Movies like Swirl (2014)
The best movies like Swirl (2014) are Something New (2006), Guess Who (2005) and Marshall (2017). If Swirl hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Swirl
Quick picks
- Highest ratedManhattan (1979)7.7/10 from 2,711 votes
- NewestSwiped (2025)Released 2025
Something New (2006)
Kenya McQueen thought she had it all: a successful career, good friends and family. There was just one thing she didn't have under control: her love life. All that changes when she meets sexy, free-spirited Brian Kelly. But when her ideal man arrives on the scene, Kenya must decide between the relationship everyone expects and the romance no one expected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGuess Who (2005)
When a young African-American woman brings her fiancé home to meet her parents, she's neglected to mention one tiny detail – he's white.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarshall (2017)
Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, battles through one of his career-defining cases.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJungle Fever (1991)
A successful and married black man contemplates having an affair with a white girl from work. He's quite rightly worried that the racial difference would make an already taboo relationship even worse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Manhattan (2005)
Ten-year-old Gabe Burton is just an average kid growing up in Manhattan until Rosemary Telesco walks into his karate class. But before Gabe can tell Rosemary how he feels, she reveals that she won't be going to public school any more. Gabe has a lot more to learn about life, love, and girls.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThis Means War (2012)
Two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShortcomings (2023)
When his girlfriend leaves for New York City on a 3-month-long internship, a strongly opinionated Berkeley arthouse movie theater manager begins exploring life as a bachelor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Sick (2017)
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPassing (2021)
In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who's passing as white.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHairspray (1988)
'Pleasantly plump' teenager Tracy Turnblad achieves her dream of becoming a regular on the Corny Collins Dance Show. Now a teen hero, she starts using her fame to speak out for the causes she believes in, most of all integration. In doing so, she earns the wrath of the show's former star, Amber Von Tussle, as well as Amber's manipulative, pro-segregation parents. The rivalry comes to a head as Amber and Tracy vie for the title of Miss Auto Show 1963.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
When Ashtray moves to South Central L.A. to live with his father (who appears to be the same age he is) and grandmother (who likes to talk tough and smoke reefer), he falls in with his gang-banging cousin Loc Dog, who along with the requisite pistols and Uzi carries a thermo-nuclear warhead for self-defense. Will Ashtray be able to keep living the straight life?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMississippi Masala (1991)
Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their Uganda home, twentysomething Mina finds herself co-operating a motel in the faraway land of Mississippi. Her passionate romance with charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius challenges the prejudices of their conservative families and exposes the rifts between the region's Indian and African-American communities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Heights (2021)
The story of Usnavi, a bodega owner who has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic or staying in Washington Heights.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChina Girl (1987)
Teenage lovers Tony and Tyan-Hwa tip the balance of power in New York's Little Italy and Chinatown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sun Is Also a Star (2019)
Two young New Yorkers begin to fall in love over the course of a single day, as a series of potentially life-altering meetings loom over their heads - hers concerning her family’s deportation to Jamaica, and his concerning an education at Dartmouth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwiped (2025)
Whitney Wolfe uses extraordinary grit and ingenuity to break into the male-dominated tech industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Love You Phillip Morris (2010)
Steven Russell leads a seemingly average life – an organ player in the local church, happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force. That is until he has a severe car accident that leads him to the ultimate epiphany: he’s gay and he’s going to live life to the fullest – even if he has to break the law to do it. Taking on an extravagant lifestyle, Steven turns to cons and fraud to make ends meet and is eventually sent to the State Penitentiary where he meets the love of his life, a sensitive, soft-spoken man named Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts him to attempt (and often succeed at) one impossible con after another.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisManhattan (1979)
Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend's mistress.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
It's the battle of wills, as Andie needs to prove she can dump a guy in 10 days, whereas Ben needs to prove he can win a girl in 10 days. Now, the clock is ticking—and the wildly entertaining comedy smash is off and running in this irresistible tale of sex, lies and outrageous romantic fireworks!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBend It Like Beckham (2002)
Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Swirl and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Swirl?
The closest matches to Swirl are Something New (2006), Guess Who (2005) and Marshall (2017). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Swirl?
Start with Something New (2006), the closest match to Swirl.
What is the highest-rated movie like Swirl?
Manhattan (1979), rated 7.7/10 by 2,711 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Swirl?
Swiped (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Swirl?
Yes: Something New (2006), Guess Who (2005) and Marshall (2017).
How are movies similar to Swirl chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Swirl, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.