As we get older our days seem to be filled with stress, school, work, chores and more. No longer are the carefree days of being a kid. Online school has been hard on all of us, so if you’re looking for a way to temporarily escape our stressful daily lives, consider making some popcorn and watching a nostalgic movie to reminisce in the good old days. Here are my top 10 picks for nostalgic movies.

10. “Back to the Future”

This iconic 80’s sci-fi movie is needless to say, a classic. Teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) lives in a small town with his boring and annoying family. For whatever reason, Marty is friends with a mad scientist, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). Doc creates a time machine (out of the iconic DeLorean car) but through an accidental chain of events, Marty is transported to the ’50s. In that period, he meets younger versions of his parents and accidentally messes up their encounter. Marty must fix time so his parents meet and fall in love, or else he will cease to exist, as well as get back to his own time before it’s too late. This movie and its two sequels are an amazing mix of comedy, sci-fi and adventure. 

9.  “Say Anything”

You know the scene with the guy standing outside of the girl’s window, holding a boombox above his head? This famous scene is from the 80’s rom-com, Say Anything. In this lovable film, Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) manages to charm the beautiful, school valedictorian, Diane Court (Ione Skye). Unfortunately, her father greatly disapproves of their romance. The two fight through their problems and find each other in this cute, sappy film about first love.

8. “Space Jam”

This fun family film is sure to bring back lots of memories. Looney Tunes characters are challenged by aliens to a basketball game to determine the fate of their lives. To win, the aliens steal the powers of NBA players, so the Looney Tunes characters get help from the one and only Michael Jordan. It’s no doubt a strange movie but is a big one for nostalgia. If you want to laugh a little and remember your childhood, Space Jam is a great pick. 

7. “My Girl”

This is a super cute and heartwarming film about family and romance. Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky) is a little strange for an 11-year-old girl in 1972. Not only is she a bit of a tomboy, but she also is a major hypochondriac, because she lives in a funeral home. Her only friend is a nervous boy named Thomas J (Macaulay Culkin). Another thing, she is in love with her English teacher. Vada must deal with all this, meanwhile, her father is falling in love with Shelly DeVoto (Jamie Lee Curtis), the new make-up artist at the funeral home. This is a great movie about love and family, but warning, it’s a bit of a tear-jerker. 

6. The “Harry Potter” Movies

If you’re looking to have a movie marathon full of excitement, adventure, magic and of course, nostalgia, there is no better series of movies. Everyone knows Harry Potter, the incredible tale of the boy who lived. Get your family or a few friends, or just yourself and binge-watch these amazing movies. Make sure you have lots of snacks, blankets and butterbeer and you’re sure to have a magical time.

5. “Robots”

This movie is a little different than the other ones, but it’s incredibly nostalgic for me. This 2005 animated film is about a world of robots, who live and operate society like humans. Rodney is a young inventor robot who moves to the city to work for Bigweld Industries. But the head of Bigweld Industries, Phineas T. Ratchet has an evil plan to force all robots to get his upgrades. Rodney and his friends must devise a plan to fight Ratchet and save robot society. This is a fun, lighthearted film that will take your mind off of things.

4. “Forrest Gump”

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend watching it. This 1994 classic follows the life of Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), a boy that might be slow in the head, but fast on his feet. Forrest lives a crazy and inspiring life, doing things like becoming a college football star, fighting in Vietnam, becoming a famous ping pong champion and meeting, not one, not two but three U.S presidents. But the most important thing to Forrest is his childhood friend and love, the troubled Jenny (Robin Wright). This movie is just so good, the plot, the quotes, the references. 

3. “Dirty Dancing”

Perhaps the most iconic romance film, Dirty Dancing is a huge nostalgia jerker. It’s 1963, and Baby (Jennifer Grey) is spending the summer with her family at a boring resort. There she meets Johnny (Patrick Swayze), the resort’s dance instructor. To help out, Baby becomes Johnny’s new dance partner and the two start to fall in love. Baby must hide her romance from her disapproving father. This is a sweet summer movie full of romance and dancing, with a great soundtrack.

2. “School of Rock”

This 2003 comedy is a fun, laid back film for everyone. In this movie, guitarist Dewey Finn (Jack Black) gets kicked out of his band and desperately needs work. He gets a job as a substitute teacher, and instead of teaching students about what they’re supposed to learn about, he teaches them about rock ‘n’ roll, and forms a band with his students and prepares them for a Battle of the Bands. This movie is super fun, hilarious and has some great music. 

1. “The Parent Trap”

At number one we have my favorite nostalgic film out there, The Parent Trap with Lindsey Lohan. At a summer camp, Annie and Hallie meet for the first time, only to discover their identical twins, separated at birth. Annie grew up in London with their mother, while Hallie grew up in California on a Vineyard with their father, never knowing the other parent. The twins devise a plan to switch places once camp is over, and meet the parents they never got to know, and hopefully get their mother and father back together, despite their father’s terrible fiance. This movie is so cute, fun and lighthearted, and will no doubt take you back to your childhood.