Movies like Variety Lights (1950)
The best movies like Variety Lights (1950) are Ginger and Fred (1986), Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976) and Reality (2012). If Variety Lights hooked you with its drama and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWe All Loved Each Other So Much (1974)8.3/10 from 674 votes
- NewestGod Forgives Everyone (2026)Released 2026
- In ItalianGinger and Fred (1986)Also in Italian
Ginger and Fred (1986)
Amelia and Pippo are reunited after several decades to perform their old music-hall act, imitating Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, on a TV variety show.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUgly, Dirty and Bad (1976)
Giacinto lives with his wife, their ten children and various other family members in a shack on the hills of Rome. Some time ago he has lost his left eye while at work, and got a consistent sum of money from the insurance company, which he keeps hidden from the rest of the family. His whole life is now based on defending the money he sees as his own, while the rest of the family tries to kill him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisReality (2012)
A dark comedy centering on the lives of a Neapolitan based family whose father, a fish merchant, is so infatuated with the reality TV show "Grande Fratello" (the Italian version of "Big Brother") he starts living his life as if he were on it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGod Forgives Everyone (2026)
Arturo is a lonely, gluttonous, and disillusioned Sicilian real estate agent. His mundane life finally finds its spark through his one true passion: Sicilian pastries. It’s over a tray of cannoli that he meets his soulmate, Flora. She is everything he ever dreamed of—beautiful, witty, and brilliant. To top it off, she’s a pastry chef. However, a divine obstacle stands between them: God. While Flora is a devout, fervent Catholic, Arturo abandoned his faith as a child. Desperate not to lose the woman of his dreams, he decides to "fake it 'til he makes it," pretending to be a man of deep conviction. Guiding Arturo on this chaotic journey toward truth, faith, and Flora’s heart is an unlikely mentor and friend: Pope Francis himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhite as Milk, Red as Blood (2013)
Like all sixteen-year-olds, Leo prefers the company of friends, motorbike rides and music to school. None of the teachers seem to be able to arouse his interest until the arrival in his class of a young history and philosophy substitute who, with his modern methods, helps him see the world with different eyes. In love with Beatrice, the ethereal girl of his dreams, Leo divides the world by colours. Beatrice is the red of love but he is forced to confront his own beliefs and fears when he discovers that the girl is suffering from leukemia, a disease that he links to white, a symbol of emptiness and loss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWe All Loved Each Other So Much (1974)
Three partisans bound by a strong friendship return home after the war, but the clash with everyday reality puts a strain on their bond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMy Own Love Song (2010)
A wheelchair-bound singer and her best friend embark on a roadtrip to Memphis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Flat for Three (2012)
Ulisse, Fulvio and Domenico decide to rent an apartment together in order to live with their modest work. However the three encounter any difficulties that have forced them to always be one step away from starvation. Ulisse has to maintain his wife and daughter selling recordings of important foreign singers, Fulvio has the task of reviewing silly scandals of celebrities instead of writing articles for major artists, while Domenico must keep his wife and children going to make love with old single pensioners.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dinner (1998)
An evening at an Italian restaurant hosted by tolerant and relaxed Flora, various middle-class parties enter – large and small, young and old, regulars and tourists, married and single – to dine, converse, argue, celebrate, make confessions; to eavesdrop, to interrupt, to sing, listen to music, and enjoy life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Dog Year (2009)
Jon Katz is close to burnout. He's a writer with writer's block; his wife has left for her sister's because he's emotionally distant; he rarely answers his phone. A kennel sends him a border collie that's undisciplined because of abuse. Despite a series of mishaps, Jon decides to keep trying with the dog, and he rents a dilapidated farm house to give the dog room to run. A local handyman refers Jon to a woman who might be able to help him train the dog. Reluctantly, Jon gives her a try. Is the dog the problem, or the owner?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLet's Hope It's a Girl (1986)
A multifaceted exploration of the pointlessness of sexual stereotypes. Liv Ullmann is a countess who, after her divorce, takes over the family farm. Realizing that she can't rely on the patriarchal society structure for assistance, Ullmann runs the farm herself with the help of her female servants and relatives. When the Count (Philipe Noiret) comes back into her life, he and his male buddies find themselves outclassed by the expertise of the ladies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt Runs in the Family (2003)
This is the story of a dysfunctional New York family, and their attempts to reconcile
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Name of the Italian People (1971)
An obscure Italian magistrate suspects that a well-known industrialist commited murder, and decides to investigate him, and bring him to court, whatever it takes. But - will the magistrate have it in him to go against impossible odds, in the name of the Italian people he represents?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHooking Up (2020)
Bailey and Darla embark upon a misguided and mutually deceitful form of therapy, one in which they must drive across the country, re-enacting Darla's colorful history as a sex addict. As their true motivations for the road trip come to light, the unlikely pair force one another to confront their issues, discovering that there might actually be more to love than just sex.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBasilicata Coast To Coast (2010)
A musical comedy, a journey filled with unexpected twists and unexpected encounters, leading a group of musicians to set out to the rhythm of their musical verses to participate in the Scanzano Jonico Song-Theatre Festival, walking across Basilicata, from the Tyrrhenian to the Ionian Sea, along the route that gives the project its name. The journey will have a therapeutic effect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSubUrbia (1997)
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife Is Life (2025)
An elderly shepherd takes on big business when he becomes the only holdout against property developers building a luxury resort in his tiny Sardinian village.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMuch Ado About Nothing (2013)
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisThe Con Artists (1976)
Belle Duke, in order to get revenge on her former lover Philip Bang, organizes his jail break. But instead of Philip, it is the Italian Felice Brianza, AKAS Felix, who escapes. Now Felix is obliged to help Philip to escape. He succeeds and the two join to defraud Belle. The swindle plot become more complicated when Felix falls in love for Philip's daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWidow Wanted (1965)
One of Ahmed's relatives dies and leaves him a huge fortune to inherit, but on one condition, which is to search for a widow to marry, and he continues to search again and again for someone suitable for the task.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Fortune of Chance (2023)
After a long night out two lonely people awake in unfamiliar places on opposite ends of the same city. Their eventual meeting in a city park can only be described as good fortune.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Touch of Evil (1958)
A border-town bombing draws Mexican investigator Miguel Vargas into a corruption-ridden police investigation led by crooked captain Hank Quinlan, setting off a deadly struggle over power, justice, and truth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Fifth Step (TBA)
An inmate manages to win the prison time battle by thinking about his wife, who was also imprisoned. He lives only with the hope that the two will see each other again, but eventually realizes that the only thing he has left is the memory of the two's dancing steps.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Bhakta Dhruva (1934)
The film tells a mythological story about the child Dhruva who in utmost devotion towards Lord Vishnu, ultimately finds a place in sky as the brightest star (Dhruva Nakshatra) and finds solace at the place.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sadarame (1935)
The story follows the virtuous and brave Sadarame, whose life takes a sharp turn when she captures the heart of Prince Jayaveera.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEcho on the Seashore (1966)
World War II. Patriot Jonuz Bruga has troubles with his young son, Selim, who leads an immoral lifestyle and does not support the anti-fascist war, while his brothers fight in the city's guerrilla units.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Estrada on the Screen (1968)
A comedy from the stage troupe of Tiranë and Shkodër. A collection of sketches, songs and humorous numbers performed by well-known Albanian pop artists. With a combination of humor and satirical situations, the film aims to bring entertainment to the audience, reflecting diverse characters of everyday life and addressing social themes of the time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Thug (1957)
Haridy arrives at the vegetable market in search of a job opportunity, he works for Master Abu Zaid and after a while he separates and marries Hossnyia. Haridy forms an alliance against Abu Zaid, but he soon becomes more powerful and his condition turns to worse.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Variety Lights?
The closest matches to Variety Lights are Ginger and Fred (1986), Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976) and Reality (2012). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Variety Lights?
Start with Ginger and Fred (1986), the closest match to Variety Lights.
What is the highest-rated movie like Variety Lights?
We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974), rated 8.3/10 by 674 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Variety Lights?
God Forgives Everyone (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Variety Lights?
Yes: Ginger and Fred (1986), Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976) and Reality (2012).
How are movies similar to Variety Lights chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Variety Lights, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.