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Movies like Ships in the Night

The best movies like Ships in the Night are Scarecrow (1973), One Last Thing... (2005) and Happy-Go-Lucky (2008). If Ships in the Night hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Scarecrow (1973)

    Two drifters bum around, visit earthy women and discuss opening a car wash in Pittsburgh.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  2. One Last Thing... (2005)

    Sixteen-year-old Dylan is dying of cancer. When a charitable organization offers to grant Dylan his final wish, the teen has a surprising request: to meet supermodel Nikki Sinclair. Much to his mother's dismay, Dylan, with the help of his best friends, goes to New York to fulfill his dream.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

    A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  4. Wendy and Lucy (2008)

    A near-penniless drifter's journey to Alaska in search of work is interrupted when she loses her dog while attempting to shoplift food for it.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. September (1987)

    After a suicide attempt, Lane has moved into her country house to recuperate. Her best friend, Stephanie, has come to join her for the summer. Lane's mother, Diane, has recently arrived with her husband Lloyd, Lane's stepfather. Lane is close to two neighbors: Peter, and Howard. Howard is in love with Lane, Lane is in love with Peter, and Peter is in love with Stephanie.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. Daddio (2024)

    A woman taking a cab ride from JFK airport engages in a conversation with the driver about the important relationships in their lives.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Mikey and Nicky (1976)

    Nick is desperate, holed up in a cheap hotel, suffering from an ulcer and convinced that a local mob boss wants him killed. Terrified, he calls Mikey, his friend since childhood and a fellow gangster. So begins a long night…

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. The Edge of Love (2008)

    When the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his flirtatious wife Caitlin sweep into war-torn London, the last thing they expect is to bump into Dylan's childhood sweetheart Vera. Despite her joy at seeing Dylan after so many years, Vera is swept off her feet by a dashing officer, William Killick, and finds herself torn between the open adoration of her new found beau and the wily charms of the exotic Welshman.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019)

    Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, this film captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. Crazy Heart (2009)

    When reporter Jean Craddock interviews Bad Blake—an alcoholic, seen-better-days country music legend—they connect, and the hard-living crooner sees a possible saving grace in a life with Jean and her young son.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Ana (2020)

    Ana meets Rafa in a chance encounter and they embark on a road trip to try and save him from bankruptcy, or worse.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Interstate 60 (2002)

    An aspiring painter meets various characters and learns valuable lessons while traveling across America.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. In Good Company (2004)

    Dan Foreman is a seasoned advertisement sales executive at a high-ranking publication when a corporate takeover results in him being placed under naive supervisor Carter Duryea, who is half his age. Matters are made worse when Dan's new supervisor becomes romantically involved with his daughter an 18 year-old college student Alex.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. The Way Way Back (2013)

    Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. Stuber (2019)

    After crashing his car, a cop who's recovering from eye surgery recruits an Uber driver to help him catch a heroin dealer. The mismatched pair soon find themselves in for a wild day of stakeouts and shootouts as they encounter the city's seedy side.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Footloose (1984)

    When teenager Ren and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small town in the West, he's in for a real case of culture shock after discovering he's living in a place where music and dancing are illegal.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. The Shift (2023)

    Following a tense encounter with a mysterious stranger with otherworldly powers, a man finds himself banished to a parallel, tyrannical Earth, where he fights to get back to the woman he loves.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Smoke (1995)

    Writer Paul Benjamin is nearly hit by a bus when he leaves Auggie Wren's smoke shop. Stranger Rashid Cole saves his life, and soon middle-aged Paul tells homeless Rashid that he wouldn't mind a short-term housemate. Still grieving over his wife's murder, Paul is moved by both Rashid's quest to reconnect with his father and Auggie's discovery that a woman who might be his daughter is about to give birth.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. Fireflies in the Garden (2008)

    The semi-autobiographical story centers on the complexities of love and commitment in a family torn apart when faced with an unexpected tragedy.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)

    A family dog – with a near-human soul and a philosopher's mind – evaluates his life through the lessons learned by his human owner, a race-car driver.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this

Like Ships in the Night and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Ships in the Night?

The closest matches to Ships in the Night are Scarecrow (1973), One Last Thing... (2005) and Happy-Go-Lucky (2008). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Ships in the Night?

Start with Scarecrow (1973), the closest match to Ships in the Night.

What is the highest-rated movie like Ships in the Night?

The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019), rated 8.1/10 by 1,765 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Ships in the Night?

Daddio (2024) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Ships in the Night?

Yes: Scarecrow (1973), One Last Thing... (2005) and Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).

How are movies similar to Ships in the Night chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ships in the Night, 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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