Movies like Tristess
The best movies like Tristess are The TV Set (2007), Dark Waters (2019) and Office Space (1999). If Tristess hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDark Waters (2019)7.5/10 from 2,671 votes
- NewestLouis C.K.: Ridiculous (2026)Released 2026
The TV Set (2007)
As a writer named Mike struggles to shepherd his semi-autobiographical sitcom into development, his vision is slowly eroded by a domineering network executive named Lenny who favors trashy reality programming. The irony, of course, is that every crass suggestion Lenny makes improves the show's response from test audiences and brings the show a step closer to getting on the air.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDark Waters (2019)
A tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world's largest corporations. In the process, he risks everything — his future, his family, and his own life — to expose the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOffice Space (1999)
A depressed white-collar worker tries hypnotherapy, only to find himself in a perpetual state of devil-may-care bliss that prompts him to start living by his own rules, and hatch a hapless attempt to embezzle money from his soul-killing employers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEvolution (2001)
A comedy that follows the chaos that ensues when a meteor hits the Earth carrying alien life forms that give new meaning to the term "survival of the fittest." David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, and Julianne Moore are the only people standing between the aliens and world domination... which could be bad news for the Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLorenzo's Oil (1992)
Lorenzo Odone, a Virginia 5-year-old, develops a degenerative nerve disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his parents decide to immerse themselves in research and tackle the problem themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Professor (2019)
A world-weary college professor is given a life-changing diagnosis and decides to throw all pretense and conventions to the wind and live his life as boldly and freely as possible with a biting sense of humor, a reckless streak and a touch of madness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat About Bob? (1991)
Before going on vacation, self-involved psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin has the misfortune of taking on a new patient: Bob Wiley. An exemplar of neediness and a compendium of phobias, Bob follows Marvin to his family's country house. Dr. Marvin tries to get him to leave; the trouble is, everyone loves Bob. As his oblivious patient makes himself at home, Dr. Marvin loses his professional composure and, before long, may be ready for the loony bin himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSaint Maud (2020)
Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud arrives at a plush home to care for Amanda, a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. When a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNext Goal Wins (2023)
Dutch coach Thomas Rongen attempts the nearly impossible task of turning the American Samoa soccer team from perennial losers into winners.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJezebel (1938)
In 1850s Louisiana, the willfulness of a tempestuous Southern belle threatens to destroy all who care for her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaked Lunch (1991)
Blank-faced bug killer Bill Lee and his dead-eyed wife, Joan, like to get high on Bill's pest poisons while lounging with Beat poet pals. After meeting the devilish Dr. Benway, Bill gets a drug made from a centipede. Upon indulging, he accidentally kills Joan, takes orders from his typewriter-turned-cockroach, ends up in a constantly mutating Mediterranean city and learns that his hip friends have published his work -- which he doesn't remember writing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crush (1993)
A precocious and obsessive teenager develops a crush on a naive writer with harrowing consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSend Help (2026)
Two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it's a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHardball (2001)
An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHorrible Bosses (2011)
For Nick, Kurt and Dale, the only thing that would make the daily grind more tolerable would be to grind their intolerable bosses into dust. Quitting is not an option, so, with the benefit of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con, the three friends devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers... permanently.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Distinguished Gentleman (1992)
A Florida con man uses the recent death of the long time Congressman from his district, who he just happens to share a last name with, to get elected to his version of paradise, the U.S. Congress, where the money flows from lobbyists.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLouis C.K.: Ridiculous (2026)
From a bee getting shot in New York City to paying strangers to take his aging father, Louis C.K. unleashes the ridiculous thoughts in his mind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBASEketball (1998)
Two losers from Milwaukee, Coop and Remer, invent a new game combining basketball with the rules of baseball. When the game becomes a huge success, they, along with a billionaire's help, form the Professional Baseketball League where everyone gets the same pay and no team can change cities. When a rival owner wants to institute major rule changes, Coop and Remer's team is the only one standing in the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Package (2018)
When a group of teenagers goes on a spring break camping trip, an unfortunate accident sets off a race to save their friend’s most prized possession.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Tristess?
The closest matches to Tristess are The TV Set (2007), Dark Waters (2019) and Office Space (1999). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Tristess?
Start with The TV Set (2007), the closest match to Tristess.
What is the highest-rated movie like Tristess?
Dark Waters (2019), rated 7.5/10 by 2,671 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Tristess?
Louis C.K.: Ridiculous (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Tristess?
Yes: The TV Set (2007), Dark Waters (2019) and Office Space (1999).
How are movies similar to Tristess chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Tristess, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.