Movies like What the Butler Saw (1987)
The best movies like What the Butler Saw (1987) are The Elephant Man (1980), What About Bob? (1991) and Society (1990). If What the Butler Saw hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Elephant Man (1980)8.1/10 from 4,129 votes
- NewestKinds of Kindness (2024)Released 2024
The Elephant Man (1980)
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWhat About Bob? (1991)
Before going on vacation, self-involved psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin has the misfortune of taking on a new patient: Bob Wiley. An exemplar of neediness and a compendium of phobias, Bob follows Marvin to his family's country house. Dr. Marvin tries to get him to leave; the trouble is, everyone loves Bob. As his oblivious patient makes himself at home, Dr. Marvin loses his professional composure and, before long, may be ready for the loony bin himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSociety (1990)
Bill Whitney is worried that he is different to his sister and parents. They mix with other upper-class people while Bill is more down to earth. Even his girlfriend seems a bit odd. All is revealed when Bill returns home to find a party in full swing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThere's Something About Mary (1998)
For Ted, prom night went about as bad as it’s possible for any night to go. Thirteen years later, he finally gets another chance with his old prom date, only to run up against other suitors including the sleazy detective he hired to find her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKinds of Kindness (2024)
A triptych fable following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ruling Class (1972)
When the Earl of Gurney dies in a cross-dressing accident, his schizophrenic son, Jack, inherits the Gurney estate. Jack is not the average nobleman; he sings and dances across the estate and thinks he is Jesus reincarnated. Believing that Jack is mentally unfit to own the estate, the Gurney family plots to steal Jack's inheritance. As their outrageous schemes fail, the family strives to cure Jack of his bizarre behavior, with disastrous results.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBullets Over Broadway (1994)
After young playwright, David Shayne obtains funding for his play from gangster Nick Valenti, Nick's girlfriend Olive miraculously lands the role of a psychiatrist—but not only is she a bimbo who could never pass for a psychiatrist—she's a dreadful actress. David puts up with the leading man who is a compulsive eater, the grand dame who wants her part jazzed up, and Olive's interfering hitman/bodyguard—but, eventually he must decide whether art or life is more important.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisGypsy (1962)
Gypsy's mother Rose dreams of a life in show business for her daughters, but Louise becomes a huge burlesque star. Stage musical loosely based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFreaked (1993)
A vain actor, his best friend, and an activist end up at a mutant freak farm run by a weirdo scientist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBenny & Joon (1993)
A mentally ill young woman finds love with an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAsylum (1972)
A young psychiatrist applies for a job at a mental asylum and must pass a test by interviewing four patients. He must figure out which of the patients, is in fact, the doctor that he would be replacing if hired.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlfie (1966)
A young man leads a promiscuous lifestyle until several life reversals make him rethink his purposes and goals in life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVampire's Kiss (1989)
A publishing executive is visited and bitten by a vampire and starts exhibiting erratic behavior. He pushes his secretary to extremes as he tries to come to terms with his affliction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHellzapoppin' (1941)
Olsen and Johnson, a pair of stage comedians, try to turn their play into a movie and bring together a young couple in love, while breaking the fourth wall every step of the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStonehearst Asylum (2014)
An Oxford Medical School graduate takes a position at a mental institution and soon becomes obsessed with a female mental patient, but he has no idea of a recent and horrifying staffing change.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ritz (1976)
To escape from a mobster, businessman Gaetano Proclo orders a cab driver to take him to a place where he can't be found. Unfortunately for Gaetano, the place turns out to be a gay bathhouse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorn Yesterday (1950)
Uncouth, loud-mouth junkyard tycoon Harry Brock descends upon Washington D.C. to buy himself a congressman or two, bringing with him his mistress, ex-showgirl Billie Dawn.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLet's Make Love (1960)
When billionaire Jean-Marc Clement learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue, he passes himself off as an actor playing him in order to get closer to the beautiful star of the show, Amanda Dell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
When a lawyer shows up at the vampire's doorstep, he falls prey to his charms and joins him in his search for fresh blood. Enter Professor Van Helsing, who may be the only one able to vanquish the Count.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like What the Butler Saw?
The closest matches to What the Butler Saw are The Elephant Man (1980), What About Bob? (1991) and Society (1990). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after What the Butler Saw?
Start with The Elephant Man (1980), the closest match to What the Butler Saw.
What is the highest-rated movie like What the Butler Saw?
The Elephant Man (1980), rated 8.1/10 by 4,129 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like What the Butler Saw?
Kinds of Kindness (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like What the Butler Saw?
Yes: The Elephant Man (1980), What About Bob? (1991) and Society (1990).
How are movies similar to What the Butler Saw chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside What the Butler Saw, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.