Movies like Charly (1985)
The best movies like Charly (1985) are Hear Me Out (2021), Help! (1965) and Watching the Detectives (2007). If Charly hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLa Vie en Rose (2007)7.4/10 from 1,789 votes
- NewestThe Musicians (2025)Released 2025
- In FrenchHear Me Out (2021)Also in French
Hear Me Out (2021)
Antoine, a history teacher in his early 50s, learns that he has become very hard of hearing. Unable to own up to his handicap, he resigns himself to living in his bubble, even though his entourage finds his behavior increasingly odd. His encounter with Claire, widow and mother of a young girl who has stopped speaking, will lead him to open up to the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHelp! (1965)
An obscure Eastern cult that practices human sacrifice pursues Ringo after he unknowingly puts on a ceremonial ring (that, of course, won't come off). On top of that, a pair of mad scientists, members of Scotland Yard, and a beautiful but dead-eyed assassin all have their own plans for the Fab Four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWatching the Detectives (2007)
Neil, a self-proclaimed film geek and owner of Gumshoe video, has always been content to live vicariously through his favorite films noir. But when he meets Violet, a real-life femme fatale, his mundane world gets turned upside down and the line between reality and the movies quickly begins to blur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIsn't It Romantic (2019)
For a long time, Natalie, an Australian architect living in New York City, had always believed that what she had seen in rom-coms is all fantasy. But after thwarting a mugger at a subway station only to be knocked out while fleeing, Natalie wakes up and discovers that her life has suddenly become her worst nightmare—a romantic comedy—and she is the leading lady.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarie's Story (2014)
Marie Heurtin is born both blind and deaf. Sister Marguerette wins her trust and teaches her how to express herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCoda (2020)
A famous pianist at the twilight of his career meets a free-spirited music critic who soon becomes his rock as his mental state deteriorates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLa Vie en Rose (2007)
From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Edith Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in her grandmother's brothel, Piaf was discovered in 1935 by nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness. Piaf became one of France's immortal icons, her voice one of the indelible signatures of the 20th century.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRolling to You (2018)
Jocelyn is a selfish and misogynist businessman. He tries to seduce a young pretty woman by pretending to be handicapped, till the day he meets her sister, who is also in a wheelchair.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArlo the Alligator Boy (2021)
Upon learning that he is from New York City, a wide-eyed boy, who is half human and half alligator, decides to leave his sheltered life in the swamp and search for his long lost father. A musical adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNew York, New York (1977)
An egotistical saxophone player and a young singer meet on V-J Day and embark upon a strained and rocky romance, even as their careers begin a long uphill climb.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Crazy Stranger (1998)
A man is looking for a singer he had heard on cassette. He finds much more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSnoopy Presents: It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown (2022)
Charlie Brown is determined to win the big baseball game. But things turn into a fiasco right before the matchup, when Sally bonds with a little flower on the pitcher's mound and vows to protect it at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSidelined: The QB and Me (2025)
Dallas, a burdened but headstrong dancer, is determined to get into the best dance school in the country—her late mother’s alma mater. However, that dream is suddenly derailed when the cheeky yet secretly grieving football star, Drayton, crashes into her life with a unique story of his own. Will the two of them be able to grow into their dreams together, or will their dreams be sidelined?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this50 First Dates (2004)
Henry is a player skilled at seducing women. But when this veterinarian meets Lucy, a girl with a quirky problem when it comes to total recall, he realizes it's possible to fall in love all over again…and again, and again. That's because the delightful Lucy has no short-term memory, so Henry must woo her day after day until he finally sweeps her off her feet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Afternoons with Margueritte (2010)
An illiterate and lonely man bonds with an older and well-read woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHollywood Stargirl (2022)
When Stargirl's mother is hired as the costume designer on a movie, they relocate to L.A., where Stargirl quickly becomes involved with an eclectic assortment of characters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHot Frosty (2024)
When a young widow's magic scarf brings a dashing snowman to life, can he help her rediscover romance, laughter and holiday cheer before he melts away?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisLove at Second Sight (2019)
A man tries to make his wife fall in love with him again, after waking up in an alternate reality where she never knew him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Musicians (2025)
Astrid Thompson finally succeeds in fulfilling her father's dream: to bring together four Stradivarius for a unique concert, eagerly expected by music lovers around the world. But Lise, George, Peter and Apolline, the four virtuosos recruited for the occasion, are incapable of playing together. The rehearsals are one ego crisis after another. With no solution in sight, Astrid decides to go and find the only person who, in her eyes, can still save the event: Charlie Beaumont, the composer of the score.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWalk. Ride. Rodeo. (2019)
Tells the incredible true story of Amberley Snyder, a nationally ranked rodeo barrel racer who defies the odds after barely surviving a car accident that leaves her paralyzed from the waist down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFunnel (2014)
A man's car breaks down, leading him to journey for a small plastic funnel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Africa Light / Gray Zone (2010)
"Africa Light" - as white local citizens call Namibia. The name suggests romance, the beauty of nature and promises a life without any problems in a country where the difference between rich and poor could hardly be greater. Namibia does not give that impression of it. If you look at its surface it seems like Africa in its most innocent and civilized form. It is a country that is so inviting to dream by its spectacular landscape, stunning scenery and fascinating wildlife. It has a very strong tourism structure and the government gets a lot of money with its magical attraction. But despite its grandiose splendor it is an endless gray zone as well. It oscillates between tradition and modernity, between the cattle in the country and the slums in the city. It shuttles from colonial times, land property reform to minimum wage for everyone. It fluctuates between socialism and cold calculated market economy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
A Political Cartoon (1974)
Two guys run a cartoon character for President.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Silup (2011)
Silup is “Pulis” (police) spelled backwards. We peek into the life of a Manila cop whose day is made up of dealing with denizens and the crimes they commit. At work, he may be all tough and stern, but at home, we see his more sensitive side. He has this mysterious routine of taking out a can of sterilized milk from a cupboard and depositing his revolver in its place. Later on, it is revealed why he makes the switch and how it is like to live by his duty as a policeman to serve and protect.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Hazard (2010)
While out driving together, a father and his son discover that they share different principles and perspectives in life. Upon reaching the city’s outskirts, they make an even more disturbing discovery that will push their unstable relationship to its limits.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Niño Bonito (2011)
Boni, a little boy from the slums, squares off with the stark reality of drugs, petty crime and abuse armed with his own brand of hip hop and some divine intervention.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Carpool (2006)
Jerrold Tarog's award-winning 2006 short film on friendship and infidelity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Like Charly and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Charly?
The closest matches to Charly are Hear Me Out (2021), Help! (1965) and Watching the Detectives (2007). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Charly?
Start with Hear Me Out (2021), the closest match to Charly.
What is the highest-rated movie like Charly?
La Vie en Rose (2007), rated 7.4/10 by 1,789 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Charly?
The Musicians (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Charly?
Yes: Hear Me Out (2021), Marie's Story (2014) and La Vie en Rose (2007).
How are movies similar to Charly chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Charly, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.