Movies like On a Better Night than Usual (2010)
The best movies like On a Better Night than Usual (2010) are Possession (2002), Autumn Leaves (1956) and The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2018). If On a Better Night than Usual hooked you with its drama and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGabriel's Inferno: Part II (2020)8.3/10 from 1,569 votes
- NewestLove Me Love Me (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseRadiance (2017)Also in Japanese
Possession (2002)
Maud Bailey, a brilliant English academic, is researching the life and work of poet Christabel La Motte. Roland Michell is an American scholar in London to study Randolph Henry Ash, now best-known for a collection of poems dedicated to his wife. When Maud and Roland discover a cache of love letters that appear to be from Ash to La Motte, they follow a trail of clues across England, echoing the journey of the couple over a century earlier.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAutumn Leaves (1956)
A woman falls for a younger man with severe mental problems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2018)
Over the course of 12 years, and three stages of life, Sidney Hall falls in love, writes the book of a generation and then disappears without a trace.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRadiance (2017)
The story follows the social intercourse between a cameraman, Masaya, with a visual impairment, and Misako who disconnects from the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Valentine's Match (2020)
Fired from her job as a reality TV host, Natalie returns home for Valentine's Day, only to find herself running the town festival's auction with her ex-fiancé thanks to two scheming mothers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNorthanger Abbey (2007)
A young woman's penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLet It Snow (2013)
A resort executive is sent to a newly purchased lodge in Maine with instructions to turn it in to an ultra-modern resort, and finds a charming, successful lodge loaded with holiday spirit. Will she stick with her boss’s plans to tear everything down or find a way to save what she has come to love? Stars Candace Cameron-Bure and Alan Thicke.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorrowed Hearts (1997)
Single mom Kathleen Russell (Roma Downey) and her daughter Zoey pretend to be Kathleen's boss's "family" so he can close a major business deal with the mysterious Mexican financier Javier Del Campo.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRevenge Porn: PAIN OF LOVE (2019)
Rei is a college student in the midst of finding a job. She confesses her love to Mikio, a senior whom she admires. Mikio soon demands that she perform perverted acts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJane Eyre (1997)
After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Edward Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeparture (2016)
An English mother and her teenage son spend a week preparing the sale of their remote holiday house in the South of France. Fifteen-year-old Elliot struggles with his dawning sexuality and an increasing alienation from his mother, Beatrice. She in turn is confronted by the realisation that her marriage to his father, Philip, has grown loveless and the life she knows is coming to an end. When an enigmatic local teenager, Clément, quietly enters their lives, both mother and son are compelled to confront their desires and, finally, each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022)
Clare and Aidan make a pact to break up before college — no regrets, no broken hearts. But will one epic goodbye date offer them a last chance at love?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHome for Christmas Day (2017)
Jane is a single mother dead set on protecting her teenage daughter Betsy from the harsh realities of life. When Betsy falls in love with an enlisted man, Jane tries her best to steer Betsy away from heartache. Little does Jane realize she and her daughter are about to learn important lessons of the heart and that taking chances can sometimes lead to the most extraordinary happy endings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Magic of Ordinary Days (2005)
Pregnant out of wedlock, an educated young woman is pressured by her father into an arranged marriage with a lonely farmer in this drama set during WWII.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove Me Love Me (2026)
After her brother's death, June moves to Milan for a fresh start, finding comfort in Will, the perfect honor student at her new international school. But when his troubled best friend James—hiding a dangerous life in clandestine MMA fights—sparks a rivalry that quickly turns into irresistible attraction, June must choose between safety and a love that upends everything she thought she wanted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDouble Suicide (1969)
Successful and married with children, paper-mill owner Jihei knows better than to contradict the strict social and moral codes of 18th-century Japan. But when he meets the lovely courtesan Koharu, he becomes a man obsessed. Koharu returns his love, even foregoing other customers while Jihei schemes to somehow buy her freedom. His efforts yield ruinous consequences for his business and his family life, and Koharu is meanwhile purchased by another client.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSee You Soon (2019)
A U.S. soccer star suffers a career-threatening injury in the run-up to the World Cup, and during his recovery, embarks on an epic romance with a Russian single mom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisMaria's Lovers (1984)
A World War II prisoner returns home to his childhood sweetheart. However, back home, he discovers that he has to compete to win her love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987)
Anne Shirley, now a schoolteacher, has begun writing stories and collecting rejection slips. She acts as Diana's maid of honor, develops a relationship with Gilbert Blythe, and finds herself at Kingsport Ladies' College. But while Anne enjoys the battles and the friends she makes, she finds herself returning to Avonlea.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGabriel's Inferno: Part II (2020)
Professor Gabriel Emerson finally learns the truth about Julia Mitchell's identity, but his realization comes a moment too late. Julia is done waiting for the well-respected Dante specialist to remember her and wants nothing more to do with him. Can Gabriel win back her heart before she finds love in another's arms?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisYour Mom Is a Bitch! (2010)
College student Yu (Kobayashi Yuto) becomes friends with Fumie (Suzuki Sawa), a married woman who often comes to his store, but their relationship soon develops into something more. With very little romantic experience, he finds himself absorbed in this adult woman.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Farmers Bride: 35 Years Old (2012)
Married into the love of a peasant family (Yoko Kamen-decorated), one day, when she was out, she happened to see a leaflet of a new member of the "Morning Morning Girl Group" audition. Since she was young, she had been eager to be the "Morning Morning Girl Group", and she reported dance lessons without telling her husband. Fortunately, she was selected for the second audition, but her husband discovered that she had an affair with the dance teacher. Ai decided to put aside her life as a farm daughter-in-law and ran away with her dance teacher after she ran away from home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
A Slightly Erotic Life Experience: 5 Seconds Before The Kiss (2012)
A film from "Summer," the first group of works from the Love & Eros CINEMA COLLECTION 2nd season, created by filmmakers from various fields on the themes of love and sex. Depicts a somewhat unusual love situation comprising a trio of girls and a guy. Jun (Hamada Shoko) has a boyish appearance, and a trifling incident leads to her debut as a male model. She has a crush on crash-pad provider Tetsuro (Kasahara Hideyuki), but he is infatuated with magazine editor Erina. Is there any hope for the romantic fulfillment of Jun, who Tetsuro mistakenly believes to be guy?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Frozen Run (2024)
A woman moves into a cabin in the small town of Frozen Run to escape her hectic life. One night after a strange storm, a mysterious man arrives in town and speaks as if he knows her even though she's sure they've never met. She struggles to figure out what is going on as she is plagued by personal woes and horrible nightmares.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both mystery & drama
A Woman's Heart and the Autumn Sky: A Slutty Kitten (2010)
An entry in a series focused on "love" and "erotica," in which six creators from multiple fields - from film and TV to direct-to-video and manga - compete. The debut film by Director Ito Ippei who worked as an assistant director to Imaoka Shinji, it portrays the love between a real hottie who has the attractiveness to enslave men, and a pure-hearted man. Toda (Hiroshi) meets Haruna (Haruna Hana) who is in pain after being dumped. Toda sees similarities between Haruna and a stray kitten he saved that day, and hopes he will bump into the sad woman again someday. His wish comes true, but at an unexpected place.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
When You Love And When You Are Loved (2010)
An entry in a series focused on "love" and "erotica," in which six creators from multiple fields -- from film and TV to direct-to-video and manga -- compete. Director Zeze Takahisa, known for his bold undertakings, including Heaven's Story, presents an unabashed depiction of the tormented heart of a woman who lives in the countryside. Yuko (Ezawa Midori) meets the man (Kawai Ryunosuke) suspected of leaking inappropriate pictures of her younger sister having an affair onto the Internet. She agrees to let him take nude photos of her on the condition that he stays away from her sister.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Pink Lady: The Woman Who Can't Stand It (2012)
Sakura was once the female star of a television show about a team of superheroes, but retired from acting after its cancelation and got married. One day, she attends a reunion of the show's cast and crew and crosses paths once again with her red-garbed castmate Kotaro, who she had been secretly attracted to.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Elderly Person's Love: Sumo Wrestler of Paper (2010)
Having lost his wife, elderly Shogo lives alone in the countryside. Beginning to show signs of dementia, he receives the care of a young helper named Yumi. As he grows closer to Yumi, he begins to see in her his late wife.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
I Want to Meet Yoko Shimada (2010)
An entry in a series focused on "love" and "erotica," in which six creators from multiple fields - from film and TV to direct-to-video and manga - compete. The actress who plays the main part, Shimada Yoko, plays herself in a comic role. The director is Imaoka Shinji, a genius of the "pink film" industry. Actress Shimada Yoko (as herself) is tired of playing roles she has no interest in, and runs away during filming. She jumps into a taxi carrying Goro (Komoto Masahiro), who has just come out of hospital close to where she was filming, and ends up living off him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Woman Like a Cicada：Addicted to Love (2012)
A film from "Autumn," the second group of works from the Love & Eros CINEMA COLLECTION 2nd season, created by filmmakers from various fields on the themes of love and sensuality. Director Morioka Toshiyuki depicts the emotions of a prostitute who reunites with her first love. Based on a short story by Goda Mamora. A prostitute at Semimaru in the red-light district, Chigusa (Nanaumi Nana) finds her first love Nakagawa (Komakine Ryusuke) before her as a client. Chigusa gently guides Nakagawa, who has no experience with women. They realize their past feelings for each other, and promise to leave Semimaru and live happily together, but…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like On a Better Night than Usual?
The closest matches to On a Better Night than Usual are Possession (2002), Autumn Leaves (1956) and The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after On a Better Night than Usual?
Start with Possession (2002), the closest match to On a Better Night than Usual.
What is the highest-rated movie like On a Better Night than Usual?
Gabriel's Inferno: Part II (2020), rated 8.3/10 by 1,569 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like On a Better Night than Usual?
Love Me Love Me (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like On a Better Night than Usual?
Yes: Radiance (2017), Revenge Porn: PAIN OF LOVE (2019) and Double Suicide (1969).
How are movies similar to On a Better Night than Usual chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside On a Better Night than Usual, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.