Best movies about starting over: There’s a certain type of film that exists for the moments when life feels like it’s come to a standstill. These are movies about leaving a job that no longer makes sense, or taking a trip you were afraid to take, or finding the person you were before the world told you who you should be. Bollywood has some lovely films in this genre, and so does Hollywood. Many reinvention films continue to captivate audiences who are finding their own crossroads in life. To that end, here are some of the 10 best movies about starting over that you should watch.
In Queen (2014), the impetus for change is heartbreak. Rani (played by Kangana Ranaut), after being dumped just days before her wedding, does something drastic: she goes on her honeymoon by herself. What she does is a gentle stripping away of the meek, approval-driven person she has always been. Paris and Amsterdam are the unlikely venues in which she discovers the power of self-determination and the thrill of choices made solely on her own behalf.
Few films evoke the concept of emotional freedom while travelling as poignantly as Highway (2014). It starts out as a kidnapping movie. However, the reality is that it’s the journey of a young woman overcoming her troubled past and finding an unexpected form of freedom while travelling through the vast expanse of India. As Veera (Alia Bhatt) travels further and further away from the world that she was brought up in, she realises that sometimes the meaning of starting over is actually leaving the life that everyone thought you wanted to live.
Hollywood, of course, has its own iconic meditation on the art of beginning again in the form of Eat Pray Love (2010). Based on the memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert, the film tells the story of a woman (Julia Roberts) who sets out to leave behind the life she thought she wanted and finds her way to Italy, India, and Bali in pursuit of pleasure, spirituality, and a sense of balance in her life. It’s a story that emphasises the idea that the way to discover oneself is to leave everything behind.
Note: The best movies about starting over are ranked according to IMDb ratings, from worst to best.
10 best movies about starting over if you’re craving a fresh start
1 /10
Eat Pray Love (2010)IMDb rating: 5.9
Cast: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, James Franco, Viola Davis, Richard Jenkins
Synopsis: A writer, who has recently gone through a divorce, sets out on a journey to Italy, India, and Bali, exploring themes of pleasure, spirituality, and love, and slowly reconstructing a new life that feels more true to who she is than the old life she left behind.
Watch Eat Pray Love on Prime Video2 /10
The Holiday (2006)IMDb rating: 7
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach
Synopsis: Two heartbroken women agree to swap homes for the holidays, with one moving to a quiet English village and the other to a sun-kissed location in Los Angeles. Their change of scene encourages them towards healing, new friendships, and a new sense of self-worth.
Watch The Holiday on Netflix3 /10
Wild (2014)IMDb rating: 7.1
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Keene McRae, Michiel Huisman
Synopsis: Reeling from personal tragedy, addiction, and a broken marriage, a woman decides to hike more than a thousand miles along the Pacific Crest Trail alone. The physically grueling journey becomes an act of emotional healing and self-reinvention.
4 /10
Nomadland (2020)IMDb rating: 7.3
Cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Swankie, Bob Wells
Synopsis: After losing her husband and her town during the economic recession, a woman embraces life on the road in a van, joining a community of modern nomads across the American West. The film explores grief, resilience, and the quiet possibility of rebuilding a life outside conventional structures.
5 /10
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)IMDb rating: 7.3
Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn
Synopsis: A timid photo editor who spends his days lost in elaborate daydreams is suddenly forced into a real-world adventure across multiple continents. The journey pushes him far beyond his comfort zone and ultimately transforms the quiet life he once thought was enough.
6 /10
Dear Zindagi (2016)IMDb rating: 7.4
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Angad Bedi, Ira Dubey
Synopsis: A gifted but emotionally troubled cinematographer decides to see a therapist to try to understand and resolve the anxieties and relationships that have been controlling her life. Through conversations with an unconventional therapist, she learns how to let go of her past and start anew.
Watch Dear Zindagi on Netflix7 /10
Highway (2014)IMDb rating: 7.6
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Randeep Hooda
Synopsis: A young woman from a wealthy family is kidnapped just before her wedding and taken on a long road journey across North India in this sort of road trip movie. As the miles pass, captivity turns into a strange form of liberation, forcing her to confront buried trauma and reconsider the life she once believed she wanted.
Watch Highway on Prime Video8 /10
Lost in Translation (2003)IMDb rating: 7.7
Cast: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris, Fumihiro Hayashi
Synopsis: A lonely American man in Tokyo, who is an aging actor struggling with his life, meets a lonely young woman who is uncertain about her future, and a bond is formed. This brief relationship is a pivotal moment in the life of both characters.
Watch Lost in Translation on JioHotstar9 /10
English Vinglish (2012)IMDb rating: 7.8
Cast: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand, Sujata Kumar
Synopsis: A soft-spoken homemaker who is constantly made fun of because of her poor command on English decides to take a trip to New York for a family wedding, and she secretly enrolls herself in an English language course. Her journey to learn English is actually a journey to find herself.
Watch English Vinglish on Prime Video
10 /10
Queen (2014)IMDb rating: 8.1
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Rajkummar Rao, Lisa Haydon, Mish Boyko, Jeffrey Ho
Synopsis: When her fiancé suddenly calls off their wedding, a sheltered woman in Delhi decides to go on her honeymoon trip by herself. While the trip is initially awkward for her, it gradually turns out to be a journey of independence, friendship, and self-discovery as she learns to rebuild her life in her own way.
Watch Eat, Pray, Love on Prime Video (Hero image: Courtesy of Red Chillies Entertainment; Featured images: Courtesy of Netflix)Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
