Lost in America and 4 Other Warm-Hearted Road Movies to Enjoy From Your Couch

If your holidays have been spent between the sofa and the refrigerator, and the workdays have already managed to spoil your mood, trust the cinema and drown your sorrows in the funny and kind adventures of the characters from our list.

1. Lost in America, 1985

David and Linda Howard are bored with bourgeois life and the pursuit of success. When David is fired from his high-paying job, he decides, after seeing Easy Rider, to say goodbye to society and take a road trip across the country – to total freedom.

After selling all their possessions, the couple buys an expensive Winnebago trailer and leaves Los Angeles. Their happiness is short-lived, as Las Vegas interferes with their brilliant plan: Linda blows all their money at the casino, and now the Howards are desperate for work.

2. The Daytrippers, 1996

Shot on 16mm film, the movie takes place in the claustrophobic space of a car, where paradoxically unpleasant and attractive characters have gathered.

Eliza, a housewife, suspects that her husband Louis, who has gone to New York for a few days, is cheating on her. Tormented by uncertainty, the woman, along with her parents, her sister Jo and her writer boyfriend Carl, quickly leaves wintery Long Island for Manhattan.

But the search for her husband drags on comically, turning a short road trip into endless fuss and stress.

3. Starman, 1984

A message from Earthlings to an alien intelligence flies into space. Who would have thought that an alien civilization would respond so quickly – certainly not Jenny. She spends another evening in the company of videotapes. Her late husband Scott smiles at her from the screen.

Meanwhile, the military shoots down an UFO, and one of the aliens appears in Jenny's living room, taking the form of her lover. The alien asks the frightened Jenny to help him get to Arizona, where a spaceship is waiting for him.

The journey across the country is not short and dangerous – the military and police are after the two, and the alien's unusual behavior attracts the attention of onlookers.

4. The In-Laws, 1979

Sheldon, a dentist, leads a quiet life and prepares for his daughter's wedding. The groom is a great guy, but his father, Vince, is a crook and an explosive type.

Over dinner, Vince tells tall tales about giant South American mosquitoes that steal babies, and then hides counterfeit bills in Sheldon's basement. One word leads to another, and now the future in-laws are dodging bullets on the streets of New York, racing through Honduras in a rickety car, and having lunch with a local dictator.

5. Little Miss Sunshine, 2006

Sweet seven-year-old Olive has just won the town beauty pageant and made it to the regional competition. Now all she has to do is pack her eccentric family into a rickety Volkswagen van and drive from Albuquerque to California.

Each member of the family has a sea of problems: from everyday adversity to lingering depression, addictions, neuroses, and vows of silence.

As they travel across America, the family experiences difficult trials and tribulations. They get stuck on the road, argue, cry, laugh, get to know each other again, and finally understand that life's difficulties are easier and more fun to face together.