Movies like River (2007)
The best movies like River (2007) are The Art of Getting By (2011), Great Expectations (1998) and Love, Rosie (2014). If River hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFive Feet Apart (2019)8.2/10 from 6,024 votes
- NewestOur Kingdom (2026)Released 2026
The Art of Getting By (2011)
George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who's made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGreat 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 thisLove, Rosie (2014)
Since the moment they met at age 5, Rosie and Alex have been best friends, facing the highs and lows of growing up side by side. A fleeting shared moment, one missed opportunity, and the decisions that follow send their lives in completely different directions. As each navigates the complexities of life, love, and everything in between, they always find their way back to each other - but is it just friendship, or something more?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisProblemista (2024)
Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025)
Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present... and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Giver (2014)
In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPaper Man (2009)
A coming-of-middle-age comedy that chronicles the unlikely friendship between failed author Richard Dunne and a Long Island teen who teaches him a thing or two about growing up, all under the disapproving eye of his long-suffering wife and his imaginary Superhero friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStardust Memories (1980)
While attending a retrospect of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArtists and Models (1955)
A struggling painter begins taking inspiration from the dreams of his friend and roommate, a comic book fan who narrates an adventure story while he sleeps, but unbeknownst to the latter, the artist of his favorite comic book lives in the same building as they do with the model for her drawings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt's a Boy Girl Thing (2006)
A visit to a natural history museum proves catastrophic for two high school rivals, an overachiever and a jock, when an ancient Aztec statue casts a spell that causes them to switch bodies and see exactly what it's like to walk in the other's shoes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStill Breathing (1997)
Two lost souls: she a con-artist in L.A.; he a puppeteer in San Antonio have the same dream linking each with the other. He travels to L.A. to find this woman he has become obsessed with. She resists, afraid of his kooky ideas until she travels with him to San Antonio and meets his wise grandmother. Story of two disparate people linked by "fate" gets increasingly interesting as it rolls along.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Thousand Words (2012)
Jack McCall is a fast-talking literary agent, who can close any deal, any time, any way. He has set his sights on New Age guru Dr. Sinja for his own selfish purposes. But Dr. Sinja is on to him, and Jack’s life comes unglued after a magical Bodhi tree mysteriously appears in his backyard. With every word Jack speaks, a leaf falls from the tree and he realizes that when the last leaf falls, both he and the tree are toast. Words have never failed Jack McCall, but now he’s got to stop talking and conjure up some outrageous ways to communicate or he’s a goner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNorthfork (2003)
The year is 1955, and a great flood is coming to Northfork, Montana. A new hydroelectric dam is about to be installed in the mountains above the town, ready to submerge the valley in the name of progress. It is the responsibility of a six-man Evacuation Committee to relocate the townsfolk to higher ground. Most have duly departed, but a few stubborn stragglers remain – among them a priest caring for a sickly orphan, a boy whose fevered visions are leading him to believe he is a member of a roaming band of lost angels desperately searching for a way home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDrop Dead Fred (1991)
An unhappy housewife gets a lift from the return of her imaginary childhood friend, Drop Dead Fred.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisDon't Think Twice (2016)
An improv group deals with several crises, including the loss of their lease and one member hitting the big time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Strings Attached (2011)
Emma is a busy doctor who sets up a seemingly perfect arrangement when she offers her best friend Adam a relationship with one rule: No strings attached. But when a fling becomes a thing, can sex friends stay best friends?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGigi & Nate (2022)
A young man with a bright future suffers a near-fatal accident and recreates his new life with the help of an unlikely animal friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this80 for Brady (2023)
Four lifelong friends set out on an unforgettable journey to see their hero Tom Brady play in Super Bowl LI and witness one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, discovering that it's never too late to live life to the fullest. Inspired by a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFive Feet Apart (2019)
Seventeen-year-old Stella spends most of her time in the hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control — all of which get put to the test when she meets Will, an impossibly charming teen who has the same illness. There's an instant flirtation, though restrictions dictate that they must maintain a safe distance between them. As their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out the window and embrace that attraction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSynecdoche, New York (2008)
A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEcho of Silence (2008)
In a small town of Hokkaido, Yunni, Fusako Kurokawa (Saki Takaoka), lives a quiet life with her father. Life here is very simple, but it is good enough and she is happy enough. Days go on as usual. with some coincidence, she meets this man one day, Wataru Kadokura (Atsuro Watabe) a man who cannot speak. A very peaceful "time" now becomes part of her daily life as this strong emotion suddenly takes place in her simple quiet life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Golden Apron (2025)
A mockumentary that follows the 5 main contestants of The Golden Apron contest, a competition in search of "the greatest home chef in America", being held by a nefarious food manufacturing company with their own corporate agenda.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Foil Arms and Hog: Craicling (2019)
Foil Arms and Hog's 'Craicling', live at Vicar Street. See Irelands top comedy trio in Full 1080p HD perform to over a thousand people in their hometown of Dublin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Clean Break | An Improvised Short-Film (2025)
A raw short drama about a couple forced to stay one more night together after a bitter breakup. This film was completely improvised.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Nucleus of Our Love (2025)
An overzealous bureaucrat invades the sanctity of a nuclear family and their beloved bomb.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Our Kingdom (2026)
After school on a long summer's afternoon, neighbours Becky and Jake offer each other a safe haven from life at home — and a promise.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Eat Our Shorts! (2015)
What happens when a director and his six friends come up with stupid ideas? They become shorts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Trying (2018)
An improvised drama following two couples as they spend the weekend away together, only to be confronted with the problems in their relationships.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
LOVERS (2019)
The german performance artists Greta & Rodi are celebrating the last 24 Hours of their relationship. Planned as an act of gratitude & the last art project at the same time, things get out of control...
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Mind of Thoughts (2025)
A rising artist haunted by her own thoughts must confront the darkness within - or risk losing herself forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like River?
The closest matches to River are The Art of Getting By (2011), Great Expectations (1998) and Love, Rosie (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after River?
Start with The Art of Getting By (2011), the closest match to River.
What is the highest-rated movie like River?
Five Feet Apart (2019), rated 8.2/10 by 6,024 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like River?
Our Kingdom (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like River?
Yes: The Art of Getting By (2011), Great Expectations (1998) and Love, Rosie (2014).
How are movies similar to River chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside River, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.