Movies like The Time You Need a Friend (1984)
The best movies like The Time You Need a Friend (1984) are Getting Home (2007), Big Shot's Funeral (2001) and Article 20 (2024). If The Time You Need a Friend hooked you with its drama and comedy, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedCook Up a Storm (2017)7.5/10 from 202 votes
- NewestArticle 20 (2024)Released 2024
- In ChineseGetting Home (2007)Also in Chinese
Getting Home (2007)
A black comedy about a farmer who tries to bring home the body of his friend, who died far from their town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBig Shot's Funeral (2001)
Don Tyler, a famous film-maker, falls ill on the sets of his movie. Fascinated by the funereal traditions of China, he requests a cameraman named Yoyo to arrange a grand, comedic funeral for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArticle 20 (2024)
Tells the story of prosecutor Han Ming who is involved in a difficult case where the intentional injury of people is turned into a legitimate defense.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCook Up a Storm (2017)
An international culinary competition becomes a battleground between rival cooks, one famous for his Cantonese street food and the other a Michelin-starred chef trained in France. But their rivalry takes an unexpected turn when they discover a common foe and combine their skills in a fusion of East and West.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Great Buddha+ (2017)
Security guard Pickle and his trash collector friend Belly Button kill time together in night shifts watching the American-educated boss's dash-cam recordings of his various sexual encounters with women. Against the buddies' will, something horrifying rather than erotic reveals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAbout Alex (2014)
When a group of old college friends reunite over a long weekend after one of them attempts suicide, old crushes and resentments shine light on their life decisions, and ultimately push friendships and relationships to the brink.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSubUrbia (1997)
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSomewhere in Queens (2023)
Leo and Angela Russo live a simple life in Queens, surrounded by their overbearing Italian-American family. When their son finds success on his high school basketball team, Leo tears the family apart trying to make it happen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisClassmates Minus (2020)
Four school buddies — a director, a temp worker, an insurance salesman and a paper craftsman — grapple with unfulfilled dreams amid middle age ennui.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFat Kid Rules The World (2012)
A dropout comes to the aid of a chubby and suicidal high-school kid by recruiting him as the drummer for his upstart punk-rock band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlmost Friends (2017)
A man in his mid-20s, still living at home with his mother and stepfather, puts all his eggs in one basket: the girl who works at his local coffee shop. The problem is, she has a serious boyfriend. As they become closer, the line between friendship and intimacy is blurred, and the situation forces both to examine where they are in their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJuniper (2021)
When a self-destructive teenager is suspended from school and asked to look after his feisty alcoholic grandmother as a punishment, the crazy time they spend together turns his life around.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Think Twice (2016)
An improv group deals with several crises, including the loss of their lease and one member hitting the big time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe House of Tomorrow (2019)
The film tells futurist, architect, and inventor R. Buckminster Fuller's incredible story through two teens hoping to get laid, become punk gods, and survive high school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLady Windermere's Fan (1925)
A society woman believes her husband is having an affair, a misconception which may have dire personal consequences for all involved.
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 thisMy Own Love Song (2010)
A wheelchair-bound singer and her best friend embark on a roadtrip to Memphis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBest Man Down (2012)
A newlywed couple cancels their honeymoon and returns to the snowy Midwest to make the funeral arrangements for their best man, who died unexpectedly after their ceremony.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHappy Times (2000)
Zhao is an ageing bachelor, who has not been fortunate in love. Believing that he has finally met the female of his dreams, Zhao makes her believe that he is opulent and consents to a lavish wedding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Time You Need a Friend?
The closest matches to The Time You Need a Friend are Getting Home (2007), Big Shot's Funeral (2001) and Article 20 (2024). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Time You Need a Friend?
Start with Getting Home (2007), the closest match to The Time You Need a Friend.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Time You Need a Friend?
Cook Up a Storm (2017), rated 7.5/10 by 202 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Time You Need a Friend?
Article 20 (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like The Time You Need a Friend?
Yes: Getting Home (2007), Big Shot's Funeral (2001) and Article 20 (2024).
How are movies similar to The Time You Need a Friend chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Time You Need a Friend, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.



















