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Movies like Boys Will Be Boys (2021)

The best movies like Boys Will Be Boys (2021) are Intimacy (2001), The Dreamers (2003) and The Man from Elysian Fields (2001). If Boys Will Be Boys hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Intimacy (2001)

    Failed musician Jay abandoned his family and now earns a living as head bartender in a trendy London pub. Every Wednesday afternoon, a woman comes to his house for graphic, almost wordless, sex. One day, Jay follows her and learns about her. This eventually disrupts their relationship.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  2. The Dreamers (2003)

    When Isabelle and Theo invite Matthew to stay with them, what begins as a casual friendship ripens into a sensual voyage of discovery and desire in which nothing is off limits and everything is possible.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  3. The Man from Elysian Fields (2001)

    A failed novelist's inability to pay the bills strains relations with his wife and leads him to work at an escort service, where he becomes entwined with a wealthy woman whose husband is a successful writer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  4. Your Friends & Neighbors (1998)

    Restless and unhappy, two couples get caught up in infidelity and deception. Barry is a sullen businessman married to Mary, a writer who is unsatisfied with their relationship. Mary begins an affair with Jerry, a smug theater professor and husband of her friend, Terri, who is also a writer. Adding to the adulterous mix are Cary, a callous doctor, and Cheri, an art-gallery assistant.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  5. Red Sparrow (2018)

    Prima ballerina Dominika Egorova faces a bleak and uncertain future after she suffers an injury that ends her career. She soon turns to Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people to use their minds and bodies as weapons. Dominika emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow after completing the sadistic training process. As she comes to terms with her new abilities, she meets a CIA agent who tries to convince her that he is the only person she can trust.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. Hostel (2006)

    Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  7. Rise of the Footsoldier (2007)

    Carlton Leach rises from one of the most feared generals of the football terraces to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through London and Essex in the late '80s and early '90s.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  8. Petulia (1968)

    Dr. Archie Bollen is having a midlife crisis. He's just divorced his wife and is establishing a new life for himself. One night, he catches the eye of Petulia Danner, a charming, free-spirited young woman. Petulia's vibrant personality hides her fear of her abusive husband, David, whose father is a powerful society figure. As Petulia and Archie's feelings for each other grow, they must decide what it is they truly want.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  9. The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)

    Reporter Charles Wills, in Paris to cover the end of World War II, falls for the beautiful Helen Ellswirth following a brief flirtation with her sister, Marion. After he and Helen marry, Charles pursues his novelistic ambition while supporting his new bride with a deadening job at a newspaper wire service. But when an old investment suddenly makes the family wealthy, their marriage begins to unravel — until a sudden tragedy changes everything.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  10. GirlHouse (2014)

    In an attempt to make some extra cash while away at College, Kylie moves into a house that streams content to an X-rated website. After a deranged fan hacks in to determine the house's location, she finds herself in a terrifying fight for her life.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  11. Auto Focus (2002)

    A successful TV star during the 1960s, former "Hogan's Heroes" actor Bob Crane projects a wholesome family-man image, but this front masks his persona as a sex addict who records and photographs his many encounters with women, often with the help of his seedy friend, John Henry Carpenter. This biographical drama reveals how Crane's double life takes its toll on him and his family, and ultimately contributes to his death.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Shame (2011)

    Brandon, a thirty-something man living in New York, eludes intimacy with women but feeds his deepest desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his younger sister temporarily moves into his apartment, stirring up bitter memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's life, like his fragile mind, gets out of control.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. The Krays (1990)

    Twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray are raised in east London, under the influence of their hateful but doting mother Violet. As they grow up, Ronnie's violent nature takes over, and Reggie follows his brother's lead. The two become notorious crime lords who rule over the East End club scene. But at the height of their power, the brothers veer into different lives, giving the older crime bosses a chance to reclaim what the Krays took from them.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  14. Al Capone (1959)

    In this unusually accurate biography, small-time hood Al Capone comes to Chicago at the dawn of Prohibition to be the bodyguard of racketeer Johnny Torrio. Capone's rise in Chicago gangdom is followed through murder, extortion, and political fraud. He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," but moves inexorably toward his downfall and ignominious end.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. Her Body (2023)

    A Czech high diver's Olympic dreams are shattered when she suffers a devastating injury while training. Forced to leave the sport she loves, she follows a photographer friend into the world of nude modeling, ultimately reinventing herself as an adult film actress. Inspired by the true story of diving champion Andrea Absolonová.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  16. Femme (2023)

    Jules is a drag artist in London who withdraws into himself and loses his career after a horrific attack. Months later, he recognizes one of his assailants in a gay sauna and quickly realizes he has the perfect opportunity to get revenge.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. Pretty Persuasion (2005)

    A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher of sexual harassment.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  18. Azrael (2024)

    In a world where no one speaks, a devout female hunts down a young woman who has escaped her imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, Azrael is due to be sacrificed to pacify an ancient evil deep within the surrounding wilderness.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  19. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)

    After returning to Los Angeles from a group therapy session, documentary filmmaker Bob Sanders and his wife, Carol, find themselves becoming vigilante couples counselors, offering unsolicited advice to their best friends, Ted and Alice Henderson. Not wanting to be rude, the Hendersons play along, but some latent sexual tension among the four soon comes bubbling to the surface, and long-buried desires don't stay buried for long.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. King Cobra (2016)

    It’s 2006, YouTube is in its infancy, and internet porn is still behind a paywall. Taking the stage name Brent Corrigan, a fresh-faced, wannabe adult video performer is molded into a star by Stephen, a closeted gay porn mogul who runs the skin flick empire Cobra Video from his seemingly ordinary suburban home.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers

  21. Romokból (2023)

    The ruin pub phenomenon in Budapest jolted the city to life like an explosion in the early 2000s. The capital, which had flourished and buzzed with culture at the turn of the century, was levelled in an instant by the Second World War. The people living here had to start from scratch, and through perseverance and determination, the city once again began to thrive—only to slide toward decline once more. Budapest exists within this cycle, and the ruin pub is part of it, encapsulating a sense of permanence built from the ruins of Eastern Europe.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style

  22. Caligula (1979)

    After the death of the paranoid emperor Tiberius, Caligula, his heir, seizes power and plunges the empire into a bloody spiral of madness and depravity.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  23. The Slopes of Triglav (1932)

    Miha invites his fiancée Minka to the dance, but he's tempted by another big desire of his - climbing. Frustrated Minka insists on the festivity, where she finds herself in a company of older hiker. However, all ends happily, as Minka and Miha, after many smaller adventures, meet at the top of Mount Triglav, where they sign the marriage contract, but also confirming their love for the mountains. In addition to its charming story, the movie features footage of picturesque Slovenian mountains.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style

  24. Outpost (2008)

    In a seedy bar in a town ravaged by war, scientist and businessman Hunt hires mercenary and former Royal Marine D.C. to assemble a crack team of ex-soldiers to protect him on a dangerous journey into no-man's land. Their mission is to scope out an old military bunker in Eastern Europe. It should be easy – 48 hours at the most. Lots of cash for little risk. Or so he says...

    Why it matches: Similar story and style

  25. Without a Mom (2011)

    Two gay dads fumble to provide their straight son with meaningful support after the loss of his first real love.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style

  26. Dry Wind (2020)

    The area around Catalan in Brazil’s state of Goiás is dry, very dry. Sandro’s life here is somewhat monotonous. He works in a fertiliser factory, goes swimming and spends his evenings doing jigsaw puzzles of landscapes. When Maicon, a man straight out of a Tom of Finland illustration, shows up in their small town and flirts with Ricardo, Sandro’s burgeoning feelings of jealousy set a change in motion.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style

  27. The Raspberry Reich (2004)

    Gudrun has modeled her amateur German terrorist group after the 1970s Red Army Faction (Baader-Meinhof Gang). She attempts to imitate her heroes by kidnapping the son of a wealthy industrialist and hopes to negotiate leftist demands from the father. When Gudrun’s not spouting leftist verses (including during a hilariously brilliant fuck session), she’s trying to convince her all-male gang to abandon their heterosexuality, which she believes is the result of mass delusion.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style

  28. Beautiful Beings (2022)

    A teenage boy, raised by a mother who considers herself psychic, takes a bullied kid into his group of violent misfits. As the group’s troubles escalate toward life-threatening situations, an inner voice awakens in the boy and, with the help of his mother and his new friend, he manages to find his own path.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  29. Gay Porn: Guided Tour (2014)

    An unusual journey into the heart of gay porn, a universe populated by a host of planets, which professionals commonly call niches. These are all fantasies of inclined tastes and libidos. Olivier Ghis tries to understand where these famous niches come from and what desires they meet.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style

Like Boys Will Be Boys and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Boys Will Be Boys?

The closest matches to Boys Will Be Boys are Intimacy (2001), The Dreamers (2003) and The Man from Elysian Fields (2001). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Boys Will Be Boys?

Start with Intimacy (2001), the closest match to Boys Will Be Boys.

What is the highest-rated movie like Boys Will Be Boys?

The Dreamers (2003), rated 7.2/10 by 3,213 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Boys Will Be Boys?

Azrael (2024) is the most recent release on this list.

How are movies similar to Boys Will Be Boys chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Boys Will Be Boys, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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