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Feel-Good Movies to Watch During Your Coronavirus Quarantine

Pandemic, Contagion, and Outbreak are atop the digital movie charts. Don't do that to yourself. Instead, choose one or all of these upbeat films and TV shows.

Chandra Steele
 & Chandra Steele Senior Features Writer

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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If you have come here to read this, I am guessing you are not one of the people who was pushing movies like Pandemic and Outbreak to Netflix’s most-watched list last week. Or maybe you did watch them and now need some counter-programming during your COVID-19 quarantine. This list of feel-good films and shows is designed to cut through some of the scary suggestions streaming services are offering up.

If You’re on a Fitness Kick

With weeks indoors ahead, achieving “summer bod” is not at the top of a lot of to-do lists. But exercise with workout apps and fitness equipment is a huge stress reliever. If you need inspiration or motivation to continue on a path you’re already on, try these. 

If Cooking Has Become Your Stress Relief

My Twitter feed is full of people baking focaccia. This might be you or you could be the type who just likes to watch. Either way, bon appetit. 

  • Chef (IMDb TV)  

If You Need to See Other Parts of the World

The entire world is coming to a halt, so travel is not on anyone’s schedule right now. You can still visit places you’ve been or want to go on your screen, though. 

  • Amelie (Hulu with Cinemax add-on)  

If You Need to Know That It May Take Some Time But Good Things Will Happen

These are undoubtedly tough times on a personal and global level. As my Headspace app tells me every day, nothing is permanent. 

If You Could Use a Hero

Now is the time to look to two great Americans for advice: Mister Rogers and Mariah Carey. The first said, “Look for the helpers” and there are definitely lots of those right now. The second told us, “The hero lies in you.” The good news is that you can be both a helper and a hero by sitting at home and watching these heroes. 

If You Want to Make It Fashion

You’re in sweats, and the Met Gala is canceled, but fashion lives on here. 

If Your Kids Have Asked to Watch Frozen II Again

Have you gone into the unknown too many times? These animated films are fun for adults, too. 

Further Reading

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About Our Expert

Chandra Steele

Chandra Steele

Senior Features Writer

My Experience

My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can connect it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the surveillance state, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You might have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on your commute home on the radio or a podcast. Or maybe you’ve just seen my Bernie meme. 

I strive to explain topics that you might come across in the news but not fully understand, such as NFTs and meme stocks. I’ve had the pleasure of talking tech with Jeff Goldblum, Ang Lee, and other celebrities who have brought a different perspective to it. I put great care into writing gift guides and am always touched by the notes I get from people who’ve used them to choose presents that have been well-received. Though I love that I get to write about the tech industry every day, it’s touched by gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality and I try to bring these topics to light. 

Outside of PCMag, I write fiction, poetry, humor, and essays on culture.

My Areas of Expertise

  • Making incomprehensible tech news easy to understand
  • Expanding the boundaries of topics covered in the industry
  • Figuring out tips and tricks in apps and on devices and letting you know about them
  • Putting together gift guides for everyone in your life 

The Technology I Use

All that gadgets is gold for me: my iPhone 11 Pro, my fifth-generation iPad that I use only for streaming videos and music, my iPad mini 4 that I like to take with me whenever I carry a bag that can fit it, and my MacBook Pro. Why are they all different shades of gold, though? What’s going on, Apple? 

None of them quite live up to my two past loves: my LG Lotus LX600 phone and my Sony Walkman NW-E005 MP3 player. 

I've never given up wired earbuds so I was ahead of all those trend pieces. I use a Mangotek Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter to connect them to my phone. 

I have had so many ebook readers, but I prefer paper to them all. Still, my Kindle Paperwhite is perfect for traveling or when I’m too impatient to wait for a book to be released in paperback.

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