Movies like Side Effects
The best movies like Side Effects are Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), ¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023) and Desperados (2020). If Side Effects hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest rated¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023)8.4/10 from 378 votes
- NewestVoicemails for Isabelle (2026)Released 2026
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023)
Lu, a conformist woman in her forties, learns that her 15-year partner has been having extramarital affairs. Starting from scratch, she gets involved in an unexpected relationship with a young womanizer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDesperados (2020)
A panicked young woman and her two best friends fly to Mexico to delete a ranting email she sent to her new boyfriend. On arrival, they run into her former beau, who soon gets caught up in their frantic scheme.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirl on a Bicycle (2013)
Paolo, an Italian tour bus driver living in Paris, has just summoned up the courage to propose marriage to his German girlfriend Greta. However, a chance encounter with a French woman on a bicycle the very next day turns Paolo's life upside down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMy Sassy Girl (2008)
A guy has his life planned out until he is wooed, groomed and then dumped by an elusive woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVoicemails for Isabelle (2026)
A young woman's hilariously confessional voicemails to her late sister are unknowingly redirected to a stranger, who begins to fall in love from afar.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBorat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020)
14 years after making a film about his journey across the USA, Borat risks life and limb when he returns to the United States with his young daughter, and reveals more about the culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the political elections.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlaying It Cool (2014)
A young man meets and instantly falls in love with an engaged woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSolo Mio (2026)
After Matt's dreams of a picturesque Italian wedding are shattered when his fiancée leaves him at the altar, he embarks on his planned honeymoon across Italy alone, immersing himself in the country's vibrant culture, food, and beauty, meeting Gia along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBetter Living Through Chemistry (2014)
A straight-laced pharmacist's uneventful life spirals out of control when he starts an affair with a trophy wife customer who takes him on a joyride involving sex, drugs and possibly murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisChasing Papi (2003)
Playboy Thomas Fuentes has so far been able to skate by in life on good looks and charm alone. But when his duplicitous relationships with three women -- impassioned waitress Cici, meticulous lawyer Lorena and bored socialite Patricia -- spiral out of control, he suffers a mental breakdown. His doctor recommends that he choose just one girlfriend -- but can he choose in time before they discover his deception?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlmost Friends (2017)
A man in his mid-20s, still living at home with his mother and stepfather, puts all his eggs in one basket: the girl who works at his local coffee shop. The problem is, she has a serious boyfriend. As they become closer, the line between friendship and intimacy is blurred, and the situation forces both to examine where they are in their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLetters to Juliet (2010)
An American girl on vacation in Italy finds an unanswered "letter to Juliet" -- one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover's Verona courtyard, which are typically answered by the "secretaries of Juliet" -- and she goes on a quest to find the lovers referenced in the letter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this5 to 7 (2014)
A young writer begins an affair with an older woman from France whose open marriage to a diplomat dictates that they can meet only between the hours of 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInto the Night (1985)
Ed Okin used to have a boring life. He used to have trouble getting to sleep. Then one night, he met Diana. Now, Ed's having trouble staying alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Spy The Eternal City (2024)
JJ, a veteran CIA agent, reunites with his protégé Sophie, in order to prevent a catastrophic nuclear plot targeting the Vatican.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Italy (2018)
Former childhood pals Leo and Nikki are attracted to each other as adults—but will their feuding parents' rival pizzerias put a chill on their sizzling romance?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCode 3 (2025)
A burned-out paramedic tries to survive his last 24 hours on the job while training a new recruit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSecret Admirer (1985)
An anonymous love letter left in Michael Ryan's locker on the last day of school wreaks havoc on his life and the lives of everyone who comes in contact with it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Side Effects and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Side Effects?
The closest matches to Side Effects are Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), ¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023) and Desperados (2020). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Side Effects?
Start with Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), the closest match to Side Effects.
What is the highest-rated movie like Side Effects?
¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023), rated 8.4/10 by 378 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Side Effects?
Voicemails for Isabelle (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Side Effects?
Yes: Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), ¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023) and Desperados (2020).
How are movies similar to Side Effects chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Side Effects, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.



















