Movies like Why (1971)
The best movies like Why (1971) are Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976), In the Name of the Italian People (1971) and Roma (1972). If Why hooked you with its drama and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLife Is Beautiful (1997)8.4/10 from 14,384 votes
- NewestSing Sing (2024)Released 2024
- In ItalianUgly, Dirty and Bad (1976)Also in Italian
Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976)
Giacinto lives with his wife, their ten children and various other family members in a shack on the hills of Rome. Some time ago he has lost his left eye while at work, and got a consistent sum of money from the insurance company, which he keeps hidden from the rest of the family. His whole life is now based on defending the money he sees as his own, while the rest of the family tries to kill him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIn the Name of the Italian People (1971)
An obscure Italian magistrate suspects that a well-known industrialist commited murder, and decides to investigate him, and bring him to court, whatever it takes. But - will the magistrate have it in him to go against impossible odds, in the name of the Italian people he represents?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRoma (1972)
A virtually plotless, gaudy, impressionistic portrait of Rome through the eyes of one of its most famous citizens.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWe All Loved Each Other So Much (1974)
Three partisans bound by a strong friendship return home after the war, but the clash with everyday reality puts a strain on their bond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisIt Runs in the Family (2003)
This is the story of a dysfunctional New York family, and their attempts to reconcile
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife Is Beautiful (1997)
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisI Vitelloni (1953)
Five young men dream of success as they drift lazily through life in a small Italian village. Fausto, the group's leader, is a womanizer; Riccardo craves fame; Alberto is a hopeless dreamer; Moraldo fantasizes about life in the city; and Leopoldo is an aspiring playwright. As Fausto chases a string of women, to the horror of his pregnant wife, the other four blunder their way from one uneventful experience to the next.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGoodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen (1976)
An episodic satire of the political and social status of Italy in the seventies, through the shows of one day of a television channel.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRiot in Cell Block 11 (1954)
A prisoner leads his counterparts in a protest for better living conditions which turns violent and ugly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBe Sick… It's Free (1968)
Comedy about the flawed Italian healthcare system of the time and a doctor's expeirence with it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOn My Skin (2018)
The incredible true story behind the most controversial Italian court cases in recent years. Stefano Cucchi was arrested for a minor crime and mysteriously found dead during his detention. In one week's time, a family is changed forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBrute Force (1947)
Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEverybody's Fine (1990)
Matteo Scuro is a retired Sicilian bureaucrat, a widower with five children, all of whom live on the mainland and hold responsible jobs. He decides to surprise each with a visit and finds none as he imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBellissima (1952)
Film director Blasetti is looking for a little girl for his new movie. Along with other mothers, Maddelena takes her daughter to Cinecittà, hoping she’ll be selected and become a star. She is ready to sacrifice anything for little Maria.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Con Artists (1976)
Belle Duke, in order to get revenge on her former lover Philip Bang, organizes his jail break. But instead of Philip, it is the Italian Felice Brianza, AKAS Felix, who escapes. Now Felix is obliged to help Philip to escape. He succeeds and the two join to defraud Belle. The swindle plot become more complicated when Felix falls in love for Philip's daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCiao, Professore! (1992)
A bureaucratic snafu sends Marco Tullio Sperelli, a portly, middle-aged northern Italian, to teach third grade in a poor town outside Naples
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAdopt a Highway (2019)
Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn how to use the internet – he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster behind the fast food restaurant where he works as a dishwasher. Unsure of what to do, and caught between impulses of kindness and panic, Russ soon realizes this could be his chance at redemption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFantozzi (1975)
A good-natured but unlucky Italian is constantly finding himself in difficult situations, but never losing his mood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSacco & Vanzetti (1971)
Boston, 1920. Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are charged and unfairly tried for murder on the basis of their anarchist political beliefs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSing Sing (2024)
Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBig Daddy (1999)
A lazy law school grad adopts a kid to impress his girlfriend, but everything doesn't go as planned. Now he's forced to grow up while navigating the challenges of fatherhood.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMännerpension (1996)
A support program brings the two convicts Gerd and Steinbock into the care of women. There they are supposed to prove that they are capable of integrating into society. Now Gerd stupidly kills a bar owner. This puts an end to their excursion into freedom for the time being.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Visions of Europe (2004)
Twenty-five films from twenty-five European countries by twenty-five European directors.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
The Longest Yard (2005)
Disgraced pro football quarterback Paul Crewe lands in a Texas federal penitentiary, where manipulative Warden Hazen recruits him to advise the institution's football team of prison guards. Crewe suggests a tune-up game which lands him quarterbacking a crew of inmates in a game against the guards. Aided by incarcerated ex-NFL coach and player Nate Scarborough, Crewe and his team must overcome not only the bloodthirstiness of the opposition, but also the corrupt warden trying to fix the game against them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDropout (1970)
Disillusioned English banker's wife Mary meets troubled Italian immigrant Bruno, with whom she is captivated by and they set off on a voyage on which they meet a variety of society's dropouts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
Over the course of several years beginning in the 1950s, a man and his oddball family run hotels in New England and Vienna, as unexpected events change their lives forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisPeter Cook & Co. (1980)
Peter Cook & Co. is a one-off sketch show special starring Peter Cook, with guest appearances from fellow comedians.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Camp Killer (2016)
The sheriff of a town plagued by an unstoppable killer Meets up with his nemesis one last time as a pair of survivors complicate matters for the worse. Who will be left standing and what will remain of their sanity?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Just Cause (1995)
A Harvard professor is lured back into the courtroom after twenty-five years to take the case of a young black man condemned to death for the horrific murder of a child.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAli G Indahouse (2002)
Ali G unwittingly becomes a pawn in the evil Chancellor's plot to overthrow the Prime Minister of Great Britain. However, instead of bringing the Prime Minister down, Ali is embraced by the nation as the voice of youth and 'realness', making the Prime Minister and his government more popular than ever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Why?
The closest matches to Why are Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976), In the Name of the Italian People (1971) and Roma (1972). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Why?
Start with Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976), the closest match to Why.
What is the highest-rated movie like Why?
Life Is Beautiful (1997), rated 8.4/10 by 14,384 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Why?
Sing Sing (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Why?
Yes: Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976), In the Name of the Italian People (1971) and Roma (1972).
How are movies similar to Why chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Why, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.