Movies like La Dolce Vita (1960)
The best movies like La Dolce Vita (1960) are I Vitelloni (1953), Variety Lights (1950) and Il Sorpasso (1962). If La Dolce Vita hooked you with its comedy and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIl Sorpasso (1962)8.2/10 from 877 votes
- NewestThe Great Beauty (2013)Released 2013
- In ItalianI Vitelloni (1953)Also in Italian
I Vitelloni (1953)
Five young men dream of success as they drift lazily through life in a small Italian village. Fausto, the group's leader, is a womanizer; Riccardo craves fame; Alberto is a hopeless dreamer; Moraldo fantasizes about life in the city; and Leopoldo is an aspiring playwright. As Fausto chases a string of women, to the horror of his pregnant wife, the other four blunder their way from one uneventful experience to the next.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVariety Lights (1950)
In Italy, Checco Dal Monte manages a troupe of traveling performers with plenty of heart but minimal talent. At a small town engagement, he encounters the starry-eyed, gorgeous Lily Antonelli, and hires her as a dancer on the show. Vivacious Lily quickly sells out crowds and earns the resentment of Checco's mistress, Melina Amour, but the fledgling performer has far bigger ambitions and soon sets her sights on a higher-profile role.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIl Sorpasso (1962)
Roberto, a shy law student in Rome, meets Bruno, a forty-year-old exuberant, capricious man, who takes him for a drive through the Roman and Tuscany countries in the summer. When their journey starts to blend into their daily lives though, the pair’s newfound friendship is tested.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like this8½ (1963)
Guido Anselmi, a film director, finds himself creatively barren at the peak of his career. Urged by his doctors to rest, Anselmi heads for a luxurious resort, but a sorry group gathers—his producer, staff, actors, wife, mistress, and relatives—each one begging him to get on with the show. In retreat from their dependency, he fantasizes about past women and dreams of his childhood.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLa Strada (1954)
When Gelsomina, a naïve young woman, is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò to be his wife and partner, she loyally endures her husband's coldness and abuse as they travel the Italian countryside performing together. Soon Zampanò must deal with his jealousy and conflicted feelings about Gelsomina when she finds a kindred spirit in Il Matto, the carefree circus fool, and contemplates leaving Zampanò.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Swindle (1955)
Aging small-time conman Augusto works with two younger men: Roberto, who desires to become the Italian Johnny Ray, and Carlo, nicknamed Picasso. Through a series of mishaps and personal entanglements, things go badly for Augusto.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLa Notte (1961)
A day in the life of an unfaithful married couple and their steadily deteriorating relationship in Milan.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisL'Eclisse (1962)
Vittoria is a beautiful literary translator living in Rome. After splitting from her writer boyfriend, Riccardo, Vittoria meets Piero, a lively stockbroker, on the hectic floor of the Roman stock exchange. Though Vittoria and Piero begin a relationship, it is not one without difficulties, and their commitment to one another is tested during an eclipse.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmarcord (1973)
In an Italian seaside town, young Titta gets into trouble with his friends and watches various local eccentrics as they engage in often absurd behavior. Frequently clashing with his stern father and defended by his doting mother, Titta witnesses the actions of a wide range of characters, from his extended family to Fascist loyalists to sensual women, with certain moments shifting into fantastical scenarios.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNights of Cabiria (1957)
Rome, 1957. A woman, Cabiria, is robbed and left to drown by her boyfriend, Giorgio. Rescued, she resumes her life and tries her best to find happiness in a cynical world. Even when she thinks her struggles are over and she has found happiness and contentment, things may not be what they seem.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisRoma (1972)
A virtually plotless, gaudy, impressionistic portrait of Rome through the eyes of one of its most famous citizens.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisL'Avventura (1960)
Claudia and Anna join Anna's lover, Sandro, on a boat trip to a remote volcanic island. When Anna goes missing, a search is launched. In the meantime, Sandro and Claudia become involved in a romance despite Anna's disappearance, though the relationship suffers from guilt and tension.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Knew Her Well (1965)
A young woman from the Italian countryside experiences the dark side of the business after she moves to Rome to become a star.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe White Sheik (1952)
In Italy, small-town newlyweds Wanda and Ivan Cavalli embark on their honeymoon in the big city of Rome. Ivan dutifully wants to keep appointments with family and church, but Wanda is only interested in meeting her favorite photo-strip star known as "The White Sheik". While Wanda impetuously sneaks away to locate the object of her affections, disconsolate Ivan tries his hardest to keep up appearances with the couple's relatives.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Exterminating Angel (1962)
After a lavish dinner party, the guests find themselves unable to depart... and, over the next few days, all of their elaborate societal pretenses and façades deteriorate as they are reduced to living like animals.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBicycle Thieves (1948)
Unemployed Antonio is elated when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. However on his first day, his bicycle—essential to his work—gets stolen. His job is doomed unless he can find the thief. With the help of his son, Antonio combs the city, becoming desperate for justice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisUmberto D. (1952)
When elderly pensioner Umberto Domenico Ferrari returns to his boarding house from a protest calling for a hike in old-age pensions, his landlady demands her 15,000-lire rent by the end of the month or he and his small dog will be turned out onto the street. Unable to get the money in time, Umberto fakes illness to get sent to a hospital, giving his beloved dog to the landlady's pregnant and abandoned maid for temporary safekeeping.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEcce Bombo (1978)
Four friends, former 1968 student protesters who have checked out of politics and struggle to come to terms with the present, try self-criticism to figure out what to do with themselves, only to end up doing what they do best: sinking into endless talk without ever reaching a conclusion.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEuropa '51 (1952)
A wealthy, self-absorbed Rome socialite is racked by guilt over the death of her young son. As a way of dealing with her grief and finding meaning in her life, she decides to devote her time and money to the city’s poor and sick. Her newfound, single-minded activism leads to conflicts with her husband and questions about her sanity.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVivre Sa Vie (1962)
Twelve episodic tales in the life of a Parisian woman and her slow descent into prostitution.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSeduced and Abandoned (1964)
The film presents the tale of Agnese Ascalone, daughter of prominent miner Vincenzo Ascalone, and takes place in a small town in Sicily. Agnese is seduced by her sister Matilde's fiancé, and has a tryst with him for which she confesses and tries to repent, only to be discovered by her mother and father.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe 400 Blows (1959)
For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBreathless (1960)
A small-time thief steals a car and impulsively murders a motorcycle policeman. Wanted by the authorities, he attempts to persuade a girl to run away to Italy with him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Witches (1967)
Five short stories loosely dealing with the roles of women in society. A superstar actress travels to a mountain resort, only to evoke jealousy from women and lust from men. A woman offers to take an injured man to the hospital. A widowed father and his son seek for a new wife/mother. A man seeks revenge for a woman's honor. A bored housewife tries to explain to her husband that he's not as romantic as he used to be.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIl Posto (1961)
With his family mired in financial troubles, Domenico moves to Milan, Italy, from his small town to get a job in lieu of furthering his education. A lack of options forces him to take a position as a messenger at a big company, where he hopes to receive a promotion soon. There, Domenico meets Antonietta, a young woman in a similar situation as himself. The two form a tentative relationship, but the soulless nature of their jobs threatens to keep them apart.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Great Beauty (2013)
Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarriage Italian Style (1964)
During the bombing of Naples in World War II, a cynical businessman helps a naive prostitute, who spends the next two decades desperate to have him reciprocate her feelings.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBellissima (1952)
Film director Blasetti is looking for a little girl for his new movie. Along with other mothers, Maddelena takes her daughter to Cinecittà, hoping she’ll be selected and become a star. She is ready to sacrifice anything for little Maria.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove and Anarchy (1973)
When his anarchist friend is killed trying to assassinate Mussolini, Tunin decides it's up to him to finish the job. While visiting a brothel, he meets a prostitute named Salome, who agrees to help, as her former boyfriend was also killed by Mussolini. They enlist the aid of another prostitute and hatch an elaborate plan, but as the fateful day quickly approaches, the women have second thoughts.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBoccaccio '70 (1962)
An anthology of four comic moral tales about the hypocrisies surrounding sex in 1960s Italy: frothy young love and office politics in the big city; milk advertisements that begin to haunt an aging prude; a trophy wife enduring her husband's very public affairs; a lucky ticket-holder at a small town fair.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like La Dolce Vita?
The closest matches to La Dolce Vita are I Vitelloni (1953), Variety Lights (1950) and Il Sorpasso (1962). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after La Dolce Vita?
People who watched La Dolce Vita most often go on to I Vitelloni (1953), Variety Lights (1950) and Il Sorpasso (1962).
What is the highest-rated movie like La Dolce Vita?
Il Sorpasso (1962), rated 8.2/10 by 877 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like La Dolce Vita?
The Great Beauty (2013) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like La Dolce Vita?
Yes: I Vitelloni (1953), Variety Lights (1950) and Il Sorpasso (1962).
How are movies similar to La Dolce Vita chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside La Dolce Vita, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.