I am looking for some of your sleeper movies. I am not into special effects movies. Seems like that is all they can make with all the super hero crap. Here are some of my favorite from the past.
October Sky, Something the Lord Made, Temple Grandin, original Walking Tall, Jeremiah Johnson, Legends of the Fall, and Almost Famous. All of these were fantastic stories with no special effects. Your recommendations can be older. Doesn't have to be recent.