Movies like Unexpected Encounters (2024)
The best movies like Unexpected Encounters (2024) are Love by the Book (2015), Larry Crowne (2011) and Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009). If Unexpected Encounters hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Unexpected Encounters
Quick picks
- Highest ratedRichard Jewell (2019)7.4/10 from 2,842 votes
- NewestThe Perfect Find (2023)Released 2023
Love by the Book (2015)
Bookstore owner Emma believes in fairy tales. Although she has yet to be swept away by prince charming, she sees real knight in shining armor potential with a new suitor, Landon. As Emma balances time with Landon and saving her bookstore with once irritating business consultant, Eric, however, she weighs storybook romance against genuine commitment. While she sorts out her feelings toward Landon and Eric, as well as toward love and romance, Emma begins to realize that fairytale endings aren't always by the book.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLarry Crowne (2011)
When he suddenly finds himself without his long-standing blue-collar job, Larry Crowne enrolls at his local college to start over. There, he becomes part of an eclectic community of students and develops a crush on his teacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisConfessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
In the glamorous world of New York City, Rebecca Bloomwood is a fun-loving girl who is really good at shopping – a little too good, perhaps. She dreams of working for her favorite fashion magazine, but can't quite get her foot in the door – until ironically, she snags a job as an advice columnist for a financial magazine published by the same company.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNotting Hill (1999)
London bookstore owner William Thacker's quiet life turns upside down when a chance encounter with famous actress Anna Scott sparks an unlikely romance challenged by their vastly different worlds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Perfect Find (2023)
After a high-profile firing, everything is at stake for 40-year-old Jenna: her career, her ticking biological clock, and her bank account. Her fashion career comeback hits a snag when she falls for a charming, much younger coworker — who happens to be her boss’s son. As sparks fly, Jenna must decide if she’ll risk it all on a secret romance with the one person who could destroy her comeback.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdult World (2014)
Amy, a naive college graduate who believes she's destined to be a great poet, begrudgingly accepts a job at a sex shop while she pursues a mentorship with reclusive writer Rat Billings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRichard Jewell (2019)
Richard Jewell thinks quick, works fast, and saves hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives after a domestic terrorist plants several pipe bombs and they explode during a concert, only to be falsely suspected of the crime by sloppy FBI work and sensational media coverage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWonderstruck (2017)
The story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in New York from fifty years ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSubmission (2018)
A well-respected professor who is a celebrated novelist and loving husband loses himself when he becomes obsessed with an ambitious and talented student.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSecond Act (2018)
Value Shop assistant manager Maya Vargas wants only one thing for her 43rd birthday -- a promotion. While her résumé may not scream upper management, her track record certainly does; she is an innovator who listens to her customers and delivers results. When she loses the job to a college-educated candidate, Maya sets out to prove to Madison Avenue that street smarts are as valuable as book smarts -- and it's never too late for a second act.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisValley of the Dolls (1967)
Lured by their dreams of fame and fortune, three ambitious young women enter the world of show business and discover how easy it is to sink into a celebrity nightmare of ego, alcohol and pills — the beloved "dolls."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoodbye Christopher Robin (2017)
The behind the scenes story of the life of A.A. Milne and the creation of the Winnie the Pooh stories inspired by his son Christopher Robin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLadies in Black (2018)
Adapted from the bestselling novel by Madeleine St John, Ladies in Black is an alluring and tender-hearted comedy drama about the lives of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Stranger (1946)
An investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi, who may be hiding out in a small town in the guise of a distinguished professor engaged to the Supreme Court Justice’s daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLittle Men (2016)
Jake is a quiet, sensitive middle schooler with dreams of being an artist. He meets the affably brash Tony at his grandfather's funeral, and the unlikely pair soon hit it off. The budding friendship is put at risk, however, when a rent dispute between Jake's father, Brian, and Tony's mother, Leonor, threatens to become contentious.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBack to School (1986)
Self-made millionaire Thornton Melon decides to get a better education and enrolls at his son Jason's college. While Jason tries to fit in with his fellow students, Thornton struggles to gain his son's respect, giving way to hilarious antics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this10 Items or Less (2006)
An actor who is considering the role of a supermarket manager arrives at a grocery store on the outskirts of Los Angeles to do some field research. He subsequently becomes stranded, without a car or cell phone, and accepts a ride home with Scarlet, a cashier who is about to interview for a new job. The actor rediscovers the essence of his craft while helping Scarlet gain the confidence she needs to change her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWinter Passing (2006)
Actress Reese Holden has been offered a small fortune by a book editor if she can secure for publication the love letters that her father, a reclusive novelist, wrote to her mother, who has since passed away. Returning to Michigan, Reese finds that an ex-grad student and a would-be musician have moved in with her father, who cares more about his new friends than he does about his own health and well-being.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Paper Chase (1973)
A first-year law student struggles with balancing his coursework and his relationship with the daughter of a stern professor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife of the Party (2018)
When her husband suddenly dumps her, longtime dedicated housewife Deanna turns regret into re-set by going back to college... landing in the same class and school as her daughter, who's not entirely sold on the idea. Plunging headlong into the campus experience, the increasingly outspoken Deanna – now Dee Rock – embraces freedom, fun, and frat boys on her own terms, finding her true self in a senior year no one ever expected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Unexpected Encounters?
The closest matches to Unexpected Encounters are Love by the Book (2015), Larry Crowne (2011) and Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Unexpected Encounters?
Start with Love by the Book (2015), the closest match to Unexpected Encounters.
What is the highest-rated movie like Unexpected Encounters?
Richard Jewell (2019), rated 7.4/10 by 2,842 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Unexpected Encounters?
The Perfect Find (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Unexpected Encounters?
Yes: Love by the Book (2015), Larry Crowne (2011) and Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009).
How are movies similar to Unexpected Encounters chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Unexpected Encounters, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.