Movies like Ruthless People (1986)
The best movies like Ruthless People (1986) are Swimming with Sharks (1994), Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Gringo (2018). If Ruthless People hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPulp Fiction (1994)8.5/10 from 31,305 votes
- NewestPsycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer (2025)Released 2025
Swimming with Sharks (1994)
Guy is a young film executive who's willing to do whatever it takes to make it in Hollywood. He begins working for famed producer Buddy Ackerman, a domineering, manipulative, coldhearted boss. When Guy also finds out that his cynical girlfriend, Dawn, has been using sex as a career move, he reaches his limit. Guy decides to exact revenge on Buddy by kidnapping him and subjecting him to cruel and unusual punishment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeven Psychopaths (2012)
A struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGringo (2018)
An American businessman with a stake in a pharmaceutical company that's about to go public finds his life is thrown into turmoil by an incident in Mexico.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisNovocaine (2025)
When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped, everyman Nate turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRaising Arizona (1987)
When a childless couple—an ex-con and an ex-cop—take one of a wealthy family’s quintuplets to raise as their own, their lives grow more complicated than anticipated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSerial Mom (1994)
Beverly is the perfect happy homemaker, along with her doting husband and two children, but this nuclear family just might explode when her fascination with serial killers collides with her ever-so-proper code of ethics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPulp Fiction (1994)
A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisQuick Change (1990)
With the aid of his girlfriend, Phyllis Potter, and best friend, Loomis, Grimm enters a Manhattan bank dressed as a clown, creates a hostage situation and executes a flawless robbery. The only thing left for the trio to do is make their getaway out of the city and to the airport. It sounds simple enough, but it seems that fate deserts them immediately after the bank heist. One mishap after another conspires to keep these robbers from reaching freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSmokin' Aces (2006)
When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he's no longer breathing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEating Raoul (1982)
A prudish married couple feel put upon by the swingers living in their apartment building. One night, by accident, they discover a way to both rid themselves of the “perverts” down the hall and simultaneously realize their dream of opening a restaurant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Hit (1998)
Affable hit man Melvin Smiley is constantly being scammed by his cutthroat colleagues in the life-ending business. So, when he and his fellow assassins kidnap the daughter of an electronics mogul, it's naturally Melvin who takes the fall when their prime score turns sour. That's because the girl is the goddaughter of the gang's ruthless crime boss. But, even while dodging bullets, Melvin has to keep his real job secret from his unsuspecting fiancée, Pam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNine to Five (1980)
Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers while the authorities question about the method of their escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDesperate Living (1977)
After killing her husband, Peggy Gravel and her murderous maid Grizelda wind up in the crazy town of Mortville, where Queen Carlotta presides over a sleazy collection of misfits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this2 Days in the Valley (1996)
In a sleepy bedroom community of LA's San Fernando Valley, the murder of a professional athlete by two hit men sets into motion a chain of events that puts the mundane lives of a dozen residents on a collision course. This clever tale tells the story of two hit men, a mistress, a nurse, a vindictive ex-wife, a wealthy art dealer and his lovelorn assistant, a suicidal writer and his dog, and a bitter cop and his partner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHis Kind of Woman (1951)
Career gambler Dan Milner agrees to a $50,000 deal to leave the USA for Mexico, only to find himself entangled with fellow guests at a luxurious resort and suspecting that the man who hired him may be the deported crime boss Nick Ferraro aiming to re-enter to the USA.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer (2025)
A struggling writer in the midst of a divorce befriends a retired serial killer who incidentally becomes his marriage counselor by day, and killing counselor for his next book by night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarried to the Mob (1988)
Angela de Marco is fed up with her gangster husband's line of work and wants no part of the crime world. When her husband is killed for having an affair with the mistress of mob boss Tony "The Tiger" Russo, Angela and her son depart for New York City to make a fresh start. Unfortunately, Tony has set his sights upon Angela -- and so has an undercover FBI agent looking to use her to bust Tony.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this$ (1971)
A bank security expert plots with a call girl to rob the safety deposit boxes of three very different criminals from a high-tech bank in Hamburg.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHalf Baked (1998)
Three lovable party buds try to bail their friend out of jail. But just when the guys have mastered a plan, everything comes dangerously close to going up in smoke.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYOYO (2017)
Caroline can't stand that she is a virgin...and then the world ends. In post-apocalyptic LA, after a dust storm has wiped out the planet, she is convinced that Francis was sent as the man to pop her cherry. YOYO is a heartfelt, dark comedy about finding meaning in life, even when life ceases to exist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Bandits (2001)
After escaping from prison, Joe and Terry go on a crime spree, robbing banks through Oregon and California in order to finance their scheme for a new life south of the border. Unfortunately, things get more complicated when they meet Kate, who runs into them with her car. She joins the bandits on their cross-country spree, and eventually she steals something, too: their hearts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHail, Caesar! (2016)
When a Hollywood star mysteriously disappears in the middle of filming, the studio sends their fixer to get him back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisI Love You to Death (1990)
Joey Boca is the owner of a pizza parlour, and has been married to Rosalie for years. When Rosalie discovers that Joey is a womanizer and has been cheating on her for a long time, she goes to extreme lengths to punish him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVideo Kings (2007)
Flo und sein Kumpel Hotte arbeiten in der mies gehenden Neuköllner Videothek Video König. Kein Wunder, denn Hotte glänzt mit null Filmwissen, und Flo muss mit damit fertig werden, von seiner Freundin verlassen worden zu sein. Die beiden Unglücksvögel lassen sich vom Kiez-Gauner Bernhardt abzocken, von Schlägern die Fresse polieren und Inkasso-Unternehmen drangsalieren. Ein Glück, dass für Flo wenigstens wieder die Liebe in Form von Nachbarin Ramona lacht, auch wenn diese möglicherweise eine Prostituierte ist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Black Sheep (2006)
After a childhood prank by his brother Angus causes Henry to develop a phobia of sheep, he must step up to the onslaught of a genetically-mutated man-eating flock with the help of his friend and a young environmentalist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisAtlanta (1996)
A 12 year-old Olympic swimmer and her mother (both played by July) speak to the public about “going for the gold”.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005)
After her triumph at the Miss United States pageant, FBI agent Gracie Hart becomes an overnight sensation — and the new "face of the FBI". But it's time to spring into action again when the pageant's winner, Cheryl, and emcee, Stan, are abducted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisMy Lucky Stars (1985)
Two Hong Kong cops are sent to Tokyo to catch an ex-cop who stole a large amount of money in diamonds. After one is captured by the Ninja-gang protecting the rogue cop, the other one gets his old Orphanage gang, dubbed the "Five Lucky Stars," to help him. They don't like this much, but they do it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Ruthless People?
The closest matches to Ruthless People are Swimming with Sharks (1994), Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Gringo (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Ruthless People?
Start with Swimming with Sharks (1994), the closest match to Ruthless People.
What is the highest-rated movie like Ruthless People?
Pulp Fiction (1994), rated 8.5/10 by 31,305 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Ruthless People?
Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Ruthless People?
Yes: Swimming with Sharks (1994), Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Gringo (2018).
How are movies similar to Ruthless People chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ruthless People, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.