Movies like Hard Lessons (2016)
The best movies like Hard Lessons (2016) are Heavy Traffic (1973), Daddy's Little Girl (2014) and King Cobra (2016). If Hard Lessons hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSouth Park (Not Suitable for Children) (2023)7.4/10 from 240 votes
- NewestStrange Darling (2024)Released 2024
Heavy Traffic (1973)
A white dropout struggles to become a cartoonist and filmmaker, drawing inspiration from the harsh, gritty world around him. Still sharing his rundown apartment with his middle-aged parents, an oafish slob of an Italian father and a ditzy nutcase of a Jewish mother, he's ridiculed and looked down upon by his friends, hypocrites who run with violent gangs and the Italian Mafia, and a shallow Black girl who makes her living downtown with the pimps and pushers. The cartoonist gets a chance to pitch a film idea to a movie mogul, but the story proves too outrageous: a far-future Earth, depleted by war and pollution, where a mutant antihero challenges and kills God.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaddy's Little Girl (2014)
After the police find Derek’s daughter brutally murdered on the beach, he vows to make the culprit suffer for his actions, even if that person is ‘part of the family.’ With careful research into the history of torture, Derek prepares himself and his basement for a week of brutal tactics that will make his daughter’s killer feel the pain that he has inflicted upon so many others. In a time when stranger danger is ever present, a single father learns that it’s the ones you trust most who have to be watched the closest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Cobra (2016)
It’s 2006, YouTube is in its infancy, and internet porn is still behind a paywall. Taking the stage name Brent Corrigan, a fresh-faced, wannabe adult video performer is molded into a star by Stephen, a closeted gay porn mogul who runs the skin flick empire Cobra Video from his seemingly ordinary suburban home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Living End (1992)
Two HIV-positive young men — a semi-employed film critic and a hot hustler — tear off on a cross-country crime spree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOriginal Sin (2001)
A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisV/H/S/99 (2022)
A thirsty teenager's home video leads to a series of horrifying revelations, harkening back to the final punk rock analog days of VHS, while taking one giant leap forward into the hellish new millennium.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisShortbus (2006)
In post-9/11 New York City, an eclectic group of citizens find their lives entangled, personally, romantically, and sexually, at Shortbus, an underground Brooklyn salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisV/H/S/94 (2021)
After the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police SWAT team launches a high-intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYour Friends & Neighbors (1998)
Restless and unhappy, two couples get caught up in infidelity and deception. Barry is a sullen businessman married to Mary, a writer who is unsatisfied with their relationship. Mary begins an affair with Jerry, a smug theater professor and husband of her friend, Terri, who is also a writer. Adding to the adulterous mix are Cary, a callous doctor, and Cheri, an art-gallery assistant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisPink Flamingos (1972)
Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSouth Park (Not Suitable for Children) (2023)
After it's discovered that a teacher at South Park Elementary has an OnlyFans page, Randy is compelled to take a closer look at the seedy underbelly of the world of online influencers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisV/H/S (2012)
When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire one rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they had bargained for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoad House (1989)
The Double Deuce is the meanest, loudest and rowdiest bar south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and Dalton has been hired to clean it up. He might not look like much, but the Ph.D.-educated bouncer proves he's more than capable – busting the heads of troublemakers and turning the roadhouse into a jumping hot spot. But Dalton's romance with the gorgeous Dr. Clay puts him on the bad side of cutthroat local big shot Brad Wesley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInfinity Pool (2023)
While staying at an isolated island resort, James and Em are enjoying a perfect vacation of pristine beaches, exceptional staff, and soaking up the sun. But guided by the seductive and mysterious Gabi, they venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror. A tragic accident leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you'll be executed, or, if you’re rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Little Death (2014)
A comedy film that looks into the loosely connected lives of people with strange sexual fantasies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBelow Her Mouth (2017)
An unexpected affair quickly escalates into a heart-stopping reality for two women whose passionate connection changes their lives forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStrange Darling (2024)
Nothing is what it seems when a twisted one-night stand spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKinds of Kindness (2024)
A triptych fable following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShame (2011)
Brandon, a thirty-something man living in New York, eludes intimacy with women but feeds his deepest desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his younger sister temporarily moves into his apartment, stirring up bitter memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's life, like his fragile mind, gets out of control.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPip and Posy and Friends (2024)
Best friends, Pip and Posy lead their animal pals through various fun interactive games and songs in this joyful compilation of episodes from the pre-school children's animated series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Digimon: The Movie (2000)
When a powerful new Internet Digimon hatches and begins to consume data at an alarming rate, the Digidestined - kids chosen to save the digital world - must put an end to the destruction before the damage becomes irreversible and worldwide communication halts forever. As computer-based missiles are launched, and a wayward Digimon kidnaps the Digidestined, only the combined efforts of a worldwide network of kids and a new group of "Digidestined" can rescue the others and stop global disaster.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979)
A collection of Warner Brothers short cartoon features, "starring" the likes of Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Wile E. Coyote. These animations are interspersed by Bugs Bunny reminiscing on past events and providing links between the individual animations which are otherwise unconnected. This 1979 feature-length compilation includes several of his best cartoons. Among the 11 shorts shown in their entirety are the classics "Robin Hood Daffy," "What's Opera, Doc?," "Bully for Bugs," and "Duck Amuck". The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie provides a showcase not only for Jones's razor-sharp timing, but for the work of his exceptional crew, which included designer Maurice Noble, writer Mike Maltese, composers Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, and voice actor Mel Blanc.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNew Initial D the Movie: Battle Digest (2022)
Features the battle scenes from the Initial D Legends films with a new soundtrack, in a similar fashion to the Battle Stages. While the original films featured a J-Rock soundtrack, this film features a Eurobeat soundtrack.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Gurren Lagann The Movie: Childhood's End (2008)
Simon and Kamina live in an underground city monitored by the village chief. When Simon stumbles upon an artifact and beastmen invade from the surface, Simon and Kamina rebel against them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShadow Realm (2002)
Shadow Realm is a compilation of two episodes planned for the short-lived Fox Network television series Night Visions. Each episode contained two stories and were originally hosted by musician/actor/writer Henry Rollins. The Sci-Fi Channel acquired the rights to broadcast the episodes, including the last three unaired episodes and strung two of them together as an anthology movie. Title sequences and end credits were changed and the Henry Rollins introductions were removed from the final product.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Frankie Say Greatest (2009)
Collection of greatest videos by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Down Memory Lane (1949)
This film is a compilation, with narration by Steve Allen, of comedies from the old Mack Sennett silent studio. Sennett, himself, appears in a cameo at the end of the film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Columbia Laff Hour (1956)
A Columbia Pictures feature, featuring 4 unedited shorts, released between 1947-1956, featuring Shemp Howard.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Detective Conan vs. Kid the Phantom Thief (2024)
A special compilation movie bringing together the clashes between Detective Conan and Kaito Kid, high school student Kuroha Kaido discovers his late father's secret life as Phantom Thief Kid, inherits his costume and embarks on a mission to uncover the mysterious organization behind his father's murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Like Hard Lessons and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Hard Lessons?
The closest matches to Hard Lessons are Heavy Traffic (1973), Daddy's Little Girl (2014) and King Cobra (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Hard Lessons?
Start with Heavy Traffic (1973), the closest match to Hard Lessons.
What is the highest-rated movie like Hard Lessons?
South Park (Not Suitable for Children) (2023), rated 7.4/10 by 240 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Hard Lessons?
Strange Darling (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Hard Lessons chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Hard Lessons, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.