniseThe history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.
- DirectorNick CassavetesStarsGena RowlandsJames GarnerRachel McAdamsAn elderly man reads to a woman with dementia the story of two young lovers whose romance is threatened by the difference in their respective social classes.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodMeryl StreepAnnie CorleyPhotographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson for four days in the 1960s.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsBrad PittAnthony HopkinsAidan QuinnIn the early 1900s, three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of Montana are affected by betrayal, history, love, nature, and war.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsCraig ShefferBrad PittTom SkerrittTwo sons of a stern minister - one reserved, one rebellious - grow up in rural 1920s Montana while devoted to fly fishing.
- CreatorJoshua BrandJohn FalseyStarsRob MorrowJanine TurnerBarry CorbinA city doctor is forced to work in the remote Alaskan town of Cicely, where he encounters peculiar locals, including a former astronaut, as he adjusts to small-town life.Ok - not a movie. But in every other respect this series fits the bill perfectly, and should in fact be one of the first.
- DirectorAudrey WellsStarsDiane LaneRaoul BovaSandra OhFrances Mayes, a 35-year-old San Francisco writer, gets a divorce that leaves her with terminal writer's block and depression. Later, she decides to buy a house in Tuscany in order to change her life.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsMadeline CarrollCallan McAuliffeRebecca De MornayTwo eighth-graders start to have feelings for each other despite being total opposites.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsBrad PittAnthony HopkinsAidan QuinnIn the early 1900s, three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of Montana are affected by betrayal, history, love, nature, and war.
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsTom HanksGeena DavisLori PettyTwo sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsSean AstinJosh BrolinJeff CohenA group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyJames McAvoyBrenda BlethynThirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsJohnny DeppLeonardo DiCaprioJuliette LewisA young man in a small Midwestern town struggles to care for his mentally-disabled younger brother and morbidly obese mother while attempting to pursue his own happiness.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppChristina RicciMiranda RichardsonIchabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people; the culprit is legendary apparition The Headless Horseman.
- DirectorMike BinderStarsAlan ArkinMatt CravenDiane LaneSeven friends reunite for a week-long reunion at a summer camp in Ontario they used to attend as children which is now threatened with being closed down.
- StarsColin FirthJennifer EhleSusannah HarkerWhile the arrival of wealthy gentlemen sends her marriage-minded mother into a frenzy, willful and opinionated Elizabeth Bennet matches wits with haughty Mr. Darcy.
- DirectorNancy MeyersStarsKate WinsletCameron DiazJude LawTwo women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.
- StarsJohn SessionsBenjamin WhitrowRon CookA ribald and rowdy romp through the mansions and taverns of Georgian England. Henry Fielding's fallen hero bed-hops his way out of a good home and almost into a hangman's noose, via a series of misadventures and misunderstandings.
- DirectorTab MurphyStarsTom BerengerBarbara HersheyKurtwood SmithA Montana bounty hunter and an anthropologist discover a tribe of Native Americans living in a settlement isolated from the rest of the world.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsAnton GlanzeliusTomas von BrömssenAnki LidénIn the late '50s, young Ingemar learns a lot about life and himself when he is sent away from his sick mother to live with his aunt and uncle in a town full of eccentrics.
- DirectorFraser C. HestonStarsMax von SydowEd HarrisBonnie BedeliaA mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.
- DirectorRichard DonnerDavid Mickey EvansStarsLorraine BraccoJohn HeardAdam BaldwinA father recounts a dark period of his childhood when he and his little brother lived in the suburbs.
- DirectorMimi LederStarsKevin SpaceyHaley Joel OsmentHelen HuntA young boy attempts to make the world a better place after his teacher gives him that chance.