Movies like In a Bad Way (2021)
The best movies like In a Bad Way (2021) are Easy Money (1983), The Gambler (1974) and California Split (1974). If In a Bad Way hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCasino (1995)8.0/10 from 6,872 votes
- NewestChampagne Problems (2025)Released 2025
Easy Money (1983)
To inherit his mother-in-law's colossal fortune, a hard living gambling addict must change his unhealthy ways before it gets the best of him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Gambler (1974)
New York City English professor Axel Freed outwardly seems like an upstanding citizen. But privately Freed is in the clutches of a severe gambling addiction that threatens to destroy him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCalifornia Split (1974)
Carefree single guy Charlie Waters rooms with two lovely prostitutes, Barbara Miller and Susan Peters, and lives to gamble. Along with his glum betting buddy, Bill Denny, Charlie sets out on a gambling streak in search of the ever-elusive big payday. While Charlie and Bill have some lucky moments, they also have to contend with serious setbacks that threaten to derail their hedonistic betting binge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Set-Up (1949)
Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChampagne Problems (2025)
A driven American exec heads to Paris determined to acquire a champagne brand by Christmas — and accidentally falls for the heir to the bubbly empire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
When illegal card dealer and recovering heroin addict Frankie Machine gets out of prison, he decides to straighten up. Armed with nothing but an old drum set, Frankie tries to get honest work as a drummer. But when his former employer and his old drug dealer re-enter his life, Frankie finds it hard to stay clean and eventually finds himself succumbing to his old habits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChristmas Encore (2017)
A struggling actress is cast in her last off (off) Broadway show - a modern take on “A Christmas Carol” - before giving up her dream and moving home. Instead, she finds romance with her director and a renewed passion for her craft and the city. But when the historic theater loses its lease and the show is set to fold, she and her cast mates are need of a Christmas miracle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Night Before (2015)
In New York City for their annual tradition of Christmas Eve debauchery, three lifelong best friends set out to find the Holy Grail of Christmas parties since their yearly reunion might be coming to an end.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChateau Christmas (2020)
Margot, a world-renowned pianist, returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and is reunited with an ex who helps her rediscover her passion for music.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOcean's Eleven (1960)
Danny Ocean and his gang attempt to rob the five biggest casinos in Las Vegas in one night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Bride for Christmas (2012)
Bride-to-be Jessie Patterson calls off her third engagement - during the ceremony! She swears off serious relationships, until she meets and is pursued by Aiden MacTiernan. Aiden, on the other hand, has bet his friends he is marriage material, and can find a fiancé in the four weeks leading up to Christmas. When Jessie and Aiden begin to fall for each other, Jessie must decide if she is ready for serious love, and Aiden must decide if his bet is worth risking his relationship with Jessie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Gift Wrapped Christmas (2015)
Personal shopper Gwen's newest client, Charlie, is a high-rolling, workaholic, single father. When Gwen meets his 8-year-old son, Owen, during a package drop, she is saddened to see just how little time Charlie spends with him. Determined to get Charlie to appreciate his family, Gwen makes it her Christmas mission to get him into the festive spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJingle Around the Clock (2018)
Elle decides to reunite her college friends for Christmas, but her plans are thwarted by an opportunity at work to spearhead a Christmas campaign relaunch. She's forced to team up with ad campaign "fixer" Max, who has a completely different take on the holidays. As the two work together, they find themselves falling for each other. With the help of a little Christmas magic, will Elle pull off the perfect Christmas reunion and find the love she’s been searching for?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBugsy (1991)
New York gangster Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel takes a brief business trip to Los Angeles. A sharp-dressing womanizer with a foul temper, Siegel doesn't hesitate to kill or maim anyone crossing him. In L.A. the life, the movies, and most of all strong-willed Virginia Hill detain him while his family wait back home. Then a trip to a run-down gambling joint at a spot in the desert known as Las Vegas gives him his big idea.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Best Man Holiday (2013)
When college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be reignited.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSingle All the Way (2021)
Desperate to avoid his family’s judgment about his perpetual single status, Peter convinces his best friend Nick to join him for the holidays and pretend that they’re now in a relationship. But when Peter’s mother sets him up on a blind date with her handsome trainer James, the plan goes awry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Hangover Part II (2011)
The Hangover crew heads to Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the disaster of a bachelor party in Las Vegas last year, Stu is playing it safe with a mellow pre-wedding brunch. However, nothing goes as planned and Bangkok is the perfect setting for another adventure with the rowdy group.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCasino (1995)
In Las Vegas, two best friends-a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFir Crazy (2013)
When marketing executive Elise MacKenzie decides to help sell Christmas trees at her family’s Christmas tree lot, she discovers a newfound fondness for the holidays. But all could be lost when the store owner who hosts the tree lot on his block wants to shut it down, and it’s up to Elise to find a way to rekindle his Christmas Cheer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisLess Than Zero (1987)
A college freshman returns to Los Angeles for Christmas at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like In a Bad Way?
The closest matches to In a Bad Way are Easy Money (1983), The Gambler (1974) and California Split (1974). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after In a Bad Way?
Start with Easy Money (1983), the closest match to In a Bad Way.
What is the highest-rated movie like In a Bad Way?
Casino (1995), rated 8.0/10 by 6,872 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like In a Bad Way?
Champagne Problems (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like In a Bad Way?
Yes: Easy Money (1983), The Gambler (1974) and California Split (1974).
How are movies similar to In a Bad Way chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside In a Bad Way, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.