Movies like Uncle Vanya
The best movies like Uncle Vanya are Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), The Tender Bar (2021) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). If Uncle Vanya hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAll About Eve (1950)8.1/10 from 1,803 votes
- NewestThe Tender Bar (2021)Released 2021
Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)
An uninterrupted rehearsal of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' plays out by a company of actors. The setting: their run-down theater with an unusable stage and crumbling ceiling. The play is shown act by act with the briefest of breaks to move props or for refreshments. The lack of costumes, real props and scenery is soon forgotten.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Tender Bar (2021)
JR is a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie, is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father — JR begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams, with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNever Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break is a 1941 film about a man who wants to sell a film story to Esoteric Studios. On the way he gets insulted by little boys, beaten up for ogling a woman, and abused by a waitress. W. C. Fields' last starring role in a feature-length film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecondhand Lions (2003)
The comedic adventures of an introverted boy left on the doorstep of a pair of reluctant, eccentric great-uncles, whose exotic remembrances stir the boy's spirit and re-ignite the men's lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBugsy Malone (1976)
New York, 1929, a war rages between two rival gangsters, Fat Sam and Dandy Dan. Dan is in possession of a new and deadly weapon, the dreaded "splurge gun". As the custard pies fly, Bugsy Malone, an all-round nice guy, falls for Blousey Brown, a singer at Fat Sam's speakeasy. His designs on her are disrupted by the seductive songstress Tallulah who wants Bugsy for herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rose Tattoo (1955)
A grieving widow embarks on a new romance when she discovers her late husband had been cheating on her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Whales of August (1987)
Two aged sisters reflect on life and the past during a late summer day in Maine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007)
When mischievous teenaged cousins Bo and Luke Duke are arrested, both boys are paroled to the care of their Uncle Jesse in Hazzard, sentenced to a summer of hard work. It's not long before the Duke boys learn of Boss Hogg's plans to foreclose on Uncle Jesse's farm. Together, with help from their cousin Daisy, Bo and Luke vow to save the family's property and its storied history of producing the best moonshine in all of Hazzard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMickybo and Me (2005)
The film tells the story of two boys who become friends at the start of the Troubles in 1970. The boys share an obsession with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with the consequence that they run away to Australia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll About Eve (1950)
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend, her playwright and his wife. Only the cynical drama critic sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisUncle Buck (1989)
Buck Russell, a lovable but slovenly bachelor, suddenly becomes the temporary caretaker of his nephew and nieces after a family emergency. His freewheeling attitude soon causes tension with his older niece Tia, loyal girlfriend Chanice, and just about everyone else who crosses his path.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarefoot in the Park (1967)
In this film based on a Neil Simon play, newlyweds Corie, a free spirit, and Paul Bratter, an uptight lawyer, share a sixth-floor apartment in Greenwich Village. Soon after their marriage, Corie tries to find a companion for mother, Ethel, who is now alone, and sets up Ethel with neighbor Victor. Inappropriate behavior on a double date causes conflict, and the young couple considers divorce.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Family Jewels (1965)
A young heiress must choose between six uncles, one of which is up to no good and out to harm the girl's beloved bodyguard who practically raised her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRemember the Titans (2000)
After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOthello (1951)
Manipulated by his jealous ensign Iago, the Moorish general Othello is driven to believe that his new wife Desdemona is unfaithful, setting in motion a chain of deception, jealousy, and violence that leads to tragedy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDean Spanley (2008)
Set in Edwardian England where upper lips are always stiff and men from the Colonies are not entirely to be trusted, Fisk Senior has little time or affection for his son, but when the pair visit an eccentric Indian, they start a strange journey that eventually allows the old man to find his heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945)
George Sanders stars in this engrossing melodrama about a very domineering sister who holds a tight grip on her brother -- especially when he shows signs of falling in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrighton Beach Memoirs (1986)
Eugene, a young teenage Jewish boy, recalls his memoirs of his time as an adolescent youth. He lives with his parents, his aunt, two cousins, and his brother, Stanley, whom he looks up to and admires. He goes through the hardships of puberty, sexual fantasy, and living the life of a poor boy in a crowded house.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTommy Boy (1995)
To save the family business, two ne’er-do-well traveling salesmen hit the road with disastrously funny consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHamlet (1948)
Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Sir Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet continues to be the most compelling version of Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy. Olivier is at his most inspired—both as director and as the melancholy Dane himself—as he breathes new life into the words of one of the world’s greatest dramatists.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Uncle Vanya?
The closest matches to Uncle Vanya are Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), The Tender Bar (2021) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Uncle Vanya?
Start with Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), the closest match to Uncle Vanya.
What is the highest-rated movie like Uncle Vanya?
All About Eve (1950), rated 8.1/10 by 1,803 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Uncle Vanya?
The Tender Bar (2021) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Uncle Vanya?
Yes: Vanya on 42nd Street (1994), The Tender Bar (2021) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941).
How are movies similar to Uncle Vanya chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Uncle Vanya, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.