Movies like Things That Happen (2019)
The best movies like Things That Happen (2019) are Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025), It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010) and Helen (2009). If Things That Happen hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFight Club (1999)8.4/10 from 33,302 votes
- NewestSpringsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)Released 2025
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)
Bruce Springsteen, a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)
A clinically depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHelen (2009)
On the outside, Helen has it all – a loving family and a successful career – but when her suppressed mental illness resurfaces, the world crumbles around her. Crippled by depression, Helen finds solace through her friendship with Mathilda, a kindred spirit struggling with bipolar disorder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDownfalls High (2021)
When reserved and lonely teenager Fenix meets popular high school girl Scarlett, the two form a bond that shapes the rest of his life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProzac Nation (2003)
When talented young writer Elizabeth Wurtzel earns a scholarship to Harvard, she sees it as her chance to escape the pressures of her working-class background and concentrate on her true talent. But what starts out so promising leads to self-destructive behavior and paralyzing depression that reflects an entire generation's struggle to navigate the effects of divorce, drugs, sex, and high expectations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMainstream (2021)
A young woman thinks she’s found a path to internet stardom when she starts making YouTube videos with a charismatic stranger – until the dark side of viral celebrity threatens to ruin them both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBetter Man (2024)
Follow Robbie Williams' journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Chance (2013)
This film follows the remarkable and inspirational true story of Paul Potts, a shy, bullied shop assistant by day and an amateur opera singer by night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGod Help the Girl (2014)
Eve is a catastrophe—low on self-esteem but high on fantasy, especially when it comes to music. Over the course of one Glasgow summer, she meets two similarly rootless souls: posh Cass and fastidious James, and together they form a band.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrank (2014)
A young wannabe musician discovers he has bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Star Is Born (2018)
Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers — and falls in love with — struggling artist Ally. She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer — until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally's career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClouds (2020)
Young musician Zach Sobiech discovers his cancer has spread, leaving him just a few months to live. With limited time, he follows his dream and makes an album, unaware that it will soon be a viral music phenomenon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIngrid Goes West (2017)
Ingrid becomes obsessed with a social network star named Taylor Sloane who seemingly has a perfect life. But when Ingrid decides to drop everything and move west to be Taylor's friend, her behaviour turns unsettling and dangerous.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEighth Grade (2018)
Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school — the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year — before she begins high school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGreat Expectations (1998)
Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaurus (2022)
A rising but troubled musician searches for the inspiration to record one last song, pushing himself deep into the void.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMr. Jones (1993)
The story about the relationship between a manic depressive man, Mr. Jones, and the female doctor who takes more than a professional interest in his treatment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisFight Club (1999)
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSometimes I Think About Dying (2024)
Fran likes to think about dying. It brings sensation to her quiet life. When she makes the new guy at work laugh, it leads to more: a date, a slice of pie, a conversation, a spark. The only thing standing in their way is Fran herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCoyote Ugly (2000)
Graced with a velvet voice, 21-year-old Violet Sanford heads to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a songwriter only to find her aspirations sidelined by the accolades and notoriety she receives at her "day" job as a barmaid at Coyote Ugly. The "Coyotes" as they are affectionately called tantalize customers and the media alike with their outrageous antics, making Coyote Ugly the watering hole for guys on the prowl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Things That Happen?
The closest matches to Things That Happen are Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025), It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010) and Helen (2009). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Things That Happen?
Start with Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025), the closest match to Things That Happen.
What is the highest-rated movie like Things That Happen?
Fight Club (1999), rated 8.4/10 by 33,302 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Things That Happen?
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Things That Happen?
Yes: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025), It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010) and Helen (2009).
How are movies similar to Things That Happen chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Things That Happen, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.