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Movies like Arrival

The best movies like Arrival are Very Nice, Very Nice (1961), Roundhay Garden Scene (1888) and Our Wife (1931). If Arrival hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Very Nice, Very Nice (1961)

    Arthur Lipsett's first film is an avant-garde blend of photography and sound. It looks behind the business-as-usual face we put on life and shows anxieties we want to forget. It is made of dozens of pictures that seem familiar, with fragments of speech heard in passing and, between times, a voice saying, "Very nice, very nice." The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. Roundhay Garden Scene (1888)

    The earliest surviving motion-picture film, and believed to be one of the very first moving images ever created, was shot by Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince using the LPCCP Type-1 MkII single-lens camera. It was taken on paper-based photographic film in the garden of Oakwood Grange, the Whitley family house in Roundhay, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire (UK), on 14 October 1888. The film shows Adolphe Le Prince (Le Prince’s son), Mrs. Sarah Whitley (Le Prince’s mother-in-law), Joseph Whitley, and Miss Harriet Hartley walking around in circles, laughing to themselves, and staying within the area framed by the camera. Roundhay Garden Scene is often associated with a recording speed of around 12 frames per second and runs for about 2 to 3 seconds.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  3. Our Wife (1931)

    Oliver is making plans to marry his sweetheart Dulcy with Stan as his best man, but the plans are thwarted when Dulcy's father sees a picture of Ollie and forbids the marriage. The couple plan to elope, and run away to a Justice of the Peace. After typical Laurel and Hardy blundering, they manage to sneak the girl away from her father's house.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King (2014)

    A documentary filmmaker interviews the now-famous Trevor Slattery from behind bars.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  5. Beau Hunks (1931)

    Stan and Ollie join the French Foreign Legion after Ollie's sweetheart rejects him.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. A Woman (1915)

    Mother, father and daughter go to the park. The women doze off on a bench while the father plays a hide-and-seek game with a girl, blindfolded. Charlie leads him into a lake. Both dozing ladies on the bench fall for Charlie and invite him for dinner. The father returns home with a friend. Charlie rushes upstairs and dresses like a woman, shaving his mustache. Both men fall for Charlie.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Dickson Experimental Sound Film (1894)

    William K.L. Dickson plays the violin while two men dance. This is the oldest surviving sound film where sound is recorded on the phonograph.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1 (2007)

    Experience these masterpieces of storytelling from the creative minds that brought you Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and many more. With revolutionary animation, unforgettable music and characters you love, these dazzling short films have changed the face of animation and entertainment and are sure to delight people of all ages for years to come.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  9. Far from the Tree (2021)

    On an idyllic beach in the Pacific Northwest, curiosity gets the better of a young raccoon whose frustrated parent attempts to keep them both safe.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  10. Ferdinand the Bull (1938)

    This Oscar-winning short tells of a bull who preferred to sit under trees and smell flowers to clashing horns with his fellow animals. As luck would have it, an untimely bee reveals Ferdinand's ferocious side via pained howls and wild stomping. This lands him in the bull-fighting arena amidst characters based on Walt's animators with a matador reportedly modeled after Walt himself.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Mike's New Car (2002)

    Mike discovers that being the top-ranking laugh collector at Monsters, Inc. has its benefits – in particular, earning enough money to buy a six-wheel-drive car that's loaded with gadgets. That new-car smell doesn't last long enough, however, as Sulley jump-starts an ill-fated road test that teaches Mike the true meaning of buyer's remorse.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Oliver the Eighth (1934)

    Barbershop owners Stan and Ollie answer an ad in the newspaper from a wealthy widow looking for a husband. Ollie only mails in his response and is invited to the widow's mansion. Stan discovers his unmailed letter and insists on tagging along. At the mansion, the widow's creepy butler informs them that the woman is crazy. She was once jilted by an Oliver and now her hobby is marrying Olivers and then slitting their throats. Now the boys must figure out how to escape.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. Team Thor: Part 2 (2017)

    A continuation of the documentary spoof of what Thor and his roommate Darryl were up to during the events of "Captain America: Civil War". While Cap and Iron Man duke it out, Thor tries to pay Darryl his rent in Asgardian coins.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. Solid Serenade (1946)

    Tom ties up Spike and sneaks into the courtyard of the glamorous Toodles Galore with his bass, hoping to woo her with his song, much to the annoyance of a sleeping Jerry.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009)

    John Cazale was in only five films – The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather: Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter – each was nominated for Best Picture. Yet today most people don't even know his name. I KNEW IT WAS YOU is a fresh tour through movies that defined a generation.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Your Friend the Rat (2007)

    Let's face it, rats are not the most beloved creatures on earth. However, maybe this little tale about the history of human and rat interaction will change the world's tune. At least that is the hope of Remy, the star of Ratatouille, and his reluctant brother Emile as they guide us through world history from a rat's perspective. Why can't we all just get along?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  17. Curve (2016)

    Clinging to a smooth, curved surface high above a sentient abyss, a woman tries to cover the few feet back to safety without losing purchase and falling to her death.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Unidentified Flying Mater (2009)

    Mater finds a small UFO called Mator and they have a night out. Later, when Mator is captured by military forces, Mater sneaks up and saves him with the help of Lightning McQueen and the UFO's mother.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Reservoir Dogs (1991)

    Short film made with the help of the Sundance Film Institute and serving as a proof-of-concept for the subsequent feature film.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. From Straight A's to XXX (2017)

    When a change of circumstances leaves Miriam unable to pay her college tuition, she makes a surprising decision: to start performing in adult films, using the pseudonym Belle Knox. Miriam lies to her family and her friends at school, keeping her double life a secret. But soon rumours spread and Miriam becomes the subject of vicious online attacks and unwanted attention. Miriam fights back: she talks to the media, saying her new line of work empowers her as a feminist. But her confident stand has unintended consequences. Miriam is shunned by her conservative family and her colleagues in the adult film world. One impulsive decision has quickly spiralled out of control - and Miriam's problems are just beginning.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Arrival?

The closest matches to Arrival are Very Nice, Very Nice (1961), Roundhay Garden Scene (1888) and Our Wife (1931). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Arrival?

Start with Very Nice, Very Nice (1961), the closest match to Arrival.

What is the highest-rated movie like Arrival?

Far from the Tree (2021), rated 8.1/10 by 395 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Arrival?

Far from the Tree (2021) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Arrival?

Yes: Very Nice, Very Nice (1961), Roundhay Garden Scene (1888) and Our Wife (1931).

How are movies similar to Arrival chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Arrival, 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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