Movies like The SanMei-sama (2005)
The best movies like The SanMei-sama (2005) are My Dinner with Andre (1981), Falling Down (1993) and Kamome Diner (2006). If The SanMei-sama hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMy Dinner with Andre (1981)7.5/10 from 497 votes
- NewestSnoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseKamome Diner (2006)Also in Japanese
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
Wally, a struggling playwright and actor, reluctantly agrees to catch up with his old friend Andre, a theater director who disappeared several years prior in order to travel the world. Meeting at a posh Manhattan restaurant, the two share life stories, anecdotes and philosophical musings over the course of an evening meal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFalling Down (1993)
An ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKamome Diner (2006)
On a quiet street in Helsinki, Sachie has opened a diner featuring rice balls. For a month she has no customers. Then, in short order, she has her first customer, meets Midori, a gangly Japanese tourist, and invites her to stay with her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWinnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
Winnie the Pooh and his friends experience high winds, heavy rains, and a flood in Hundred Acre Wood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCheaper by the Dozen (2022)
This remake of the beloved classic follows the raucous exploits of a blended family of 12, the Bakers, as they navigate a hectic home life while simultaneously managing their family business.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLady and the Tramp (2019)
The love story between a pampered Cocker Spaniel named Lady and a streetwise mongrel named Tramp. Lady finds herself out on the street after her owners have a baby and is saved from a pack by Tramp, who tries to show her to live her life footloose and collar-free.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Freshman (1990)
After a film student gets his belongings stolen, he meets a mobster bearing a startling resemblance to a certain cinematic godfather. Soon, he finds himself caught up in a caper involving endangered species and fine dining.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoal! (2005)
Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional footballer... However, living in the Barrios section of Los Angeles, he thinks it is only that—a dream. Until one day an extraordinary turn of events has him trying out for Premiership club Newcastle United.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBig City Greens the Movie: Spacecation (2024)
When thrill-seeker Cricket tricks his family into taking a "road trip" in space, chaos in the cosmos quickly ensues. Despite growing frustrations between Cricket and his dad, Bill, the two must learn to appreciate each other's unique perspectives in order to prevent Big City from being destroyed by an interstellar disaster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLittle Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American. But after the death of the Earl's remaining son, he decides to accept Cedric as his heir.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Taste of Romance (2012)
Uptight French chef, Sara Westbrook, gets fired up when her upscale café, Chez Varenne, is suddenly overshadowed by a new restaurant moving in next door run by a group of rowdy firemen. Led by handsome former fire fighter Gill Callahan and his friend Danny, The Five Alarm Grill is soon a big success while Sara and Patsy, her pastry chef, struggle to bring in customers. Sara suddenly softens when she meets Gill's ten-year-old daughter Hannah. Ignoring the obvious tension between her dad and Sara, Hannah is soon playing matchmaker. Can Gill and Sara's burgeoning romance survive the temptation to compete with each other, or will the heat of competition drive them apart?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWaffle Street (2015)
The true story of Jimmy Adams, a V.P. of a $30 billion hedge fund, who loses his job and winds up working as a waiter at a waffle shop. Amidst the greasy madness of the 24-hour diner, Jimmy befriends Edward, an ex-con grill master who serves up hard lessons about life, finance, and grits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Brave Little Toaster (1987)
A group of dated appliances, finding themselves stranded in a summer home that their family had just sold, decide to seek out their eight year old 'master'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy (2026)
When Snoopy's beloved doghouse goes missing, he tries to track it down, and learns what makes a house feel like home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBoiling Point (2021)
A head chef balances multiple personal and professional crises at a popular restaurant in London.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMidnight Diner (2014)
A restaurant opens at midnight. Both the menu offerings and personality of the owner draw a series of flawed patrons including Tamako, whose boyfriend has passed away, live-in worker Michiru, and ruckus-raising Kenzo.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Brady Bunch Movie (1995)
The original '70s TV family is now placed in the 1990s, where they're even more square and out of place than ever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPublic Speaking (2011)
Martin Scorsese’s portrait of writer and social commentator Fran Lebowitz, celebrated for her sharp wit and observations on modern life. Filmed at New York’s Waverly Inn and intercut with archival footage and interviews, the documentary captures Lebowitz’s distinctive worldview through her spontaneous monologues and public appearances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGood Burger (1997)
Two L.A. teens with summer jobs at Good Burger try to save their small restaurant when a corporate giant burger franchise moves in across the street.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Encounter (2010)
When five strangers with nothing in common come together at a remote roadside eatery, they place their orders with the diner's omniscient owner, who seems to know everything about them ... and is eerily reminiscent of Jesus Christ.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The SanMei-sama?
The closest matches to The SanMei-sama are My Dinner with Andre (1981), Falling Down (1993) and Kamome Diner (2006). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The SanMei-sama?
Start with My Dinner with Andre (1981), the closest match to The SanMei-sama.
What is the highest-rated movie like The SanMei-sama?
My Dinner with Andre (1981), rated 7.5/10 by 497 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The SanMei-sama?
Snoopy Presents: There's No Place Like Home, Snoopy (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like The SanMei-sama?
Yes: Kamome Diner (2006) and Midnight Diner (2014).
How are movies similar to The SanMei-sama chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The SanMei-sama, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.