Movies like Friends (1945)
The best movies like Friends (1945) are The Pumpkin Eater (1964), Effie Gray (2014) and Look Back in Anger (1959). If Friends hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBeast (2026)7.5/10 from 227 votes
- NewestDesire (2026)Released 2026
- In GermanThe German Lesson (2019)Also in German
The Pumpkin Eater (1964)
Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEffie Gray (2014)
A look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLook Back in Anger (1959)
A disillusioned, angry university graduate comes to terms with his grudge against middle-class life and values.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 Good Neighbor (2022)
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGirl in the Box (2016)
The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisResurrecting the Champ (2007)
Up-and-coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man ("Champ") only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ's story and escape the shadow of his father's success becomes a personal journey as the ambitious reporter reexamines his own life and his relationship with his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisMy Dinner with Hervé (2018)
An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHungry Hearts (2015)
The relationship of a couple who meet by chance in New York City is put to the test when they encounter a life or death circumstance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Sunday (2018)
Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTalhotBlond (2012)
Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe German Lesson (2019)
In a small North German village a drama played out during and shortly after the Second World War about duty versus individual conscience and morality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996)
A dramatization of the life of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (Don Cheadle), with a lot of factual based occurrences. A reformed junkie returns from prison to clean up his act and devote the rest of his life to the young kids of Harlem. 1996 was the 25th anniversary of the first tournament named after him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEl Chicano (2019)
A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBusiness for Pleasure (1997)
A voyeuristic tycoon orchestrates a risky, passion-charged triangle between himself, his right-hand man, and a beautiful executive. Another classy, erotic production from Zalman King
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Desire (2026)
Lucero’s life appears immaculate: a wealthy household, a devoted husband, and two children who embody the promise of a perfect family. Yet beneath this surface simmers a quiet dissatisfaction. When Matías, a young swimming coach hired by her husband, enters their lives, Lucero finds herself pulled into a risky and consuming relationship. As secrecy, desire, and jealousy tighten their grip, the boundaries within the family begin to collapse, placing mother and daughter in a dangerous emotional triangle that threatens to shatter everything Lucero has built.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lies I Tell Myself (2022)
Fifteen-year old Cassie is starting the school year, whether she likes it or not, and along with it, the romantic drama from the past summer. Being faced with her kind-of-ex-boyfriend Jake and her rebound Elliot she finds herself in an unintentional love triangle. She runs herself ragged trying to juggle both guys for the next couple of weeks and still can’t bring herself to make a decision. The building tension culminates at the Homecoming dance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
How Do You Know (2010)
After being cut from the USA softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triangle, as a corporate guy in crisis competes with her current, baseball-playing beau.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisSukitomo (2007)
Drama following a young boxer Tomokazu and his relationship with his best friend Yoshiko and sister Misao as while he's training for an important match. His sister and friend have always been there for him, supporting him, but Tomokazu is about to find out that not everything is as simple as it may seem.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Vicious Kind (2009)
A man tries to warn his brother away from the new girlfriend he brings home during Thanksgiving, but ends up becoming infatuated with her in the process.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSbek Gong (2014)
A legendary master of dark magic who possesses invincible skin, an powerful art that renders the body uncuttable and immune to fire. He lives in isolation atop Mount Kulen, where eight male disciples come to study this sacred and dangerous knowledge. But the path to power comes at a heavy cost. In the end, only two disciples remain to carry on the master’s legacy. The bond between the two survivors shatters. Consumed by rivalry and desire, especially over the master’s beautiful daughter, they turn against each other in a fierce and relentless conflict.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
I am the Secret in Your Heart (2024)
In school, Wang Hsiao-hsia and her childhood friend Yuzu are seen as a couple, but Hsiao-hsia secretly longs for the transfer student Cheng Yih. Cheng Yih, admired for his exceptional grades, talent, and fighting skills, captivates her heart. Despite her poor academic performance, Hsiao-hsia tries various methods to win his affection, but nothing works. Unbeknownst to her, Cheng Yih harbors feelings for Hsiao-hsia as well. Meanwhile, Yuzu, fiercely protective of Hsiao-hsia, is wary of anyone trying to get close to her. As summer arrives, a fragrant first love begins to bloom among the three of them, reminiscent of lemongrass.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Virgin Forest (1985)
A story set in the Philippine Republic in the 1900s where a lass, a Spanish mestizo, and a fisherman are caught up by Macabebe soldiers who are trying to capture Emilio Aguinaldo.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sangam (1964)
An air force pilot, upon returning home from war after being assumed dead, weds the woman he had long loved, unaware that she had been planning to marry his best friend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Friends and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Friends?
The closest matches to Friends are The Pumpkin Eater (1964), Effie Gray (2014) and Look Back in Anger (1959). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Friends?
Start with The Pumpkin Eater (1964), the closest match to Friends.
What is the highest-rated movie like Friends?
Beast (2026), rated 7.5/10 by 227 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Friends?
Desire (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like Friends?
Yes: The German Lesson (2019).
How are movies similar to Friends chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Friends, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.