Movies like The Lilac Sweep (1998)
The best movies like The Lilac Sweep (1998) are ¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) and Fiancés on the Bridge (1962). If The Lilac Sweep hooked you with its comedy and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Lilac Sweep
Quick picks
- Highest rated¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023)8.4/10 from 378 votes
- NewestThe Most Normal Dude (2025)Released 2025
- In FrenchFiancés on the Bridge (1962)Also in French
¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023)
Lu, a conformist woman in her forties, learns that her 15-year partner has been having extramarital affairs. Starting from scratch, she gets involved in an unexpected relationship with a young womanizer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)
Teenager Susan Turner, with a severe crush on playboy artist Richard Nugent, sneaks into his apartment to model for him and is found there by her sister Judge Margaret Turner. Threatened with jail, Nugent agrees to date Susan until the crush abates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFiancés on the Bridge (1962)
A subtitle warns, "beware of dark sunglasses." Anna and her lover, whose looks in bowler and bow tie are reminiscent of a young Buster Keaton, kiss chastely on a bridge overlooking the Seine. He dons sunglasses and waves as she runs down a stairway to the river's edge, then watches in horror as she's knocked flat and loaded into the back of a hearse. In vain, he gives chase. Disconsolate, he buys a large funeral wreath and a handkerchief from sympathetic vendors. He removes the glasses to wipe his eyes and realizes they are the cause of all his woe. He replays the farewell without the glasses.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisZack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDinner in America (2022)
An on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with a local band go on an unexpected and epic journey together through the decaying suburbs of the American Midwest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Love You Again (1940)
Boring businessman Larry Wilson recovers from amnesia and discovers he's really a con man...and loves his soon-to-be-ex wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDean (2016)
A comedy about loss, grief, and the redemptive power of love. Dean is a NY illustrator who falls hard for an LA woman while trying to prevent his father from selling the family home in the wake of his mother's death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisWatching the Detectives (2007)
Neil, a self-proclaimed film geek and owner of Gumshoe video, has always been content to live vicariously through his favorite films noir. But when he meets Violet, a real-life femme fatale, his mundane world gets turned upside down and the line between reality and the movies quickly begins to blur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove Is in the Air (2023)
A fiercely independent pilot fighting to keep her family business afloat starts to fall for the man sent by corporate to ground her operation forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Girl Next Door (2004)
Exceptionally ambitious high schooler Matthew has aspirations for a career in politics when he falls in love with his gorgeous 19-year-old neighbor, Danielle. But Matthew's bright future is jeopardized when he finds Danielle was once a porn star. As Danielle's past catches up with her, Matthew's love for her forces him to re-evaluate his goals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirl on a Bicycle (2013)
Paolo, an Italian tour bus driver living in Paris, has just summoned up the courage to propose marriage to his German girlfriend Greta. However, a chance encounter with a French woman on a bicycle the very next day turns Paolo's life upside down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisFanfan (1993)
After seeing the initial passion and romance fade into a series of routine and boring relationships, Alexandre (Vincent Perez) concludes that romance ends when sex enters into a relationship. Determined to prevent this from happening with his latest love-interest—a sexy young woman named Fanfan (Sophie Marceau)—he decides that platonic love is the solution. Despite the wonderful, romantic, and inventive ways Alexandre finds for them to spend time together, Fanfan is left disappointed by his refusal to make love to her. Their exciting relationship becomes jeopardized by Alexandre's unwillingness to change his new approach to love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChasing Papi (2003)
Playboy Thomas Fuentes has so far been able to skate by in life on good looks and charm alone. But when his duplicitous relationships with three women -- impassioned waitress Cici, meticulous lawyer Lorena and bored socialite Patricia -- spiral out of control, he suffers a mental breakdown. His doctor recommends that he choose just one girlfriend -- but can he choose in time before they discover his deception?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeartbreaker (2010)
Alex and his sister run a business designed to break up relationships. They are hired by a rich man to break up the wedding of his daughter. The only problem is that they only have one week to do so.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSplendor (1999)
Veronica is a white-bread beauty searching for a good man in Los Angeles. While slam dancing at a Halloween rave, she meets Abel, a sensitive poet. Then she meets Zed, a supersexy tattooed drummer with incredible biceps. Who will she choose? Does she go for true love or cheap sex? She can't decide so she chooses both. But after managing to nurture a picture-perfect threesome, along comes Ernest, a rich movie director with deep baby blues that sweep Veronica off her feet. What's a girl to do now?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSend Me No Flowers (1964)
When a hypochondriac assumes that he is dying, he makes an elaborate plan to ensure his wife's happiness. However, trouble ensues when she misunderstands his intentions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlayers (2024)
New York sportswriter Mack has spent years devising successful hook-up "plays" with her friends, but when she unexpectedly falls for one of her targets, she must learn what it takes to go from simply scoring to playing for keeps.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarely Legal (2003)
Teenager Deacon works at a video shop, and his buddies, Fred and Matt, sell the bootleg porno films he acquires. Deacon gets fired, but the pals have the bright idea of filming their own Internet porn flick in order to make money and become more popular at school. Hijinks ensue as they cast and create their movie, but porn industry player Vic Ramalot grows jealous of their burgeoning success and tries to put a stop to the project.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisSolid Serenade (1946)
Tom ties up Spike and sneaks into the courtyard of the glamorous Toodles Galore with his bass, hoping to woo her with his song, much to the annoyance of a sleeping Jerry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Knight for a Day (1946)
By accident, Cedric (Goofy), replaces his master, Sir Loinsteak, in the armor just before the joust with champion Sir Cumference.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Short Film About Kissing (2010)
Ian Marcus, the up-and-coming underwear model and method actor, falls for a local girl during the opening day of the Sundance Festival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
YOYO (2017)
Caroline can't stand that she is a virgin...and then the world ends. In post-apocalyptic LA, after a dust storm has wiped out the planet, she is convinced that Francis was sent as the man to pop her cherry. YOYO is a heartfelt, dark comedy about finding meaning in life, even when life ceases to exist.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Thousand Year Sleep (2007)
Samantha, Lydia, Isabella, and Lisa. These four young women are about to learn that humanity is just an irrelevant flame burning nowhere in the vastness of space. Their dreams will be shattered and one man will marvel at the evil he has committed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Rules of Reduction (2015)
Billy is a man child who has developed 'The Pedo Instant', a product that acts as a repellent to those unsuspecting individuals who might invade his personal space. He calls his mom to boast about the product's effectiveness and the ensuing riches that are sure to follow. His mother displays grave concern and attempts to explain to her son why this might not be the best idea.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Cure to Loneliness (2022)
Netty is feeling lost in life following the abrupt end of her relationship with Liam. Luckily, there's a quick fix found in pill marketed as "the cure to loneliness".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
I Was a Teenage Werebear (2011)
A repressed gay teen transforms into a beast after being bitten by a hunky classmate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
A Joke on Jane (1914)
The roots of modern television situatuation comedy can be seen in this Beauty brand film. As American grew the Beauty brand was developed to feature actress Margarita Fisher. Her husband, Haryy Pollard, directed the Beauty films and occasionally acted in them. He plays the husband in this one.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Not Your Average Joe (2016)
When a recently separated Dad attempts to go into a gay club for the first time pandemonium ensues.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
You're Next (1927)
The three fat boys make the discovery that they are late for the barber school. There they ply their trade on various interesting customers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Most Normal Dude (2025)
A story about a young man named Joonatan, who seeks closeness and practical physical touch from doctors.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Lilac Sweep?
The closest matches to The Lilac Sweep are ¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) and Fiancés on the Bridge (1962). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Lilac Sweep?
Start with ¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023), the closest match to The Lilac Sweep.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Lilac Sweep?
¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023), rated 8.4/10 by 378 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Lilac Sweep?
The Most Normal Dude (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like The Lilac Sweep?
Yes: Fiancés on the Bridge (1962), Fanfan (1993) and Heartbreaker (2010).
How are movies similar to The Lilac Sweep chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Lilac Sweep, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.