Movies like My Lonely Friends (1997)
The best movies like My Lonely Friends (1997) are The Lonely Guy (1984), One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 (2026) and A Friend of Dorothy (2025). If My Lonely Friends hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
My Lonely Friends
Quick picks
- Highest ratedInner Workings (2016)7.8/10 from 314 votes
- NewestOne Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 (2026)Released 2026
The Lonely Guy (1984)
A writer for a greeting card company learns the true meaning of loneliness when he comes home to find his girlfriend in bed with another man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 (2026)
An inside look at the years of effort and craft that went into the final installment of the Duffer Brothers' generation-defining series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Friend of Dorothy (2025)
Dorothy is a lonely widow whose body is failing, but her mind remains as bright as ever. When 17-year-old JJ accidentally kicks his football into her garden, he upends Dorothy's daily routine of pills, prunes, and crosswords, and an unlikely friendship blossoms. Despite being worlds apart in every way, the two come to find they have more in common than they could ever imagine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Simple Favor (2018)
Stephanie, a dedicated mother and popular vlogger, befriends Emily, a mysterious upper-class woman whose son Nicky attends the same school as Miles, Stephanie's son. When Emily asks her to pick Nicky up from school and then disappears, Stephanie undertakes an investigation that will dive deep into Emily's cloudy past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeathers (1989)
A girl who halfheartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics: by killing the popular kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMr. Church (2016)
A unique friendship develops when a little girl and her dying mother inherit a cook - Mr. Church. What begins as an arrangement that should only last six months, instead spans fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Trouble with Angels (1966)
Mary and her friend, Rachel, are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by the iron fist of Mother Superior. The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and their unpleasant classmates, becoming a constant thorn in Mother Superior's side. However, as the years pass, Mary and Rachel slowly mature and begin to see the nuns in a different light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)
Two teenagers trapped in an endless time loop set out to find all the tiny things that make that one day perfect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInner Workings (2016)
This is the story of the internal struggle between a man's Brain—a pragmatic protector who calculates his every move, and his Heart—a free-spirited adventurer who wants to let loose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmerican Teen (2008)
A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSelf Reliance (2024)
When a man is offered a million dollars to play a game in which hunters try to kill him, he thinks he has found the perfect loophole: they can only attack when he’s alone. His only problem is that none of his friends or family believe the game is real. Forced to seek companionship in unexpected places, he navigates the bizarre challenge with humor, paranoia, and a surprising search for connection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSon of Rambow (2007)
Will is looking for an escape from his family when he encounters Lee, the school bully. Armed with a video camera and a copy of Rambo, Lee plans to make his own action-packed video epic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShallow Grave (1994)
When David, Juliet, and Alex find their new roommate dead with a large sum of money, they agree to hide the body and keep the cash. However, this newfound fortune gradually corrodes their friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last American Virgin (1982)
The friendship of a group of young friends struggling with teen sex, drugs, and work is jeopardized by a romantic interest which may turn pals into bitter rivals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI'll See You in My Dreams (2015)
A sudden loss disrupts Carol’s orderly life, propelling her into the dating world for the first time in 20 years. Finally living in the present tense, she finds herself swept up in not one, but two unexpected relationships that challenge her assumptions about what it means to grow old.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBleak Moments (1972)
Moments from the uncompromisingly bleak existence of a secretary, her intellectually disabled sister, aloof and uneasy teacher boyfriend, bizarre neighbor and irritating workmate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDuplex (2003)
When a young couple buys their dream home, they have no idea what the sweet little old lady upstairs is going to put them through!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife in a Day (2011)
A documentary shot by filmmakers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeaches (1988)
A privileged rich debutante and a cynical struggling entertainer share a turbulent, but strong childhood friendship over the years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Station Agent (2003)
When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like My Lonely Friends?
The closest matches to My Lonely Friends are The Lonely Guy (1984), One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 (2026) and A Friend of Dorothy (2025). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after My Lonely Friends?
Start with The Lonely Guy (1984), the closest match to My Lonely Friends.
What is the highest-rated movie like My Lonely Friends?
Inner Workings (2016), rated 7.8/10 by 314 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like My Lonely Friends?
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to My Lonely Friends chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside My Lonely Friends, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.