Movies like El Calentito (2005)
The best movies like El Calentito (2005) are Ed Wood (1994), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) and Stage Mother (2020). If El Calentito 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 ratedEd Wood (1994)7.5/10 from 2,620 votes
- NewestTherapy Done Right (2026)Released 2026
- In SpanishMy Mother Likes Women (2002)Also in Spanish
Ed Wood (1994)
The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time", who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Veteran drag queens Vida Boheme and Noxeema Jackson take novice Chi-Chi Rodriguez under their wing on a madcap road trip across the country to compete in the Drag Queen of America pageant in Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStage Mother (2020)
A conservative church-choir director moves from Texas to San Francisco to run her deceased gay son's drag club.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSweet and Lowdown (1999)
In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJulia (1977)
At the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFor the Boys (1991)
Talented USO entertainer Dixie Leonard and comedian Eddie Sparks deal with their relationship over the course of 5 decades from World War II to the Vietnam War era to their twilight era in the 90's.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Chance (2013)
This film follows the remarkable and inspirational true story of Paul Potts, a shy, bullied shop assistant by day and an amateur opera singer by night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMaria (2024)
Maria Callas, the world's greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity and life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Mother Likes Women (2002)
Sofia introduces her three adult daughters to her new lover who is their age and happens to be a woman. The women, in particular Elvira find it extremely difficult to accept their mothers sudden apparent sexual reversal. The news pushes the neurotic Elvira to the point of nervous breakdown. Sol, the youngest daughter, writes a lude rock song about it and performs in front of them at a concert. The daughters plot together on how to get their mothers new girlfriend, a native Czech, and brilliant pianist, out of her life. Their plot goes terribly wrong and turns the film from a light-hearted comedy, into mildly amusing drama.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisMunich - The Edge of War (2021)
At the tense 1938 Munich Conference, former friends who now work for opposing governments become reluctant spies racing to expose a Nazi secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Moon (2025)
On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator, Richard Rodgers, celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical, “Oklahoma!”
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWomen on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
After being dumped by her lover, Pepa finds her life and the lives of those around her spiraling out of control in a deliciously chaotic series of events.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChloe and Theo (2015)
A young woman, Chloe, living by her wits on the streets of New York City, has a chance meeting with a wise Inuit Eskimo, Theo, who was sent to New York by his elders to provide a message to the people of the world – We either change our destructive was or be destroyed by them. Chloe, who has been searching for something to believe in, becomes inspired by Theo and , with the help of a kind lawyer, Monica, the three of them present Theo’s story to the United Nations in hopes of creating a better future for all of us.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisEducating Rita (1983)
Rita, a witty 26-year-old hairdresser, wants to 'discover' herself, so she joins the Open University where she meets the disillusioned professor of literature, Dr. Frank Bryant. His marriage has failed, his new girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend and he can't get through the day without downing a bottle or two of whisky. What Frank needs is a challenge... and along comes Rita.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoxie (2021)
Inspired by her mom's rebellious past and a confident new friend, a shy 16-year-old publishes an anonymous zine calling out sexism at her school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Girl of Your Dreams (1998)
During the Spanish Civil War, a troupe of Spanish filmmakers is invited to shoot a film at UFA Studios in Nazi Germany.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
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 · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSnow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011)
A story set in 19th century China and centered on the lifelong friendship between two girls who develop their own secret code as a way to contend with the rigid cultural norms imposed on women.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTherapy Done Right (2026)
A psychoanalyst who's lost faith in traditional therapy crosses every boundary to help a blocked novelist in this cutting Argentine dark comedy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOrigin (2023)
While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist faces unfathomable personal loss and uncovers the beauty of human resilience.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWords with Gods (2014)
The first of four installments in the groundbreaking Heartbeat of the World anthology film series. Comprised of several short films by some of the world's most exciting directors, Words with Gods follows the theme of religion - specifically as it relates to an individual's relationship with his/her god or gods...or the lack thereof. In Words with Gods, each director recounts a narrative centered around human fragility, as well as environmental and cultural crises involving specific religions with which each has a personal relationship; including early Aboriginal Spirituality, Umbanda, Buddhism, the Abrahamic faiths, Hinduism, and Atheism. An animated sequence by Mexican animator Maribel Martinez is woven through each of the film segments, with each segment narratively connected as a feature-length film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
F Is for Friendship (2017)
Emily decides to air the skeletons in her closet and brave the scrutiny of a catty dinner party to win back her name.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Winner (2024)
Winner is a brilliant young misfit from Texas who finds her morals challenged while serving in the U.S. Air Force and working as an NSA contractor. A fresh take on the traditional whistleblower thriller, the coming-of-age story follows an idealistic young woman persecuted for standing by her principles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBabel (2006)
Tragedy strikes a married couple vacationing in the Moroccan desert, which jumpstarts an interlocking story involving four different families.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Dreamers (2003)
When Isabelle and Theo invite Matthew to stay with them, what begins as a casual friendship ripens into a sensual voyage of discovery and desire in which nothing is off limits and everything is possible.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmsterdam to Anatolia (2019)
Elissa's life takes a turn when she meets a mysterious man in her English class and she has to quickly decide between her family and him- and going from family-life to a life on the run is a wild choice to everyone but her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Frida (2002)
A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTaste of Love (2016)
After an ambiguous Snapchat video featuring Bilel and Adil, rumors start spreading about the two friends. To save their reputation, each of them tries to find a girlfriend. Their hunt for a date doesn’t quite go as expected.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
M (2017)
Lila and Mo meet at a bus stop. Lila has a paralyzing speech impediment. Mo is chatty and exuberant. Lila is preparing for her exams. Mo illegally races cars for a living. Opposites attract, and they fall in love. But Mo carries a secret burden…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Holiday (2006)
Two women, one American and one British, swap homes at Christmastime following bad breakups. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.
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 El Calentito?
The closest matches to El Calentito are Ed Wood (1994), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) and Stage Mother (2020). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after El Calentito?
Start with Ed Wood (1994), the closest match to El Calentito.
What is the highest-rated movie like El Calentito?
Ed Wood (1994), rated 7.5/10 by 2,620 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like El Calentito?
Therapy Done Right (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Spanish movies like El Calentito?
Yes: My Mother Likes Women (2002), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and The Girl of Your Dreams (1998).
How are movies similar to El Calentito chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside El Calentito, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.