Explosions and violence are always going to make big money, so the incentive to produce wholesome movies isn’t as strong as something that would trend on Twitter. These are the kinds of movies that often involve children, animals, and heartfelt speeches, which have their own endearing quality but don’t often appear on the top-ten or most-watched list of any streaming service.
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HBO Maxhonors the long tradition ofHome Box Officeby having an impressive selection of wholesome movies from a variety of time periods, including the 1990s. During a time when it seemed the market was dominated by the spectacle of CGI, there were some great movies filled with a determined hope and sincere goodness, andHBO Maxhas many of the best ones available to stream.
6Fly Away Home (1996)
EvenFly Away Home’s title jerks some tears, and the story itself won’t leave too many dry eyes on the couch either. Anna Paquin plays Amy Alden, a girl who moves to Canada from New Zealand after her mother passes away. Her new home with her father, Thomas, who is played by Jeff Daniels, is near a wetland, and when Amy finds a clutch of abandoned goose eggs, she decides to incubate them in a dresser drawer.
The real story begins when the geese hatch, and Amy and her father have to figure out how to re-integrate them into the wild,starting with teaching them to migrate. They use a light aircraft to lead the geese to a nature preserve, something that real-life pilot Bill Lishman actually did in 1986. They succeed, thwarting naysayers and real-estate developers alike.
5The Secret Garden (1993)
Zeotrope Studios takes on this period piece about a family broken by grief and distance becoming whole again. This is the same production company that gave the worldThe Black StallionandBram Stoker’s DraculaandThe Secret Gardenis as much a feast for the eyes as it is a great story.
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Mary Lennox was born in India and lived well as the child of British colonists. After her parents pass away though, she’s sent over to England (a place she’s never been) to live with her uncle (a person she’s never met). Her adventures include meeting a boy who talks to animals, a cripple that learns to walk, and of course, finding the titular secret garden.
4The Truman Show (1998)
It’s easy to say, “be yourself"but who is that exactly? The themes of the Truman Show include all kinds of questions about the nature of existence, and, on another level, the explosion of reality TV and its consequences.
When the movie first starts, the viewer is unclear as to what exactly is going on in Truman’s life, and they learn more as he does. Director Christof describes his work by saying, “It isn’t always Shakespeare, but it’s genuine.” The question about exploitation, however, is the one that really needs to be addressed. How’s it going to end?
3Sense and Sensibility (1995)
There were allkinds of Jane Austen adaptations in the 1990s, and all of them are pretty wholesome, butSense and Sensibility, which stars Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, and Alan Rickman, is one of the very best. Another great thing about adapting these novels was the exquisite period pieces, and both the settings and costuming in these movies are just as wholesome as the social interaction and subject matter.
During this time period in England, women couldn’t inherit property, so when Mr. Dashwood passes away, his wife and three daughters are left with a meager allowance. They even lose their home when the house is inherited by their cruel half-brother. After some drama, comedy, and coincidence, however, everything works out with happy endings all around.
2Joe Versus The Volcano (1990)
Magical realism is an interesting niche genre that got more attention in the 1990s, andJoe Versus The Volcanois one such example. The story takes place in a heavily stylized version of reality that looks like a comic book, with Meg Ryan taking on no less than three roles: each of them vastly different.
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The leading man is Tom Hanks, which is wholesome enough already, and what follows is an endearing and inspirational story of a mortal man going up against a volcano. He takes a spiritual journey as well as a physical one during his quest. Against all odds, he gets the girl and wins.
1It Could Happen to You (1994)
A wholesome movie starts with a wholesome premise.It Could Happen To Youwas inspired by a real news story in New York, about a waitress at a pizza parlor who helped her cop friend pick out some winning lotto numbers. In this version, the protagonist Charlie Lang can’t afford to tip his waitress Yvonne Biasi, played by Bridget Fonda, so he promises to bring her half of the lottery money should his ticket be a winner.
The rest of the comedy-drama is totally fictional, including the numerous twists and turns that follow. One of the themes is how money changes people or, in this case, doesn’t change them. Not only does the main character stay lovable and pure of heart, but everyone gets what they deserve in the end.
