Best movies like Independence Day
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Mary Ann Taylor loves the comforts of her hometown in Mercury, Texas. She has a steady job as a waitress in her father's diner, yet she can't help but feel unfulfilled by a life of pouring coffee and grilling hamburgers. Mary Ann's real passion is photography, but pursuing her dream of becoming a photographer means leaving Mercury behind.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 564
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, crying
Best tv shows and movies like Independence Day (1983):
Similar in 76%
Changing Hearts (2012)
Plot Summary:
A modern Prodigal Son story starring Brian McNamara, Daphne Zuniga, and Brad Johnson. James Reed, quite content with his current life, reluctantly returns home to the family business, a sick father, and a brother with whom he's always at odds.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 213
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, psychological, thought provoking, captivating, christian film, serious, independent film, entertaining
Similar in 80%
All the Way Home (1963)
Plot Summary:
In the early 1900's Tennessee, a loving family undergoes the shock of the father's sudden, accidental death. The widow and her young son must endure the heartache of life following the tragedy, but slowly rise up from the ashes to face the hope of renewed life.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 456
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: retro, sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 83%
See Girl Run (2012)
Plot Summary:
What happens when a 30-something woman allows life's "what ifs" to overwhelm her appreciation for what life actually is. Disregarding her current obligations, she digs into her romantic past in hopes of invigorating her present.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, psychological, sentimental, captivating, sincere, clever, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 85%
Hard Sun (2014)
Plot Summary:
After the death of her parents, a young woman assumes primary guardianship of her special needs brother. But as she attempts to balance her new life with her brother and her own blossoming romance, it becomes painfully clear that life will only make room for one.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 72
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, touching, independent film
Similar in 87%
Providence (1999)
Plot Summary:
Providence is an American television drama series that aired on NBC starring Melina Kanakaredes. The show ran for five seasons from January 8, 1999 until December 20, 2002.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, medical drama, atmospheric
Similar in 84%
Cole (2009)
Plot Summary:
A small town youth finds fulfillment and romance in a big city's creative writing course, but feels obliged to sacrifice them when his sister's home life deteriorates in his absence.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 337
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sincere, sentimental, touching, serious, multicultural, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 79%
The American Standards (2008)
Plot Summary:
At a crossroads in his life, Doc Jennings goes home to celebrate his mother's birthday and uncovers dramatic family secrets. Lies, affairs and afflictions bubble to the surface of his seemingly perfect family. Can they come back together or is it too late?.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 654
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, psychological, captivating
Similar in 82%
Once in a Lifetime (1994)
Plot Summary:
After losing her husband and baby daughter to a fire, Daphne Fields raises her deaf son while beginning a writing career. Hollywood loves her scripts, but her heart remains with her son Andrew, under the care of Headmaster Matthew Dane at an eastern boarding school. Daphne finally seems to have rediscovered love in her leading man. But an accident leaves her hospitalized, contemplating her life, fate and her best chance for love.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 407
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 87%
Stella (1990)
Plot Summary:
Barmaid Stella Claire and blueblood Stephen Dallas have very little in common -- except they've fallen in love. When their relationship fails, Stella decides to raise the child they had, Jenny, alone. But Jenny and Stella are far from the perfect mother-daughter pair.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, sentimental, captivating, sad, touching, realistic, sexual, erotic, romantic
Similar in 90%
Violets Are Blue... (1986)
Plot Summary:
After fifteen years of traveling around the world Gussie (Spacek), a famous photographer, returns to the Maryland coastal resort where she grew up.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, talky, gloomy, crying
Similar in 87%
Liar's Moon (1981)
Plot Summary:
Matt Dillion In East Texas, the summer after high school, Jack falls in love with Ginny, the daughter of the town's banker (Jack's mom's high school sweetheart). Ginny's been at boarding school; she's headed for Vassar. Over her father's strenuous objections, she spends time with Jack. At summer's end, Jack and Ginny elope to Louisiana (where 17-year-olds can marry without their parents' permission), and he gets a job in the oil fields. Her dad hires a menacing private eye to find them, Ginny's pregnant, her town doctor gives her horrible news, and Jack's mom has her own agenda. It seems that Jack and Ginny have grown up under a liar's moon. What will these sweethearts do?.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 726
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, eighties, cult film
Similar in 84%
Square Dance (1987)
Plot Summary:
An awkward 13-year-old (Winona Ryder) leaves her cranky grandfather (Jason Robards) in rural Texas, to live with her mother (Jane Alexander) in Fort Worth.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 85%
This Property Is Condemned (1966)
Plot Summary:
A railroad official, Owen Legate comes to Dodson, Mississippi to shut down much of the town's railway (town's main income). Owen unexpectedly finds love with Dodson's flirt and main attraction, Alva Starr. Alva and Owen then try to escape Alva's mother's (Hazel) clutches and the town's revenge.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: southern gothic, technicolor, romantic drama, sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 84%
Bridge to Silence (1989)
Plot Summary:
A woman with a hearing problem tries to get het life back together after a car accident that killed her husband.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 86%
Regarding Billy (2005)
Plot Summary:
After Billy's parents are killed he moves home to care for his little brother Johnny, who is mentally challenged. Together the two struggle through the loss of their parents. Meanwhile, Billy's best friend from childhood, Dean, has moved back to town having been injured from the war in Iraq. Over time, Billy's childhood feelings toward Dean resurface, feelings that he fears may end their friendship if discovered. Both men discover hidden secrets that will change their lives forever. These three people must come together to rebuild friendships and family in a time where everything in their world seems unsure. Written by Jeff London.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 544
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, serious, realistic, sexual, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 82%
Back to You & Me (2005)
Plot Summary:
Dr. Syd has a good practice in the big city but a bad day when her terminal patient finally passes away. Her surgeon boyfriend, who has been sarcastically nick named "Mr. Personality" and "Settle For" by Syd's best friend (Nurse Brenda), takes this opportunity to offer support and destroys it by telling Syd dying is part of life and she'd be a better doctor if she stayed more remote from her patients and, oh, by the way, "can I come over tonight"? He is surprised when she says "not tonight." Brenda tells Syd to get away for a few days and suggests Syd change her mind and go back to her small hometown for her school reunion.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 616
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: realistic, sentimental, touching, feel good, semi serious, sex comedy
Similar in 88%
The Cake Eaters (2007)
Plot Summary:
The death of the Kimbrough family matriarch affects the three male survivors of the clan. Widower Easy (Bruce Dern) tries to reconnect with his old flame, Marg (Elizabeth Ashley). Eldest son and struggling musician Guy (Jayce Bartok) moves back to town, feeling guilty that he missed the funeral. His brother, Beagle (Aaron Stanford), who was his mother's caretaker, falls for Marg's granddaughter, Georgia (Kristen Stewart), a chronically ill girl who fears her time is growing short.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, romantic, gloomy
Similar in 88%
Texasville (1990)
Plot Summary:
Summer, 1984: 30 years after Duane captained the high school football team and Jacy was homecoming queen, this Texas town near Wichita Falls prepares for its centennial. Oil prices are down, banks are failing, and Duane's $12 million in debt. His wife Karla drinks too much, his children are always in trouble, and he tom-cats around with the wives of friends. Jacy's back in town, after a mildly successful acting career, life in Italy, and the death of her son. Folks assume Duane and Jacy will resume their high school romance. And Sonny is "tired in his mind," causing worries for his safety. Can these friends find equilibrium in middle age?.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: independent film, crying, sentimental, touching, serious, realistic, light, road movie, feel good, unusual plot structure
Similar in 89%
The Only Thrill (1997)
Plot Summary:
A small-town store owner with a comatose wife shares a long-term relationship with his seamstress.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 780
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 84%
The Prince of Tides (1991)
Plot Summary:
A troubled man talks to his suicidal sister's psychiatrist about their family history and falls in love with her in the process.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: psychological, touching, emotional, sad, inspirational, thought provoking, stylized, romantic drama, therapeutic, sentimental
Similar in 88%
Dandelion (2004)
Plot Summary:
In a small town of rolling fields and endless skies, isolated 16 year old Mason lives in a world where families exist in fragmented silence and love seems to have gone missing. Then Mason meets Danny, a sensitive and troubled girl, and their tender bond is soon tested after a fatal accident and a series of complications takes Mason away for something he didn't do.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sincere, emotional, touching, sentimental, independent film, teen, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 77%
This Is My Father (1998)
Plot Summary:
When schoolteacher Kieran Johnson (James Caan) discovers that his father was not a French sailor (as he had been led to believe) but rather an Irish farmer, Kieran looks to his mother (Moya Farrelly) for answers. When she refuses to provide any, Kieran travels to Ireland. In flashbacks, we watch a romance develop between Kieran's mother, a college girl, and his father (Aidan Quinn), an inarticulat.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Ireland, Canada
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, realistic, sincere, serious, independent film, psychological, light, romantic, sexy
Similar in 90%
American Wake (2004)
Plot Summary:
A musician and a fireman work against certain expectations in order to pursue their respective dreams.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 43
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: psychological, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 87%
The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (1999)
Plot Summary:
An amnesiac youth tries to piece together his past, but what he discovers may jeopardize his future.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, independent film
Similar in 78%
Stanley & Iris (1990)
Plot Summary:
An illiterate cook at a company cafeteria tries for the attention of a newly widowed woman. As they get to know one another, she discovers his inability to read. When he is fired, she takes on trying to teach him to read in her kitchen each night.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sentimental, melancholic, sincere, serious, realistic, romantic, light, anamorphic
Similar in 78%
Twice in a Lifetime (1985)
Plot Summary:
A middle-aged steelworker is content with his job and his family, but feels that something is missing in his life. On his 50th birthday, he stops in at a local bar for a drink to celebrate. He finds himself attracted to the young, very sexy barmaid--and, to his surprise, he finds that she is also very attracted to him.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: sentimental, emotional, realistic, sincere, touching, serious, independent film, contemplative
Similar in 84%
No Looking Back (1998)
Plot Summary:
Charlie returns to his old town where he meets his ex-girlfriend again and tries to get her back.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: emotional, disturbing, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, gloomy, scary, light
Similar in 82%
Three Sisters (1970)
Plot Summary:
Laurence Olivier's film of Chekhov's play.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 486
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 165 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, rough, captivating, sincere, touching, gloomy, independent film, period drama
Similar in 79%
Hope Floats (1998)
Plot Summary:
Birdee Pruitt has been humiliated on live television by her best friend, Connie, who's been sleeping with Birdee's husband, Bill. Birdee tries starting over with her daughter, Bernice, by returning to her small Texas hometown, but she's faced with petty old acquaintances who are thrilled to see Birdee unhappy -- except for her friend Justin. As he helps Birdee get back on her feet, love begins to blossom.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: romantic, sentimental, touching, light, sad, sweet, emotional, melancholic, intense, feel good
Similar in 78%
Gas, Food Lodging (1992)
Plot Summary:
In the boring desert of New Mexico, a single mother raises her two teenage daughters, Shade and Trudi, whose deepest desire is to leave the dead calm town. Shade is the type to escape in her extravagant fantasies while Trudi is so rebelious it could drive her away.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: independent film, touching, realistic, retro, cult classic, sentimental, sincere, serious, romantic, sexy