Best movies like Bright Young Things
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
in the 1930’s a social set known to the press – who follow their every move – as the “Bright Young Things.” are Adam and his friends who are eccentric, wild and entirely shocking to the older generation. Amidst the madness, Adam, who is well connected but totally broke, is desperately trying to get enough money to marry the beautiful Nina. While his attempts to raise cash are constantly thwarted, their friends seem to self-destruct, one-by-one, in an endless search for newer and faster sensations. Finally, when world events out of their control come crashing around them, they are forced to reassess their lives and what they value most.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: witty, melancholic, stylized, semi serious, humorous, costume drama, clever, entertaining, twist ending, talky
Best tv shows and movies like Bright Young Things (2003):
Similar in 84%
Billy Liar (1963)
Plot Summary:
A young Englishman dreams of escaping from his working class family and dead-end job as an undertaker's assistant. A number of indiscretions cause him to lie in order to avoid the penalties. His life turns into a mess and he has an opportunity to run away and leave it all behind.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, mind bending, psychedelic, surreal, romantic comedy, touching, offbeat, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 85%
Tea with Mussolini (1999)
Plot Summary:
Semi-autobiographical film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, telling the story of young Italian boy Luca's upbringing by a circle of English and American women, before and during World War II.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, War
Country: Italy, UK
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: period piece, light, costume drama, sentimental, touching, realistic, retro, uplifting, political thriller, art house
Similar in 88%
Colour Me Kubrick (2005)
Plot Summary:
The true story of a man who posed as director Stanley Kubrick during the production of Kubrick's last film, Eyes Wide Shut, despite knowing very little about his work and looking nothing like him.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, France, Canada
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: satirical, entertaining, stylized, humorous, light, hilarious, realistic, semi serious, biting, witty
Similar in 85%
London Kills Me (1991)
Plot Summary:
For want of a nail a shoe was lost, for want of a shoe... a young man's life is almost lost, which is exactly what this film is all about: a man barely twenty who wants desperately to pull out of London's drug world by taking a job as a waiter in a 'normal' restaurant. But to do this he must come up with a "sensible" pair of shoes, an item that his homeless meanderings hasn't provided him.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 641
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: independent film, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, biting, suspense
Similar in 89%
These Foolish Things (2006)
Plot Summary:
As war looms on the horizon, a hopeful ingenue (Zoe Tapper) finds herself caught between the warring affections of a playwright (David Leon) and a director (Andrew Lincoln) in 1930s London. Director Julia Taylor-Stanley's heartwarming ensemble piece features zesty performances by Anjelica Huston as an eccentric investor, Mark Umbers as a vain matinee idol, and Terence Stamp as a tart butler. And don't miss the immortal Lauren Bacall in a small role.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 568
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, captivating, emotional, serious, realistic, crying
Similar in 89%
Being Julia (2004)
Plot Summary:
Julia Lambert is a true diva: beautiful, talented, weathly and famous. She has it all - including a devoted husband who has mastermined her brilliant career - but after years of shining in the spotlight she begins to suffer from a severe case of boredom and longs for something new and exciting to put the twinkle back in her eye. Julia finds exactly what she's looking for in a handsome young American fan, but it isn't long before the novelty fling adds a few more sparks than she was hoping for. Fortuately for her, this surprise twist in the plot will thrust her back into the greatest role of her life.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Canada, USA, Hungary, UK
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: period piece, emotional, entertaining, stylized, sincere, witty, touching, romantic, historical drama, feel good
Similar in 84%
A Merry War (1997)
Plot Summary:
Gordon Comstock is a copywriter at an ad agency, and his girlfriend Rosemary is a designer. Gordon believes he is a genius, a marvelous poet and quits the ad agency, trying to live on his poems, but poverty soon comes to him.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: cult classic, clever, humorous, witty, realistic, semi serious, independent film, sexy, thought provoking, intellectual
Similar in 83%
Cheri (2009)
Plot Summary:
A sumptuous dramatic comedy set in late 19th Century France, during the Belle Epoque, a period of social and cultural excess in European upper classes which ended only as the First World War erupted.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, France, Germany
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sexual, sexy, period piece, romantic, costume drama, sincere, humorous, captivating, erotic, offbeat
Similar in 90%
Heartburn (1986)
Plot Summary:
Rachel is a food writer at a New York magazine who meets Washington columnist Mark at a wedding and ends up falling in love with him despite her reservations about marriage. They buy a house, have a daughter, and Rachel thinks they are living happily ever after until she discovers that Mark is having an affair while she is waddling around with a second pregnancy.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: melancholic, lyrical, sentimental, humorous, realistic, semi serious, talky, emotional, sex comedy, cult classic
Similar in 82%
Metroland (1997)
Plot Summary:
After ten years absence Toni, Chris's best friend, suddenly reappears in London to bring chaos and doubt into Chris's calm, tranquil, slightly boring, predictable life. Chris starts to remember his carefree youth as a photographer in Paris when he lived with and enjoyed a torrid affair with Annick. It was also in Paris that he first met and fell in love with Marion. The temptations and pressure exerted on Chris by Toni to return to their former carefree life of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll soon starts to have an impact on Chris's marriage. He starts to question his values, his lifestyle choices and his relationship with Marion and even suspects her of starting an affair with Toni whom she dislikes! Eventually circumstances come to a head and Chris is forced to decide whether to follow Toni back to the hedonistic, irresponsible life of his youth or face the harsh realities of the present and stay with Marion.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain, France, UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: cult classic, sexual, comedy drama, sentimental, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, crying, weeping
Similar in 83%
Cousin Bette (1998)
Plot Summary:
Cousin Bette is a poor and lonely seamstress, who, after the death of her prominent and wealthy sister, tries to ingratiate herself into lives of her brother-in-law, Baron Hulot, and her niece, Hortense Hulot. Failing to do so, she instead finds solace and company in a handsome young sculptor she saves from starvation. But the aspiring artist soon finds love in the arms of another woman, Hortense, leaving Bette a bitter spinster. Bette plots to take revenge on the family who turned her away and stole her only love. With the help of famed courtesan Jenny Cadine she slowly destroys the lives of those who have scorned her. Written by [email protected].
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: light, humorous, talky, realistic, semi serious, witty, stylized, black comedy, erotic, gothic
Similar in 83%
An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)
Plot Summary:
Liverpool. 1947. A star-struck young girl learns about the grown-up world of the theater.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: bleak, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, biting, crying, independent film
Similar in 82%
Three and Out (2008)
Plot Summary:
A London tube driver considers pursuing a third fatal accident to collect a huge payout.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, witty, clever, semi serious, offbeat, cynical, biting, black comedy, dark comedy
Similar in 82%
Me and Orson Welles (2008)
Plot Summary:
New York, 1937. A teenager hired to star in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar becomes attracted to a career-driven production assistant.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: talky, emotional, sentimental, touching, realistic, stylized, compassionate, cult classic, serious, sincere
Similar in 76%
Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)
Plot Summary:
Eccentric 70-year-old widow purchases the Windmill Theatre in London as a post-widowhood hobby. After starting an innovative continuous variety review, which is copied by other theaters, they begin to lose money. Mrs Henderson suggests they add female nudity similar to the Moulin Rouge in Paris.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: feel good, sentimental, touching, emotional, period piece, talky, intense, humorous, realistic, exciting
Similar in 78%
Driving Lessons (2006)
Plot Summary:
A shy teenage boy trying to escape the influence of his domineering mother, has his world changed when he begins to work for a retired actress.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: sentimental, witty, feel good, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, inspirational, uplifting, spiritual
Similar in 82%
Mrs Palfrey at The Claremont (2005)
Plot Summary:
All but abandoned by her family in a London retirement hotel, an elderly woman strikes up a curious friendship with a young writer.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, humorous, semi serious, hilarious, powerful, clever, realistic, crying
Similar in 86%
Cheerful Weather for the Wedding (2012)
Plot Summary:
England, 1932. Today is Dolly Thatcham's wedding day, and her family is arriving at the manor house with all the cheerfulness, chaos and grievances that accompany such gatherings. Trouble soon appears in the shape of Joseph, Dolly's lover from the previous summer, who throws her feelings into turmoil. But Dolly's mother will not allow her carefully laid plans for her daughter's future to be threatened.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: feel good, realistic, semi serious, sweet, captivating, entertaining, heartbreaking, period piece, humorous, stylized
Similar in 78%
The Americanization of Emily (1964)
Plot Summary:
During the build-up to D-Day in 1944, the British found their island hosting many thousands of American soldiers who were "oversexed, overpaid, and over here". That's Charlie Madison exactly; he knows all the angles to make life as smooth and risk-free as possible for himself. But things become complicated when he falls for an English woman, and his commanding officer's nervous breakdown leads to Charlie being sent on a senseless and dangerous mission.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance, War
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, realistic, witty, funny, black and white, cute, humorous, semi serious, sentimental, light
Similar in 79%
Beautiful People (1999)
Plot Summary:
In London, during October 1993, England is playing Holland in the preliminaries of the World Cup. The Bosnian War is at its height, and refugees from the ex-Yugoslavia are arriving. Football rivals, and political adversaries from the Balkans all precipitate conflict and amusing situations. Meanwhile, the lives of four English families are affected in different ways by encounter with the refugees.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, talky, semi serious, sad, independent film, black comedy, offbeat, crying, light
Similar in 80%
The House of Mirth (2000)
Plot Summary:
A woman risks losing her chance of happiness with the only man she has ever loved.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Romance, Drama
Country: UK, France, Germany, USA
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, atmospheric, emotional, melancholic, witty, talky, intense, thought provoking, independent film
Similar in 87%
The Rum Diary (2011)
Plot Summary:
Tired of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, itinerant journalist Paul Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local San Juan newspaper run by the downtrodden editor Lotterman. Adopting the rum-soaked lifestyle of the late ‘50s version of Hemingway’s “The Lost Generation,” Paul soon becomes entangled with a very attractive American woman, Chenaults and her fiancée Sanderson, a businessman involved in shady property development deals. It is within this world that Kemp ultimately discovers his true voice as a writer and integrity as a man.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 107000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: stylized, sexy, light, surreal, humorous, ironic, cult classic, offbeat, talky, scenic
Similar in 90%
Catch-22 (1970)
Plot Summary:
A bombardier in World War II tries desperately to escape the insanity of the war. However, sometimes insanity is the only sane way to cope with a crazy situation. Catch-22 is a parody of a "military mentality" and of a bureaucratic society in general.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, War
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, surreal, absurd, black comedy, dark, grim, cult classic, psychological, clever, humorous
Similar in 88%
Mansfield Park (1999)
Plot Summary:
This fun and sexy comedy tells a timelessly entertaining story where wealthy, secret passions and mischievous women put love to the test.. When a spirited young woman, Fanny Price, is sent away to live on the great country estate of her rich cousins, she's meant to learn the ways of proper society. But while Fanny learns "their" ways, she also enlightens them with a wit and sparkle all her own!.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: period piece, witty, costume drama, romantic, sexy, atmospheric, breathtaking, educational, happy, romantic drama
Similar in 77%
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002)
Plot Summary:
Dek, a decent but somewhat dull man, enjoys a happy existence with beloved girlfriend Shirley. They live together with her 12-year-old, Marlene: her daughter by the delinquent Jimmy, who flew the coop years ago and hasn't been heard from since. Dek loves Shirley so much that he proposes to her on national television.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: humorous, sweet, entertaining, melancholic, intense, atmospheric, witty, touching, feel good, semi serious
Similar in 82%
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog (2000)
Plot Summary:
The story of Peter McGowan, a chain-smoking, impotent, insomniac playwright who lives in Los Angeles. Once very successful, he is now in the tenth year of a decade-long string of production failures. He finds himself bonding with a new neighbor's lonely young daughter who has mild cerebral palsy; and during one of his middle-of-the-night strolls, he encounters his oddball doppelgänger.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: humorous, melancholic, light, sentimental, touching, realistic, semi serious, black comedy, dark comedy, hilarious
Similar in 88%
Withnail & I (1987)
Plot Summary:
Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub. When they take a holiday "by mistake" at the country house of Withnail's flamboyantly gay uncle, Monty, they encounter the unpleasant side of the English countryside: tedium, terrifying locals and torrential rain.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 47000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: black comedy, dark comedy, funny, art house, cult classic, offbeat, atmospheric, grim, independent film, clever
Similar in 81%
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Plot Summary:
In the 1970s, a foundling lad, Patrick "Kitten" Braden, comes of age by leaving his Irish town for London, in part to look for his mother and in part because his trans-gender nature is beyond the town's understanding.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Ireland, UK
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: surreal, touching, sentimental, compassionate, sincere, serious, stylized, emotional, dark comedy, indie film
Similar in 76%
The Last of the High Kings (1996)
Plot Summary:
It is 1977, Dublin rocks to the music of Thin Lizzy and the world is stunned by the death of Elvis Presley. Frankie, caught between acne and adulthood, has just completed his final exams in school. Convinced he will fail, he survives the summer organising a beach party, having lustful thoughts about two girls he believes are unobtainable and fending off the advances from a visiting American family friend, all whilst coping with his oddball family.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Ireland, Denmark, UK
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: humorous, light, talky, sentimental, touching, feel good, semi serious, sincere, independent film, realistic
Similar in 81%
Igby Goes Down (2002)
Plot Summary:
A young man's peculiar upbringing renders him unable to competently cope with the struggle of growing up.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, depressing, cynical, humorous, clever, realistic, witty, talky, suspense, black comedy