Movies like Life Is Beautiful (1991)
The best movies like Life Is Beautiful (1991) are The Mouse That Roared (1959), Isn't It Romantic (2019) and How to Be Single (2016). If Life Is Beautiful hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Life Is Beautiful
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAmerican Beauty (1999)8.0/10 from 13,546 votes
- NewestOne Night Only (2026)Released 2026
The Mouse That Roared (1959)
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick decides that the only way to get out of their economic woes is to declare war on the United States, lose and accept foreign aid. They send an invasion force (in chain mail, armed with bows and arrows) to New York and they arrive during a nuclear drill that has cleared the streets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIsn't It Romantic (2019)
For a long time, Natalie, an Australian architect living in New York City, had always believed that what she had seen in rom-coms is all fantasy. But after thwarting a mugger at a subway station only to be knocked out while fleeing, Natalie wakes up and discovers that her life has suddenly become her worst nightmare—a romantic comedy—and she is the leading lady.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Be Single (2016)
New York City is full of lonely hearts seeking the right match, and what Alice, Robin, Lucy, Meg, Tom and David all have in common is the need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaught Stealing (2025)
Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of late 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNot Okay (2022)
An ambitious young woman, desperate for followers and fame, fakes a trip to Paris to up her social media presence. When a terrifying incident takes place in the real world and becomes part of her imaginary trip, her white lie becomes a moral quandary that offers her all the attention she’s wanted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisApartment 7A (2024)
A struggling young dancer finds herself drawn in by dark forces when a peculiar, well-connected older couple promise her a shot at fame.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrust (2021)
Set in the glamour of the New York and Paris art scenes, gallery owner Brooke Gatwick and her newscaster husband Owen Shore, face temptation, jealousy, twists and mystery when two seductive newcomers enter their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAsphalt City (2024)
A young paramedic is paired with a seasoned partner on the night shift in New York revealing a city in crisis. Discovering the chaos firsthand, he is tested with the ethical ambiguity that can be the difference between life and death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this25th Hour (2002)
On the eve of a seven-year prison sentence, a New York drug dealer spends his final day of freedom confronting his past, his relationships, and the choices that led to his downfall in a city still reeling from 9/11.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Onion Movie (2008)
Venerable newscaster Norm Archer reports the latest news in politics, health, culture and entertainment - such as an automotive recall of decapitation-inducing "Neckbelts" and a study finding that "depression hits losers hardest". This compilation of bogus news stories, celebrity profiles, movie trailers and skits come courtesy of the ace satirists at The Onion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe First Purge (2018)
To push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, the New Founding Fathers of America test a sociological theory that vents aggression for one night in one isolated community. But when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of the others, the contagion will explode from the trial-city borders and spread across the nation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhen Worlds Collide (1951)
When a group of astronomers calculate a star is on a course to slam into Earth, a few days before, it's accompanying planet will first pass close enough to the Earth to cause havoc on land and sea. They set about building a rocket so a few selected individuals can escape to the planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Addiction (1995)
A vampiric doctoral student tries to follow the philosophy of a nocturnal comrade and control her thirst for blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHungry Hearts (2015)
The relationship of a couple who meet by chance in New York City is put to the test when they encounter a life or death circumstance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer (2025)
A struggling writer in the midst of a divorce befriends a retired serial killer who incidentally becomes his marriage counselor by day, and killing counselor for his next book by night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCode 3 (2025)
A burned-out paramedic tries to survive his last 24 hours on the job while training a new recruit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSharper (2023)
A small, wealthy family in New York City gets progressively torn apart by secrets, lies, and the theft that orchestrates all of it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLondon (2005)
London is a drug laden adventure that centers on a party in a New York loft where a young man is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisListen Up Philip (2014)
Anger rages in Philip as he awaits the publication of his second novel. He feels pushed out of his adopted home city by the constant crowds and noise, a deteriorating relationship with his photographer girlfriend Ashley, and his own indifference to promoting the novel. When Philip's idol Ike Zimmerman offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, he finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject: himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Believer (2001)
A hardcore US racist skinhead who, because of his intelligence, leads a gang dedicated to fighting the enemy: the supposed American-Jewish conspiracy for domination. However, he's hiding a secret: he's Jewish-born, a brilliant scholar whose questioning of the tenets of his faith has left him angry and confused, turning against those who he thinks have a tragic history of their own making.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Beauty (1999)
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPeacock Alley (1930)
Show dancer Claire finds herself in the New York hotel-suite with Stoddard Clayton, saying goodbye to him before her impending marriage the following day. When she returns to the hotel with her husband the following night, the house detective accuses her of prostitution and throws them out. Now Claire must explain everything to her unsympathetic husband.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
D'Unbelievables D'Telly (1998)
Irish Comedy Starring Jon Kenny & Pat Shortt
Why it matches: Similar story and style
One Night Only (2026)
Two love-starved strangers crash into each other on the one night of the year when single people are allowed to have sex.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Brave One (2007)
A woman struggles to recover from a brutal attack by setting out on a mission for revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCharlie's Angels (2000)
The captivating crime-fighting trio who are masters of disguise, espionage and martial arts are back! When a devious mastermind embroils them in a plot to destroy individual privacy, the Angels, aided by their loyal sidekick Bosley, set out to bring down the bad guys. But when a terrible secret is revealed, it makes the Angels targets for assassination.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
SnoozefestMovies like thisWho Killed Michael Stewart? (1986)
A documentary about a case of police brutality in the 80's NYC, the killing of graffiti artist Michael Stewart
Why it matches: Similar story and style
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
When New York architect Matt Saunders dumps his new girlfriend Jenny Johnson—a smart, sexy, and reluctant superhero known as G-Girl—she uses her powers to make his life a living hell.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Devil's Own (1997)
Frankie McGuire, one of the IRA's deadliest assassins, draws an American family into the crossfire of terrorism. But when he is sent to the U.S. to buy weapons, Frankie is housed with the family of Tom O'Meara, a New York cop who knows nothing about Frankie's real identity. Their surprising friendship, and Tom's growing suspicions, forces Frankie to choose between the promise of peace or a lifetime of murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Life Is Beautiful?
The closest matches to Life Is Beautiful are The Mouse That Roared (1959), Isn't It Romantic (2019) and How to Be Single (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Life Is Beautiful?
Start with The Mouse That Roared (1959), the closest match to Life Is Beautiful.
What is the highest-rated movie like Life Is Beautiful?
American Beauty (1999), rated 8.0/10 by 13,546 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Life Is Beautiful?
One Night Only (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Life Is Beautiful?
Yes: The Mouse That Roared (1959), Isn't It Romantic (2019) and How to Be Single (2016).
How are movies similar to Life Is Beautiful chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Life Is Beautiful, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.