Best movies like The Death of Richie
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A sensitive but confused teenager feels pressure on him from all directions and turns to drugs, which causes problems for him in school and at home.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 454
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: grindhouse
Best tv shows and movies like The Death of Richie (1977):
Similar in 89%
Family Sins (1987)
Plot Summary:
Gordon has a loving wife and two sons, Bryan and Keith, but he favors his spoiled younger son Keith over Bryan, who is defiant and not good at sports. As Gordon begins to yell and hit Bryan, Bryan's behavior slips towards the psychotic side and he takes it out on beings who can't defend themselves until he goes way too far one day during a summer camping trip.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 156
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: sad, cult film
Similar in 88%
Punk Love (2006)
Plot Summary:
Set in the rainy environs of Oregon and Washington, Punk Love is the story of two forlorn lovers, searching for that elusive Hollywood Ending to the story of their dreams. Sarah is a lost 15-year-old, trapped in an unloving home, in a dreary small paper mill town. When she meets Spike, she envisions a new life for herself. Falling in love, Sarah and Spike go on a crime spree of small-time con jobs, both to support themselves and their drug habit. Spike has dreams of his own, and when he successfully auditions for a band, he can't help but feel that he and Sarah are starting on the road to escaping their ill-fated existence. But just as things are looking up, everything goes uncontrollably wrong, and Spike and Sarah have only their undying love for each other as a means of survival against all odds. Director/writer Nick Lyon's Punk Love is a modern-day fairy tale about two fallen angels searching for meaning in a world without pity.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 435
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, suspenseful, bleak
Similar in 87%
Toughlove (1985)
Plot Summary:
The Charters family falls into despair over their drug-addicted son Gary. They discuss his problems through the "Toughlove" program in searching for answers.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 143
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 89%
Angel Dusted (1981)
Plot Summary:
Cautionary anti-drug film based on a true story, made for NBC television. Drama about the effects on Jean Stapleton and Arthur Hill when their teenage son (John Putch, Stapleton's real-life son) gets spaced out on a marijuana joint laced with PCP, or "angel dust," and the family wrestles with the crisis.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 185
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
Her Last Chance (1996)
Plot Summary:
Drug adict teen gets out of rehab only to be accused of her boyfriend's death.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 434
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 89%
Thursday's Child (1983)
Plot Summary:
Sam Alden is the 17-year-old high school star player in baseball who seems to have it all. However, his family notices that he is often bothered with fits of coughing. Worried, his parents decide to take him to the hospital, where they are shocked to find out that he has a life-threatening heart disease. Sam has trouble dealing with his illness, but he pretends to still be a joyful teenager to not have his parents worrying even more than they already do. His health is deteriorating, though, and it is eventually revealed that he needs a heart transplant if he wants to survive. This is the beginning of a long journey, which is mentally and physically exhausting. Sam has countless operations, and tests. The search for a donor seems endless to him. Even before the final operation, Sam is forced to deal with several setbacks in his life.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 123
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Love Lives On (1985)
Plot Summary:
A 15-year-old girl must choose between continuing her pregnancy and undergoing treatment for her fast-growing cancer.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 142
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 77%
Unforgivable (1996)
Plot Summary:
John Ritter plays a family man who puts his wife through domestic violence and his children through emotional torture. After leaving his family and almost killing his new girlfriend in one of his rages, he is ordered to seek professional help through an innovative therapy program or go to jail.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 473
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 83%
The Hard Road (1973)
Plot Summary:
A cautionary tale. At 17, Sherman Oaks high schooler Pam Banner has a baby out of wedlock. The baby is adopted, but Pam's too embarrassed to go back to school, so her dad gets her a job as the receptionist for a talent agent. A rock star takes her to a party, seduces and abandons her; that starts a spiral of partying, free love, and drug use. Pam becomes friends with Jeannie, a hooker who supports Jimmy, a useless druggie. Soon the three of them are living together, and Jimmy seems appealing to Pam. She's missing work more and more often, Jeannie wants out of the life, Jimmy is going through withdrawal, and Pam is in the middle of a maelstrom. Is there any exit for Pam?.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 153
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, psychedelic, psychotronic, tragic ending, independent film, cult film
Similar in 87%
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
Plot Summary:
An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, touching, realistic, scenic, rough, philosophical, emotional, political, entertaining
Similar in 75%
Not My Kid (1985)
Plot Summary:
A teenaged drug addict is sent to Dr. Royce's controversial drug intervention program where the addicts in the program confront each other in supervised group meetings. Also, in evening meetings, the addicts are confronted by their families. The girl's parents want to remove her from the program because it upsets them that their daughter is being forced to associate with addicts who admit to stealing and trading sex for drugs.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 235
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
Around the Fire (1998)
Plot Summary:
Simon is an intelligent and privileged young man whose family expects him to become a Princeton graduate. Crying out for attention from his reserved and cool hearted family, Simon commits numerous petty crimes and is soon sent away to boarding school where he befriends a "Deadhead," adopts the "hippie" lifestyle and dabbles in many drugs in his search for acceptance.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 786
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, disturbing, touching, independent film
Similar in 90%
Go Ask Alice (1973)
Plot Summary:
A 14-year-old girl in late 1960's America is inadvertently sucked into an odyssey of sex and drugs. She eventually seeks help.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 74 min
Plot tags: psychedelic, sincere, touching, bleak, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 86%
6 Balloons (2018)
Plot Summary:
Over the course of one night, a woman drives across LA with her heroin addict brother in search of a detox center, with his two year old daughter in tow.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 74 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, melancholic, sentimental, rough, captivating
Similar in 84%
Courage (1986)
Plot Summary:
A mother in Queens, New York, is so angered when she discovers that her son is a drug addict that she becomes an undercover agent for the DEA to clean up the drug trade in her neighborhood. Based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 173
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 84%
Harry & Son (1984)
Plot Summary:
Widower Harry Keach is a construction worker who was raised to appreciate the importance of working for a living. He takes a dim view of his sensitive son Howard's lackadaisical lifestyle and has a strained relationship with his daughter Nina as he does not approve of her husband. When Harry is fired from his job, his life changes drastically as he is made to focus on the relationships around him.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: serious, sincere, realistic, talky, independent film, touching
Similar in 86%
Consenting Adult (1985)
Plot Summary:
Young and shy Jeff discovers his attraction to men. After struggling with himself he comes out to his parents. Mum eventually listens to his son and tries to understand his feelings, but his Dad would rather die - which, in the end, he really does, leaving behind a mother, her son and his friend to work those things out Jeff and his Dad had never the courage to talk about.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 439
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sad, crying, hentai, yuri
Similar in 80%
1 Out of 7 (2011)
Plot Summary:
Runaway teen Lexi find herself alone and pregnant on the streets. Seemingly beyond hope, she must turn to Devon, a woman with her own demons, to help her find a way back from her past mistakes.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 199
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, rough, serious, realistic, bleak, independent film
Similar in 81%
The Poker House (2008)
Plot Summary:
Agnes and her two sisters struggle through a day in a home overrun by gamblers, thieves, and johns.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: realistic, rough, serious, emotional, dark, teen, bleak, tear jerker, tearjerker
Similar in 85%
Mississippi Damned (2009)
Plot Summary:
Three poor Black kids in rural Mississippi reap the consequences of their family's cycle of abuse, addiction, and violence.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 988
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: sincere, rough, touching, emotional, informative, bleak, serious, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 76%
The Secret Life of Zoey (2002)
Plot Summary:
Marcia always thought her overachieving daughter Zoey was the dream child. But then she discovers that her perfect teen has a not-so-perfect drug addiction. Marcia and her ex-husband go through plenty of denial as their daughter spirals out of control. It's a true-to-life tale that parents and their kids should watch together.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 389
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: humorous, captivating, psychological, touching, suspenseful, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 77%
The Tribes of Palos Verdes (2017)
Plot Summary:
When the situation at her idyllic Palos Verdes home turns volatile, young Medina attempts to surf her way to happiness.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: touching, depressing, suspense, sad, independent film, anamorphic, aesthetic
Similar in 80%
Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)
Plot Summary:
The film follows one day in the lives of the Tyrone family, each member is troubled and has been damaged by alcohol and/or drugs. In addition, they have issues with each other that lead to fights and an inability to reconcile completely with one another.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 174 min
Plot tags: tense, depressing, talky, psychological, serious, realistic, grim, clever, retro, spiritual
Similar in 88%
Sweet Nothing (1995)
Plot Summary:
Angel celebrates the birth of his daughter by taking his first hit of crack cocaine. With the hesitant support of his wife, Monika, he joins a friend of his to deal drugs for a short time--enough time to get out of debt and buy some nice things for the family. Three years later, Angel is still dealing, and has not saved any money, instead spending it on crack. His addiction grows, straining his friendship and his family life, and he gradually loses control.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 580
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: melancholic, realistic, serious, independent film, crying, bleak, gloomy, weeping, light, road movie
Similar in 89%
The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
Plot Summary:
This movie is a stark portrayal of life among a group of heroin addicts who hang out in Needle Park in New York City. Played against this setting is a low-key love story between Bobby, a young addict and small-time hustler, and Helen, a homeless girl who finds in her relationship with Bobby the stability she craves.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: depressing, disturbing, bleak, rough, serious, controversial, grim, cult classic, realistic, dark
Similar in 78%
Augusta, Gone (2006)
Plot Summary:
Martha is a businesswoman and divorced mother of two children - Augusta and Jack. However, when docile Augusta becomes a teenager, feelings of anger and self-hate cause her personality to undergo a scary transformation, and Martha realizes that this is not just typical teen angst. Augusta begins doing drugs, drinking, and ends up on the streets. Her concerned mother and father reach out to an educational consultant, who advises them to send Augusta to a strict wilderness camp for troubled teens. However, even the institution's experienced and tough administrators find Augusta a difficulty to keep under control. Martha comes to realize that there is no answer to her daughter's behavior.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, rough, disturbing, depressing, dark, sad, teen, serious, realistic
Similar in 79%
Purgatory House (2004)
Plot Summary:
An inside glimpse of how it feels to be a teen in today's disconnected world. PURGATORY HOUSE chronicles the after-life journey of Silver Strand: a lonely teen who abandons her life of turmoil and drug addiction, only to find herself caught somewhere between heaven and hell. There, she must choose whether she will accept her drab existence or discover within herself the power to change.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 470
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: gothic, serious, independent film, realistic, non-linear
Similar in 81%
The Chosen (1981)
Plot Summary:
The Chosen follows the story of two teenage boys determined to remain friends despite the deep differences between their two families. Set in New York during the 1940s, this provocative film follows the son of an orthodox rabbi and the son of a secular father, raised to question everything around him, including his religion. A moving coming of age story.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, motivational, thinking, serious, contemplative, independent film, thought provoking, clever, feel good
Similar in 84%
Red Roses and Petrol (2003)
Plot Summary:
A dysfunctional Irish family gathers after the death of their patriarch.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 124
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, touching, serious, captivating, black comedy, dark comedy
Similar in 84%
A River Runs Through It (1992)
Plot Summary:
A River Runs Through is a cinematographically stunning true story of Norman Maclean. The story follows Norman and his brother Paul through the experiences of life and growing up, and how their love of fly fishing keeps them together despite varying life circumstances in the untamed west of Montana in the 1920's.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sentimental, melancholic, intense, tense, atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic