Best movies like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Last updated March 2024
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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
Best tv shows and movies like Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014):
Similar in 78%
The Paper (1994)
Plot Summary:
Henry Hackett is the editor of a New York City tabloid. He is a workaholic who loves his job, but the long hours and low pay are leading to discontent. Also, publisher Bernie White faces financial straits, and has hatchetman Alicia Clark, Henry's nemesis, impose unpopular cutbacks.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: talky, clever, sentimental, humorous, black comedy, sincere, realistic, semi serious, intellectual, feel good
Similar in 86%
The Square (2017)
Plot Summary:
A satirical drama reflecting our times — about the sense of community, moral courage and the affluent person’s need for egocentricity in an increasingly uncertain world.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 76000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Sweden, Germany, France, Denmark
Duration: 151 min
Plot tags: surreal, art house, satirical, thought provoking, intellectual, philosophical, independent film, absurd, parody, social
Similar in 85%
Welcome to Me (2014)
Plot Summary:
A year in the life of Alice Klieg, a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder who wins Mega-millions, quits her meds and buys her own talk show.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: humorous, black comedy, disturbing, surreal, talky, independent film, semi serious, realistic, dark comedy, psychological thriller
Similar in 83%
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 82%
Beau Is Afraid (2023)
Plot Summary:
An anxious man learns of the death of his mother under mysterious circumstances and upon traveling home makes an alarming discovery about his past. During his journey, he runs into various crazy supernatural threats.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 48000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Horror
Country: USA, UK, Finland, Canada
Duration: 179 min
Plot tags: independent film, atmospheric, dark comedy, psychological horror, absurd, dark fantasy, black comedy, postmodern, surreal, interesting
Similar in 82%
Stardust Memories (1980)
Plot Summary:
While attending a retrospect of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: black and white, philosophical, cult classic, clever, humorous, surreal, witty, talky, postmodern, existential
Similar in 83%
Listen Up Philip (2014)
Plot Summary:
Anger rages in Philip as he awaits the publication of his second novel. He feels pushed out of his adopted home city by the constant crowds and noise, a deteriorating relationship with his photographer girlfriend Ashley, and his own indifference to promoting the novel. When Philip's idol Ike Zimmerman offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, he finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject: himself.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, Greece
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: independent film, atmospheric, stylized, surreal, psychological, sincere, cerebral, cult classic, mumblecore, sexy
Similar in 80%
The Weather Man (2005)
Plot Summary:
A Chicago weather man, separated from his wife and children, debates whether professional and personal success are mutually exclusive.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: depressing, realistic, dark comedy, sincere, emotional, black comedy, sentimental, semi serious, psychological, philosophical
Similar in 82%
Are You Here (2013)
Plot Summary:
When Steve Dallas, a womanizing local weatherman, hears that his off-the-grid best friend Ben Baker has lost his estranged father, the two return to Ben's childhood home. Once there, they discover Ben has inherited the family fortune, and the ill-equipped duo must battle Ben's formidable sister and deal with his father's gorgeous 25-year old widow.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: light, funny, intense, humorous, dark comedy, happy, realistic, semi serious, independent film, psychological
Similar in 84%
Adaptation. (2002)
Plot Summary:
A love-lorn script writer grows increasingly desperate in his quest to adapt the book 'The Orchid Thief'.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 200000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: absurd, philosophical, psychological, satirical, black comedy, mind bending, dark comedy, postmodern, surreal, mindfuck
Similar in 86%
Living in Oblivion (1995)
Plot Summary:
Nick is the director of a low-budget indie film. He tries to keep everything together as his production is plagued with an insecure actress, a megalomaniac star, a pretentious, beret-wearing director of photography and lousy catering. Divided in three acts, each representing a different scene to shoot, this film is an essential for amateur filmmakers.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: surreal, independent film, humorous, funny, atmospheric, talky, light, art house, semi serious, cult classic
Similar in 76%
Babylon (2022)
Plot Summary:
A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, tracing the rise and fall of multiple characters in an era of unbridled decadence and depravity during Hollywood's transition from silent films and to sound films in the late 1920s.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 155000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 189 min
Plot tags: visual, costume drama, meta, family comedy, comedy drama, crying, postmodern, masterpiece, period drama
Similar in 81%
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Plot Summary:
In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success – which propels him into a macabre universe.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 87000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: black comedy, dark comedy, surreal, mindfuck, funny, philosophical, humorous, captivating, semi serious, absurd
Similar in 80%
The King of Comedy (1982)
Plot Summary:
Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin attempts to achieve success in show business by stalking his idol, a late night talk-show host who craves his own privacy.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: tragicomedy, dark comedy, black comedy, funny, tense, disturbing, talky, stylized, biting, realistic
Similar in 82%
American Splendor (2003)
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
Similar in 89%
A Serious Man (2009)
Plot Summary:
A Serious Man is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and F-Troop is on TV. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous acquaintances Sy Ableman.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 148000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, black comedy, philosophical, ironic, intellectual, cynical, meditative, talky, cult classic, bleak
Similar in 88%
Carnage (2011)
Plot Summary:
After 11-year-old Zachary Cowan strikes his classmate across the face with a stick after an argument, the victim's parents invite Zachary's parents to their Brooklyn apartment to deal with the incident in a civilized manner.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 132000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France, Germany, Poland, Spain
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: talky, dark comedy, ironic, black comedy, minimal cast, cynical, absurd, comedy drama, psychological, tense
Similar in 85%
Barton Fink (1991)
Plot Summary:
A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 127000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: psychological, surreal, neo noir, dark comedy, cerebral, philosophical, atmospheric, black comedy, enigmatic, mind bending
Similar in 80%
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Plot Summary:
Spike Jonze’s debut feature film is a love story mix of comedy and fantasy. The story is about an unsuccessful puppeteer named Craig, who one day at work finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who enters it’s mad and controlling world of overtaking another human body.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 349000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: surreal, psychological, cerebral, mind bending, offbeat, mindfuck, philosophical, dark comedy, disturbing, black comedy
Similar in 76%
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 89%
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 81%
Whiplash (2014)
Plot Summary:
Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 952000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: motivational, dramatic, psychological, realistic, intense, inspirational, independent film, melancholic, harsh, exciting
Similar in 86%
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Plot Summary:
After spending eight months in a mental institution, a former teacher moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 734000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: romantic, touching, offbeat, emotional, depressing, realistic, sentimental, feel good, sweet, talky
Similar in 83%
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
Plot Summary:
A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 97000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: philosophical, psychological, depressing, surreal, mindfuck, confusing, art house, absurd, mind bending, cult classic
Similar in 78%
Black Swan (2010)
Plot Summary:
A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 808000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: psychological, suspense, cerebral, atmospheric, surreal, sexy, twist ending, psychological thriller, mind bending, visually appealing
Similar in 83%
American Beauty (1999)
Plot Summary:
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: melancholic, thought provoking, dark comedy, sexual, cerebral, dramatic, sexy, black comedy, tragicomedy, cynical
Similar in 82%
Magnolia (1999)
Plot Summary:
An epic mosaic of many interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 325000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 188 min
Plot tags: philosophical, cerebral, sincere, depressing, mind bending, clever, non-linear, mindfuck, meditative, mind blowing
Similar in 86%
The Truman Show (1998)
Plot Summary:
Truman Burbank is the star of "The Truman Show", a 24-hour-a-day "reality" TV show that broadcasts every aspect of his life -- live and in color -- without his knowledge. His entire life has been an unending soap opera for consumption by the rest of the world. And everyone he knows -- including his wife and his best friend -- is really an actor, paid to be part of his life.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: philosophical, thought provoking, psychological, touching, surreal, cerebral, clever, dramatic, motivational, spiritual
Similar in 75%
It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)
Plot Summary:
A clinically depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 147000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, independent film, funny, feel good, humorous, teen, sweet, visually appealing, semi serious
Similar in 89%
Fight Club (1999)
Plot Summary:
A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 23000000
Genere: Drama
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, psychological, twist ending, cerebral, thought provoking, philosophical, surreal, stylized, mind bending, atmospheric