Movies like The Ontological Cowboy (2005)
The best movies like The Ontological Cowboy (2005) are Synecdoche, New York (2008), Midnight Cowboy (1969) and The Disaster Artist (2017). If The Ontological Cowboy hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Ontological Cowboy
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Greatest Showman (2017)7.9/10 from 10,326 votes
- NewestHamilton (2025)Released 2025
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMidnight Cowboy (1969)
Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an ailing swindler with a bum leg and a quixotic fantasy of escaping to Florida.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Disaster Artist (2017)
An aspiring actor in Hollywood meets an enigmatic stranger by the name of Tommy Wiseau, the meeting leads the actor down a path nobody could have predicted; creating the worst movie ever made.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRent: Filmed Live on Broadway (2008)
Set in New York City's gritty East Village, the revolutionary rock opera RENT tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to live and pay their rent. "Measuring their lives in love," these starving artists strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOnce Upon a Time in… Hollywood (2019)
Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate, who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski…
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJohn Leguizamo's Latin History for Morons (2018)
In this one-man Broadway show, John Leguizamo finds humor and heartbreak as he traces 3,000 years of Latin history in an effort to help his bullied son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChristine (1983)
Nerdy high schooler Arnie Cunningham falls for Christine, a rusty 1958 Plymouth Fury, and becomes obsessed with restoring the classic automobile to her former glory. As the car changes, so does Arnie, whose newfound confidence turns to arrogance behind the wheel of his exotic beauty. Arnie's girlfriend Leigh and best friend Dennis reach out to him, only to be met by a Fury like no other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSharper (2023)
A small, wealthy family in New York City gets progressively torn apart by secrets, lies, and the theft that orchestrates all of it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShane (1953)
A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smouldering settler and rancher conflict forces him to act.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEverything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)
A collection of seven vignettes, which each address a question concerning human sexuality. From aphrodisiacs to sexual perversion to the mystery of the male orgasm, characters like a court jester, a doctor, a queen and a journalist adventure through lab experiments and game shows, all seeking answers to common questions that many would never ask.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRent (2005)
In New York City's gritty East Village, a group of bohemians strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Different Man (2024)
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMay December (2023)
Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under the pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAsteroid City (2023)
In an American desert town circa 1955, the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Greatest Showman (2017)
The story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBrain Donors (1992)
Three manic idiots—a lawyer, a cab driver and a handyman—team up to run a ballet company to fulfil the will of a millionaire. Stooge-like antics result as the trio try to outwit the rich widow and her scheming big-shot lawyer, who also wants to run the ballet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeaven's Gate (1980)
Harvard graduate James Averill serves as the sheriff of prosperous Jackson County, Wyoming, standing at the center of a conflict between impoverished immigrants and affluent cattle farmers. Politically connected ranchers enlist mercenary Nathan Champion—who is also vying for the affections of local madam Ella Watson—to combat the immigrant uprising. As tensions escalate, both Averill and Champion start to question their decisions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)
When a Conservative TV crusader threatens to shut down beloved brothel The Chicken Ranch, proprietress Miss Mona Stangley and her girls won't go down without a fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Vignettes weaving together the stories of six individuals in the old West at the end of the Civil War. Following the tales of a sharp-shooting songster, a wannabe bank robber, two weary traveling performers, a lone gold prospector, a woman traveling the West to an uncertain future, and a motley crew of strangers undertaking a carriage ride.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Ontological Cowboy?
The closest matches to The Ontological Cowboy are Synecdoche, New York (2008), Midnight Cowboy (1969) and The Disaster Artist (2017). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Ontological Cowboy?
Start with Synecdoche, New York (2008), the closest match to The Ontological Cowboy.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Ontological Cowboy?
The Greatest Showman (2017), rated 7.9/10 by 10,326 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Ontological Cowboy?
Hamilton (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Ontological Cowboy?
Yes: Synecdoche, New York (2008), Midnight Cowboy (1969) and The Disaster Artist (2017).
How are movies similar to The Ontological Cowboy chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Ontological Cowboy, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.