Movies like Smalltown Boys (2022)
The best movies like Smalltown Boys (2022) are Rent (2005), Supernova (2020) and Beyond the Walls (2012). If Smalltown Boys hooked you with its romance and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMaurice (1987)7.6/10 from 642 votes
- NewestThe Little Sister (2025)Released 2025
- In FrenchBeyond the Walls (2012)Also in French
Rent (2005)
In New York City's gritty East Village, a group of bohemians strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSupernova (2020)
Sam and Tusker, partners of 20 years, are traveling across England in their old RV visiting friends, family and places from their past. Since Tusker was diagnosed with early-onset dementia two years ago, their time together is the most important thing they have. As the trip progresses, however, their ideas for the future clash, secrets come out, and their love for each other is tested as never before. Ultimately, they must confront the question of what it means to love one another in the face of Tusker’s illness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeyond the Walls (2012)
Paulo, a young pianist, meets Ilir, a double-bass player originally from Albania. It's love at first sight. Confronted by Anka, Paulo finds himself out on the street. Despite Ilir's misgivings, Paulo moves in with him. One day, when Paulo promises that he will love Ilir for the rest of his life, Ilir leaves the city and doesn't return. A few days later, Paulo finds out that Ilir is in jail, and the two lovers embark on an heart-breaking relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBehind the Candelabra (2013)
Based on the autobiographical novel, the tempestuous 6-year relationship between Liberace and his (much younger) lover, Scott Thorson, is recounted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne from the Heart (1982)
In a dazzling, dreamlike Las Vegas, longtime couple Hank and Frannie break up on their fifth anniversary and each pursue the fantasy of new love over one neon-soaked night—he with a free-spirited acrobat, she with a seductive musician. But as illusion and reality blur, both must decide whether passion or devotion truly defines the heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Object of My Affection (1998)
A pregnant New York social worker begins to develop romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and decides she'd rather raise her child with him, much to the dismay of her overbearing boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisMaking Love (1982)
A perfect typical LA couple find their happily-ever-after life broken when the husband confronts his long-repressed attraction for other men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
To ensure a full profitable season, circus manager Brad Braden engages The Great Sebastian, though this moves his girlfriend Holly from her hard-won center trapeze spot. Holly and Sebastian begin a dangerous one-upmanship duel in the ring, while he pursues her on the ground.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDouble Lover (2017)
Chloé, a fragile young woman, falls in love with her psychoanalyst, Paul. A few months later she moves in with him, but soon discovers that her lover is concealing a part of his identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThose Who Love Me Can Take the Train (1998)
A group of mourners travels by train to bury a recently deceased artist in Limoges. As they journey, secrets and desires unfold, with relationships shifting, past loves resurfacing, and personal connections revealed. At the funeral and afterward, tensions rise among the group, leading to further emotional complexities at the artist’s family home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Very Natural Thing (1974)
When David, an ex-monk still in his twenties meets Mark, he falls hard; soon he's asked Mark if they can live together. Things go well for awhile, and then differences in their definition of "commitment" begin to push them apart. Mark wants other sexual adventures, David tries to go along. Can they talk through the crisis in their relationship or is a breakup in the offing? David sees his relationship with Mark as a marriage, so if it ends, can David's heart ever heal?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCamp Belvidere (2014)
Camp Belvidere is a lesbian romance set in the 1950s about the coming of age of Camp Leader Rose and her forbidden encounter with Nurse Gin. It depicts the journey and evolution of a friendship into a romance between two women when their rapport would have been unlikely.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Policeman (2022)
In the late 1990s, the arrival of elderly invalid Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when homosexuality was illegal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaurice (1987)
After his lover rejects him, Maurice attempts to come to terms with his sexuality within the restrictiveness of Edwardian society.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTest (2013)
San Francisco, 1985. Two opposites attract at a modern dance company. Together, their courage and resilience are tested as they navigate a world full of risks and promise, against the backdrop of a disease no one seems to know anything about.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGet Real (1998)
Sensitive rural town model student Steven Carter hides his gay feelings, except with his neighbor and best friend Linda. Suddenly his desperate search for partners leads to a blind date with golden boy John Dixon, bound for an Oxbridge career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Little Sister (2025)
When Fatima leaves her close-knit suburban family to study philosophy in Paris, she finds herself caught between her religious upbringing and the freedom of student life in the city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove! Valour! Compassion! (1997)
A group of gay friends spend summer weekends together at a lakeside house in upstate New York. As the season progresses and secrets begin to surface, the complex relationships within the group are sometimes strained and sometimes strengthened.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTom at the Farm (2014)
A young man travels to an isolated farm for his lover's funeral where he's quickly drawn into a twisted, sexually charged game by his lover's aggressive brother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds (2006)
How far would you go to get the person of your dreams? With the help of Gwen and Tiffani, Kyle pretends to be heterosexual in order to land Troy, the new guy (and nude model) who's turning the heads of both men and women. He soon finds himself joining the campus ex-gay support group and nabbing a girlfriend! Kyle's ex-boyfriend Marc is horrified at the plan and decides to pursue the confused Troy with his own tactic -- being his "out" gay self. Who will win Troy first?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShabbat Dinner (2012)
Shabbat Dinner is boring as usual for William Shore. His mother has invited two crazy hippies and their son and is doing her best to show off, his father is drunk and berating their oddball guests, and he doesn't have much in common with their son Virgo. That is, until Virgo tells him that he has just come out as gay.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
The spoiled young heir to the decaying Amberson fortune comes between his widowed mother and the man she has always loved.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEver (2014)
While struggling to cope with the death of her boyfriend, a young woman begins to form romantic feelings for her new supportive female friend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Shortbus (2006)
In post-9/11 New York City, an eclectic group of citizens find their lives entangled, personally, romantically, and sexually, at Shortbus, an underground Brooklyn salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisImagine Me & You (2006)
During her wedding ceremony, Rachel notices Luce in the audience and feels instantly drawn to her. The two women become close friends, and when Rachel learns that Luce is a lesbian, she realizes that despite her happy marriage to Heck, she is falling for Luce. As she questions her sexual orientation, Rachel must decide between her stable relationship with Heck and her exhilarating new romance with Luce.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDani&Billy (2025)
On a mediocre Saturday night, Dani leaves the club to smoke. Not finding his lighter, he approaches a boy who is sitting alone in a corner. Billy not only gives him a light, but asks him to come with him for a walk, thus changing the course of both of their nights.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Somewhat Agree (2004)
Jérémie has a job recruiting subjects for testing. He'd rather recruit Rodrigue for something else entirely.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Room Closet: Truth or Dare (2019)
A couple of teenagers start playing truth or dare at a party.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
In the questionable town of Deer Meadow, Washington, FBI Agent Desmond inexplicably disappears while hunting for the man who murdered a teen girl. The killer is never apprehended, and, after experiencing dark visions and supernatural encounters, Agent Dale Cooper chillingly predicts that the culprit will claim another life. Meanwhile, in the more cozy town of Twin Peaks, hedonistic beauty Laura Palmer hangs with lowlifes and seems destined for a grisly fate.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFoam Party! (2017)
A message circulates from mobile phone to mobile phone. A bunch of strangers meet in a mansion. They come searching for sex, but never has an orgy been so full of love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Smalltown Boys?
The closest matches to Smalltown Boys are Rent (2005), Supernova (2020) and Beyond the Walls (2012). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Smalltown Boys?
Start with Rent (2005), the closest match to Smalltown Boys.
What is the highest-rated movie like Smalltown Boys?
Maurice (1987), rated 7.6/10 by 642 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Smalltown Boys?
The Little Sister (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there French movies like Smalltown Boys?
Yes: Beyond the Walls (2012), Double Lover (2017) and Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (1998).
How are movies similar to Smalltown Boys chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Smalltown Boys, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.