Movies like Sex, Shame & Tears (1999)
The best movies like Sex, Shame & Tears (1999) are The Best You Can (2025), Un hombre por semana (2026) and Friends with Kids (2012). If Sex, Shame & Tears hooked you with its comedy and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCindy La Regia (2020)7.8/10 from 253 votes
- NewestWhy Did I Get Married Again? (2026)Released 2026
- In SpanishUn hombre por semana (2026)Also in Spanish
The Best You Can (2025)
Cynthia Rand is a buttoned-up New Yorker married to a brilliant professor 25 years her senior. She begins feeling the effects of her husband’s advancing age on their relationship, just as her world is turned upside down by the arrival of sharp but chronically underachieving security guard Stan Olszewski in this smart rom-com that reunites Bacon and Sedgwick on screen for the first time in 20 years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUn hombre por semana (2026)
A divorced woman reconstructs her life and opens herself to love. Her search for dating apps takes her through fun and unpredictable moments to discover self-love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFriends with Kids (2012)
In the wake of their friends' marriages and eventual offspring, longtime pals Julie and Jason decide to have a child together without becoming a couple. By becoming "time-share" parents, they reason, they can experience the joys of parenthood without significantly curbing their personal freedom. However, when Julie and Jason both become involved with others, they discover that they secretly harbor romantic feelings for each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisEnemies, a Love Story (1989)
A ghostwriter finds himself romantically involved with his current wife, a married woman and his long-vanished wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoung People Fucking (2007)
On a Tuesday night, five couples have separate sexual adventures. Matt and Kris, friends for years, want to have an only-once, no-strings good time. Abby and Andrew, married, celebrate his birthday, but it's marred by angst and miscommunication. Mia and Eric are exes, making sure they are over each other. Jaime and Ken work together and this is a first date. Inez and Gord invite his roommate, Dave, to join them. By the time each couple has gone through a prelude, foreplay, sex, an interlude, orgasm, and afterglow, they've answered basic questions: can sex be anonymous, are we bored, is our marriage really finished, does anyone tell the truth, and how do we make someone happy?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisNumb (2007)
Hudson Milbank is a successful Hollywood screenwriter who suddenly and strangely finds himself without any emotional feelings. He tries doctor after doctor and shrink after shrink, but nothing works. The Golf Channel, lesbian exercise classes and a dizzying variety of pills get him through the day, but don't quite solve his problem. His writing partner tries everything to get him back to normal, but it's not until Hudson meets Sara that he finds a real motivation to get better and to actually start feeling again. From the writer of Deuce Bigalow, comes NUMB, a romantic comedy following an unusual man looking for strange love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisJack Goes Boating (2010)
A limo driver's blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship and grace—centered on two working-class New York City couples.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIs This Thing On? (2025)
As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess confronts the sacrifices she made for their family—forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhy Did I Get Married Again? (2026)
The couples reunite for the destination wedding of Marcus and Angela's daughter, bringing drama old and new as they ask, "Why did we get married again?"
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCyrus (2010)
With John's social life at a standstill and his ex-wife about to get remarried, a down on his luck divorcée finally meets the woman of his dreams, only to discover she has another man in her life - her son. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love-and it appears only one man can be left standing when it's over.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHe Said, She Said (1991)
Womanising, right-wing Dan Hanson and quiet, liberal Lorie Bryer work for the Baltimore Sun. Rivals for the job of new writer of a vacant column, the paper ends up instead printing their very different opinions alongside each other, which leads to a similarly combative local TV show. At the same time their initial indifference to each other looks like it may evolve into something more romantic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisLove Accidentally (2022)
Alexa and Jason are competing for a position at an advertising firm when their partners break up with them. Alexa mistakenly texts Jason, and they start a phone-only relationship. When they meet and the truth comes out, will true love prevail?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Giant Mechanical Man (2012)
An offbeat romantic comedy about a silver-painted street performer and the soft spoken zoo worker who falls for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDos tipos de cuidado (1953)
Jorge Bueno and Pedro Malo are best friends who consider giving up their womanizing ways when they each fall in love. As fate would have it, Pedro Malo unexpectedly marries Jorge Bueno's girlfriend, and the conflict between the former buddies begins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAn Unexpected Love (2018)
It tells the story of Marcos and Ana, who have been married for more than 25 years, but enter into an existential crisis that leads them to separate. The life of singles seems fascinating and exciting at first, but soon it also becomes monotonous for her and nightmarish for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCindy La Regia (2020)
When Cindy decides that she doesn't want to marry her boyfriend, she runs to Mexico City, where new friendships and unexpected paths teach her that there are so much more possibilities on her life and her talent than she imagines.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDesperados (2020)
A panicked young woman and her two best friends fly to Mexico to delete a ranting email she sent to her new boyfriend. On arrival, they run into her former beau, who soon gets caught up in their frantic scheme.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe People Upstairs (2020)
Julio and Ana have been together for more than fifteen years. They have become a couple who no longer look at nor touch one another, and who have made daily fighting the essence of their relationship. This evening, Ana has invited their upstairs neighbors to come round, Salva and Laura, a couple younger than them, pleasant and friendly, but whose noises are now an annoyance for Julio and Ana... or perhaps a stimulus? The upstairs neighbors will make them an unusual and surprising proposal which will turn the evening into an exaggerated and cathartic experience for all four.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUn novio para mi mujer (2022)
Diego wants to separate from his wife, Lucía, but he doesn't know how to tell her. He is fed up with her neuroses and constant complaints about him, and he has long since lost the spark that made him fall in love. Unable to say it to her face, he turns to Cuervo Flores, a famous seducer "from before", who will try to make Lucía fall in love so that she will be the one to end her marriage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisOnce Around (1991)
A struggling woman finds unexpected love with a charismatic older salesman at a real estate seminar. Their passionate relationship clashes with the values of her family, particularly her father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife As We Know It (2010)
After a disastrous first date for caterer Holly and network sports director Messer, all they have in common is a dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter Sophie. But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in this world, Holly and Messer must set their differences aside. Juggling careers and social calendars, they'll have to find common ground while living under the same roof.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeven Minutes in Heaven (1986)
Natalie allows her classmate Jeff, who has run away from home, to stay at her place while her father is away on a business trip. Natalie soon starts dating Jeff's friend James Casey, who isn't as faithful as she thinks, while her best friend Polly falls in love with baseball player Zoo Knudsen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisMan's Favorite Sport? (1964)
Roger Willoughby is a renowned fishing expert, who, unbeknownst to his friends, co-workers, or boss, has never cast a line in his life. One day, he crosses paths with Abigail Paige, a sweetly annoying girl who has just badgered his boss into signing Roger up for an annual fishing tournament.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJane Eyre (2011)
After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Edward Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFlesh and the Devil (1926)
When lifelong best friends Leo and Ulrich return home after completing their military training, Leo meets the stunning Felicitas at a railway station and is mesmerized by her beauty. A scandal follows, for which Leo is sent away. Returning home three years later, he discovers that much has changed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Good Guy (2009)
Ambitious young Manhattanite and urban conservationist Beth wants it all: a good job, good friends, and a good guy to share the city with. Of course that last one is often the trickiest of all. Beth falls hard for Tommy, a sexy, young Wall Street hot-shot. But just as everything seems to be falling into place, complications arise in the form of Tommy's sensitive and handsome co-worker Daniel. Beth soon learns that the game of love in the big city is a lot like Wall Street -- high risk, high reward and everybody has an angle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisThree Summer Days (2014)
Little by little, a relationship develops between Gem, a teenager fascinated by tattoos, and his best friend that goes beyond just friendship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Joni's Promise (2005)
A film delivery man promises a beautiful young woman to deliver a film reel on time to a movie theater, but the the whole city seems to conspire against him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Sex, Shame & Tears?
The closest matches to Sex, Shame & Tears are The Best You Can (2025), Un hombre por semana (2026) and Friends with Kids (2012). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Sex, Shame & Tears?
Start with The Best You Can (2025), the closest match to Sex, Shame & Tears.
What is the highest-rated movie like Sex, Shame & Tears?
Cindy La Regia (2020), rated 7.8/10 by 253 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Sex, Shame & Tears?
Why Did I Get Married Again? (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like Sex, Shame & Tears?
Yes: Un hombre por semana (2026), Dos tipos de cuidado (1953) and An Unexpected Love (2018).
How are movies similar to Sex, Shame & Tears chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Sex, Shame & Tears, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.