Movies like Boys of Life (2016)
The best movies like Boys of Life (2016) are A Thousand Words (2012), Peter Ibbetson (1935) and The Age of Adaline (2015). If Boys of Life hooked you with its fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPaperman (2012)8.0/10 from 1,852 votes
- NewestA Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025)Released 2025
A Thousand Words (2012)
Jack McCall is a fast-talking literary agent, who can close any deal, any time, any way. He has set his sights on New Age guru Dr. Sinja for his own selfish purposes. But Dr. Sinja is on to him, and Jack’s life comes unglued after a magical Bodhi tree mysteriously appears in his backyard. With every word Jack speaks, a leaf falls from the tree and he realizes that when the last leaf falls, both he and the tree are toast. Words have never failed Jack McCall, but now he’s got to stop talking and conjure up some outrageous ways to communicate or he’s a goner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeter Ibbetson (1935)
When his mother dies, young Peter Ibbetson leaves Paris and his best friend, Mary, behind to live with a severe uncle in England. Years later, Peter is an architect with little time for women, until he begins a project with the Duke and Duchess of Towers. When Peter and the duchess become great friends, she reveals that she is Mary — but the duke soon suspects his wife of infidelity and challenges Peter to a duel, threatening the pair's second chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Age of Adaline (2015)
After 29-year-old Adaline recovers from a nearly lethal accident, she inexplicably stops growing older. As the years stretch on and on, Adaline keeps her secret to herself until she meets a man who changes her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Nutcracker (1993)
On Christmas Eve, a little girl named Marie falls asleep and dreams herself into a fantastic world in which her toys become larger than life. She meets up with the Nutcracker Prince who takes her on a journey to his kingdom and defends her from the Mouse King.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisNext Stop, Christmas (2021)
Angie wonders what her life would be like if she had married a former boyfriend who became a famous sportscaster. She takes the train home to spend Christmas with her family and inexplicably finds herself 10 years in the past. With the advice of the train's enigmatic conductor, Angie has the chance to revisit that Christmas and learn what — and who — is truly important to her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)
A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUnder the Sea: A Descendants Story (2018)
Mal emerges from the shadows of a mystical forest onto a dark coastline where she crosses paths with Dizzy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPaperman (2012)
An urban office worker finds that paper airplanes are instrumental in meeting a girl in ways he never expected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMy Winnipeg (2008)
The geographical dead center of North America and the beloved birthplace of Guy Maddin, Winnipeg, is the frosty and mysterious star of Maddin’s film. Fact, fantasy and memory are woven seamlessly together in this work, conjuring a city as delightful as it is fearsome.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTom and Jerry & The Wizard of Oz (2011)
After a deadly storm, Tom and Jerry find themselves stranded on an unknown island ruled by the evil Wizard of Oz. As they try to find their way back home, they worry for their master Dorothy's safety.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBell, Book and Candle (1958)
Gillian Holroyd, a modern-day witch, becomes smitten with her handsome upstairs neighbor, Shep Henderson. Using her magical powers, she casts a love spell on him, only to face unexpected complications when genuine feelings emerge, threatening her supernatural abilities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 12 Days of Christmas Eve (2022)
When Brian Conway, a successful businessman whose family relationships have suffered, gets in a car accident on Christmas Eve, Santa gives him twelve chances to redo the day and repair the relationships in his life, including with his daughter Michelle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrigadoon (1954)
Americans Jeff and Tommy, hunting in Scotland, stumble upon a village - Brigadoon. They soon learn that the town appears once every 100 years in order to preserve its peace and special beauty. The citizens go to bed at night and when they wake up, it's 100 years later. Tommy falls in love with a beautiful young woman, Fiona, and is torn between staying or going back to his hectic life in New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMirrorMask (2005)
In a fantasy world of opposing kingdoms, a 15-year old girl must find the fabled MirrorMask in order to save the kingdom and get home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChips Ahoy (1956)
Chip and Dale are starving in their tree home when they notice a plentiful supply of acorns on an island in a lake. To get to the island, they borrow a miniature model ship of Donald's to sail on. The irate Donald, however, doesn't appreciate them stealing his ship and makes several attempts to get it back and thwart their scheme to get to their acorn paradise. Chip and Dale are, of course, always one step ahead of Donald.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Heavenly Christmas (2016)
Upon her untimely death, a workaholic finds herself in training to be a Christmas Angel in Heaven. Despite being the worst recruit in the history of Christmas, she’s assigned a hard luck case. As she’s forced to help solve his problems, she’ll start to discover the meaning of Christmas and maybe even fall in love along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDestino (2003)
Short film to a song of love lost and rediscovered, a woman sees and undergoes surreal transformations. Her lover's face melts off, she dons a dress from the shadow of a bell and becomes a dandelion, ants crawl out of a hand and become Frenchmen riding bicycles. Not to mention the turtles with faces on their backs that collide to form a ballerina, or the bizarre baseball game.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOn a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
Daisy Gamble, an unusual woman who hears phones before they ring, and does wonders with her flowers, wants to quit smoking to please her fiancé, Warren. She goes to a doctor of hypnosis to do it. But once she's under, her doctor finds out that she can regress into past lives and different personalities, and he finds himself falling in love with one of them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025)
Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present... and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow Sarah Got Her Wings (2015)
Good Samaritan Sarah Fitzpatrick has a fatal accident just before Christmas, and finds herself in the lobby before the gates of Heaven. Certain that she will be let in, she is shocked to find that her name is not on the reservation list. However, she is granted the chance to return to Earth as an "angel in training" with the requirement to help a soul in need. Sarah has the 12 days before Christmas to secure her place on the list leaving her in the race for her after-life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like this(Un)Free Will (2024)
Two gay Guardian Angels meddle with their assigned humans while bringing their past to the present.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Dry Wind (2020)
The area around Catalan in Brazil’s state of Goiás is dry, very dry. Sandro’s life here is somewhat monotonous. He works in a fertiliser factory, goes swimming and spends his evenings doing jigsaw puzzles of landscapes. When Maicon, a man straight out of a Tom of Finland illustration, shows up in their small town and flirts with Ricardo, Sandro’s burgeoning feelings of jealousy set a change in motion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Mga Pusang Gala (2005)
Hopeless romantics and best friends Boyet and Martha cope with difficult relationships with their respective partners. As Boyet tries to tame his confusing boyfriend, Dom, who sometimes says he's straight, Martha deals with the frustrations of her long-standing relationship with Steve.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Blood Sings (2020)
Two monster friends decide to follow different directions. Decades after leaving, Naiana is a high school teacher in a small coastal town, where a hotel under renovation emanates a strange presence. Three thousand kilometers away, the devouring night involves Diego.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Unicorn Boy (2023)
A wild ride of gender and self identity set to a backdrop of a freak-adelic fantasy world. Matty, a down-on-their-luck artist, is going through a break up when they are swept into an alternate unicorn dimension. After realizing that unicorns are in danger from a dark force, Matty must make the difficult journey toward enlightenment in order to save this strange new world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Velociraptor (2014)
During the end of the world, two best friends walk around their city, talking about their sex lives, and one of them reveals they are still a virgin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Sweet Curse (2021)
Ha-jun always engross his friends love with his good looks. Min-woo, a close friend who is jealous of Ha-jun, summons a devilish ghost, but the ghost who fell in love with Ha-jun spends a hot night with Ha-jun every day. Looking at Ha-jun who looks happy after all, Min-woo is planning another curse.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
In Between Heartbeats (TBA)
Guided by a queer deity, a closeted man is forced to confront his parents as he tries to regain his lost sense of identity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
ErOddity(s) (2014)
ErOddity(s) is a collection of four exceptional short stories set in the world of erotic fantasy. In "Forever Mine", a confused boy seeks a love that will last him a lifetime. A teen's long forgotten past leads to his short lived future in "A Mind of Their Own"; proving some things should remain in the closet! A Christmas present, in the hands of a young voyeur, leads to a holiday tale of woe in an "Unsolved Christmas". And finally, in "The Way To a Man's Heart", an abused lover gets his revenge from beyond the grave.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Maricón POP (2022)
Maricón POP is a singing game that will uncover the deception in a relationship. Each player has to choose a trigger word and say it to the other player, who has to sing at least five words from any pop song containing the trigger word.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
Like Boys of Life and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Boys of Life?
The closest matches to Boys of Life are A Thousand Words (2012), Peter Ibbetson (1935) and The Age of Adaline (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Boys of Life?
Start with A Thousand Words (2012), the closest match to Boys of Life.
What is the highest-rated movie like Boys of Life?
Paperman (2012), rated 8.0/10 by 1,852 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Boys of Life?
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Boys of Life?
Yes: A Thousand Words (2012), Peter Ibbetson (1935) and The Age of Adaline (2015).
How are movies similar to Boys of Life chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Boys of Life, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.