Movies like Wave
If Wave hooked you with its comedy and drama, these are the films to watch next. Every pick says why it matches.
Bottle Rocket (1996)
Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a harebrained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSaltburn (2023)
Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCode 3 (2025)
A burned-out paramedic tries to survive his last 24 hours on the job while training a new recruit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFunny People (2009)
Famous and wealthy funnyman George Simmons doesn't give much thought to how he treats people until a doctor delivers stunning health news, forcing George to reevaluate his priorities with a little help from aspiring stand-up comic Ira.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHenry Poole Is Here (2008)
Henry Poole abandons his fiancée and family business to spend what he believes are his remaining days alone. The discovery of a 'miracle' by a nosy neighbor ruptures his solitude and restores his faith in life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisDon't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018)
On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing hilarious, often controversial cartoons, which bring him a new lease on life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHouse of D (2004)
In the present, artist Tom Warshaw recalls his traumatic coming of age. As a 13-year-old growing up in New York City in 1973, Tom hangs out with Pappass, a mentally disabled man. With Tom's mother battling depression after the death of her husband, the young boy is left to his own devices. When Tom develops a crush on schoolmate Melissa, Pappass feels abandoned and begins behaving erratically.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAlmost Friends (2017)
A man in his mid-20s, still living at home with his mother and stepfather, puts all his eggs in one basket: the girl who works at his local coffee shop. The problem is, she has a serious boyfriend. As they become closer, the line between friendship and intimacy is blurred, and the situation forces both to examine where they are in their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
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 thisMainstream (2021)
A young woman thinks she’s found a path to internet stardom when she starts making YouTube videos with a charismatic stranger – until the dark side of viral celebrity threatens to ruin them both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTyler Perry's Madea on the Run - The Play (2017)
In trouble with the local authorities, Mabel Simmons, notoriously known as Madea, is on the run from the law. With no place to turn, she moves in with her friend Bam who is recovering from surgery. Unbeknownst to Bam however, Madea is only using the "concerned friend" gag as a way to hide out from the police.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBo Burnham: Inside (2021)
Stuck in COVID-19 lockdown, US comedian and musician Bo Burnham attempts to stay sane and happy by writing, shooting and performing a one-man comedy special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBlood and Bone (2009)
In Los Angeles, an ex-con takes the underground fighting world by storm in his quest to fulfill a promise to a dead friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHow High (2001)
Jamal and Silas, two ordinary guys who smoke something magical, pass their college entrance exams with flying colors and end up at Harvard. Ivy League ways are strange but Silas and Jamal take it in a stride -- until their supply of supernatural smoke runs dry. That's when they have to start living by their wits and rely on their natural resources to make the grade.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Mortality (2025)
Ricky Gervais tackles life, death and the state of the world in a brutally honest special that spares no topic, even his own mortality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Professor and the Madman (2019)
Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Unforgivable (2021)
A woman is released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime and re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLet's Go to Prison (2006)
When a career criminal's plan for revenge is thwarted by unlikely circumstances, he puts his intended victim's son in his place by putting him in prison...and then joining him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpecial (2006)
A lonely metermaid has a psychotic reaction to his medication and becomes convinced he's a superhero. A very select group of people in life are truly gifted. Special is a movie about everyone else.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDream Scenario (2023)
Hapless family man Paul Matthews finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAfter Ashes (2018)
After a plague wipes out most of humanity, transforming them into mindless creatures, The Grim Reaper struggles with boredom as he kills time more than he does people. Kali Kaminski, the lone human survivor, struggles to maintain her sanity while keeping creatures and lethargy at bay. These two individuals inevitably meet and find kindred spirits in one another changing both of their outlooks on the world they find themselves trapped in.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Still Life (2026)
After their son is stillborn at 24 weeks, Jess navigates an unexpected form of motherhood marked by silent milestones and uncomfortable social encounters, while Max struggles to hold their family together through grief.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Family of Patriots (1941)
Patriotic film from 1941 of Armenian men being called up to fight for the Red Army
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Not Today (2022)
Handling two homes, three kids and her mother with Alzheimer's; Meryem, a single mother nanny, gets hooked on middle class' discourse of self-help. Going over her priorities, she decides to step up for herself on the worst day possible.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Love Revisited (2016)
Jennifer wakes up with a bad headache and unsure of what happened the day before. She finds unpleasant clues in her apartment. When the doorbell rings, she assumes the worst but is pleasantly surprised to have forgotten her Tinder date.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Front Range (TBA)
A woman must choose between her future and her boyfriend's survival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Black Hole (2019)
An astrophysics professor leads a lecture about a black hole that absorbs everything around it. He doesn't know yet that he will also be enveloped by this black hole.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Mi carrusel eres tú (2022)
Matías has plans, but today he will have to take care of his grandfather who, despite his mental deterioration, has a lot of life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Reminiscence (2019)
Juliana is an experienced taxi driver who is trapped in the memory of her childhood until a difficult situation makes her reconsider past decisions.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Hasan Everywhere (2010)
Hasan Everywhere is an animation which broaches the subtlety of a relationship between a man and a woman who bear the passports of enemies, to sympathetically deal with the subjects of death, grief, lost opportunity; but mostly it seeks to demonstrate the possibility of friendship triumphing over the deepest of rifts between two people. In that regard it is most unusual among the standard fare of animated shorts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Wave and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Wave?
The closest matches to Wave are Bottle Rocket, Saltburn, Code 3.
How are movies similar to Wave chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Wave, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.
Are there English movies like Wave?
Yes: Bottle Rocket, Saltburn, Code 3.