Movies like Free and Easy 8 (1996)
The best movies like Free and Easy 8 (1996) are Leviathan (2013), Ponyo (2008) and Early Spring (1956). If Free and Easy 8 hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSeven Samurai (1954)8.5/10 from 4,460 votes
- NewestOne Piece Film Red (2022)Released 2022
- In JapanesePonyo (2008)Also in Japanese
Leviathan (2013)
An experimental portrait of the North American commercial fishing industry through the lens of GoPro cameras placed on a fishing vessel off the coast of New England.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPonyo (2008)
When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEarly Spring (1956)
A young salaryman and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he embarks on an extramarital affair.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMan's Favorite Sport? (1964)
Roger Willoughby is a renowned fishing expert, who, unbeknownst to his friends, co-workers, or boss, has never cast a line in his life. One day, he crosses paths with Abigail Paige, a sweetly annoying girl who has just badgered his boss into signing Roger up for an annual fishing tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShark Tale (2004)
Oscar is a small fish whose big aspirations often get him into trouble. Meanwhile, Lenny is a great white shark with a surprising secret that no sea creature would guess: He's a vegetarian. When a lie turns Oscar into an improbable hero and Lenny becomes an outcast, the two form an unlikely friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (2020)
An effervescent musical about one of the most unlikely couples seen on screen: two Otaku intent on hiding their nerdiness from their colleagues!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013)
Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Old Man and the Sea (1958)
Santiago is an aging, down-on-his-luck, Cuban fisherman who, after catching nothing for nearly 3 months, hooks a huge Marlin and struggles to land it far out in the Gulf Stream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Grand Seduction (2014)
A small fishing village must procure a local doctor to secure a lucrative business contract. When unlikely candidate and big city doctor Paul Lewis lands in their lap for a trial residence, the townsfolk rally together to charm him into staying. As the doctor’s time in the village winds to a close, acting mayor Murray French has no choice but to pull out all the stops and begin The Grand Seduction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCurious George: A Very Monkey Christmas (2009)
George and The Man In The Yellow Hat are having a merry time counting down to Christmas. But neither can decide what to give each other. Will they find the answers before Christmas morning?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAquamarine (2006)
Two teenage girls discover that mermaids really do exist after a violent storm washes one ashore. The mermaid, a sassy creature named Aquamarine, is determined to prove to her father that real love exists, and enlists the girls' help in winning the heart of a handsome lifeguard.
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 thisThe Breaking Point (1950)
A fisherman with money problems hires out his boat to transport criminals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHanasaku Iroha the Movie: Home Sweet Home (2013)
While sorting through a mess of books in the staff room, Ohana happens upon one of Denroku's log books from long ago. Within it, it recounts a story of Ohana's mom when she was the same age as her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal the Movie Part 1 (2021)
After a total solar eclipse, a dark circus troupe appears, Mamoru is stricken with a mysterious malady and bad things start happening across the city. Sequel to the Sailor Moon Crystal TV series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBarbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 (2012)
Merliah Summers, a mermaid from Oceana, travels to Australia for a surfing competition. But when she learns that the evil Eris is planning to take over her kingdom, she must stop her at any cost.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbie in A Mermaid Tale (2010)
Barbie stars as Merliah, a surfer who learns a shocking secret: she's a mermaid! She and her dolphin friend set out for an undersea adventure to rescue her mother, the queen of Oceana.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Piece Film Red (2022)
A new adventure begins for Luffy and his crew when mysterious pop superstar Uta unveils her identity — and launches a misguided plan for world peace.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChildren of the Sea (2019)
Ruka is a young girl whose parents are separated and whose father works in an aquarium. When two boys, Umi and Sora, who were raised in the sea by dugongs, are brought to the aquarium, Ruka feels drawn to them and begins to realize that she has the same sort of supernatural connection to the ocean that they do. Umi and Sora's special power seems to be connected to strange events that have been occurring more and more frequently, such as the appearance of sea creatures far from their home territory and the disappearance of aquarium animals around the world. However, the exact nature of the boys' power and of the abnormal events is unknown, and Ruka gets drawn into investigating the mystery that surrounds her new friends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSeven Samurai (1954)
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMemoirs of a Geisha (2005)
In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn the Bedroom (2001)
Summertime on the coast of Maine, "In the Bedroom" centers on the inner dynamics of a family in transition. Matt Fowler is a doctor practicing in his native Maine and is married to New York born Ruth Fowler, a music teacher. His son is involved in a love affair with a local single mother. As the beauty of Maine's brief and fleeting summer comes to an end, these characters find themselves in the midst of unimaginable tragedy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOkada Yukiko - Memories in Swiss (2002)
The first DVD release of two Okada Yukiko videos, "Okada Yukiko in Switzerland" and "Okada Yukiko Memories of Switzerland", both released in 1985, on one disc.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Freedom for the Wolf (2017)
The Real Story of Fake Democracy. Filmed over three years in five countries, FREEDOM FOR THE WOLF is an epic investigation into the new regime of illiberal democracy. From the young students of Hong Kong, to a rapper in post-Arab Spring Tunisia and the viral comedians of Bollywood, we discover how people from every corner of the globe are fighting the same struggle. They are fighting against elected leaders who trample on human rights, minorities, and their political opponents.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Aderyn Papur... and Pigs Might Fly (1984)
A boy living in underdeveloped Welsh village hopes for a better time of his homeland when seeing the two Japaneese businessmen with the apparent intentions to build a factory there.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Hajimemashite Nakamori Akina (1985)
Akina Nakamori's second video work "Hajimemashite" consists of 12 songs (including three singles "Slow Motion," "Girl A," and "Second Love") from her debut year (1982), filmed at Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles and other locations where Akina Nakamori visited to record and interview for "Slow Motion" from March 11 to 17, 1982, just before her debut. It also includes the recording of her debut song "Slow Motion," and is full of valuable memorial footage from before her debut!
Why it matches: Similar story and style
NEW AKINA Étranger Akina Nakamori in Europe (1983)
NEW AKINA Étranger Akina Nakamori in Europe is the first video release released by Nakamori Akina. It was released on October 12, 1983.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Godzilla (1954)
Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGodzilla Raids Again (1955)
Two fishing scout pilots make a horrifying discovery when they encounter a second Godzilla alongside a new monster named Anguirus. Without the weapon that killed the original, authorities attempt to lure Godzilla away from the mainland. But Anguirus soon arrives and the two monsters make their way towards Osaka as Japan braces for tragedy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Free and Easy 8?
The closest matches to Free and Easy 8 are Leviathan (2013), Ponyo (2008) and Early Spring (1956). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Free and Easy 8?
Start with Leviathan (2013), the closest match to Free and Easy 8.
What is the highest-rated movie like Free and Easy 8?
Seven Samurai (1954), rated 8.5/10 by 4,460 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Free and Easy 8?
One Piece Film Red (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Free and Easy 8?
Yes: Ponyo (2008), Early Spring (1956) and Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (2020).
How are movies similar to Free and Easy 8 chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Free and Easy 8, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.