Movies like I Want to Be Bad (1984)
The best movies like I Want to Be Bad (1984) are Strangers When We Meet (1960), The Other Woman (2014) and Effie Gray (2014). If I Want to Be Bad hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBrief Encounter (1945)7.7/10 from 748 votes
- NewestTyler Perry's Finding Joy (2025)Released 2025
Strangers When We Meet (1960)
A suburban architect loves his wife but is bored with his marriage and with his work, so he takes up with the neglected, married beauty who lives down the street.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Other Woman (2014)
After discovering her boyfriend is married, Carly soon meets the wife he's been cheating on. And when yet another affair is discovered, all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on the three-timing SOB.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEffie Gray (2014)
A look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTyler Perry's Finding Joy (2025)
Joy, a successful designer, seeks a proposal at Christmas. In Wyoming's mountains, she finds what she truly needs when the man she loves sees her as just a friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStanley & Iris (1990)
An illiterate cook at a company cafeteria tries for the attention of a newly widowed woman. As they get to know one another, she discovers his inability to read. When he is fired, she takes on trying to teach him to read in her kitchen each night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDiary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
Charles, an attorney, and Helen, his devoted wife, seem to have everything – money, a beautiful mansion – the American Dream. However, as Helen prepares to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary, her life takes an unexpected twist when she comes home to find her clothes packed up in a U-Haul van parked in the driveway. Charles is divorcing her and kicks her out. Helen moves in with her grandmother Madea, an old woman who doesn't take any lip from anyone. Madea helps Helen through these tough times by showing her what is really important in life. Helen is forced to rediscover love, life, and religion in her pursuit for happiness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSweet November (2001)
Nelson is a man devoted to his advertising career in San Francisco. One day, while taking a driving test at the DMV, he meets Sara. She is very different from the other women in his life. Nelson causes her to miss out on taking the test and later that day she tracks him down. One thing leads to another and Nelson ends up living with her through a November that will change his life forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOnly the Lonely (1991)
Danny Muldoon, a Chicago policeman, still lives with his overbearing mother Rose. He meets and falls in love with Theresa Luna, whose father owns the local funeral parlour. Naturally, his mother objects to the relationship, and Danny and Theresa must either overcome her objections or give up the romance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeep Water (2022)
A well-to-do husband who allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce becomes a prime suspect in the disappearance of her lovers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisHow Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
Through good times and bad, Stella and Delilah have always had each other. Now, Stella's so busy building a life that she's forgotten how to really live. But Delilah is about to change all that. What starts as a quick trip to Jamaica, ends as an exhilarating voyage of self discovery as Stella learns to open her heart and find love – even if it's with a man 20 years her junior.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisBrief Encounter (1945)
Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDon Jon (2013)
A New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends, and church, develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Knack... and How to Get It (1965)
A nebbish schoolteacher begs his smooth (and misogynistic) pal to teach him 'the knack' – how to score with women. Serendipitously, the men meet up with a new girl in town, as well as a friendly lunatic who can’t help but paint things white.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll of My Heart: The Wedding (2018)
Brian and Jenny are planning their wedding at the Inn where they fell in love. When a distant relative arrives and stakes their claim to the Inn, Brian and Jenny must find a way to save their beloved Inn or risk having to sell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLast Night (2010)
Michael and Joanna are a young and successful married couple who appear to have it all. But when Michael finds himself alone on a business trip with an attractive new colleague and Joanna encounters the other great love of her life, each is thrust into an evening of temptation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTyler Perry's Divorce in the Black (2024)
Ava, a young bank professional is devastated when her husband Dallas abandons a marriage she is determined to fight for until fate intervenes, revealing Dallas' wicked deeds that have trashed their marriage, and once upon a time sabotaged Ava's destiny to be loved by her true soulmate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOrdinary Love (2019)
An extraordinary look at the lives of a middle-aged couple in the midst of the wife's breast cancer diagnosis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat a Way to Go! (1964)
A four-time widow discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be rich.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Guide for the Married Man (1967)
A man gives his friend a series of lessons on how to cheat on one's wife without being caught.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perfect Christmas Present (2017)
Tom Jacobs is Mr Christmas! He's built an entire business around helping clients find the perfect gift. But what happens when he falls for one lucky recipient?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like I Want to Be Bad?
The closest matches to I Want to Be Bad are Strangers When We Meet (1960), The Other Woman (2014) and Effie Gray (2014). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after I Want to Be Bad?
Start with Strangers When We Meet (1960), the closest match to I Want to Be Bad.
What is the highest-rated movie like I Want to Be Bad?
Brief Encounter (1945), rated 7.7/10 by 748 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like I Want to Be Bad?
Tyler Perry's Finding Joy (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like I Want to Be Bad?
Yes: Strangers When We Meet (1960), The Other Woman (2014) and Effie Gray (2014).
How are movies similar to I Want to Be Bad chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside I Want to Be Bad, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.