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Movies like Life Is Life (2025)

The best movies like Life Is Life (2025) are Variety Lights (1950), Basilicata Coast To Coast (2010) and A Dog Year (2009). If Life Is Life hooked you with its comedy and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Variety Lights (1950)

    In Italy, Checco Dal Monte manages a troupe of traveling performers with plenty of heart but minimal talent. At a small town engagement, he encounters the starry-eyed, gorgeous Lily Antonelli, and hires her as a dancer on the show. Vivacious Lily quickly sells out crowds and earns the resentment of Checco's mistress, Melina Amour, but the fledgling performer has far bigger ambitions and soon sets her sights on a higher-profile role.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy

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  2. Basilicata Coast To Coast (2010)

    A musical comedy, a journey filled with unexpected twists and unexpected encounters, leading a group of musicians to set out to the rhythm of their musical verses to participate in the Scanzano Jonico Song-Theatre Festival, walking across Basilicata, from the Tyrrhenian to the Ionian Sea, along the route that gives the project its name. The journey will have a therapeutic effect.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  3. A 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

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  4. SubUrbia (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

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  5. Siblings (2025)

    Irene lives in Rome. When her mother ask to, she go back to Rimini, her hometown, to take care of her autistic brother, Omar. She soon discover that Omar knows very well what to expect from the future, but in order to achieve his dreams, he need to be independent, which is why Irene begins a tender crash course to teach him adult life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  6. Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976)

    Giacinto lives with his wife, their ten children and various other family members in a shack on the hills of Rome. Some time ago he has lost his left eye while at work, and got a consistent sum of money from the insurance company, which he keeps hidden from the rest of the family. His whole life is now based on defending the money he sees as his own, while the rest of the family tries to kill him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  7. In the Name of the Italian People (1971)

    An obscure Italian magistrate suspects that a well-known industrialist commited murder, and decides to investigate him, and bring him to court, whatever it takes. But - will the magistrate have it in him to go against impossible odds, in the name of the Italian people he represents?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  8. Dear Goddamned Friends (1994)

    In 1944 Tuscany, a group of boxers struggling through World War II stages rigged matches to earn money and travel, accompanied by a missing black American soldier and a girl resisting marriage, as they navigate the challenges of their war-torn world.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  9. Hooking 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

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  10. God Forgives Everyone (2026)

    Arturo is a lonely, gluttonous, and disillusioned Sicilian real estate agent. His mundane life finally finds its spark through his one true passion: Sicilian pastries. It’s over a tray of cannoli that he meets his soulmate, Flora. She is everything he ever dreamed of—beautiful, witty, and brilliant. To top it off, she’s a pastry chef. However, a divine obstacle stands between them: God. While Flora is a devout, fervent Catholic, Arturo abandoned his faith as a child. Desperate not to lose the woman of his dreams, he decides to "fake it 'til he makes it," pretending to be a man of deep conviction. Guiding Arturo on this chaotic journey toward truth, faith, and Flora’s heart is an unlikely mentor and friend: Pope Francis himself.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  11. My 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

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  12. A Flat for Three (2012)

    Ulisse, Fulvio and Domenico decide to rent an apartment together in order to live with their modest work. However the three encounter any difficulties that have forced them to always be one step away from starvation. Ulisse has to maintain his wife and daughter selling recordings of important foreign singers, Fulvio has the task of reviewing silly scandals of celebrities instead of writing articles for major artists, while Domenico must keep his wife and children going to make love with old single pensioners.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  13. Christmas Rematch (2004)

    15 years after that fateful card game on Christmas Eve, Franco gets his onetime friends back at the poker table for the rematch and a long-awaited payback.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  14. The First Beautiful Thing (2010)

    The film tells the story of the Michelucci family, from the nineteen-seventies to the present day: the central character is the stunningly beautiful Anna, the lively, frivolous and sometimes embarrassing mother of Bruno and Valeria. Everything begins in the Summer of 1971, at the annual Summer beauty pageant held at Livorno’s most popular bathing establishment. Anna is unexpectedly crowned “Most Beautiful Mother”, unwittingly stirring the violent jealousy of her husband. From then on, chaos strikes the family and for Anna, Bruno and his sister Valeria, it is the start of an adventure that will only end thirty years later.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  15. It Runs in the Family (2003)

    This is the story of a dysfunctional New York family, and their attempts to reconcile

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  16. Al lupo, al lupo (1992)

    Vanni, Gregorio and Livia are brothers. The first is a well-known pianist, the second has abandoned his career as an aspiring violinist to become a deejay. When Vanni discovers that his father has disappeared into thin air, together with Gregorio they decide to call his sister Livia. The three relatives travel the length and breadth of Tuscany to find their missing parent.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  17. Let's Hope It's a Girl (1986)

    A multifaceted exploration of the pointlessness of sexual stereotypes. Liv Ullmann is a countess who, after her divorce, takes over the family farm. Realizing that she can't rely on the patriarchal society structure for assistance, Ullmann runs the farm herself with the help of her female servants and relatives. When the Count (Philipe Noiret) comes back into her life, he and his male buddies find themselves outclassed by the expertise of the ladies.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  18. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024)

    On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama

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  19. Fun Is Beautiful (1980)

    Three characters' misadventures in semi-deserted, summertime Rome: a dim-witted mama's boy falls for a tourist; a would-be womanizer struggles to find company for his sex tourism trip to Kraków; a hippie is drawn into his father's schemes to bring him back into polite society.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  20. ...Watch Out, We're Mad (2022)

    Estranged, quarreling brothers Carezza and Sorriso have to put aside their differences to reclaim their father's beloved dune buggy from predatory real estate developer Torsillo, with the help of beautiful circus performer Miriam, whose family business is threatened by Torsillo's enforcers.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy

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  21. French Fried Vacations 3: Friends Forever (2006)

    After the Club Med and skiing, what happened to the Bronzés 27 years later? Early response: the same, and worse.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

  22. Padre Padrone (1977)

    The true story of the life of Gavino Ledda, the son of a Sardinian shepherd, and how he managed to escape his harsh, almost barbaric existence by slowly educating himself, despite violent opposition from his brutal father.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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  23. Storia di un riscatto (2025)

    The 1990s. The story of the longest Anonima Sequestri kidnapping, that of Giuseppe Vinci, whose family supermarket chain was spread all over Sardinia.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  24. The Mute Man of Sardinia (2022)

    Gallura, the mid-1800s. The feud between the Vasa and Mamia families – historically documented – is causing bloodshed in the region. Bastiano Tansu, a deaf-mute since birth, is one of its protagonists. Mistreated and marginalized since his childhood, after his brother Michele was murdered he joined forces with one of the two leaders of the factions, Pietro Vasa, and put at his service his fury and his amazing aim, becoming a highly feared assassin. The State and the Church try to stem the wave of terror and only after more than 70 deaths, the peace of Aggius arrives. At first, Bastiano finds peace in his love for a pastor's daughter, but in a violent and superstitious world that already labeled him the devil's son when he was just a boy, someone like him cannot be found innocent. Thus, he chooses to confront his own destiny.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  25. Assandira (2020)

    Soaked to the skin, Costantino sinks into the haystack like old timber left on the shore by a stormy sea. Torrential rain has just put out the fire that in a single night ravaged Assandira, a farmstay deep in the woods of Sardinia. But the rain hasn't quenched the pain, the endless remorse for the son lost to the flames, the son he was unable to save. The first to arrive are the carabinieri and the young investigating magistrate: Costantino tries to tell them what happened the previous night, to explain how it all began.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  26. Mollo tutto e apro un chiringuito (2021)

    Mr. Imbruttito, a leading executive of a large multinational, lives the routine in his hectic Milan. Breaking this balance is Brusini, an eccentric entrepreneur at the head of an economic empire, who for an absurd reason blows up what for the Brutito is the business of life. For the first time, the Ugly one feels the pinch, falls into depression, can no longer find a reason to wake up in the morning. The turning point comes from Brera, a longtime friend, who proposes to the Bruttito the purchase of a Chiringuito in Sardinia, to do business in flip-flops and finally be able to say: "I quit everything and open a chiringuito!"

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

  27. The Stuff of Dreams (2016)

    Members of the Camorra on the run and actors seeking for authority meet after a shipwreck on an island-prison. The theatre turns into a free zone where everyone may not be able to recover their social role but for sure their humanity. Somebody can even get love back. Shakespeare and Eduardo De Filippo blend together in a picaresque comedy full of coup de théâtre.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

  28. La punizione del prete (2023)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy

  29. They Killed Another Bandit (1976)

    A tale of banditry in Sardinia. Considered a "lost" film but a print was located in 2013.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

  30. What We Wanted (2020)

    Alice and Niklas are a young couple who's biggest wish is to have a child of their own. After several failed attempts they decide to go on a holiday in Sardinia to clear their minds. There they meet a family from Austria that seems to have everything they ever wished for. But appearances can be deceiving...

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Life Is Life?

The closest matches to Life Is Life are Variety Lights (1950), Basilicata Coast To Coast (2010) and A Dog Year (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Life Is Life?

Start with Variety Lights (1950), the closest match to Life Is Life.

What is the highest-rated movie like Life Is Life?

Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976), rated 7.5/10 by 363 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Life Is Life?

God Forgives Everyone (2026) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there Italian movies like Life Is Life?

Yes: Variety Lights (1950), Basilicata Coast To Coast (2010) and Siblings (2025).

How are movies similar to Life Is Life chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Life Is Life, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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