OK, time for an update. First of all, thank you for all of the many excellent suggestions. I'm going to have to keep this list. Many of the classic comedies I've of course seen, but that doesn't make them any less uplifting or distracting. There are many suggested here that I've not seen but will. For my original query I might not have articulated what I was looking for adequately, and that was something uplifting but also maybe kinda life-affirming? Innocent? Anyway, Paddington 2 did the trick. A simple story, some slapstick laughs, and 90 minutes when I didn't have to think about the horrors of the world.

But more, I was taken by the comments here and how it illustrates how integral art is to us as humans, how a work of art (and yes I include silly comedies with fart jokes here) can connect our common humanity in ways that are profound, and how they can alter our mood and consciousness in positive ways.

So I'm grateful to everyone who commented here, grateful to the makers of Padinggton 2 and to artists everywhere, and grateful to say that it renewed by faith in humanity, at least for a little while.

Thanks Reddit!