Movies like Manifesto (2021)
The best movies like Manifesto (2021) are Art School Confidential (2006), Mona Lisa Smile (2003) and Cashback (2004). If Manifesto hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDope (2015)7.0/10 from 1,647 votes
- NewestRelay (2025)Released 2025
Art School Confidential (2006)
Starting from childhood attempts at illustration, the protagonist pursues his true obsession to art school. But as he learns how the art world really works, he finds that he must adapt his vision to the reality that confronts him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMona Lisa Smile (2003)
Katherine Watson is a recent UCLA graduate hired to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College, in 1953. Determined to confront the outdated mores of society and the institution that embraces them, Katherine inspires her traditional students, including Betty and Joan, to challenge the lives they are expected to lead.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCashback (2004)
Ben is an art college student in London, whose imagination runs wild as he works the late-night shift at the local supermarket. What do he and his colleagues do to pass the long, endless hours of the night?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe East (2013)
An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities irrevocably changed after she is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group known for executing covert attacks upon major corporations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSt. Elmo's Fire (1985)
Reluctant to let go of college life, a close-knit team of seven friends--irresponsible saxophone player Billy, young Republican Alec, his girlfriend Leslie, struggling journalist Kevin, drama queen Jules, lovesick waiter Kirby, and Wendy, a social worker with a heart of gold--realise the party is over. And as the burdens of maturity close in on the young dreamers, the complexities of adulthood and the daily struggle of growing up put their sacred friendship to the test. But everyone knows life is not a bed of roses. It won't be easy, but when all is said and done, what will it take for St. Elmo's clique to find its place in the real world?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInternal Affairs (1990)
Keen young Raymold Avila joins the Internal Affairs Department of the Los Angeles police. He and partner Amy Wallace are soon looking closely at the activities of cop Dennis Peck whose financial holdings start to suggest something shady. Indeed Peck is involved in any number of dubious or downright criminal activities. He is also devious, a womaniser, and a clever manipulator, and he starts to turn his attention on Avila.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spanish Prisoner (1997)
An inventor of a secret process suddenly finds himself alone as both his friends and the corporation he works for turn against him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMolly Maxwell (2013)
At Phoenix Progressive School, students take notes lying on parlor couches and are encouraged to explore their gifts through electives like break-dancing and graphic-novel writing. In the midst of all this liberal pedagogy and budding talent, Molly Maxwell feels unexceptional, until she falls for her attractive English teacher, Ben.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWords and Pictures (2014)
An art instructor and an English teacher form a rivalry that ends up with a competition at their school in which students decide whether words or pictures are more important.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInfinite (2021)
Evan McCauley has skills he never learned and memories of places he has never visited. Self-medicated and on the brink of a mental breakdown, a secret group that call themselves “Infinites” come to his rescue, revealing that his memories are real.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Art of Getting By (2011)
George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who's made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDope (2015)
Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the SAT. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Riot Club (2014)
Two first-year students at Oxford University join a secret society and learn that their reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of one evening.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisDalíland (2022)
In 1973, a young gallery assistant goes on a wild adventure behind the scenes as he helps aging genius Salvador Dali prepare for a big show in New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSpooks: The Greater Good (2015)
During a handover to the head of counter-terrorism of MI5, Harry Pearce, a terrorist escapes custody. When Harry disappears soon after, his protégé is tasked with finding out what happened as an impending attack on London looms, and eventually uncovers a deadly conspiracy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWerewolf by Night (2022)
On a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader. In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic—a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPolice Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)
When police funding is cut, the Governor announces he must close one of the academies. To make it fair, the two police academies must compete against each other to stay in operation. Mauser persuades two officers in Lassard's academy to better his odds, but things don't quite turn out as expected...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisBarely Legal (2003)
Teenager Deacon works at a video shop, and his buddies, Fred and Matt, sell the bootleg porno films he acquires. Deacon gets fired, but the pals have the bright idea of filming their own Internet porn flick in order to make money and become more popular at school. Hijinks ensue as they cast and create their movie, but porn industry player Vic Ramalot grows jealous of their burgeoning success and tries to put a stop to the project.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisShowdown (1993)
Ken has just moved from Kansas with his mother. He talks to a girl named Julie, not knowing that her boyfriend Tom is very possessive of her. Tom is learning karate from Lee, a sensei whose brother was killed by a rookie cop named Billy. Billy has since then become the janitor of the school that Ken, Julie and Tom go to. When Ken gets beaten up by Tom for talking to Julie again, Billy helps Ken by teaching him how to defend himself, which eventually leads to a battle between student vs. student, and sensei vs. sensei.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRelay (2025)
A broker of lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten them breaks his own rules when a new client seeks his protection to stay alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Manifesto?
The closest matches to Manifesto are Art School Confidential (2006), Mona Lisa Smile (2003) and Cashback (2004). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Manifesto?
Start with Art School Confidential (2006), the closest match to Manifesto.
What is the highest-rated movie like Manifesto?
Dope (2015), rated 7.0/10 by 1,647 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Manifesto?
Relay (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Manifesto chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Manifesto, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.