Movies like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
The best movies like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) are A Different Man (2024), 10,000 Saints (2015) and The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017). If Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) 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 ratedAll That Jazz (1979)7.5/10 from 644 votes
- NewestWatching Mr. Pearson (2026)Released 2026
A Different Man (2024)
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this10,000 Saints (2015)
A sweeping multigenerational story set against the backdrop of the raw, roaring New York City of the late 1980s; adoption, teen pregnancy, drugs, hardcore punk rock, the unbridled optimism and reckless stupidity of the young—and old—are all major elements in this heart-aching tale of the son of diehard hippies and his strange odyssey through the extremes of late 20th century youth culture.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
An estranged family gathers together in New York for an event celebrating the artistic work of their father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNational Theatre Live: Fleabag (2019)
Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShiva Baby (2021)
College student Danielle must cover her tracks when she unexpectedly runs into her sugar daddy at a shiva - with her parents, ex-girlfriend and family friends also in attendance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDinner at Eight (1933)
An ambitious New York socialite plans an extravagant dinner party as her businessman husband, Oliver, contends with financial woes, causing a lot of tension between the couple. Meanwhile, their high-society friends and associates, including the gruff Dan Packard and his sultry spouse, Kitty, contend with their own entanglements, leading to revelations at the much-anticipated dinner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStanding Up, Falling Down (2020)
An unlikely friendship kindles between a struggling stand-up comedian from L.A. — forced to move back home to Eastern Long Island with his tail between his legs — and a tragically flawed, but charming and charismatic, alcoholic dermatologist. Discovering to be kindred spirits, each helps the other find healing, in addition to the confidence to face the "failures" in their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
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 thisThe Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)
Desperate for a breakthrough as she nears the big 4-0, struggling New York City playwright Radha finds inspiration by reinventing herself as a rapper.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIgby Goes Down (2002)
Igby Slocumb, a rebellious and sarcastic 17-year-old boy, is at war with the stifling world of old money privilege he was born into. With a schizophrenic father, a self-absorbed, distant mother, and a shark-like young Republican big brother, Igby figures there must be a better life out there -- and sets about finding it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChuck & Buck (2000)
Chuck and Buck are childhood best friends whose lives have taken very different paths. While Chuck moved away and now has a real life, Buck stayed behind and developed a dangerous fixation—on Chuck's life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeconstructing Harry (1997)
Writer Harry Block draws inspiration from people he knows, and from events that happened to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as a result.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmerican Fiction (2023)
A novelist fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCQ (2001)
A young filmmaker in 1960s Paris juggles directing a cheesy sci-fi debacle, directing his own personal art film, coping with his crumbling relationship with his girlfriend, and a new-found infatuation with the sci-fi film's starlet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisWildflower (2023)
The story of Bea Johnson from birth to graduation as she navigates life with an intellectually disabled parent and an extended family who can't quite agree on the best way to help.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisMike Birbiglia: The New One (2019)
Comedian Mike Birbiglia hits Broadway with a hilarious yet profound one-man show that recounts his emotional and physical journey to parenthood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll That Jazz (1979)
Joe Gideon is at the top of the heap, one of the most successful directors and choreographers in musical theater. But he can feel his world slowly collapsing around him - his obsession with work has almost destroyed his personal life, and only his bottles of pills keep him going.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNoises Off... (1992)
Hired to helm an Americanized take on a British play, director Lloyd Fellowes does his best to control an eccentric group of stage actors. With a star actress quickly passing her prime, a male lead with no confidence, and a bit actor that's rarely sober, chaos ensues in the lead up to a Broadway premiere.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDownsizing (2017)
A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisIn My Life (2009)
A headstrong woman moves to New York and must come to terms with her estranged gay son and his partner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Watching Mr. Pearson (2026)
When a once famous actor can no longer decipher the past from the present, two devoted caretakers discover that imagination and performance may be the only way to help him reconnect with the world that's left him behind.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
The Roses (2025)
Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo: successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing – as Theo's career nosedives while Ivy's own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCharly (2002)
Sam Roberts thinks he has all the answers: the purpose of life, the meaning of love, the plan for a perfect future. Until Charly walks into his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Moldiver (1993)
A naïve young girl accidentally modifies her brother's secret superhero uniform and becomes the unwilling superheroine Moldiver.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors (2018)
When a threat no one could have expected bears down on the Marvel Universe, this ragtag, untrained band of teens have no choice but to rise together and prove to the world that sometimes the difference between a 'hero' and 'misfit' is just in the name.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBitter Taste (2024)
In the wake of Glasgow’s rapid deindustrialization and economic decline in the 90s, a young Fraser falls victim to knife crime and is indelibly marked with a “Glasgow smile”, irrevocably impacting his sense of self and relationship to food.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Off Beat (1986)
Joe Gower's job is skating through library shelves, fetching books. A police officer/friend of his is chosen to participate in a charity dance performance. Gower agrees to take his place in the show by posing as a police officer. He falls for a female officer in the show and gets into various scrapes with fellow cops and also crooks. And he dances.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Firemen's Ball (1967)
The firemen of a provincial Czechoslovakian town throw a ball in honor of the old chief's retirement. There will be music and dancing, a beauty pageant and a raffle. The whole town will be in attendance. However, the proceedings are dogged by difficulty at every step. Workplace injuries, stolen prizes, a shortage of pretty girls... and fire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)?
The closest matches to Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) are A Different Man (2024), 10,000 Saints (2015) and The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)?
Start with A Different Man (2024), the closest match to Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
What is the highest-rated movie like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)?
All That Jazz (1979), rated 7.5/10 by 644 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)?
Watching Mr. Pearson (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)?
Yes: A Different Man (2024), 10,000 Saints (2015) and The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017).
How are movies similar to Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.