Movies like National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air (2025)
The best movies like National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air (2025) are On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024), The Adults (2023) and Landline (2017). If National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air hooked you with its drama and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAlmost Friends (2017)6.3/10 from 263 votes
- NewestSavage House (2026)Released 2026
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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Adults (2023)
Eric returns home for a short visit and finds himself caught between reuniting with his sisters and chasing a victory with his old poker group. As the trip extends, Eric finds it increasingly difficult to avoid confrontations and revelations as his carefully constructed façade of his adulthood gives way to old childhood conflicts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLandline (2017)
A teenager living with her sister and parents in Manhattan during the 1990s discovers that her father is having an affair.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTyler Perry's Madea on the Run - The Play (2017)
In trouble with the local authorities, Mabel Simmons, notoriously known as Madea, is on the run from the law. With no place to turn, she moves in with her friend Bam who is recovering from surgery. Unbeknownst to Bam however, Madea is only using the "concerned friend" gag as a way to hide out from the police.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChloe and Theo (2015)
A young woman, Chloe, living by her wits on the streets of New York City, has a chance meeting with a wise Inuit Eskimo, Theo, who was sent to New York by his elders to provide a message to the people of the world – We either change our destructive was or be destroyed by them. Chloe, who has been searching for something to believe in, becomes inspired by Theo and , with the help of a kind lawyer, Monica, the three of them present Theo’s story to the United Nations in hopes of creating a better future for all of us.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisSomewhere in Queens (2023)
Leo and Angela Russo live a simple life in Queens, surrounded by their overbearing Italian-American family. When their son finds success on his high school basketball team, Leo tears the family apart trying to make it happen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbout Alex (2014)
When a group of old college friends reunite over a long weekend after one of them attempts suicide, old crushes and resentments shine light on their life decisions, and ultimately push friendships and relationships to the brink.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSavage House (2026)
Against the backdrop of 18th century England, a massive pox outbreak, and Jacobite uprising – Sir Chauncey Savage and Lady Savage blindly pursue a better life. It's not without a tinge of irony that their family name is the Savages, for this is a Savage House indeed, filled with duels, decadence, and bloodshed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStage Door (1937)
A spirited heiress wishing to break into theatre on her own merit arrives at a boardinghouse where aspiring young actresses and showgirls are brought together through their cynicism and disappointments.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAlmost Friends (2017)
A man in his mid-20s, still living at home with his mother and stepfather, puts all his eggs in one basket: the girl who works at his local coffee shop. The problem is, she has a serious boyfriend. As they become closer, the line between friendship and intimacy is blurred, and the situation forces both to examine where they are in their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMatch (2014)
A Seattle couple travel to New York to interview colorful former dancer Tobi for research on a dissertation about dance. But soon, common niceties and social graces erode when the questions turn personal and the true nature of the interview is called into question.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe House of Tomorrow (2019)
The film tells futurist, architect, and inventor R. Buckminster Fuller's incredible story through two teens hoping to get laid, become punk gods, and survive high school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHooking 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLady Windermere's Fan (1925)
A society woman believes her husband is having an affair, a misconception which may have dire personal consequences for all involved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJuniper (2021)
When a self-destructive teenager is suspended from school and asked to look after his feisty alcoholic grandmother as a punishment, the crazy time they spend together turns his life around.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMadea Goes to Jail - The Play (2006)
Madea returns in another hilarious story in which she gets sent to the big house. But regardless of the circumstances, she gives her trademark advice and wisdom to her friends and family as they learn the importance of letting go, moving on, and forgiveness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOh, Hello on Broadway (2017)
Two delusional geriatrics reveal curious pasts, share a love of tuna and welcome a surprise guest in this filming of the popular Broadway comedy show.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Honey Pot (1967)
In Venice, a millionaire hires an actor to help him prank three greedy exes into thinking he's dying and leaving his fortune to one of them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Liza (2002)
Following the unexplained suicide of his wife Liza, website designer Wilson Joel turns to huffing gasoline fumes and remote control gaming while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAce Attorney: Turnabout Gold Medal (2019)
Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth, and many more prepare to face off in the Judicial Olympics. Overseeing the event is executive chairman and former champion Godot. The trial will end when one lawyer receives the event's prestigious gold medal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
W Wolinski (2024)
After the Charlie Hebdo shooting events by the hand of jihadist terrorists David wants to bring on stage a play based on the late satyrical cartoonist George Wolinski's comicbook strips, but he struggles to finds cohoperation from institutional figures. He then agrees to direct in a small provincial town a stage play about an apulian folk dance, the Pizzica. Masterminding to disguise the original planned one, with its sexually explicit nature, into the accorded one he will gain the complicity of the curious cast hired on the spot. The start of the rehearsals will arouse excited consensus either censure which will lead to a growing boycott of the staging.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Camping (2009)
A grief-stricken dysfunctional family goes camping.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Maybe… (2025)
An inventor who creates a time machine to correct his past mistakes encounters an unusual situation. One day, souls wanting to return to life begin to flock to his house...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Walden (2021)
After returning from a year-long Moon mission, Cassie, a NASA botanist, finds herself in a remote cabin in the woods, where her estranged twin sister, Stella, a former NASA architect, has found a new life with climate activist Bryan. Old wounds resurface as the sisters attempt to pick up the pieces of the rivalry that broke them apart.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Choosy Bride-to-Be (1961)
A filmed stage play based on Kosta Trifkovic novel about mischievous girl who, together with her female cousin, makes fun of the whole bunch of her admirers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Aladdin (1967)
In ancient China, an aimless young man falls in love with the Emperor's beautiful daughter, and goes on a journey with his supposedly long-lost uncle in search of riches. CBS presentation of the Prince Street Players' Aladdin adaptation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Into the Woods (1991)
In a woods filled with magic and fairy tale characters, a baker and his wife set out to end the curse put on them by their neighbor, a spiteful witch.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPersona 4 The ULTIMATE in MAYONAKA ARENA Stage Project (2015)
A live-action adaptation of Persona 4 Arena.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air?
The closest matches to National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air are On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024), The Adults (2023) and Landline (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air?
Start with On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024), the closest match to National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air.
What is the highest-rated movie like National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air?
Almost Friends (2017), rated 6.3/10 by 263 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air?
Savage House (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air?
Yes: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024), The Adults (2023) and Landline (2017).
How are movies similar to National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside National Theatre Live: The Brightening Air, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.