Skip to content

Movies like The Painter & The Pest (1985)

The best movies like The Painter & The Pest (1985) are Final Portrait (2017), Age of Consent (1969) and A Brush with Love (2019). If The Painter & The Pest hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Final Portrait (2017)

    Paris, 1964. The Swiss sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti, one of the most accomplished and respected artists of his generation, asks his friend, the American writer James Lord, to sit for a portrait, assuring him that it will take no longer than two or three hours, an afternoon at the most.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Age of Consent (1969)

    An elderly artist thinks he has become too stale and is past his prime. His friend (and agent) persuades him to go to an offshore island to try once more. On the island he re-discovers his muse in the form of a young girl.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. A Brush with Love (2019)

    As she considers giving up on her artistic dreams, Jamie paints a vision board that brings her success and love—only to discover that the mystery man in her painting isn't who she thinks.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  4. Everybody’s Everything (2019)

    The story of artist Lil Peep from his birth in Long Island and meteoric rise as a genre blending pop star & style icon, to his death due to an accidental opioid overdose in Arizona at just 21 years of age.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  5. Mr. Turner (2014)

    Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful housekeeper bears an unrequited love for him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)

    In 1958 New York Diane Arbus is a housewife and mother who works as an assistant to her husband, a photographer employed by her wealthy parents. Respectable though her life is, she cannot help but feel uncomfortable in her privileged world. One night, a new neighbor catches Diane's eye, and the enigmatic man inspires her to set forth on the path to discovering her own artistry.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Finding Vivian Maier (2014)

    Vivian Maier's photos were seemingly destined for obscurity, lost among the clutter of the countless objects she'd collected throughout her life. Instead these images have shaken the world of street photography and irrevocably changed the life of the man who brought them to the public eye. This film brings to life the interesting turns and travails of the improbable saga of John Maloof's discovery of Vivian Maier, unravelling this mysterious tale through her documentary films, photographs, odd collections and personal accounts from the people that knew her. What started as a blog to show her work quickly became a viral sensation in the photography world. Photos destined for the trash heap now line gallery exhibitions, a forthcoming book and this documentary film.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. 10 Rillington Place (1971)

    The story of British serial killer John Christie, who committed most or all of his crimes in the titular terraced house, and the miscarriage of justice involving Timothy Evans.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. Copying Beethoven (2006)

    Serving as Ludwig van Beethoven's copyist gives a conservatory student access to the composer's musical genius, but also exposes her to his cruelty.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story (2011)

    A look at J.K. Rowling from her humble beginnings as an imaginative young girl and awkward teenager, to the loss of her mother and the genesis of the Harry Potter book series.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Shine (1996)

    Pianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Mirage (1965)

    After a blackout in his office building, accountant David Stillwell emerges outside to find out a man he did not know either jumped or was pushed out a window to his death — and that he can't remember the past two years of his life. Enlisting the help of a rookie private eye and a reluctant old flame, Stillwell uncovers the mystery detail by unexpected detail.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. Cutie and the Boxer (2013)

    This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role as her overbearing husband's assistant, Noriko finds an identity of her own.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

    This film, adapted from a work of fiction by author Tracy Chevalier, tells a story about the events surrounding the creation of the painting "Girl With A Pearl Earring" by 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. A young peasant maid working in the house of painter Johannes Vermeer becomes his talented assistant and the model for one of his most famous works.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)

    Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. The Physician (2013)

    England, 1021: Born in a miserable mining town, Robert Cole swears to become a physician and vanquish disease and death. His harsh path of many years, a quest for knowledge besieged by countless challenges and sacrifices, leads him to the remote Isfahan, in Persia, where he meets Ibn Sina, the greatest healer of his time.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998)

    In the 1960s, British painter Francis Bacon surprises a burglar and invites him to share his bed. The burglar, a working class man named George Dyer, accepts. After the unique beginning to their love affair, the well-connected and volatile artist assimilates Dyer into his circle of eccentric friends, as Dyer's struggle with addiction strains their bond.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. I Saw the Light (2016)

    Singer and songwriter Hank Williams rises to fame in the 1940s, but alcohol abuse and infidelity take a toll on his career and marriage to fellow musician Audrey Mae Williams.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989)

    No one expects much from Christy Brown, a boy with cerebral palsy born into a working-class Irish family. Though Christy is a spastic quadriplegic and essentially paralyzed, a miraculous event occurs when, at the age of 5, he demonstrates control of his left foot by using chalk to scrawl a word on the floor. With the help of his steely mother — and no shortage of grit and determination — Christy overcomes his infirmity to become a painter, poet and author.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. Great Expectations (1998)

    Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like The Painter & The Pest and something else?

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

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like The Painter & The Pest?

The closest matches to The Painter & The Pest are Final Portrait (2017), Age of Consent (1969) and A Brush with Love (2019). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after The Painter & The Pest?

Start with Final Portrait (2017), the closest match to The Painter & The Pest.

What is the highest-rated movie like The Painter & The Pest?

Everybody’s Everything (2019), rated 8.4/10 by 311 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like The Painter & The Pest?

Everybody’s Everything (2019) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like The Painter & The Pest?

Yes: Final Portrait (2017), Age of Consent (1969) and A Brush with Love (2019).

How are movies similar to The Painter & The Pest chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Painter & The Pest, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Full search page