Movies like Islands in the City (2021)
The best movies like Islands in the City (2021) are Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (2017), Gray's Anatomy (1996) and The Wild Blue Yonder (2005). If Islands in the City hooked you with its documentary and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedJim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (2017)7.5/10 from 761 votes
- NewestThe Ghost Story. (2026)Released 2026
- In GermanThe Circle (2014)Also in German
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (2017)
Through the lens of his stunningly immersive performance as Andy Kaufman, Jim Carrey ponders the meaning of life, reality, identity and career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGray's Anatomy (1996)
The film documents, in an often dramatic and humorous fashion, Gray's investigations into alternative medicine for an eye condition (Macular pucker) he had developed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wild Blue Yonder (2005)
An alien narrates the story of his dying planet, his and his people's visitations to Earth and Earth's self-made demise, while human astronauts in space are attempting to find an alternate planet for surviving humans to live on.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMike Tyson: Undisputed Truth (2013)
Mike Tyson's one-man show is a fascinating journey into his storied life and career. MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH is a rare, personal look inside the life and mind of one of the most feared men ever to wear the heavyweight crown. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Spike Lee, this riveting one-man show goes beyond the headlines, behind the scenes and between the lines to deliver a must-see theatrical knockout.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrainwreck: Poop Cruise (2025)
An engine fire leaves 4,000 passengers stranded at sea without power and plumbing in this wild documentary about the infamous "poop cruise" of 2013.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisVan Gogh: Painted with Words (2010)
A drama-documentary presented by Alan Yentob, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role. Every word spoken by the actors in this film is sourced from the letters that Van Gogh sent to his younger brother Theo, and of those around him. What emerges is a complex portrait of a sophisticated, civilised and yet tormented man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Complete History of My Sexual Failures (2008)
The egocentric documentary-maker Chris Waitt traces his romantic ineptitude and sexual impotence through awkward interviews with irate ex-girlfriends and stunts involving S&M parlours, Harley Street doctors and Viagra overdoses. The results are often hilarious, sometimes moving and speak directly to the hapless paramour in all of us.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll That Breathes (2022)
Against the darkening backdrop of New Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protecting one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the black kite.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife in a Day (2011)
A documentary shot by filmmakers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the 24th of July, 2010.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKevin Hart: Zero F**ks Given (2020)
Kevin Hart serves up laughs and brick oven pizza from the comfort of his home, and dishes on male group chats, sex after 40 and life with COVID-19.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Pie: Revealed (2004)
Documentary about the making of American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001) and American Wedding (2003).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIndie Game: The Movie (2012)
Follows the dramatic journeys of video game developers as they create and release their games to the world. It's about making video games, but at its core, it's about the creative process, and exposing yourself through your work.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrevor Noah: You Laugh But It's True (2011)
In the world of stand-up comedy in South Africa, Trevor Noah uses his childhood experiences in a biracial family during apartheid to prepare for his first one-man show.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Amazing Johnathan Documentary (2019)
What begins as a documentary following the final tour of a dying magician - "The Amazing Johnathan" - becomes an unexpected and increasingly bizarre journey as the filmmaker struggles to separate truth from illusion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Circle (2014)
A young teacher in Zurich in the 1950s falls in love with a transvestite star but is torn between his bourgeois existence and his commitment to homosexuality. He joins a gay organization that is eventually seen as the pioneer of gay emancipation in Europe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee (2016)
The strange story of John McAfee, who went from millionaire software mogul to yogi, Kurtz-like jungle recluse to potential murderer, and most recently a prospective presidential candidate for the American Libertarian Party.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDreams of a Life (2011)
A filmmaker sets out to discover the life of Joyce Vincent, who died in her bedsit in North London in 2003. Her body wasn't discovered for three years, and newspaper reports offered few details of her life - not even a photograph.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWill & Harper (2024)
When Will Ferrell's good friend Harper comes out as a trans woman, they take a road trip to bond and reintroduce Harper to the country as her true self.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCarrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking (2010)
"Wishful Drinking" is based on Fisher's memoirs of the same title. The stage adaptation had its world premiere in 2006 at the Geffen Playhouse in L.A. It later played at Berkeley Repertory before opening on Broadway in October at Studio 54. The show takes audiences on a comic tour of Fisher's messy personal life and career. The actress-writer recounts stories about her work on the "Star Wars" series as well as her relationship with her parents Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. She also discusses her much-publicized problems with alcohol and drugs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeath to 2021 (2021)
This comedic retrospective mixes archival footage and scripted sketches as it revisits all the dread — and occasional delight — that 2021 had to offer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHappiness (1998)
The lives of several individuals intertwine as they go about their lives in their own unique ways, engaging in acts which society as a whole might find disturbing in a desperate search for human connection.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Ghost Story. (2026)
Everyone in town knows Simón's story, because like a rumor or an urban legend, it has been spreading among its inhabitants, the few who believe him and those who question everything about his story... But Simón will clear up doubts, recounting what happened during those supernatural events...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & drama
The Green Widow (1968)
A lonely young suburban housewife participates in a radio interview survey while simultaneously engaging in an extramarital affair.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Finding Together (2021)
Eddie and Byron began their relationship just before COVID-19, but quarantine forces them to face distance, work stress, and the big question: will living together work? A tender and honest LGBTQ+ story, perfect for those who believe in love... even in the toughest times.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Lonely Guy (1984)
A writer for a greeting card company learns the true meaning of loneliness when he comes home to find his girlfriend in bed with another man.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScrewed in Tallinn: A Small Film About Loneliness (1999)
Percy Nilegaard collects Swedish single men and embarks on a bus trip to Tallinn with a so-called "highly-experienced driver".
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLast Call: The Shutdown of NYC Bars (2021)
The hospitality industry is the artistic heartbeat of New York. Thousands of artists, musicians, and actors flock to Queens to work in the service industry to supplement their dreams. In March of 2020 these dreamers put their lives on hold, self- isolating and sacrificing their income as Queens became the global epicenter of COVID-19. LAST CALL follows two local bars and frontline workers in a tale of two sacrifices that saved not only the lives of thousands but also the future of New York.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Robinson Crusoe (1997)
Robinson Crusoe flees Britain on a ship after killing his friend over the love of Mary. A fierce ocean storm wrecks his ship and leaves him stranded by himself on an uncharted island. Left to fend for himself, Crusoe seeks out a tentative survival on the island, until he meets Friday, a tribesman whom he saves from being sacrificed. Initially, Crusoe is thrilled to finally have a friend, but he has to defend himself against the tribe who uses the island to sacrifice tribesman to their gods. During time their relationship changes from master-slave to a mutual respected friendship despite their difference in culture and religion.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAustralia (2017)
Friday, 11 p.m. Carla, a woman in her forties, is alone in her office. She gets a call. It's Raúl, a young guy who sells cocaine. Tonight will be the last night that Raúl works as a dealer. He wants to change his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Islands in the City?
The closest matches to Islands in the City are Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (2017), Gray's Anatomy (1996) and The Wild Blue Yonder (2005). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Islands in the City?
Start with Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (2017), the closest match to Islands in the City.
What is the highest-rated movie like Islands in the City?
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton (2017), rated 7.5/10 by 761 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Islands in the City?
The Ghost Story. (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there German movies like Islands in the City?
Yes: The Circle (2014).
How are movies similar to Islands in the City chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Islands in the City, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.