Movies like Playing in Traffic (2017)
The best movies like Playing in Traffic (2017) are Synecdoche, New York (2008), People Like Us (2012) and Vanya on 42nd Street (1994). If Playing in Traffic hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks
- Highest ratedSynecdoche, New York (2008)7.5/10 from 1,710 votes
- NewestAm I OK? (2024)Released 2024
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPeople Like Us (2012)
After flying home to L.A. for the funeral of his estranged record-producer father, a struggling man discovers that the will stipulates that he must deliver $150,000 in cash to a 30-year-old alcoholic sister he never knew existed, and her troubled 12-year-old son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVanya on 42nd Street (1994)
An uninterrupted rehearsal of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' plays out by a company of actors. The setting: their run-down theater with an unusable stage and crumbling ceiling. The play is shown act by act with the briefest of breaks to move props or for refreshments. The lack of costumes, real props and scenery is soon forgotten.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeights (2005)
Spanning twenty-four hours, HEIGHTS follows five New Yorkers challenged to choose their destiny before the sun comes up the next day.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAm I OK? (2024)
Lucy and Jane have been best friends for most of their lives and think they know everything there is to know about each other. But when Jane announces she's moving to London, Lucy reveals a long-held secret. As Jane tries to help Lucy, their friendship is thrown into chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrust (2021)
Set in the glamour of the New York and Paris art scenes, gallery owner Brooke Gatwick and her newscaster husband Owen Shore, face temptation, jealousy, twists and mystery when two seductive newcomers enter their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Goodbye Girl (1977)
After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCity Hall (1996)
The accidental shooting of a boy in New York City leads to an investigation by the Deputy Mayor, and unexpectedly far-reaching consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWait Until Dark (1967)
After a flight back home, Sam Hendrix returns with a doll he innocently acquired along the way. As it turns out, the doll is actually stuffed with heroin, and a group of criminals led by the ruthless Roat has followed Hendrix back to his place to retrieve it. When Hendrix leaves for business, the crooks make their move -- and find his blind wife, Susy, alone in the apartment. Soon, a life-threatening game begins between Susy and the thugs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmateur (2018)
14-year-old basketball phenom Terron Forte has to navigate the under-the-table world of amateur athletics when he is recruited to an elite NCAA prep school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSide Street (1950)
A struggling young father-to-be gives in to temptation and impulsively steals an envelope of money from the office of a corrupt attorney. Instead of a few hundred dollars, it contains $30,000. When he decides to return the money, things go wrong - and that is only the beginning of his troubles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLEGO Marvel Spider-Man: Vexed by Venom (2019)
Thanks to Green Goblin and Venom, tech theft is now at an all-time high. Can our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man put an end to their mysterious villainous scheme before all of New York City is destroyed?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLondon (2005)
London is a drug laden adventure that centers on a party in a New York loft where a young man is trying to win back his ex-girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdulthood (2008)
After serving six years for killing his schoolmate, a young man learns that someone is out for revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Program (1993)
Several players from different backgrounds try to cope with the pressures of playing football at a major university. Each deals with the pressure differently, some turn to drinking, others to drugs, and some to studying.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFighting (2009)
Small-town boy Shawn MacArthur has come to New York City with nothing. Barely earning a living selling counterfeit goods on the streets, his luck changes when scam artist Harvey Boarden sees that he has a natural talent for streetfighting. When Harvey offers Shawn help at making the real cash, the two form an uneasy partnership.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProblemista (2024)
Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
A by-the-book Captain is ordered to capture a strategic village in Italy. The Italian soldiers are willing to surrender, if they can have a festival first. The lieutenant convinces the Captain this is the only way. Because of aerial reconnaissance, they must look like they are fighting. To sort this out an intelligence officer is sent in. Meanwhile the festival gets complicated with the Mayors daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Drop (2014)
Bob Saginowski finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Playing in Traffic?
The closest matches to Playing in Traffic are Synecdoche, New York (2008), People Like Us (2012) and Vanya on 42nd Street (1994). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Playing in Traffic?
Start with Synecdoche, New York (2008), the closest match to Playing in Traffic.
What is the highest-rated movie like Playing in Traffic?
Synecdoche, New York (2008), rated 7.5/10 by 1,710 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Playing in Traffic?
Am I OK? (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Playing in Traffic?
Yes: Synecdoche, New York (2008), People Like Us (2012) and Vanya on 42nd Street (1994).
How are movies similar to Playing in Traffic chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Playing in Traffic, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.



















