Movies like Monkeys in Paradise (1993)
The best movies like Monkeys in Paradise (1993) are My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999), Crayon Shinchan the Movie: The Storm Called: The Adult Empire Strikes Back (2001) and Kikujiro (1999). If Monkeys in Paradise hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedTokyo Story (1953)8.1/10 from 1,288 votes
- NewestMOTHER (2020)Released 2020
- In JapaneseMy Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)Also in Japanese
My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)
The Yamadas are a typical middle class Japanese family in urban Tokyo and this film shows us a variety of episodes of their lives. With tales that range from the humorous to the heartbreaking, we see this family cope with life's little conflicts, problems, and joys in their own way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrayon Shinchan the Movie: The Storm Called: The Adult Empire Strikes Back (2001)
Shin-chan must rescue the adults of Kasukabe when they mysteriously abandon their responsibilities to relive their youth at the new 20th-century expo.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisKikujiro (1999)
Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro is the unlikely companion for Masao who is determined to see the mother he has never met. The two begin a series of adventures which soon turns out to be a whimsical journey of laughter and tears with a wide array of surprises and unique characters along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Taste of Tea (2004)
A spell of time in the life of the five-piece Haruno family in rural Tochigi Prefecture. Yoshiko is not an ordinary housewife, instead working on an animated film project. Uncle Ayano, a successful music producer, is looking to get his head together after living in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Sachiko is concerned with why she seems to be followed by a giant version of herself. As the lazy days pass by, each member of the family is followed in a series of episodic vignettes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShoplifters (2018)
In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence begins to unravel. As the family grows attached to her, buried secrets surface, forcing them to confront the true meaning of love, belonging, and what makes a family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisiCarly: iGo to Japan (2008)
Carly, Sam and Freddie kick off their adventure in Japan on a tin can of a plane packed with caged possums and piloted by Spencer's odd acquaintance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhen Marnie Was There (2014)
Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNobody Knows (2004)
In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMOTHER (2020)
Shuhei is leading a tough life. His alcoholic mother Akiko can only hook up with bad guys and order Shuhei to go get money from his disapproving grandparents instead of going to school. Except raising the little half-sister, his rock-bottom life seems to have no end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrayon Shinchan the Movie: Dangerous Honeymoon -The Lost Daddy- (2019)
Hiroshi and Misae have never been to a honeymoon trip to a foreign country. One day, Misae discovered an inexpensive and family-friendly holiday package to Australia and the Nohara family decided to make it their first honeymoon vacation. Hiroshi gets kidnapped upon arrival to Australia, leaving Shinnosuke, Misae and others on a dangerous journey. It turns out that Hiroshi is the key to a secret treasure. The remaining members of the Nohara Family must rescue Hiroshi, while a mysterious masked man and treasure hunters from all over the world are after him. The struggle is among three different groups in this action-filled treasure hunting adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Song (2010)
A drama centered on a rebellious girl who is sent to a Southern beach town for the summer to stay with her father. Through their mutual love of music, the estranged duo learn to reconnect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetective Conan: Strategy Above the Depths (2005)
Fifteen years ago in a barren stretch of the Pacific, a cruise ship collided with an iceberg and was lost at sea. More than a decade later, Hideto Yashiro—a ship engineer—died in a fatal car accident. The unlikely connection between these events only comes to light on the luxury liner St. Aphrodite during her maiden voyage. Aboard it on a much needed vacation, Kogorou Mouri, his daughter Ran, Conan Edogawa, and the Detective Boys enjoy a trip provided by Sonoko Suzuki's family. But their fun is soon cut short when a game of hide-and-seek leads to Sonoko's disappearance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAfter the Storm (2016)
Ryota is an unpopular writer although he won a literary award 15 years ago. Now, Ryota works as a private detective. He is divorced from his ex-wife Kyoko and he has an 11-year-old son Shingo. His mother Yoshiko lives alone at her apartment. One day, Ryota, his ex-wife Kyoko, and son Shingo gather at Yoshiko's apartment. A typhoon passes and the family must stay there all night long.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFireworks (2017)
Moshimo, Japan. The annual fireworks festival is about to take place and a group of schoolboys, arguing over whether they are round or flat when viewed from different angles, set out to find it out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrayon Shinchan the Movie: The Storm Called: The Jungle (2000)
The Noharas go on an Action Mask-themed cruise, where all the grown-ups get kidnapped by a gang of monkeys. It's up to the kids to rescue them!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbie: A Perfect Christmas (2011)
The vacation plans of Barbie and her sisters take a turn due to a snowstorm. Stranded in Tannenbaum town, they find themselves amidst a holiday venture where they learn a heartwarming lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoraemon: Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum (2013)
Doraemon and his friends travel to the 22nd century to look for his golden bell, which was stolen by a notorious thief called Kaito DX.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTokyo Story (1953)
The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFamily Romance, LLC (2019)
Love is a business at Family Romance, a company that rents human stand-ins for any occasion. Founder Yuichi Ishii helps make his clients’ dreams come true. But when the mother of 12-year-old Mahiro hires Ishii to impersonate her missing father, the line between acting and reality threatens to blur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNational Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Clark Griswold is on a quest to take his family to the Walley World theme park for a vacation, but things don't go exactly as planned.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like Monkeys in Paradise and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Monkeys in Paradise?
The closest matches to Monkeys in Paradise are My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999), Crayon Shinchan the Movie: The Storm Called: The Adult Empire Strikes Back (2001) and Kikujiro (1999). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Monkeys in Paradise?
Start with My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999), the closest match to Monkeys in Paradise.
What is the highest-rated movie like Monkeys in Paradise?
Tokyo Story (1953), rated 8.1/10 by 1,288 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Monkeys in Paradise?
MOTHER (2020) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Monkeys in Paradise?
Yes: My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999), Crayon Shinchan the Movie: The Storm Called: The Adult Empire Strikes Back (2001) and Kikujiro (1999).
How are movies similar to Monkeys in Paradise chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Monkeys in Paradise, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.



















