Easter is more than just a religious holiday. It is a time to celebrate the return of vibrant colors to the natural world, the enthusiasm of spring that makes us feel like we can do anything after a long winter, and of course, the universal yearning for bunnies and chocolate.

If you want to entertain the little ones, choose TV classics from the 70s like "Here Comes Peter Cottontail," "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown," or "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town."

More adult-oriented Easter movies include the following seven.

For those who can appreciate a film that is not a faithful retelling of the Bible, there is Martin Scorsese's 1988 epic based on Nikos Kazantzakis' controversial novel. Scorsese boldly directed this script, which imagines the human fears, doubts, and desires that Jesus of Nazareth (Willem Dafoe) faces as an imperfect human struggling to accept his divine role and destiny, and was nominated for (and threatened with) an Academy Award. From the R-rated appearance of Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey), to the sympathetic portrayal of Judas (Harvey Keitel), to the inspirational casting of Pontius Pilate (David Bowie), to the ah-mazing twist that gives Jesus the chance to rewrite the ending of the greatest story ever told, the film is unpredictable. The film is unpredictable, from the surprising turn of events. [The 1948 masterpiece, familiarly known as the only pairing of Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, pays homage to the tradition of fashionable New Yorkers strolling down Fifth Avenue on Easter Sunday (in fact, the city still hosts an Easter Bonnet Festival). In this Irving Berlin musical set in 1912, Astaire plays Broadway star Don Hughes. To make her jealous, he decides to make the humble hoofer Hannah Brown (Garland) the next hotshot. His plan works, but things get complicated when Don's partner Johnny (Peter Lawford) becomes infatuated with Hannah.

Garland is great, but it's the showstoppers by Astaire ("Steppin' Out With My Baby") and Miller ("Shakin' the Blues Away") that will have you reeling.

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"The Ten Commandments" is a perennial favorite on ABC, but if you're looking to watch Charlton Heston's epic saga this weekend, consider "The Ten Commandments," an adaptation of the Lew Wallace novel that tied for the most Academy Awards (11). In the 1959 Best Picture winner, proud Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Heston) refuses to side with his childhood friend turned Roman courtier Messala (Stephen Boyd). He returns to Jerusalem to take revenge on Messala, beginning a nine-minute chariot race that is still awe-inspiring and heartbreaking sixty-five years later.

Judas' journey coincides with the rise of another threat to the Roman Empire: Jesus (Claude Heater, face unseen, voice unheard), who preaches that God lives in everyone, not just the emperor. Judas witnesses the crucifixion and finally understands the power of forgiveness and peace.

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Sometimes the most controversial thing a woman can do is open a chocolaterie during Lent. 1959 France, Vianne (the fabulous Juliette Binoche) is a young daughter ( Victoire Tivisol) and ventures into a conservative rural town to challenge the strict morality preached by the mayor (Alfred Molina). Directed by Russé Hallström and nominated for an Academy Award in 2000, this charming film stars Lena Olin as an abused wife who finds the joy of life in Vianne's store, Judi Dench as a difficult grandmother who transforms into a vulgar delight when she drinks cocoa, Carrie-Ann Moss as a daughter who objects and Johnny Depp as a guitar-playing love interest who lives on Vianne's riverboat.

The final sermon of this heartwarming film, which measures one's goodness not by what one excludes from one's life, but by what and whom one includes, still rings true. Let's make sure there's chocolate in the house.

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This powerful 2006 biopic from Chris Noonan, director of Babe, is not the first film that comes to mind when Renee Zellweger is mentioned. But she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Beatrix Potter, the beloved British picture book author and illustrator whose career was launched by the 1902 publication of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Beatrix was also a single woman who defied the conventions of her time, choosing to make her own money and decisions instead of marrying for peace and security. Although Easter is not mentioned, Beatrix's love for Peter and her other animal "friends" (she speaks to them on the page) is a good example of the spirit of the season. The same goes for her efforts to preserve the picturesque Lake District, which is both her inspiration and a source of rejuvenation after a heartbreak that should not be googled and spoiled.

Ewan McGregor, who co-starred with Zellweger in the underrated 2003 romantic comedy "Down With Love," reteams with Beatrix's unmarried publisher Norman Warne in a gentler love story. Zellweger and Emily Watson, who plays Norman's single sister, are another formidable duo.

Watch on Peacock

There could be worse Easter traditions than watching this 1989 tearjerker. Julia Roberts earned her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Shelby, a diabetic Louisiana bride-to-be. Playwright Robert Harling's screenplay gave Sally Field (as Shelby's mother Mullin) one of the most unforgettable emotional meltdowns in film history, conveying the pain, confusion, and anger of grief.

Equally memorable are the unexpected trump cards of tension played by co-stars Olympia Dukakis and Shirley MacLaine and the essential truth uttered by Dolly Parton, the ultimate steel magnolia: "Laughing through tears is my favorite emotion." For adults who inevitably experience loss, laughter is the only way through.

Watch on Pluto TV

If your taste is truly irreverent, say, a fan of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's pre-South Park films, then this 2008 low-budget, R-rated comedy starring and written by Thomas Michael and Paolo Mancini rated downsizing comedy, you may find yourself in the audience. When a revenue consultant (Chris Klein) suggests that the company in charge of the Easter vacation fire the Easter Bunny (after all, they only work one day and are paid all year), partners and roommates Hank and Mike (Michael and Mancini, who never take off their bunny costumes ) are paid off. Hank is a vulgar, cigarette-smoking, slacker, while Mike is shy, sensitive, and a nice guy with good grades. Still, neither of them do well in their subsequent temp jobs.

The life of the humanoid Easter Bunny is fairly unexplored in pop culture, so Michael and Mancini make up clever rules. Most of the jokes still work (especially in today's job market). Just be prepared for their situation to get very dark before they try to reclaim their route, save Easter, and have a happy ending.

Watch on Prime Video