Best movies like American Splendor
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: realistic, stylized, dark comedy, independent film, sincere, semi serious, cult classic, metafiction, clever, cynical
Best tv shows and movies like American Splendor (2003):
Similar in 89%
Isn't She Great (2000)
Plot Summary:
An unsuccessful over-the-top actress becomes a successful over-the-top authoress in this biography of Jacqueline Susann, the famed writer of "The Valley Of The Dolls" and other trashy novels. Facing a failing career, Susann meets a successful promoter who becomes her husband. After several failures to place her in commercials and a TV quiz show, he hits upon the idea for her to become a writer. In the pre-60's, her books were looked upon as trash and non-printable. But then the sexual revolution hit and an audience was born for her books. The story shows the hidden behind the scenes story of Susan's life, including her autistic son and her continuing bout with cancer that she hid up to her death.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Germany, Canada, Japan, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: light, touching, satirical, sincere, humorous, sentimental, realistic, semi serious, parody, inspirational
Similar in 76%
Private Life (2018)
Plot Summary:
Richard and Rachel, a couple in the throes of infertility, try to maintain their marriage as they descend deeper and deeper into the insular world of assisted reproduction and domestic adoption.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, captivating, realistic, disturbing, clever, serious, mumblecore, cult classic, indie film
Similar in 76%
Private Parts (1997)
Plot Summary:
The auto-biographical story of Howard Stern, the radio-rebel who is now also a TV-personality, an author and a movie star.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: humorous, funny, semi serious, witty, sexy, cult classic, controversial, touching, scary, feel good
Similar in 82%
Dedication (2007)
Plot Summary:
A modern love story in which a misanthropic, emotionally complex author of a hit children's book is forced to team with a beautiful illustrator after his best friend and collaborator passes away. As Henry struggles with letting go of the ghosts of love and life, he discovers that sometimes you have to take a gamble at life to find love.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: stylized, psychological, touching, realistic, humorous, witty, talky, semi serious, romantic comedy, cult classic
Similar in 80%
Young Adult (2011)
Plot Summary:
A divorced writer from the Midwest returns to her hometown to reconnect with an old flame, who's now married with a family.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 87000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, realistic, talky, depressing, emotional, sincere, semi serious, melancholic, black comedy, cynical
Similar in 90%
World's Greatest Dad (2009)
Plot Summary:
In the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy and the greatest opportunity of his life. He is suddenly faced with the possibility of fame, fortune and popularity, if he can only live with the knowledge of how he got there.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, black comedy, clever, melancholic, dark, disturbing, cult classic, hilarious, offbeat, philosophical
Similar in 87%
Man on the Moon (1999)
Plot Summary:
A film about the life and career of the eccentric avant-garde comedian, Andy Kaufman.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 136000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Germany, Japan, USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: offbeat, depressing, inspirational, touching, humorous, tragicomedy, funny, factual, melancholic, sentimental
Similar in 80%
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Plot Summary:
Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary --- all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father's fault. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the story of the family's sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 309000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, funny, humorous, talky, cult classic, indie film, visual, comedy drama, melancholic, artsy
Similar in 76%
Celebrity (1998)
Plot Summary:
The career and personal life of writer Lee are at a standstill, so he divorces his bashful wife, Robin, and dives into a new job as an entertainment journalist. His assignments take him to the swankiest corners of Manhattan, but as he jumps from one lavish party to another and engages in numerous empty romances, he starts to doubt the worth of his work. Meanwhile, top TV producer Tony falls for Robin and introduces her to the world of celebrity.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: black and white, stylized, satirical, humorous, realistic, semi serious, independent film, clever, art house, motivational
Similar in 84%
The Informant! (2009)
Plot Summary:
A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Mark Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company’s multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 67000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: clever, dark comedy, psychological, tense, suspense, witty, black comedy, realistic, humorous, talky
Similar in 86%
The Disaster Artist (2017)
Plot Summary:
An aspiring actor in Hollywood meets an enigmatic stranger by the name of Tommy Wiseau, the meeting leads the actor down a path nobody could have predicted; creating the worst movie ever made.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 162000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: feel good, light, humorous, funny, entertaining, absurd, talky, slasher, surreal, period piece
Similar in 85%
My Left Foot (1989)
Plot Summary:
In this true story told through flashbacks, Christy Brown is born with crippling cerebral palsy into a poor, working-class Irish family. Able only to control movement in his left foot and to speak in guttural sounds, he is mistakenly believed to be retarded for the first ten years of his life.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 79000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Ireland, UK
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, sincere, unusual plot structure, dramatic, sentimental, motivational, sad, captivating, biting
Similar in 76%
Pinero (2001)
Plot Summary:
"Piñero" tells the story of the explosive life of a Latino icon, the poet-playwright-actor Miguel Piñero, whose urban poetry is recognized as a pre-cursor to rap and hip-hop. After doing time in hard-core Sing-Sing for petty thefts and drug dealing, Piñero's prison experiences developed into the 1974 Tony-nominated play Short Eyes. The resulting notoriety and fame was too much for the Latino bad-boy genius who retreated to the darker corners of New York City.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: disturbing, stylized, intense, factual, sincere, touching, serious, independent film, sentimental, realistic
Similar in 82%
Factory Girl (2006)
Plot Summary:
In the mid-1960s, wealthy debutant Edie Sedgwick meets artist Andy Warhol. She joins Warhol's famous Factory and becomes his muse. Although she seems to have it all, Edie cannot have the love she craves from Andy, and she has an affair with a charismatic musician, who pushes her to seek independence from the artist and the milieu.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: factual, sentimental, melancholic, serious, contemplative, artsy, sexy, erotic, romantic, aesthetic
Similar in 82%
Sideways (2004)
Plot Summary:
Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 200000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Hungary
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: road movie, talky, dark comedy, sentimental, melancholic, humorous, semi serious, intellectual, existential, feel good
Similar in 85%
Running with Scissors (2006)
Plot Summary:
Young Augusten Burroughs absorbs experiences that could make for a shocking memoir: the son of an alcoholic father and an unstable mother, he's handed off to his mother's therapist, Dr. Finch, and spends his adolescent years as a member of Finch's bizarre extended family.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: disturbing, stylized, intense, touching, realistic, talky, humorous, tragicomedy, psychological, cult classic
Similar in 76%
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980's.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 89000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: depressing, sincere, talky, dark comedy, absurd, indie film, intellectual, realistic, witty, thought provoking
Similar in 77%
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
Plot Summary:
Author P.L. Travers travels from London to Hollywood as Walt Disney Pictures adapts her novel Mary Poppins for the big screen.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 168000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Australia, USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, emotional, factual, compassionate, sad, serious, light, inspirational, entertaining
Similar in 75%
Thumbsucker (2005)
Plot Summary:
Justin, a teenager boy, throws himself and everyone around him into chaos when he attempts to break free from his addiction to his thumb.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: emotional, humorous, witty, sentimental, dark comedy, realistic, independent film, funny, gothic, educational
Similar in 77%
Happiness (1998)
Plot Summary:
The lives of many individuals connected by the desire for happiness, often from sources usually considered dark or evil.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 73000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: black comedy, cynical, independent film, dark comedy, depressing, bleak, art house, disturbing, psychological, psychedelic
Similar in 77%
The Nanny Diaries (2007)
Plot Summary:
A college graduate goes to work as a nanny for a rich New York family. Ensconced in their home, she has to juggle their dysfunction, a new romance, and the spoiled brat in her charge.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 63000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: romantic, sentimental, sweet, emotional, light, entertaining, cute, realistic, funny, feel good
Similar in 80%
The Station Agent (2003)
Plot Summary:
When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 73000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: tragicomedy, sentimental, touching, humorous, sincere, feel good, psychological, captivating, dramatic, realistic
Similar in 80%
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
Plot Summary:
A single mother, with dreams of becoming a writer, has a son at the age of 15 in 1965, and goes through a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: emotional, melancholic, sentimental, touching, sad, teen, realistic, humorous, feel good, heartbreaking
Similar in 81%
Paper Man (2009)
Plot Summary:
A coming-of-middle-age comedy that chronicles the unlikely friendship between failed author Richard Dunne and a Long Island teen who teaches him a thing or two about growing up, all under the disapproving eye of his long-suffering wife and his imaginary Superhero friend.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: touching, tricky, enigmatic, psychological, offbeat, humorous, melancholic, independent film, indie film, feel good
Similar in 90%
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Plot Summary:
A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 508000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: road movie, feel good, funny, melancholic, independent film, emotional, black comedy, dark comedy, sweet, humorous
Similar in 84%
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Plot Summary:
A fading actor best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to become more altruistic, rebuild his career, and reconnect with friends and family prove more difficult than expected.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 657000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, dark comedy, black comedy, psychedelic, independent film, clever, intellectual, atmospheric, enigmatic
Similar in 82%
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 110000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: touching, inspirational, emotional, depressing, psychological, sincere, breathtaking, visual, motivational, sentimental
Similar in 85%
Pollock (2000)
Plot Summary:
In August of 1949, Life Magazine ran a banner headline that begged the question: "Jackson Pollock: Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?" The film is a look back into the life of an extraordinary man, a man who has fittingly been called "an artist dedicated to concealment, a celebrity who nobody knew." As he struggled with self-doubt, engaging in a lonely tug-of-war between needing to express himself and wanting to shut the world out, Pollock began a downward spiral.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: emotional, intellectual, atmospheric, depressing, breathtaking, art film, sincere, inspirational, dark, neurotic
Similar in 76%
Juno (2007)
Plot Summary:
A young girl named Juno gets herself pregnant and tries to stand on her own, but soon learns a few lessons about being grown up.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 543000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: funny, touching, sweet, sentimental, feel good, teen, humorous, realistic, comedy drama, cute
Similar in 75%
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Plot Summary:
A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 15000000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: clever, captivating, motivational, cynical, biting, cerebral, realistic, suspense, funny, entertaining