Movies like Waiting (2011)
The best movies like Waiting (2011) are Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), Hounddog (2008) and The Safety of Objects (2002). If Waiting hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhat Maisie Knew (2013)7.1/10 from 465 votes
- NewestThe Last Bus (2021)Released 2021
Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHounddog (2008)
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Safety of Objects (2002)
In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVanya on 42nd Street (1994)
An uninterrupted rehearsal of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' plays out by a company of actors. The setting: their run-down theater with an unusable stage and crumbling ceiling. The play is shown act by act with the briefest of breaks to move props or for refreshments. The lack of costumes, real props and scenery is soon forgotten.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Question of Faith (2017)
When Tragedy Strikes three Families, their Destiny forces them on a coverging path and mercy as the challenges of their fate could also resurrect their beliefs
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Young One (1960)
A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Girl in the Book (2015)
The story of a young writer's transformation when her past invades her present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisSalomé (2013)
After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé comes before her king with an unreasonable demand. Beguiled by John the Baptist, and then scorned for the sake of his god, lascivious Salomé—encouraged by her mother, the vindictive, Herodias—commands that John be executed and his head delivered on a silver platter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSkin (2009)
Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoly Lands (2019)
When lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife Monica is trying to manage the lives of their adult children, Annabelle and David, as well as her own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Truth About Emanuel (2013)
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrotherly Love (2015)
West Philadelphia basketball star Sergio Taylor deals with the pressures of fame while his brother and sister have their own issues with ambition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHands of Stone (2016)
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Dry White Season (1989)
During the 1976 Soweto uprising, a white school teacher's life and values are threatened when he asks questions about the death of a young black boy who died in police custody.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Padre (2018)
American retired Judge Randall Nemes and his hired gun, Gaspar, track down a con man posing as a priest in a small Colombian town only to be thrown off-course by a scrappy 16-year-old girl intent on reuniting with her sister in the United States.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisGracie (2007)
A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Caveman's Valentine (2001)
Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Trials of Cate McCall (2013)
In order to be reinstated to the bar and recover custody of her daughter, a hotshot lawyer, now in recovery and on probation, must take on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Bus (2021)
Widower Tom, on the recent passing of his wife Mary, uses his free bus pass to travel the length of Britain from John O'Groats in Caithness to Land's End in Cornwall, their shared birthplace, using only local buses. It's an incident-fuelled nostalgia trip and his encounters with local people make him a media phenomenon. Tom is totally unaware and to his surprise on arrival at Land’s End he’s greeted as a celebrity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMockingbird (2010)
A young father listens to his wife soothing their newborn child over the baby monitor. What could possibly go wrong?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
News Weed Rollers (2011)
When his girlfriend Olivia dumps him for his rival drug-seller, the marijuana pusher Ludovic takes revenge with the help of his loyal customer Vincent who was already cheated by the same guy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Friendly Advice (1916)
This silent French film begins with Georges feeling miserable, as he has ambitions of being a great musician but is forced to eke out a living giving lessons. So, he writes a friend to ask his advice. The friend tries to remake Georges and make him a bit of a playboy. However, when it comes to wooing a rich American, the advice is not exactly perfect.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Escape from the Tuileries (1910)
The Count of Champcenetz is governor of the Palace of the Tuileries. His mistress Grace Elliott, a young widow, begs him not to go the Palace where he must defend King Louis XVI, who is threatened by the Revolution. After a few hours fight, in spite of the Count's best efforts, the crowd captures the King, the Queen, their children and their are taken to the prison of the Temple. Champcenetz, wounded, escapes and, disguised as a sans-culotte, walks back to Mrs. Elliott's. He leaves out of the country with her and marries her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Down in the Coal Mines (1905)
A father and son are working in a coal mine. An explosion occurs, which kills the son.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
A Father's Honor (1905)
A young woman receives a message, and hurriedly leaves home. But the message was a trick to lure her into a trap, where she is assaulted and killed. When her body is found floating in the river, it is brought to her father. Once he realizes what has been done to his daughter, the father immediately sets out in an effort to extract vengeance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Alone in the Dark (1993)
Tasha Grant, at age 17, goes to a party and gets drunk, not even realizing the potential consequences of her actions. This film introduces the danger of alcohol to youth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Strike (1904)
During a strike, several workers are killed in a confrontation. The wife of one of them kills the factory owner. At her trial, the owner's son asks for mercy, knowing that his father was wrong. Because of that the wife is freed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Goldfish (2008)
Two couples, in the same room, try to keep it together. The human couple fare differently to the pair of Goldfish in their fish tank. An artful piece exploring choice in life and love. The humour is derived from the wistful musings, in Cantonese, of the male fish and narrator.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Assassins... (1992)
Tonight, young Max is learning how to be an assassin...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Waiting and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Waiting?
The closest matches to Waiting are Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), Hounddog (2008) and The Safety of Objects (2002). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Waiting?
Start with Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), the closest match to Waiting.
What is the highest-rated movie like Waiting?
What Maisie Knew (2013), rated 7.1/10 by 465 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Waiting?
The Last Bus (2021) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Waiting?
Yes: Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), Hounddog (2008) and The Safety of Objects (2002).
How are movies similar to Waiting chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Waiting, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.