Movies like That Night of Varennes (1982)
The best movies like That Night of Varennes (1982) are Caesar and Cleopatra (1946), Return of the Hero (2018) and The Young Karl Marx (2017). If That Night of Varennes hooked you with its history and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedEverAfter (1998)7.5/10 from 1,643 votes
- NewestHamilton (2025)Released 2025
- In FrenchReturn of the Hero (2018)Also in French
Caesar and Cleopatra (1946)
At the height of the Roman Civil War, an aging Julius Caesar finds himself intrigued by the young Egyptian queen Cleopatra, whom he teaches how to rule Egypt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReturn of the Hero (2018)
France, 1809. Captain Neuville is called to the front, leaving his future bride heartbroken. Her sister decides to write letters on his behalf to cheer her up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young Karl Marx (2017)
26 year-old Karl Marx embarks with his wife, Jenny, on the road to exile. In 1844 in Paris, he meets Friedrich Engels, an industrialist’s son, who has been investigating the sordid birth of the British working class. Engels, the dandy, provides the last piece of the puzzle to the young Karl Marx’s new vision of the world. Together, between censorship and the police’s repression, riots and political upheavals, they will lead the labor movement during its development into a modern era.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLes Misérables (2012)
An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France. Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDon't Think Twice (2016)
An improv group deals with several crises, including the loss of their lease and one member hitting the big time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHamilton (2025)
Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, this filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit is the story of America then, told by America now.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJulia (1977)
At the behest of an old and dear friend, playwright Lillian Hellman undertakes a dangerous mission to smuggle funds into Nazi Germany.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLa Marseillaise (1938)
The early days of the French Revolution, as seen through the eyes of the ordinary citizens in Marseille and the royal court, including King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLost in London (2017)
Within the course of a night, Woody Harrelson finds himself in a misadventure in London that winds him up in prison.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrue Spirit (2023)
When the tenacious young sailor Jessica Watson sets out to be the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world, many expect her to fail. With the support of her sailing coach and mentor Ben Bryant and her parents, Jessica is determined to accomplish what was thought to be impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of ocean over the course of 210 days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Current War (2018)
Electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse compete to create a sustainable system and market it to the American people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWaterloo (1970)
After defeating France and imprisoning Napoleon on Elba, ending two decades of war, Europe is shocked to find Napoleon has escaped and has caused the French Army to defect from the King back to him. The best of the British generals, the Duke of Wellington, beat Napolean's best generals in Spain and Portugal, but now must beat Napoleon himself with an Anglo Allied army.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936)
Mild-mannered novelist of Western fiction, Amédée Lange, and his colleagues take over a publishing house after their exploitative boss disappears, only for the superior to return and try to reclaim the profits from their successful cooperative.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRide Away (2025)
From the Atlantic to the Black Sea, Mathias and Philippe, two old friends, embark on a bicycle journey that Mathias’s son made before his tragic death. The two men ride through the ordeals with tenderness, humor and emotion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Four Musketeers (1974)
The Four Musketeers defend the queen and her dressmaker from Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlice and the Mayor (2019)
The mayor of Lyon, Paul Théraneau, is in a delicate position. After 30 years in politics, he is running out of ideas and is faced with a feeling of existential emptiness. To overcome this, Paul hires a young and brilliant philosopher, Alice Heimann. Then follows a dialogue between two diametrically opposed personalities who will turn their certainties upside down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHenry V (1944)
In 1415, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlame It on Fidel! (2006)
A 9-year-old girl weathers big changes in her household as her parents become radical political activists in 1970-71 Paris.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBolero (2024)
Boundary-pushing Russian dancer and actress Ida Rubinstein selects renowned French composer Maurice Ravel to compose the music for her next ballet. Ravel ends up creating his greatest success ever: Boléro.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAuntie Mame (1958)
Mame Dennis, a progressive and independent woman of the 1920s, is left to care for her nephew Patrick after his wealthy father dies. Conflict ensues when the executor of the father's estate objects to the aunt's lifestyle and tries to force her to send Patrick to prep school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEverAfter (1998)
Danielle, a vibrant young woman, was forced into servitude after the death of her father when she was a young girl. Danielle's stepmother, Rodmilla, is a heartless woman who forces Danielle to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off the eldest of her two daughters to the prince. But Danielle's life takes a wonderful turn when, under the guise of a visiting royal, she meets the charming Prince Henry.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMutiny on the Bounty (1962)
The Bounty leaves Portsmouth in 1787. Its destination: to sail to Tahiti and load bread-fruit. Captain Bligh will do anything to get there as fast as possible, using any means to keep up a strict discipline. When they arrive at Tahiti, it is like a paradise for the crew, something completely different than the living hell aboard the ship. On the way back to England, officer Fletcher Christian becomes the leader of a mutiny.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFanny Elssler (1937)
Prince Klemens von Metternich orders Friedrich Gentz, one of his aides, to keep the Duke of Reichstadt---Napoleon Francois Joseph Charles---son of Napoleon and heir to the French throne, from thinking about French politics. Gentz enlists the help of ballerina Fanny Elsser, all the rage in several European capitals, to keep the Duke distracted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Full River Red (2023)
During China's Song Dynasty, a mysterious murder occurs at Chancellor Quin Hui's palace after meeting delegates from the neighboring Jin Dynasty. The members become embroiled not just in a murder mystery, but a larger conspiracy concerning the fate of the empire.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReign of Terror (1949)
The French Revolution, 1794. The Marquis de Lafayette asks Charles D'Aubigny to infiltrate the Jacobin Party to overthrow Maximilian Robespierre, who, after gaining supreme power and establishing a reign of terror ruled by death, now intends to become the dictator of France.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEcce Homo Brâncoveanu (2024)
A parable about honor and true character, inspired by the reality of the 18th century. Constantin Brâncoveanu preferred to be beheaded in Constantinople alongside his four sons - Constantin, Stefan, Radu, and Matei - as well as by his counselor Ianache Vacarescu, instead of renouncing the Christian faith.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history & drama
History of the World: Part I (1981)
An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Life for Ireland (1941)
A Nazi propaganda movie from 1941 directed by Max W. Kimmich, covering a story of Irish heroism and martyrdom over two generations under the occupation of the British.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Our Daily Bread (1949)
A story about a family after the Second World War. The petty bourgeois cashier Karl Weber of Berlin observes from a distance how his son Ernst participates in the building of a new socialist society. Karl does not understand Ernst's visions, instead he confides in his other son Harry. However, Harry becomes involved in illicit business and Karl quickly realizes that it would be best to join his son Ernst in the citizen-owned factory.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Condemned Village (1952)
East German propaganda film about an American army base trying to take away land from a West German village.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like That Night of Varennes?
The closest matches to That Night of Varennes are Caesar and Cleopatra (1946), Return of the Hero (2018) and The Young Karl Marx (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after That Night of Varennes?
Start with Caesar and Cleopatra (1946), the closest match to That Night of Varennes.
What is the highest-rated movie like That Night of Varennes?
EverAfter (1998), rated 7.5/10 by 1,643 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like That Night of Varennes?
Hamilton (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like That Night of Varennes?
Yes: Return of the Hero (2018), The Young Karl Marx (2017) and La Marseillaise (1938).
How are movies similar to That Night of Varennes chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside That Night of Varennes, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.