Movies like A Life in the Balance (1913)
The best movies like A Life in the Balance (1913) are Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), The Ladies Man (1961) and Louis C.K.: Ridiculous (2026). If A Life in the Balance hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedLouis C.K.: Oh My God (2013)7.6/10 from 229 votes
- NewestLouis C.K.: Ridiculous (2026)Released 2026
Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ladies Man (1961)
After his girl leaves him for someone else, Herbert gets really depressed and starts searching for a job. He finally finds one in a big house which is inhabited by many, many women. Can he live in the same home with all these females?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
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 · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRicky Gervais: SuperNature (2022)
With his signature pitch-black sense of humor, Ricky Gervais takes the stage at the London Palladium in this provocative stand-up comedy special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEddie Murphy Raw (1987)
Eddie Murphy delights, shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations, observations on '80s love, sex and marriage, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLouis C.K.: Oh My God (2013)
Filmed at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ on February 15th and 16th, 2013, Oh My God is Louis C.K.'s fifth stand-up special, his first for HBO since 2007's Shameless, and his first since winning a Emmy Award for writing on his acclaimed show on FX, Louie. Performed in the round in front of a live audience, he discusses such topics as the food chain, animals, divorce, strange anecdotes, broken morality, murder and mortality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEric Andre: Legalize Everything (2020)
Comedian Eric Andre presents his very first Netflix original stand-up special. Taking the stage in New Orleans, Andre breaks the boundaries of comedy as he critiques the war on drugs, the war on sex, and the war on fart jokes!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMen in Black (1934)
The stooges are three doctors who graduated medical school by being in it for too many years. They come across such problems as an overly chirpy nurse, a mental patient, and a combination to a safe swallowed by the hospital superintendent in the course of their attempt to get through the day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBill Burr: Why Do I Do This? (2008)
One of America's fastest-rising comedians, Bill Burr wields his razor-sharp wit with rare skill. In this brand-new stand-up performance, Bill takes aim at the stuff that drives us crazy, political correctness gone haywire, and girlfriends, or as he calls them: relentless psycho robots. A keenly observant social commentator, Bill Burr is also one of the funniest voices in comedy today.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIliza Shlesinger: War Paint (2013)
Her innocent appearance is just a cover for Last Comic Standing winner Iliza Shlesinger's acerbic, stream-of-conscious comedy that she unleashes on an unsuspecting audience in her hometown of Dallas in "War Paint," her first stand-up special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation (2017)
Comedy juggernaut Dave Chappelle's fourth Netflix Special, taped on November 20th, 2017 at Los Angeles' Comedy Store.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSincerely Louis C.K. (2020)
Louis C.K. muses on religion, terrorism, small towns, Florida, disabilities, dogs, Auschwitz, marriage, sex, vegans, and his personal sexual controversy, in a live performance from Washington, D.C.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Armageddon (2023)
Ricky Gervais dishes out controversial takes on political correctness and oversensitivity in a taboo-busting comedy special about the end of humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs (2023)
In a rowdy stand-up set, Shane Gillis riffs on his girlfriend's Navy SEAL ex, touring George Washington's house and being bullied by an Australian Goth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAziz Ansari: Buried Alive (2013)
Standup comedian Aziz Ansari ("Parks and Recreation") headlines his third standup special, where he shares his uniquely hilarious perspective on fears of adulthood, babies, marriage, and more. Ansari's look at life on the cusp of 30 years old is smart, unfiltered, and hysterical.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Humanity (2018)
In his first special in seven years, Ricky Gervais slings his trademark snark at celebrity, mortality and a society that takes everything personally.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChris Rock: Selective Outrage (2023)
Chris Rock delivers an electric stand-up set on non-racist yoga pants, spoiling his kids, the Kardashians and his thoughts on the Will Smith fiasco.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChris Rock: Kill the Messenger (2008)
An HBO special edited from three performances from Chris Rock's 2008 comedy tour: London (dark suit, dark shirt), Johannesburg (black suit, white shirt) and New York (shiny jacket). Topics include the ongoing presidential campaign, the possibility of a black president, George W. Bush, gas prices, low-paid jobs, ringtones and bottled water, sex, relationships and the correct use of the n-word
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHow to Irritate People (1969)
A pre-Monty Python mockumentary, written by and presented by John Cleese, that provides tips on learning how to irritate people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening (2010)
Aziz Ansari presents his highly anticipated debut hour long stand-up special. The critically acclaimed stand-up and actor (Parks and Recreation, Funny People) discusses topics ranging from sheets with fraudulent thread counts to the chubbiness of his young cousin Harris. Also included is a special encore performance from Raaaaaaaandy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMother's Boy (1913)
Mother's Boy is a 1913 movie starring Roscoe Arbuckle and Alice Davenport.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Two Old Tars (1913)
Two old tars, retired from service, live alone in a cottage by the sea. They sail along on an even keel, until a buxom and comely widow projects herself on the scene when one old tar breaks one of their unwritten laws and falls in love with her. The other old fellow objects strenuously.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
His Sister's Kids (1913)
His Sister's Kids is a 1913 movie starring Roscoe Arbuckle and Minta Durfee.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Riot (1913)
When a girl delivering expensive garments loses them to some Irish shanty town kids, her boss, a Jewish clothier, is livid and a fight breaks out. Soon the melee spreads to the whole neighborhood with brick throwing merging into bomb throwing, with the sides on clearly ethnic lines.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Fatty's Day Off (1913)
Fatty's Day Off is a 1913 movie starring Roscoe Arbuckle and Charles Avery.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Alex, Marty, and other zoo animals find a way to escape from Madagascar when the penguins reassemble a wrecked airplane. The precariously repaired craft stays airborne just long enough to make it to the African continent. There the New Yorkers encounter members of their own species for the first time. Africa proves to be a wild place, but Alex and company wonder if it is better than their Central Park home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Medallion (2003)
A Hong Kong detective suffers a fatal accident involving a mysterious medallion and is transformed into an immortal warrior with superhuman powers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Cat in the Hat (2003)
During a rainy day, and while their mother is out, Conrad and Sally, and their pet fish, are visited by the mischievous Cat in the Hat. Fun soon turns to mayhem, and the siblings must figure out how to rid themselves of the maniacal Cat.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisGuest House Paradiso (1999)
Richie and Eddie are in charge of the worst hotel in the UK, Guest House Paradiso, neighbouring a nuclear power plant. The illegal immigrant chef has fled and all the guests have gone. But when a famous Italian filmstar, Gina Carbonara, who is in hiding from a fiance she doesn't want to marry, arrives at the hotel, things get very interesting!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSave the Green Planet! (2003)
A young man believes that his country's leaders are actually toxic reptilian aliens sent down to launch a takeover of his beloved Earth. So he decides to abduct them and force the truth out on camera in his basement that doubles as a film studio and torture chamber.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Life in the Balance?
The closest matches to A Life in the Balance are Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), The Ladies Man (1961) and Louis C.K.: Ridiculous (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Life in the Balance?
Start with Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), the closest match to A Life in the Balance.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Life in the Balance?
Louis C.K.: Oh My God (2013), rated 7.6/10 by 229 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Life in the Balance?
Louis C.K.: Ridiculous (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like A Life in the Balance?
Yes: Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), The Ladies Man (1961) and Louis C.K.: Ridiculous (2026).
How are movies similar to A Life in the Balance chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Life in the Balance, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.


























