Movies like Ape (2012)
The best movies like Ape (2012) are A Thousand Words (2012), Dead Like Me: Life After Death (2009) and Drop Dead Fred (1991). If Ape hooked you with its drama and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFatherhood (2021)7.5/10 from 1,584 votes
- NewestBrimstone Terrace (2026)Released 2026
A Thousand Words (2012)
Jack McCall is a fast-talking literary agent, who can close any deal, any time, any way. He has set his sights on New Age guru Dr. Sinja for his own selfish purposes. But Dr. Sinja is on to him, and Jack’s life comes unglued after a magical Bodhi tree mysteriously appears in his backyard. With every word Jack speaks, a leaf falls from the tree and he realizes that when the last leaf falls, both he and the tree are toast. Words have never failed Jack McCall, but now he’s got to stop talking and conjure up some outrageous ways to communicate or he’s a goner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead Like Me: Life After Death (2009)
When George and her colleagues get a new boss whose focus is on moving souls quickly and enjoying life without consequences, the team begins to break the strict reaper rules. While her friends fall victim to their desires for money, success, and fame, George breaks another rule by revealing her true identity to her living family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDrop Dead Fred (1991)
An unhappy housewife gets a lift from the return of her imaginary childhood friend, Drop Dead Fred.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Cable Guy (1996)
When recently single Steven moves into his new apartment, cable guy Chip comes to hook him up—and doesn't let go. Initially, Chip is just overzealous in his desire to be Steven's pal, but when Steven tries to end the 'friendship', Chip shows his dark side. He begins stalking Steven, who's left to fend for himself because no one else can believe Chip's capable of such behaviour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSubUrbia (1997)
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Think Twice (2016)
An improv group deals with several crises, including the loss of their lease and one member hitting the big time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 · both drama & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisMy Own Love Song (2010)
A wheelchair-bound singer and her best friend embark on a roadtrip to Memphis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChloe and Theo (2015)
A young woman, Chloe, living by her wits on the streets of New York City, has a chance meeting with a wise Inuit Eskimo, Theo, who was sent to New York by his elders to provide a message to the people of the world – We either change our destructive was or be destroyed by them. Chloe, who has been searching for something to believe in, becomes inspired by Theo and , with the help of a kind lawyer, Monica, the three of them present Theo’s story to the United Nations in hopes of creating a better future for all of us.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisYoung Adult (2011)
A divorced writer from the Midwest returns to her hometown to reconnect with an old flame, who's now married with a family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Good Half (2024)
Renn Wheeland returns home to Cleveland for his mother's funeral. Once there, he forges new relationships while healing old ones, before confronting his problems and trying to face his grief.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife During Wartime (2010)
Friends, family, and lovers struggle to find love, forgiveness, and meaning in an almost war-torn world riddled with comedy and pathos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHooking Up (2020)
Bailey and Darla embark upon a misguided and mutually deceitful form of therapy, one in which they must drive across the country, re-enacting Darla's colorful history as a sex addict. As their true motivations for the road trip come to light, the unlikely pair force one another to confront their issues, discovering that there might actually be more to love than just sex.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2024)
Four tales unfold in Wes Anderson's anthology of short films adapted from Roald Dahl's beloved stories, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar", "The Swan", "The Rat Catcher", and "Poison."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMoxie (2021)
Inspired by her mom's rebellious past and a confident new friend, a shy 16-year-old publishes an anonymous zine calling out sexism at her school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Dog Year (2009)
Jon Katz is close to burnout. He's a writer with writer's block; his wife has left for her sister's because he's emotionally distant; he rarely answers his phone. A kennel sends him a border collie that's undisciplined because of abuse. Despite a series of mishaps, Jon decides to keep trying with the dog, and he rents a dilapidated farm house to give the dog room to run. A local handyman refers Jon to a woman who might be able to help him train the dog. Reluctantly, Jon gives her a try. Is the dog the problem, or the owner?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKristin's Christmas Past (2013)
Kristin, a cynical 34-year-old, drinks a mysterious champagne on Christmas Eve and wakes up seventeen years in the past, sharing a room with her 17-year-old self. Given the chance to change the worst Christmas of her life, she attempts to fix past mistakes, only to discover surprising truths about her family that may help her mend her present-day relationships.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisSix Pack (1982)
Stopping briefly in a small Texas town, an itinerant race car driver finds that his stock car, on a trailer behind his motor home, has just been quickly and expertly stripped. He chases down the miscreants, who turn out to be six orphan children. He has no recourse to the law, for the corrupt local sheriff takes most of the proceeds of their thievery in exchange for not putting them in an orphanage. They are charming rogues who are in turn charmed by him. Disliking their arrangement with the sheriff, they stow away with him, and he finds himself becoming a reluctant stepfather. Thanks to their enthusiasm and incredible mechanical know-how, he begins to make a name for himself on the racing circuit. But the sheriff doesn't take kindly to losing his extra income...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFatherhood (2021)
A widowed new dad copes with doubts, fears, heartache and dirty diapers as he sets out to raise his daughter on his own. Inspired by a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBenny & Joon (1993)
A mentally ill young woman finds love with an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHow to Become a Zombie (2017)
Extreme diets have become fashionable and health enthusiasts have imposed veganism to relatives and friends. Their “victims” die after having rejected some vegetables and then reawake as meat-seeker-zombies. This is the story of one of them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & fantasy
Brimstone Terrace (2026)
When a depressed public defender ends his own life, he is sentenced to an eternity in Hell. However, after Satan takes notice of his skills, he is offered an afterlife-changing deal that may not fall in line with his own values.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Little Siberia (2025)
A pastor's faith turns upside down when a meteorite lands in his small Finnish town, its impact stirring up chaos and criminal intentions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoods (1998)
A 50-year-old mobster struggles to carry out his father's order to execute a rival's 9-year-old child.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970)
War is brewing between the soldiers at an otherwise quiet army base and the civilians of a nearby Southern town. Brian Keith is an officer who tries to keep the peace. However, peace is hard to come by with Ernest Borgnine as a stereotypical dumb hick sheriff who's quick to call in the local militia. Tony Curtis plays a skirt-chasing sergeant who can't stay out of trouble and soon lands in jail. Brian Keith borrows a tank to release his friend from jail. Things get more chaotic after that.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Um Corpo Inconveniente (2026)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Kebab, Wine, Bill! (2026)
The restaurant opens for just one table — but that table tests everyone’s patience. Staff in love, uncontrollable managers, a worn-out waitress, and a chef who couldn’t care less about the world — today, they all had to break free from someone’s control. There is only one question: at the end of this “special service,” who will pay the bill?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
My Conspiracy Theory (2012)
What if a little girl making paper airplanes was responsible for the attacks of September 11th, 2001?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Last Chancers (2020)
Flynn finds himself thousands of pounds in debt to the biggest criminal in the county, due to his old friend Aiden's irresponsible behaviour, in this indie comedy set in Gloucestershire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
President's Day (2010)
A high school election turns deadly when a homicidal maniac dressed like Abe Lincoln starts killing off candidates.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like Ape and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Ape?
The closest matches to Ape are A Thousand Words (2012), Dead Like Me: Life After Death (2009) and Drop Dead Fred (1991). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Ape?
Start with A Thousand Words (2012), the closest match to Ape.
What is the highest-rated movie like Ape?
Fatherhood (2021), rated 7.5/10 by 1,584 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Ape?
Brimstone Terrace (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Ape?
Yes: A Thousand Words (2012), Dead Like Me: Life After Death (2009) and Drop Dead Fred (1991).
How are movies similar to Ape chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ape, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.