Movies like The Birds and the Beads (1973)
The best movies like The Birds and the Beads (1973) are Female Trouble (1976), Desperate Living (1977) and Heavy Metal (1981). If The Birds and the Beads hooked you with its comedy and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)8.1/10 from 1,545 votes
- NewestBalls Up (2026)Released 2026
Female Trouble (1976)
Teenage delinquent Dawn Davenport, incensed after her parents do not give her the cha-cha heels she wanted for Christmas, runs away from home. After an illegitimate child and hairstylist husband bring her more misery, she's enticed into a life of crime when the owners of her husband's salon promise her fame and fortune.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDesperate Living (1977)
After killing her husband, Peggy Gravel and her murderous maid Grizelda wind up in the crazy town of Mortville, where Queen Carlotta presides over a sleazy collection of misfits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeavy Metal (1981)
The embodiment of ultimate evil, a glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with bizarre stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (2021)
Escaping from poverty to become a witcher, Vesemir slays monsters for coin and glory, but when a new menace rises, he must face the demons of his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Overnight (2015)
Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family “playdate” becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisStrawberry Mansion (2021)
In the not-too-distant future, an all-seeing surveillance state conducts “dream audits” to collect taxes on the unconscious lives of the populace. Mild-mannered government agent James Preble travels to a remote farmhouse to audit the dreams of Arabella “Bella” Isadora, an eccentric, aging artist. Entering Bella’s vast VHS archive, which contains a lifetime of dreams, Preble stumbles upon a secret that offers him a chance at love—and hope for escape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHard to Die (1990)
While doing the inventory for a lingerie outlet in a high rise office building, five attractive women are terrorized by a series of bizarre killings. They suspect that the strange janitor, who witnessed another series of killings six months previously, is at the bottom of the whole thing. Little do they know the real horror that they face in the end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this68 Kill (2017)
Chip's problem is that he can't say no to beautiful women. This weakness gets him into a world of trouble when he agrees to help his girlfriend steal $68,000.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisBalls Up (2026)
Two marketing executives go "balls out" and pitch a bold full‑coverage condom sponsorship with the World Cup. After their drunken celebration in Brazil sparks a global scandal, they must outrun furious fans, criminals, and power-hungry officials to salvage their careers and make it home alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisWho Is Cletis Tout? (2001)
With a hitman’s gun aimed at him, Finch tells the story of how he broke out of jail, fell in love, and took the identity of a man wanted by the Mafia.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Primevals (2023)
Deep in the Himalayas, a group of sherpas kills a gigantic humanoid creature. Convinced that it is the legendary Yeti, Dr. Claire Collier organizes an expedition with her former student Matt Connor and hunter Rondo Montana, among others, to search for more specimens. But what awaits them is something that none of them could have imagined. A colorful fusion of real image and stop-motion that is reminiscent of fantastic films from the 1980s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Horse's Mouth (1958)
Gulley Jimson is a boorish aging artist recently released from prison. A swindler in search of his next art project, he hunkers down in the penthouse of would-be patrons the Beeders while they go on an extended vacation; he paints a mural on their wall, pawns their valuables and, along with the sculptor Abel, inadvertently smashes a large hole in their floor. Jimson's next project is an even larger wall in an abandoned church.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPretty Persuasion (2005)
A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher of sexual harassment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisSmokin' Aces (2006)
When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he's no longer breathing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBill Burr: Drop Dead Years (2025)
In what might be his most personal and introspective hour yet, Bill offers hilarious takes on everything from male sadness to dating advice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAccident Man (2018)
Mike Fallon, the Accident Man, is a stone cold killer. When a loved one is murdered by his own crew, Fallon is forced to avenge the one person who actually meant something to him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoltzius & the Pelican Company (2012)
Hendrik Goltzius, a late-16th-century Dutch printer and engraver of erotic prints, seduces the Margrave of Alsace into paying for a printing press to make and publish illustrated books.
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShadow Master (2022)
After being slain by a group of criminals, a man is reborn with animal-like superpowers and makes it his mission to right the wrongs of his city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)
After the vicious slaughter of his family by stone-cold mercenary Sub-Zero, Hanzo Hasashi is exiled to the torturous Netherrealm. There, in exchange for his servitude to the sinister Quan Chi, he’s given a chance to avenge his family – and is resurrected as Scorpion, a lost soul bent on revenge. Back on Earthrealm, Lord Raiden gathers a team of elite warriors – Shaolin monk Liu Kang, Special Forces officer Sonya Blade, and action star Johnny Cage – an unlikely band of heroes with one chance to save humanity. To do this, they must defeat Shang Tsung's horde of Outworld gladiators and reign over the Mortal Kombat tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEverAfter (1998)
Danielle, a vibrant young woman, was forced into servitude after the death of her father when she was a young girl. Danielle's stepmother, Rodmilla, is a heartless woman who forces Danielle to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off the eldest of her two daughters to the prince. But Danielle's life takes a wonderful turn when, under the guise of a visiting royal, she meets the charming Prince Henry.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEmpathic Master (2021)
Chen Jun Fei runs a marriage counseling center. In order to complete the entrustment of a beautiful client named Shan Zhuo, Chen Jun Fei personally disguised himself as a fortune-telling master. Unexpectedly, one after another troubles followes them, and Chen Jun Fei, known as a master of empathy, found that the commission this time, it's definitely not that simple.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Troll 2 (1990)
When young Joshua learns that he will be going on vacation with his family to a small town called Nilbog, he protests adamantly. He is warned by the spirit of his deceased grandfather that goblins populate the town. His parents, Michael and Diana, dismiss his apprehensions, but soon learn to appreciate their son's warnings. Guided by his grandfather's ghost, will Joshua and his family stand a chance in fighting off these evil beings?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy
SnoozefestMovies like thisNightmare Sisters (1988)
A trio of socially awkward sorority girls invite three pledges over for a night of fun, but when the group holds a séance, the girls find themselves possessed by a shaman who transforms them into lustful, uninhibited succubi.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisYou I Love (2004)
Vera and Tim are successful young professionals. Everything changes one night when Tim hits a young Kalmyk immigrant to Moscow, Uloomji, with his car. The two men begin a affair while Vera struggles to comprehend their bond and her boyfriend's erratic behavior. She is dragged reluctantly into a love triangle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Alibi (2006)
Con man Ray Elliot decides to leave crime behind to start a company that sells fake alibis to clients who have been unfaithful to their significant others. It seems that the streetwise Ray has found his calling, until he unexpectedly becomes a murder suspect in a case involving one of his most influential customers. Now, as the police and an assassin called "The Mormon" track Ray, he and his attractive assistant, Lola, must clear their own names.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Shape of Things (2003)
Quiet, unassuming Adam is changing in a major way, thanks to his new girlfriend, art student Evelyn. Adam's friends are a little freaked by the transformation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSo You're Going to Be a Father (1947)
In this comedic short, Joe McDoakes goes through the problems and anxieties of becoming a new father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Three of Hearts (1993)
A lesbian hires a male escort to break the heart of the bisexual woman who has just dumped her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisFamily Plot (1976)
Spiritualist Blanche Tyler and her cab-driving boyfriend encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while trailing a missing heir in California.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Birds and the Beads?
The closest matches to The Birds and the Beads are Female Trouble (1976), Desperate Living (1977) and Heavy Metal (1981). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Birds and the Beads?
Start with Female Trouble (1976), the closest match to The Birds and the Beads.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Birds and the Beads?
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020), rated 8.1/10 by 1,545 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Birds and the Beads?
Balls Up (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Birds and the Beads?
Yes: Female Trouble (1976), Desperate Living (1977) and Heavy Metal (1981).
How are movies similar to The Birds and the Beads chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Birds and the Beads, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.