Best movies like James White
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to James White? Leverage your familiarity to steer others toward tv series and films you've watched before that they might like too. Help broaden the circle of people recommending videos to each other. We value your engagement!
Plot Summary:
James White is a troubled twentysomething trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. As he retreats further into a hedonistic lifestyle, his mother's battle with a serious illness faces a series of setbacks that force him to assume more responsibility. With the pressure on him mounting, James must find new reserves of strength or risk imploding completely.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: sad, psychological, sincere, captivating, disturbing, mumblecore, weird
Best tv shows and movies like James White (2015):
Similar in 77%
The Tender Bar (2021)
Plot Summary:
J.R. is a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie, is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father — J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams, with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, captivating, disturbing, feel good, entertaining, art house, cult classic
Similar in 87%
Certain Women (2016)
Plot Summary:
The lives of four women intersect in small-town America, where each is imperfectly blazing a trail.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, captivating, ironic, disturbing, poetic, indie film, heartfelt, profound, weird, queer cinema
Similar in 86%
So B. It (2016)
Plot Summary:
A young girl named Heidi who lives with her mentally disabled mother, travels across the country to find out about her and her mothers past.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 630
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: sad
Similar in 86%
The Wife (2017)
Plot Summary:
A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Sweden, USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: sincere, thought provoking, lyrical, intellectual, serious, emotional, sad, art house, novela, independent film
Similar in 82%
The Exploding Girl (2009)
Plot Summary:
On a summer break from college, Ivy, a young epileptic woman, struggles to balance her feelings for her fledgling boyfriend while her friend Al crashes with her for the season.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: mumblecore, touching, serious, sincere, realistic, independent film, crying, avant garde, whimsical
Similar in 80%
Little Accidents (2014)
Plot Summary:
In a small American coal town living in the shadow of a recent mining accident, the disappearance of a teenage boy draws three people together—a surviving miner, the lonely wife of a mine executive, and a local boy—in a web of secrets.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, enigmatic, sad, disturbing, crying, independent film, psychological thriller, interesting, psycho film
Similar in 78%
The Benefactor (2015)
Plot Summary:
A newly married couple are forced to navigate the all-consuming interest of a powerful, mysterious, and possessive philanthropist.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: psychological, melancholic, contemplative, tricky
Similar in 75%
Love After Love (2017)
Plot Summary:
A sixty-something mother and her two adult sons cope and move onward following the death of their larger-than-life father/husband.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspenseful, contemplative, unusual plot structure
Similar in 77%
My Salinger Year (2020)
Plot Summary:
A college grad takes a clerical job working for the literary agent of the renowned, reclusive writer J.D. Salinger.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, Ireland
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, captivating, independent film
Similar in 79%
What They Had (2018)
Plot Summary:
A woman must fly back to her hometown when her Alzheimer's-stricken mother, wanders into a blizzard. The return home forces her to confront her past.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, captivating, melancholic, sad, cult classic, crying
Similar in 88%
Day Zero (2007)
Plot Summary:
The military draft is back. Three best friends are drafted and given 30 days to report for duty. In that time they're forced to confront everything they believe about courage, duty, love, friendship and honor. If called to serve, what would you do?.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, sincere, serious, rough, realistic, contemplative, crying
Similar in 89%
Blackbird (2019)
Plot Summary:
A terminally ill mother invites her family to their country house for one final gathering, but tensions quickly boil over between her two daughters.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, thought provoking, disturbing, touching, heartbreaking, compassionate, deep, cult classic
Similar in 90%
Pieces of a Woman (2020)
Plot Summary:
A grieving woman embarks on an emotional journey after the Ioss of her baby.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 55000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, Hungary, USA
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, suspense, suspenseful, rough, disturbing, deep, existential, weird, beautiful
Similar in 76%
Goat (2016)
Plot Summary:
Reeling from a terrifying assault, a nineteen year old enrolls into college with his brother and pledges the same fraternity. What happens there, in the name of 'brotherhood,' tests him and his loyalty in brutal ways.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: disturbing, exciting, captivating, suspense, melancholic, suspenseful, social, controversial, hood, crime drama
Similar in 90%
C'mon C'mon (2021)
Plot Summary:
Johnny and his young nephew forge a tenuous but transformational relationship when they embark on a cross-country trip to see life away from Los Angeles.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: black and white, psychological, sincere, captivating, funny, inspirational, philosophical, thought provoking, serious, art house
Similar in 84%
Fathers and Sons (2005)
Plot Summary:
Intertwined tales of three families who grow up on the same street, focusing on the relationship of fathers and sons. The first section features Anthony and Jenny and traces the father-son bond that develops between Anthony and his newborn son over 30 years. The second story centers on the affairs of an airline pilot who shares a house but not a life with his wife. He crosses paths with an unusual woman and spends an extraordinary night with his son. The final chapter follows the homecoming of Elliot to his estranged family. As his father dies, Elliot meets and falls in love with a woman who sees past his tough-guy exterior.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 406
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, serious, emotional, captivating, offbeat, crying, entertaining
Similar in 75%
Along the Way (2007)
Plot Summary:
A funny, gripping and powerful drama about the post graduation summer of four lifelong friends and one night that changed the course of their lives... forever. Like Crash , Saint Elmo s Fire and it s inspiration Stand By Me, Along the WAY is a haunting portrait of American Youth. A profound and poignant story about friendship, the moments that shape us and an unforgettable story that deserves it place among the best and brightest that the independent film world has to offer.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 298
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: touching, offbeat, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy, crying
Similar in 87%
Our Friend (2019)
Plot Summary:
After learning that his terminally ill wife has six months to live, a man welcomes the support of his best friend who moves into their home to help out.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: sad, captivating, touching, family comedy, cult classic, entertaining
Similar in 89%
The Hero (2017)
Plot Summary:
Lee, a former Western film icon, is living a comfortable existence lending his golden voice to advertisements and smoking weed. After receiving a lifetime achievement award and unexpected news, Lee reexamines his past, while a chance meeting with a sardonic comic has him looking to the future.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, touching, captivating, exciting, thought provoking, spaghetti western, neo western, feel good, iconic
Similar in 78%
The Midwife (2017)
Plot Summary:
Claire is a midwife and has devoted her life to others. At a moment when she is preoccupied by the imminent closure of the maternity clinic where she works, her life is further turned upside down when Béatrice, her father's former mistress, turns up on the scene. Béatrice is a capricious and selfish woman, Claire's exact opposite.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: psychological, sentimental, sincere, touching, captivating, suspense, disturbing, crying
Similar in 79%
About Alex (2014)
Plot Summary:
A circle of twenty-something friends reunite for a weekend away to console a suicidal member of their group. Yet, despite their best efforts to enjoy themselves, a tinderbox of old jealousies, unrequited love, and widening political differences leads to an explosion of drama that, coupled with the flammable combination of drugs, wine, and risotto, cannot be contained. A Big Chill for our current social media moment, About Alex is a lighthearted look at the struggles of a generation that has it all—and wants more.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: independent film, inspirational, atmospheric, surreal, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, talky, romantic
Similar in 87%
Poetry (2010)
Plot Summary:
Grandmother Mi Ja works part-time as a caretaker, and struggles to raise a teen grandson by herself. Despite her tough situation, she speaks softly, dresses fashionably, and approaches the world with child-like curiosity. Enrolling in a poetry class, she endeavors to capture life in verse form, but her simple dream of completing a poem is stalled by the early signs of Alzheimer's disease and the heavy financial and emotional burden of her grandson's shocking wrongdoing.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea, France
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, emotional, realistic, lyrical, sentimental, captivating, sad, art house, existential
Similar in 90%
Where Is Kyra? (2017)
Plot Summary:
Pushed to the brink after losing her job, a woman struggles to survive. As the months pass and her troubles deepen, she embarks on a perilous and mysterious journey that threatens to usurp her life.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, captivating, suspense, melancholic, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 81%
Behind the Red Door (2003)
Plot Summary:
Set in New York and New England (but filmed in Newfoundland), Behind the Red Door stars Kyra Sedgwick as Manhattan-based photographer Natalie Haddad, who enjoys success with her strangely gloomy and foreboding camerawork. When her agent and best friend Julia (Stockard Channing) arranges for her to accept a lucrative contract with a Boston ad agency, Natalie discovers that she will be working for her own gay brother Roy (Kiefer Sutherland), whom she hasn't seen in a decade. Although Roy is insufferably snobbish and manipulative, he manages to exert a curious control over Natalie, forcing her to confront several disturbing, long-suppressed memories of her past (shown in black-and-white flashbacks). Before the film is over, Natalie is made to realize why Roy's behavior is so overbearing -- and also, the viewer learns just how intimately Julia is involved in the lives of both siblings.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, touching, serious, realistic
Similar in 86%
Joe Gould's Secret (2000)
Plot Summary:
Around 1940, New Yorker staff writer Joe Mitchell meets Joe Gould, a Greenwich Village character who cadges meals, drinks, and contributions to the Joe Gould Fund and who is writing a voluminous Oral History of the World, a record of 20,000 conversations he's overheard. Mitchell is fascinated with this Harvard grad and writes a 1942 piece about him, "Professor Seagull," bringing Gould some celebrity and an invitation to join the Greenwich Village Ravens, a poetry club he's often crashed. Gould's touchy, querulous personality and his frequent dropping in on Mitchell for hours of chat lead to a breakup, but the two Joes stay in touch until Gould's death and Mitchell's unveiling of the secret.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: melancholic, sentimental, independent film, realistic, enigmatic, stylized, intellectual, serious, witty, contemplative
Similar in 85%
My Mother (2015)
Plot Summary:
Margherita, a director in the middle of an existential crisis, has to deal with the inevitable and still unacceptable loss of her mother.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama
Country: Italy, France, Germany
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing, social, existential, crying
Similar in 89%
Mommy (2014)
Plot Summary:
A peculiar neighbor offers hope to a recent widow who is struggling to raise a teenager who is unpredictable and, sometimes, violent.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 61000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: melancholic, touching, depressing, emotional, psychological, independent film, atmospheric, surreal, sincere, sad
Similar in 75%
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Plot Summary:
After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 305000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: sad, depressing, heartbreaking, psychological, emotional, touching, independent film, compassionate, realistic, cerebral
Similar in 78%
Reign Over Me (2007)
Plot Summary:
A man who lost his family in the September 11 attack on New York City runs into his old college roommate. Rekindling the friendship is the one thing that appears able to help the man recover from his grief.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 99000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, depressing, sincere, inspirational, heartbreaking, compassionate, feel good, tear jerker, psychological
Similar in 83%
Pain and Glory (2019)
Plot Summary:
Salvador Mallo, a filmmaker in the twilight of his career, reflects on the choices he's made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, disturbing, psychological, captivating, twist ending, hispanic, enigmatic, sentimental, inspirational