Movies like The Things People Want (1948)
The best movies like The Things People Want (1948) are Inner Workings (2016), Heatwave (2022) and Generation Wealth (2018). If The Things People Want hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedInner Workings (2016)7.8/10 from 314 votes
- NewestMy Mom Jayne (2025)Released 2025
Inner Workings (2016)
This is the story of the internal struggle between a man's Brain—a pragmatic protector who calculates his every move, and his Heart—a free-spirited adventurer who wants to let loose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHeatwave (2022)
A woman's life takes an unexpected turn when she falls for her boss's wife. She must soon defend herself as she becomes entangled in a web of malice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGeneration Wealth (2018)
Over the past 25 years, Lauren Greenfield's documentary photography and film projects have explored youth culture, gender, body image, and affluence. Underscoring the ever-increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots, portraits reveal a focus on cultivating image over substance, where subjects unable to attain actual wealth instead settle for its trappings, no matter their ability to pay for it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hummingbird Project (2019)
A pair of high-frequency traders go up against their old boss in an effort to make millions in a fiber-optic cable deal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVision Quest (1985)
A high school wrestler in Spokane, Washington has trouble focusing on his training regimen when a beautiful young drifter takes up temporary residence at his home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMargin Call (2011)
Set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, involving the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. An entry-level analyst unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Devil's Advocate (1997)
Aspiring Florida defense lawyer Kevin Lomax accepts a job at a New York law firm. With the stakes getting higher every case, Kevin quickly learns that his boss has something far more evil planned.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFirst Snow (2006)
A psychic's ominous reading sends a man into a tailspin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Summer Place (1959)
A self-made businessman rekindles a romance with a former flame while their two teenage children begin a romance of their own with drastic consequences for both couples.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sound of Silence (2019)
A successful "house tuner" in New York City, who calibrates the sound in people's homes in order to adjust their moods, meets a client with a problem he can't solve.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisJessica Darling's It List (2016)
Jessica Darling – a smart, witty, opinionated girl heading into 7th grade – was never too concerned about where she'd fit in the middle school hierarchy. But before her first day of school, her older sister — the super popular Bethany, now in college—decides to help out by giving her the “It List”—a cheat sheet on how to navigate the middle school maze and rise to the top of the popularity chain. The instructions appear simple enough to follow, but, like life, nothing is as easy as it seems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisUnthinkable (2010)
The government gets wind of a plot to destroy America involving a trio of nuclear weapons for which the whereabouts are unknown. It's up to a seasoned interrogator and an FBI agent to find out exactly where the nukes are.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
Three childhood friends, Martha, Walter and Sam, share a terrible secret. Over time, the ambitious Martha and the pusillanimous Walter have married. She is a cold businesswoman; he is the district attorney: a perfect combination to dominate the corrupt city of Iverstown at will. But the unexpected return of Sam, after years of absence, deeply disturbs the life of the odd couple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGlengarry Glen Ross (1992)
An examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office. Unscrupulous salesmen try to hawk dubious real estate to suckers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhere the Heart Is (1990)
A wealthy businessman shows his young adult kids how tough life can be.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Report (2019)
The story of Daniel Jones, lead investigator for the US Senate’s sweeping study into the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program, which was found to be brutal, immoral and ineffective. With the truth at stake, Jones battled tirelessly to make public what many in power sought to keep hidden.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFoxcatcher (2014)
The greatest Olympic Wrestling Champion brother team joins Team Foxcatcher led by multimillionaire sponsor John E. du Pont as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul - a union that leads to unlikely circumstances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChemical Hearts (2020)
When a hopelessly romantic high school senior falls for a mysterious new classmate, it sets them both on an unexpected journey that teaches them about love, loss, and most importantly themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove at First Dance (2018)
Hope is tasked with teaching Manhattan's former "Most Eligible Bachelor" how to dance for his extravagant, society wedding. But as the dance lessons progress, complications ensue when feelings begin to develop between student and instructor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Mom Jayne (2025)
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Things People Want?
The closest matches to The Things People Want are Inner Workings (2016), Heatwave (2022) and Generation Wealth (2018). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Things People Want?
Start with Inner Workings (2016), the closest match to The Things People Want.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Things People Want?
Inner Workings (2016), rated 7.8/10 by 314 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Things People Want?
My Mom Jayne (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Things People Want?
Yes: Inner Workings (2016), Heatwave (2022) and Generation Wealth (2018).
How are movies similar to The Things People Want chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Things People Want, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.