Movies like The Wife (2022)
The best movies like The Wife (2022) are Fifty Shades Freed (2018), The Man from Elysian Fields (2001) and The Duke of Burgundy (2015). If The Wife hooked you with its drama and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLa Collectionneuse (1967)6.9/10 from 279 votes
- NewestLove of Your Life (2026)Released 2026
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
Believing they have left behind shadowy figures from their past, newlyweds Christian and Ana fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he relaxes into an unfamiliar stability, new threats could jeopardize their happy ending before it even begins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Duke of Burgundy (2015)
Day in and day out, lovers Cynthia and Evelyn enact an elaborate sadomasochistic fantasy as mistress and maid. But as their ritual of domination and submission begins to turn stale, Cynthia yearns for something more conventional, while Evelyn tries to push their taboos even further.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTime Is Up (2021)
Vivien, an accomplished student with a passion for physics, and Roy, a troubled young man, are involved in an accident that forces them to reclaim their lives one minute at the time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNewness (2017)
In contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 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 · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPetulia (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 · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnfaithful (2002)
A New York suburban couple's marriage goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAsylum (2005)
A woman becomes very curious about one of her psychiatrist husband's inmates, a man who was found guilty in the murder and disfigurement of his former wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonday (2021)
A spark on a Friday can lead to a sizzling weekend fling, but what happens when you get to the inevitable Monday?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFifty Shades of Grey (2015)
When college senior Anastasia Steele steps in for her sick roommate to interview prominent businessman Christian Grey for their campus paper, little does she realize the path her life will take. Christian, as enigmatic as he is rich and powerful, finds himself strangely drawn to Ana, and she to him. Though sexually inexperienced, Ana plunges headlong into an affair -- and learns that Christian's true sexual proclivities push the boundaries of pain and pleasure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisLove of Your Life (2026)
After a chance encounter sparks a sweeping romance, Maya's future is suddenly upended, sending her on an unexpected journey to love and live again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAddicted (2014)
A gallerist risks her family and flourishing career when she enters into an affair with a talented painter and slowly loses control of her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisLockdown (2000)
Avery (Jones) returns to college as a competitive swimmer after getting his life back on track. But his life takes another unexpected turn when he and his two friends (Bonds, Casseus) are wrongly accused of murder and end up in prison.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKill for Me (2013)
Rent’s a bitch. And that is why, six months after her best friend went missing, Amanda finally gives in to getting another roommate, Hailey. The two college students turn out to have something in common, however: abusive men. For Hailey, it’s her dad. For Amanda, it’s a stalkery ex-boyfriend. But problems can be solved and, you know, you scratch my back, I scratch yours. In other words, Kill for Me, I kill for you.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisNymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013)
The continuation of Joe's sexually dictated life delves into the darker aspects of her adult life and what led to her being in Seligman's care.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCheaters (2000)
In the fall of 1994, a teacher at Chicago's run-down Steinmetz High conspires with the school's academic decathlon team to cheat on an academic competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHungry Hearts (2015)
The relationship of a couple who meet by chance in New York City is put to the test when they encounter a life or death circumstance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMammal (2016)
After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband's grieving rage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuburbia (1984)
When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society. The runaways hold on to each other like a family until a tragedy tears them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKiss Me Again (2006)
A married couple decides to test the boundaries of their relationship with a seductive Spanish woman. When an unlikely relationship ensues, all three are forced to rethink their definition of love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Last Night (2003)
When a French speaking Canadian couple hire a Russian speaking male prostitute for a ménage-à-trois to spice up their sex lives, the results are not as they expected.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
3some (2009)
In an attempt to help his friend Marcos with his impotence, Jaime sets up him up with another friend Josita. But the sex date fails, and so he comes in to help. What first appears to be just another sexual experience for all three evolves to a full romantic relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPeriphery (2018)
A dying woman wishes to see her family through the good times and the bad times she will miss.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
La Collectionneuse (1967)
Bombastic, womanising art dealer Adrien and his painter friend Daniel go on holiday at a 17th-century villa on the Riviera. But their idyll is disturbed by the presence of the bohemian Haydée, accused of being a 'collector' of men.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThreefold (2026)
Three friends embark on a new experience only to find that they weren’t quite ready for what was in store for them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
No Coffee, No TV, No Sex (1999)
No coffee, no TV, no sex is a dramatic comedy. It is the story of Arno, a 27 year old living in the Geneva squats. His best friend, Maurizio, obtained a residence permit for Switzerland through an convenience wedding. Nina, Maurizio’s girlfriend, is French but would also like to live in Geneva: she faces the same administrative obstacle. In order for her to obtain a permit, Maurizio convinces Arno, for the sake of their friendship, to marry her out of convenience. Reluctantly, Arno accepts and Maurizio, unsuspecting, leaves for a few days. Alone with Nina, Arno, usually shy with women, falls in love with her. She falls in love with him. When Maurizio returns, Arno cannot hide the truth from him. He and Nina end up telling him about their relationship. They reconsider the arrangement and try to settle the dilemma together…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Plagio (1969)
During the student movement in Bologna, Italy. 1968. Angela and Massimo are friends, lovers and college students. They get to know Guido, the heir of a wealthy family who has never known love pure. Impressed by the feeling that binds the two lovers, Guido invites them to move into his house. Soon, in a series of betrayals, confessions, departures and returns, it will create a conscious threesome bound to result in tragedy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
To the Extreme (2000)
Rich, bisexual Thomas makes his way through a swath of lovers of both sexes in Paris. His parents have died, and he doesn't have to work to earn a living, so his days are bacchanalia-filled affairs that run into each other in a hazy bliss. The only one capable of eking out genuine affection from him is his neighbor, Caroline. When she dies and leaves her son in his care, Thomas learns the joys of commitment and selflessness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
El Lobo y La Gacela (2025)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Wife?
The closest matches to The Wife are Fifty Shades Freed (2018), The Man from Elysian Fields (2001) and The Duke of Burgundy (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Wife?
Start with Fifty Shades Freed (2018), the closest match to The Wife.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Wife?
La Collectionneuse (1967), rated 6.9/10 by 279 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Wife?
Love of Your Life (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Wife chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Wife, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.