Reloaded: 15 movies about life from a clean slate

We love to start a new life on Monday, the first of the month or Christmas. Who should be inspired?

“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” (1974)

A melodrama by Martin Scorsese that won the Best Actress Oscar. After the death of her husband, who has a young son, Alice (Ellen Burstyn) tries to survive without a livelihood and moves to another city where she has no luck. And again he goes on a journey in search of his happiness.

“Under the Tuscan Sun” (2003)

After going through a difficult divorce, writer Frances Mays slowly sinks into the abyss of depression, and her mental crisis turns into a creative one. Devastated and broken, he still succumbs to his friend’s persuasion and goes to unwind in Italy, where a real miracle awaits him.

“In Search of Happiness” (2006)

A touching drama starring Will Smith and his son Jaden. A lonely father raising his five-year-old son does his best for his child to grow up happily. And the main character does not give up even once on the street.

“Always Say Yes” (2008)

Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel is a comedy about a depressed man who is used to answering no to all of life’s challenges. Until one day, she made a pact that she should always answer yes to any offer. Full reboot!

“Eat Pray Love” (2010)

Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem in Ryan Murphy’s melodrama based on the world’s bestselling book by Elizabeth Gilbert. The married main character realizes that he is not living the life he wants one day. After a painful divorce, she embarks on a world journey that will help her discover new horizons and get to know herself.

“Larry Crown” (2011)

An inspiring romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks (and Julia Roberts). Before being dismissed, the friendly and approachable Larry Crowne was a successful commander of a large company he worked for after serving in the Navy. Loaded with a mortgage and not knowing what to do with her sudden spare days, she goes to a local university to start over.

“The Incredible Life of Walter Mitty” (2013)

Ben Stiller in an uplifting story about Walter Mitty, an illustrator for Life magazine. His work is a perpetual routine, even though he gets very carried away in his dreams. And one day life gives him a chance to make his innermost desire come true.

“The Traveling Chief” (2014)

Jon Favreau in the Jon Favreau family comedy-drama written by Jon Favreau. The plot revolves around chef Karl Kasper, who loses his job at a famous restaurant and decides to open his own food truck in order to find lost culinary inspiration and build relationships with his family along the way.

“Tokyo Bride” (2014)

Aerial melodrama based on the novel by Amelie Nothombe. Hoping to start a new life, Amélie (Pauline Etienne) travels to her childhood hometown of Japan to find inspiration and write a book. She advertises for private French lessons at her new location, and her first and only student is an attractive young man with whom they’ll soon bond.

“Wild” (2014)

Drama starring Reese Witherspoon, based on the autobiography of Cheryl Strayed. Desperate for happiness after a failed marriage and the death of her mother, the main character embarks on a hiking journey through the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Mountains. The trials that befall him on this dangerous solo journey will save him from his mental anguish, but the process will not be painless.

“Second Chance” (2014)

A touching drama with Al Pacino. At one time, the songs of Danny Collins were admired by the whole world. For many years, however, he wrote nothing, resting on the laurels of his former glory, until one day he found a letter addressed to him from John Lennon many years ago. It turns your whole life upside down.

“Brooklyn” (2015)

Saoirse Ronan is in a melodrama about a young immigrant from Ireland who has to choose between her future in New York and her hometown.

“Uwe’s Second Life” (2015)

A touching story about an old grumbler who finds meaning in life with the arrival of his new neighbors, based on Sweden’s bestseller.

“Joy” (2015)

An ironic biography about the American dream starring Jennifer Lawrence. This is the story of the hapless Joy, who turns into a woman who is the founder and head of a family and business dynasty for four generations.

“Start Over” (2018)

Cinderella appears in a corporate fashion with Jennifer Lopez in the lead role. The main character has long ceased to hope that his dreams will come true, when he suddenly accidentally takes a prestigious position in a large firm. Now he has a chance to show himself.