Happiness For Beginners (2023)

This is kind of a feel good romantic comedy that has elements of real life woven in. A year after her divorce, 32-year-old Helen Carpenter lets her brother persuade her to sign up for a wilderness survival course. We first see Helen sitting alone at a party at the aforementioned brother's house. All around her, people are talking, drinking, laughing, and dancing. She does not seem to notice anyone and no one notices her. She pulls out a piece of paper to re-read her list of goals for her upcoming hiking trip: 1. Find a deeper connection to nature. 2. Rise up from my own ashes like a freaking phoenix. 3. Earn a damned certificate. The ashes she wants to rise from are her divorce and the unhappiness that led to it. But you do not have to go too far out on a limb to guess that she will learn to acknowledge some other ashes from her past on the trip. When the leader, Beckett, says that the hike, 81 miles on the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut and New York, will be “daunting but beautiful,” he is also talking about life and all of the challenges and opportunities we face. You will probably also guess where this is going when Duncan’s friend Jake shows up as one of the hikers. He and Helen pretend they have not met before to avoid complicated explanations. Like a mapped-out trail, you know where it will end up, but there's enough to enjoy along the way. Another Netflix fluffy movie to put on your list.