Movies like The Applicant (1969)
The best movies like The Applicant (1969) are The Out-of-Towners (1999), Mulholland Drive (2001) and 10 Items or Less (2006). If The Applicant hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Applicant
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMulholland Drive (2001)7.8/10 from 7,422 votes
- NewestEenie Meanie (2025)Released 2025
The Out-of-Towners (1999)
The adventures of married couple Henry and Nancy Clark, vexed by misfortune while in New York City for Henry's job interview.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMulholland Drive (2001)
Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this10 Items or Less (2006)
An actor who is considering the role of a supermarket manager arrives at a grocery store on the outskirts of Los Angeles to do some field research. He subsequently becomes stranded, without a car or cell phone, and accepts a ride home with Scarlet, a cashier who is about to interview for a new job. The actor rediscovers the essence of his craft while helping Scarlet gain the confidence she needs to change her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSafety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMemoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
After a freak accident, an invisible yuppie runs for his life from a treacherous CIA official while trying to cope with his new life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisAdvantageous (2015)
In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaking Care of Business (1990)
An uptight advertising exec has his entire life in a filofax organizer which mistakenly ends up in the hands of a friendly convict who poses as him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret of My Success (1987)
Brantley Foster, a well-educated kid from Kansas, has always dreamed of making it big in New York City, but once there, he learns that jobs - and girls - are hard to get. When he visits his uncle, Howard Prescott, who runs a multi-million-dollar company, he is given a job in the mail room.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPandorum (2009)
Two crew members wake up on an abandoned spacecraft with no idea who they are, how long they've been asleep, or what their mission is. The two soon discover they're actually not alone – and the reality of their situation is more horrifying than they could have imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeatwave (2022)
A woman's life takes an unexpected turn when she falls for her boss's wife. She must soon defend herself as she becomes entangled in a web of malice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014)
Alexander's day begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by more calamities. Though he finds little sympathy from his family and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him, his mom, dad, brother, and sister all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEenie Meanie (2025)
A former teenage getaway driver gets dragged back into her unsavory past when a former employer offers her a chance to save the life of her chronically unreliable ex-boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoltzius & the Pelican Company (2012)
Hendrik Goltzius, a late-16th-century Dutch printer and engraver of erotic prints, seduces the Margrave of Alsace into paying for a printing press to make and publish illustrated books.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBread and Roses (2000)
In Los Angeles, undocumented Mexican immigrant Maya finds work as a janitor through her sister, Rosa. However, as both work non-union, conditions are grim. After enduring abuse from her superiors, Maya is open to the pro-union rhetoric offered by organiser Sam Shapiro. Rosa, meanwhile, is far less interested in clashing with management, given the needs of her family, and a rift forms between the sisters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTalk Radio (1988)
A rude, contemptuous talk show host becomes overwhelmed by the hatred that surrounds his program just before it goes national.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLooking for Richard (1996)
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEchelon Conspiracy (2009)
Mysterious cell phone messages promise a young American engineer untold wealth - then make him the target of a deadly international plot. Dangerous security operatives chase the engineer across the globe, while a powerful government official pursues a mysterious agenda that threatens the stability of the entire world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Roast of Tom Brady (2024)
Offensive lines. Full-contact comedy. Kevin Hart hosts this all-star roast of NFL legend Tom Brady.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companion: his 8 year-old grandson, Billy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Stunt Man (1980)
A fugitive stumbles onto a movie set just when they need a new stunt man, takes the job as a way to hide out and falls for the leading lady while facing off with his manipulative director.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Applicant?
The closest matches to The Applicant are The Out-of-Towners (1999), Mulholland Drive (2001) and 10 Items or Less (2006). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Applicant?
Start with The Out-of-Towners (1999), the closest match to The Applicant.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Applicant?
Mulholland Drive (2001), rated 7.8/10 by 7,422 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Applicant?
Eenie Meanie (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Applicant?
Yes: The Out-of-Towners (1999), Mulholland Drive (2001) and 10 Items or Less (2006).
How are movies similar to The Applicant chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Applicant, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.