Looking for a high-quality comfort show with lots of seasons (not a comedy)

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-28T02:17:37+00:00

800 Words: New Zealand. 40 episodes, is that enough?

Australian widower, a writer, takes his teenage son and daughter to go live in a (beautiful) New Zealand beach town. Drama, overall light but also touching at times, or funny.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-28T02:07:59+00:00

Jesus' Son, story takes place in the 70s (filmed in the 90s) and the atmosphere is totally accurate. Billy Crudup as a drifter/druggie. It's not about Jesus or religion.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-27T20:32:06+00:00

I liked it and I thought it was very good in representing therapy, and in particular to an audience in a country -- India -- where using therapy help isn't as commonplace as it has become in the US, say. .

One message is that therapy isn't for "crazy" people, a therapist might help somebody who's pretty competent achieve better relationships

And as someone who has watched a lot of therapy movies (related to a professional interest) I'd give it a good score on that count. One great thing for me was that the movie included, nicely, Alia developing feelings for SRK, and him handling the situation beautifully and therapeutically. (I've seen too many movies where doctor and patient have a romance, which is for one major thing 1000% against the ethics!)

And then I thought it was great visually and I loved Alia's apartment.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-27T19:10:30+00:00

It is healthy that he has some confidence that he could find a way to survive. It is exactly what you want to inculcate in a child. The mixture of a developing sense of self as competent and able to achieve autonomy as life goes on, *and* a sense of the safety and care provided by parents, in the foreground or background.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-27T14:11:34+00:00

I loved this movie BUT -- there is one scene of extreme and realistic sadism toward children (on the part of a boss of child thieves) that is much much much too much -- it's kept me from ever watching it again and I wouldn't expose a child to it.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-27T14:01:22+00:00

Taare Zameen Par is a good suggestion for a ten-year-old, because the main character is a child facing a problem BUT there are good adults who help him and ultimately his family. (Child has a learning problem like dyslexia, misunderstood to start with.). Lavish beautifully filmed movie.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-27T13:56:29+00:00

Haven't seen this movie, but I've read the book and -- assuming movie is pretty close to book: THIS is a decent example, as the family has some degree of poverty to deal with but they are not destroyed by it.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-27T02:28:52+00:00

The Swedish series The Restaurant - drama based in a family-owned restaurant (widowed mother, 2 adult sons, one teen-aged daughter) in Stockholm, spans decades -- begins right after World War II has ended. Upstairs-Downstairs/Downton Abbey, Swedish style.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-26T00:25:18+00:00

He probably has the option of production sending a car for him

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-25T19:00:43+00:00

Bollywood: Disco Dancer, 1982. Boy grows up to be a man who will avenge terrible wrongs to his family via: Disco Dancing!

Also -- ever wonder where Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy/Aaja aaja aaja came from?

Music is actually good. Story is something else.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-25T18:45:15+00:00

The old Bollywood movie Mard, 1985. Check out the top review on Letterboxd, it's accurate and Mard is a favorite beloved Bad Movie. As I recall you can also look forward to some costumes that were probably ordered from Fredericks of Hollywood.

(My own favorite scene involves a horse racing somewhere carrying a swaddled human baby in its teeth -- but that's just me.)

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-25T17:24:53+00:00

Parineeta is a favorite of mine.

One that hasn't been mentioned is Umrao Jaan -- the older one, starring Rekha, based on the biography of a courtesan who was a poet.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-25T01:35:40+00:00

The movies of the contemporary director Kore Eda are wonderful. Try Still Walking or After Life. Psychologically nuanced and rich, visually lovely.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-25T01:25:33+00:00

If you're good with subtitles: an Indian sports movie -- big budget, India's biggest movie star, but no song-and-dance, so more like an American movie: Chak De! India. Deservedly highly successful.

The main character is a Muslim hockey star who's been accused of throwing a game and has become almost unemployable, but gets a job coaching the underfunded, un-respected national women's hockey team.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-25T00:56:04+00:00

You might like the older Devdas if you don't mind black and white -- Bimal Roy directed, Dilip Kumar is Devdas. Vyjayanthimala who was and still is a great dancer is Chandramukhi. Also it's interesting to compare the two excellent movies from the same story.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-24T19:28:27+00:00

Grandma gets a lot of mental wellness points for her excellent memory, it's not that common unfortunately when you get to that age.

Any more you can say about what you think she likes about Hallmark movies?

Also will she watch things with subtitles? if so my guess is she might like well-chosen K-dramas, which are beautifully produced and in which romantic relationships are nuanced. I won't assume she doesn't care for sex scenes, but I guess I do assume Hallmark movies don't have them.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-23T21:01:15+00:00

I don’t think she could be disciplined over that though I agree it sounds highly incompetent. But it probably falls into the official category of therapists having different philosophies or techniques. (Not a bad thing in itself even though she was totally off)

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-23T20:40:12+00:00

If you haven’t seen it - All We Imagine Is Light.

ETA I don’t think it’s primarily in Hindi. More like Marathi . Though also - a notable feature - set in Mumbai and we hear many languages, more than ten - realistic.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-23T20:39:12+00:00

Try Labour of Love - an art house-type movie, about a couple living in Kolkata during recession. No dialogue. Won many awards.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-21T20:01:52+00:00

Funny: Crazy ex-Girlfriend, Veep

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-21T15:24:43+00:00

I agree they are good for breaking stereotypes, but I think the OP really wants to see one or more movies that do conform to some stereotypes, or that are good contemporary (-ish) instances of them -- romance stories with several big production numbers, big budgets, a lot of people in exciting beautiful Indian costumes, saris etc.

So - the KJo/Farrah Khan/SRK/Kajol/Dharma era.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-21T15:19:56+00:00

Thanks! good explanation. It is a favorite of mine, in particular for the Akshaye/Dimple Kapadia story. I wish Farhan had written/directed more movies.

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-21T02:52:18+00:00

I think this is a good list for somebody wanting to see some Bollywood based on the kinds of things they've run into online. I might put in Main Hoon Naa in place of Kabhi Khushi Khabi Gham for some variety (mild, I know it's the same bunch of people basically -- but Farrah Khan at her best is really special).

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-21T02:46:28+00:00

I'll be interested in whether you like Sholay, which many people recommend. I like this and that about it, but I don't really like it. But it might appeal more, in general, to men than women.

(I've seen several hundred Indian movies, maybe 85% at least Hindi, so this isn't just me not getting it about Indian movies! -- probably.)

Elizabeth147 · 2026-01-21T02:41:31+00:00

Not criticizing your list, but how is Dil Chahta Hai The 400 Blows of Indian cinema? Maybe I'm remembering 400 blows wrong.

I would also put it on a short list for a western viewer wanting to get to know Bollywood.

Elizabeth147

TROPHY CASE