Movies like Mother Theory (2019)
The best movies like Mother Theory (2019) are Japanese Mom (2017), The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018) and Holiday Date (2019). If Mother Theory hooked you with its romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- NewestJune and John (2025)Released 2025
- In KoreanJapanese Mom (2017)Also in Korean
Japanese Mom (2017)
"Innocent face, D-cup breasts and perfect intercourse skills! Son, this is not your girlfriend anymore but your mother!" Ki-ho brings Yuki from Japan to marry her. However, he starts cheating on her with his ex-girlfriend in Korea. Min-cheol comforted Yuki and thought of her as his daughter-in-law, but one day he realizes he is looking at her as a woman. In the end, Yuki and Min-cheol have intercourse without Ki-ho knowing...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Matchmaker's Playbook (2018)
After a career-ending accident, former NFL recruit Ian Hunter is back on campus, and he's putting his extensive skills with women to work as one of the masterminds behind a successful and secretive dating service. But when Blake Olson requests the services of Wingmen, Inc., Ian may have landed his most hopeless client yet. As Blake begins the transformation from hot mess to smokin' hot, Ian realizes he's in danger of breaking his cardinal rule....
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoliday Date (2019)
When Brooke’s boyfriend, Ethan, breaks up with her just before the holidays, she agrees to go home with Joel, an actor who will pose as her boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Time to Remember (2021)
Woo-jin is Korea's top star - every item he wears and uses are always a hot potato and gets sold out overnight. He is especially famous for remembering all his fan names. He seems to be just perfect, but there is one big secret that nobody knows - he cannot forget but only remember things. Woo-jin is forced to relive painful moments over and over again, feeling the same amount of anguish each time. One day, Woo-jin encounters a woman named Hae-soo, who suffers from the opposite pain from him: her memory resets every 30 days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies 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 romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChateau Christmas (2020)
Margot, a world-renowned pianist, returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and is reunited with an ex who helps her rediscover her passion for music.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
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 · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFree Rein: Valentine's Day (2019)
Love is in the air as Zoe and friends go on a quest to find a fabled Maid's Stone. But when rivalry blinds them to danger, it's Raven to the rescue!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Glenbrooke Christmas (2020)
As Christmas nears, heiress Jessica Morgan seizes what seems like her last chance to experience a relaxed Christmas and heads off to the small town of Glenbrooke, where she meets a handsome fireman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019)
A skeptical writer shows up in Evergreen to get the scoop on the town's famed passion for Christmas during a search for a long-lost time capsule.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrom Friend to Fiancé (2019)
When Ted gets engaged to the high school mean girl and asks Jess, his childhood best friend, to plan their wedding, things get complicated. Her true feelings for Ted keep getting in the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJune and John (2025)
John leads an ordinary life with a monotonous routine. One day John runs into a woman on the subway who is as beautiful as she is mysterious named June. His encounter with her finally leads him to have a goal in his bumptious life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSisters of the Groom (2017)
When Sarah needs to impress a corporate bigwig in order to help her sister's catering business, she finds herself agreeing to be his son’s pretend date to a family wedding
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInnocent Thing (2014)
A high school teacher whose wife is about to give birth finds himself tangled in temptation and obsession when a student falls for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGay Purr-ee (1962)
Mewsette is a starry-eyed cat who grows weary of life on a French farm and heads for the excitement of 1890s Paris. Her tomcat suitor, Jaune-Tom, and his furry cohort, Robespierre, chase after Mewsette, but she's already fallen under the spell of a feline modeling-school racket run by Madame Rubens-Chatte and her slimy assistant, Meowrice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas Next Door (2017)
Eric Randall, an author of bachelor lifestyle books, is left in charge of his young niece and nephew for the holidays. Eric turns to his neighbor April, a lover of all things Christmas, for help.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarry Me at Christmas (2017)
Organizing a Christmas wedding is a true treat for bridal boutique owner Madeline Krug. She loves the challenge of finding the perfect dress for the bride and orchestrating an exquisite event. What Madeline didn’t expect was to be swept off her feet by the bride’s gorgeous brother, movie star, Jonny Blaze. Jonny came to the quirky town of Fool’s Gold to support his sister -- not to fall in love. Yet Madeline is the most extraordinary woman he’s ever met, and she finds the real Jonny even more captivating than her celebrity crush. Will the action star be brave enough to take on the role of a lifetime?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisForever in My Heart (2019)
Jenna and Charlie found love in Ireland but their dreams drove them apart. Five years later, they reunite and Jenna has to decide where her heart belongs—back home or in the Emerald Isle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEnchanted Christmas (2017)
Weeks before Christmas, interior designer Laura is sent to her hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico to remodel a landmark hotel. As Laura is kept busy with the renovations, her 8-year-old daughter Nicole is introduced to the art of salsa dancing at a local dance studio. Laura is surprised to find that the studio’s owner is Ricardo, her old high school sweetheart and former salsa dance partner. When Laura and Ricardo reconnect, sparks fly on and off the dance floor. The beautiful Christmas traditions of New Mexico become the backdrop for spirited dancing and unexpected romance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Gift to Remember (2017)
After colliding with a pedestrian on her bicycle who loses his memory following the accident, Darcy Archer becomes determined to help the handsome guy figure out who he is. In the process, she finds out a lot more about who she is, what she wants from life, and how this too-good-to-be-true guy might just be the man she’s been waiting to bump into all her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSister Swapping (2023)
Sisters Ji-soo and Ji-yeong decided to sell their used underwear due to financial difficulties. Perverted men offer to buy them at a higher price by asking these two sisters for shots of them wearing the underwear. Other men offer to pay even higher prices by demanding sex out of greater desire. As the sisters earn more money than expected, their service becomes more and more popular.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Purpose of Tutoring (2023)
Yeong-tak and Ha-na are stepsiblings who live with the support of their divorced adoptive parents. The two begin taking individual private lessons for their respective careers. Yeong-tak secretly gives his acting teacher Na-ri sleeping pills to covet her body, while Ha-na is busy seducing her physical education teacher Han-cheol. Meanwhile, Na-ri and Han-cheol run into each other at the stepsiblings' house, fall in love at first sight, and seek revenge on the two who offended them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Life of Pleasure Exploration (2023)
Two women, Hae-na and Hee-na, prey on men under the pretense of marriage. One of these men is a doctor who falls for Hae-na and showers her with luxury gifts, but that's all he does. She can hardly get in touch physically with him. Meanwhile, Hae-na meets Ji-hoon, her former lover, again by chance, but after finding out about his relationship with Hee-na, the three decide to pursue money rather than love and start working for the men around them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Boarder: Dangerous Cohabitation (2024)
Mi-hyeon's newlywed life was normal until her husband, Ki-hyeon, got into an accident. Her body and mind are ruined as she takes care of her crippled husband. While struggling with the hardships of her life, Mi-hyeon takes in a young man as a boarder with the introduction of her friend, and a deviation that Mi-hyeon never had before begins.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Exchange Wife 2 (2023)
Kyeong-soo, an art dealer who specializes in painting, goes to evaluate the requested painting and accidentally damages it. Chang-in, the owner of the painting, suggests one thing from Kyung-soo, who was at a loss.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Female Workers: Romance at Work 3 (2023)
Yoo-ra succeeded in finding a job after a difficult time. Despite her stunning beauty, her family's financial situation is difficult. Her male assistant manager knows of her difficult situation, so he asks for her body with money as bait. On the other hand, Hye-seon, the female manager of the same company, seduces the handsome new employee, Min-soo. Employees enjoy the world of animals in the workplace without knowing each other.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Purpose of the MZ Sisters (2023)
MZ-generation sisters Hee-jeong and Eun-jeong use an app to find a personal PT teacher to help them lose weight. Both sisters fall in love with their teacher, Ji-hoon, at first sight. The two sisters compete with each other to seduce Ji-hoon to take over.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Mother-in-law in Love With Son-in-law 4 (2023)
Joon-yeon and So-hyeon are living together with Joon-yeon's young and pretty mother-in-law for a while after his father-in-law remarries. One day, Joon-yeon is left home alone with his mother-in-law due to So-hyeon and her father-in-law's sudden business trip. The mother-in-law seduces her handsome son-in-law on a hot night. Unable to forget the sex he had with his mother-in-law, Joon-yeon even plans to have a threesome with his wife and his mother-in-law.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
My Husband's Gift (2023)
So-hee is a young wife who relieves her husband, who is crippled from the waist down, every night with her own hands. However, she feels lonely every night. One day, after she satisfied her husband's needs, her husband caught her masturbating without him knowing. Seeing that his wife is unable to satisfy her lust because of his disability, he makes an unexpected proposal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Office Sharing (2023)
Kang Ji-yeong runs a shared office. Under her, regular VIP Kim Gi-baek, writer Yang Kyeong-mi, and business planner Min Jeong-gyoo enter the office one after another. Boss Ji-yeong feels that Gi-baek and Min-gyoo are turning their attention to Kyeong-mi. Out of jealousy, she decides to corrupt Kyeong-mi and kick her out of her shared office. However, Kyeong-mi is secretly attracted to her female boss and starts working on a script about it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Like Mother Theory and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Mother Theory?
The closest matches to Mother Theory are Japanese Mom (2017), The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018) and Holiday Date (2019). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Mother Theory?
Start with Japanese Mom (2017), the closest match to Mother Theory.
What is the newest movie like Mother Theory?
June and John (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Korean movies like Mother Theory?
Yes: Japanese Mom (2017), A Time to Remember (2021) and Innocent Thing (2014).
How are movies similar to Mother Theory chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Mother Theory, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.