Best movies like Cinema Paradiso
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 277000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 155 min
Plot tags: sad, uplifting, inspirational, touching, emotional, realistic, feel good, atmospheric, heartbreaking, compassionate
Best tv shows and movies like Cinema Paradiso (1988):
Similar in 88%
Babette's Feast (1987)
Plot Summary:
The guest, a General at the Swedish court, is not related to the sister, but, as a callow young man, was in love with her, but chose his military career over happiness with her. His aunt is a member of the religious community. He is the one who, unknowingly, identifies Babette as the famous chef from Paris' "Cafe Anglais," and provides the catalyst for the enjoyment of the feast.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Drama
Country: Denmark
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, atmospheric, sentimental, melancholic, talky, compassionate, sincere, christian film, serious
Similar in 78%
The Star Maker (1995)
Plot Summary:
The adventures and deceptions of a photographer who travels through the small villages of Sicily pretending that he is working for the big film studios in Rome.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, uplifting, serious, atmospheric, touching, captivating, realistic, anamorphic, erotic
Similar in 75%
Pure Hearts (2017)
Plot Summary:
Agnese and Stefano are profoundly different. She is only seventeen, lives with her mother – a harsh and devoted woman – is a regular church-goer and is about to take a vow of chastity to last until marriage. He is twenty-five, has a violent temper and a difficult past behind. He works as a warden in a car park that borders a Roma camp. Their unexpected meeting engenders a true sentiment, made of little stolen moments and mutual help.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 838
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Italy
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: romantic, realistic, christian film
Similar in 75%
Manon of the Spring (1986)
Plot Summary:
In this, the sequel to Jean de Florette, Manon (Beart) has grown into a beautiful young shepherdess living in the idyllic Provencal countryside. She plots vengeance on the men whose greedy conspiracy to acquire her father's land caused his death years earlier.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama, Western
Country: Switzerland, France, Italy
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: surprise ending, atmospheric, touching, sincere, thought provoking, depressing, educational, family saga, saga, anthology
Similar in 90%
The Man in the Moon (1991)
Plot Summary:
Maureen Trant and her younger sibling Dani share a strong connection, but local boy Court Foster threatens to throw their bond off balance. Dani and Court meet first and have a flirtatious rapport -- but when he meets Maureen, he falls hard and they begin a passionate affair. The new couple try to keep their love hidden from Dani, but she soon learns the truth, disavowing her sister. But a heartbreaking accident later reunites the girls.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: emotional, romantic, cute, sad, tear jerker, period piece, sentimental, touching, gothic, feel good
Similar in 81%
The Way Home (2002)
Plot Summary:
The story begins on a fine summers morning, when San-woo and his mother board a bus to the country. It is soon clear that the unsophisticated rural passengers annoy the seven-year-old urban boy. His mother is taking him to live with his 78-year-old mute, but not deaf, grandmother while she looks for a new job after a business venture failed in Seoul.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, stylized, inspirational, rough, thought provoking, sincere, sad, independent film, warmhearted
Similar in 81%
Great Expectations (1998)
Plot Summary:
Loosely based on the Charles Dickens' classic novel, "Great Expectations" is a sensual tale of a young man's unforgettable passage into manhood, and the three individuals who will undeniably change his life forever. Through the surprising interactions of these vivid characters, "Great Expectations" takes a unique and contemporary look at life's great coincidences.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: romantic, heartbreaking, emotional, sexy, touching, light, melancholic, serious, realistic, erotic
Similar in 86%
Train of Life (1998)
Plot Summary:
In 1941, the inhabitants of a small Jewish village in Central Europe organize a fake deportation train so that they can escape the Nazis and flee to Palestine.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, War
Country: France, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Israel, Belgium
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: humorous, sad, surprise ending, sincere, road movie, feel good, depressing, art house, twisted, sentimental
Similar in 85%
Central Station (1998)
Plot Summary:
An emotive journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Drama
Country: Brazil, France
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, emotional, road movie, realistic, art house, art film, crying, spiritual, mesmerizing
Similar in 81%
Before Sunrise (1995)
Plot Summary:
On his way to Vienna, American Jesse meets Céline, a student returning to Paris. After long conversations forge a surprising connection between them, Jesse convinces Celine to get off the train with him in Vienna. Since his flight to the U.S. departs the next morning and he has no money for lodging, they wander the city together, taking in the experiences of Vienna and each other.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 332000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Austria
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: philosophical, emotional, melancholic, sentimental, feel good, touching, realistic, independent film, inspirational, romantic comedy
Similar in 79%
Monsieur Ibrahim (2003)
Plot Summary:
Monsieur Ibrahim is a story about a young Jewish boy in Paris who meets an old Muslim Turkish grocery store owner. The film touches the themes of friendship and love as the old man is a father figure to the boy as he teaches him of the Koran. The film is based on a book of the popular book by the French author Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, sweet, emotional, uplifting, feel good, atmospheric, serious, captivating, dramatic
Similar in 75%
Remember Me (2010)
Plot Summary:
Still reeling from a heartbreaking family event and his parents' subsequent divorce, Tyler Hawkins discovers a fresh lease on life when he meets Ally Craig, a gregarious beauty who witnessed her mother's death. But as the couple draws closer, the fallout from their separate tragedies jeopardizes their love.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 154000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: touching, sad, romantic, sentimental, emotional, serious, tear jerker, heartbreaking, surprise ending, thought provoking
Similar in 80%
Tully (2000)
Plot Summary:
Tully Jr. and Earl live on their father's Nebraska ranch, proud and independent to a fault. While the shy, reclusive Earl spends his free time watching movies, the cockier Tully works his way through a succession of short-term affairs and an off-again, on-again relationship with April, a stripper in town. When their childhood friend Ella returns to town to start a veterinary practice, however, Tully falls for her -- although the townsfolk have their doubts that he could ever commit to one woman.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: emotional, sentimental, touching, serious, independent film, realistic, romantic, social, sincere, thought provoking
Similar in 76%
A River Runs Through It (1992)
Plot Summary:
A River Runs Through is a cinematographically stunning true story of Norman Maclean. The story follows Norman and his brother Paul through the experiences of life and growing up, and how their love of fly fishing keeps them together despite varying life circumstances in the untamed west of Montana in the 1920's.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 64000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, sentimental, melancholic, intense, tense, atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 86%
One Day (2011)
Plot Summary:
A romantic comedy centered on Dexter and Emma, who first meet during their graduation in 1988 and proceed to keep in touch regularly. The film follows what they do on July 15 annually, usually doing something together.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 161000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sentimental, romantic, emotional, sad, touching, realistic, heartbreaking, romantic drama, tear jerker, serious
Similar in 76%
Malena (2000)
Plot Summary:
On the day in 1940 that Italy enters the war, two things happen to the 12-year-old Renato: he gets his first bike, and he gets his first look at Malèna. She is a beautiful, silent outsider who's moved to this Sicilian town to be with her husband, Nico. He promptly goes off to war, leaving her to the lustful eyes of the men and the sharp tongues of the women. During the next few years, as Renato grows toward manhood, he watches Malèna suffer and prove her mettle. He sees her loneliness, then grief when Nico is reported dead, the effects of slander on her relationship with her father, her poverty and search for work, and final humiliations. Will Renato learn courage from Malèna and stand up for her?.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 110000
Genere: Drama, Romance, War
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, sexual, melancholic, serious, touching, atmospheric, realistic, romantic, emotional
Similar in 83%
Baaria (2009)
Plot Summary:
Giuseppe Tornatore traces three generations of a Sicilian family in in the Sicilian town of Bagheria (known as Baarìa in the local Sicilian dialect), from the 1930s to the 1980s, to tell the story of the loves, dreams and delusions of an unusual community.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 163 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, sincere, touching, realistic, semi serious, sad, epic, sentimental, clever, humorous
Similar in 84%
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Plot Summary:
A melancholy story about the love between a woman and a man who live in the same building and one day find out that their husband and wife had an affair with each other. More and more the two meet during their daily lives as they determine that they both don’t want to be lonely in their marriage.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 163000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Hong Kong, France
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: art house, atmospheric, melancholic, visually stunning, artsy, contemplative, visually appealing, visual, sexy, psychological
Similar in 86%
The Postman (1994)
Plot Summary:
Simple Italian postman learns to love poetry while delivering mail to a famous poet; he uses this to woo local beauty Beatrice.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, France, Belgium
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: sentimental, emotional, romantic, sad, realistic, breathtaking, heartbreaking, period piece, sincere, touching
Similar in 78%
The Spectacular Now (2013)
Plot Summary:
A hard-partying high school senior's philosophy on life changes when he meets the not-so-typical "nice girl.".
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 160000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: touching, teen, sincere, melancholic, emotional, independent film, romantic, feel good, sweet, heartbreaking
Similar in 84%
Chocolat (2000)
Plot Summary:
A fable of emotional liberation and chocolate. A mother and daughter move to a small French town where they open a chocolate shop. The town, religious and morally strict, is against them as they represent free-thinking and indulgence. When a group of Boat Gypsies float down the river the prejudices of the Mayor leads to a crisis.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 199000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: feel good, romantic, sentimental, sweet, fairy tale, romantic comedy, period piece, melancholic, art film, inspirational
Similar in 79%
Before Sunset (2004)
Plot Summary:
Nine years ago two strangers met by chance and spent a night in Vienna that ended before sunrise. They are about to meet for the first time since. Now they have one afternoon to find out if they belong together.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 282000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: philosophical, emotional, sentimental, romantic, independent film, touching, feel good, realistic, sincere, contemplative
Similar in 89%
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
Plot Summary:
This South Korean film takes place on an isolated lake, where an old monk lives in a small floating temple. The monk has a young boy living with him, learning to become a monk. We watch as seasons and years pass by.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea, Germany
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: philosophical, atmospheric, melancholic, meditative, spiritual, art house, touching, stylized, scenic, lyrical
Similar in 87%
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Plot Summary:
Charlie Simms is a student at a private preparatory school who comes from a poor family. To earn the money for his flight home to Gresham, Oregon for Christmas, Charlie takes a job over Thanksgiving looking after retired U.S. Army officer Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, a cantankerous middle-aged man who lives with his niece and her family.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 321000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 156 min
Plot tags: inspirational, sentimental, dramatic, realistic, touching, feel good, talky, motivational, clever, emotional
Similar in 89%
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Plot Summary:
Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 684000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 166 min
Plot tags: touching, philosophical, sentimental, dramatic, melancholic, atmospheric, cerebral, captivating, emotional, sad
Similar in 90%
The Notebook (2004)
Plot Summary:
An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to a woman with Alzheimer's. From a faded notebook, the old man's words bring to life the story about a couple who is separated by World War II, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 605000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: touching, romantic, emotional, sentimental, sweet, sad, tear jerker, inspirational, motivational, feel good
Similar in 81%
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Plot Summary:
Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he will get treatment from therapist Sean Maguire.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 10000000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: psychological, emotional, philosophical, sentimental, intellectual, uplifting, dramatic, motivational, realistic, inspirational
Similar in 79%
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Plot Summary:
When the popular, restless Landon Carter is forced to participate in the school drama production he falls in love with Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's minister. Jamie has a "to-do" list for her life and also a very big secret she must keep from Landon.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 219000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: touching, romantic, inspirational, tear jerker, sad, sentimental, emotional, sincere, dramatic, teen
Similar in 88%
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Plot Summary:
A sweeping romantic epic set in Japan in the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 158000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Japan, France
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: romantic, sentimental, captivating, dramatic, stylized, serious, touching, emotional, atmospheric, costume drama
Similar in 89%
Flipped (2010)
Plot Summary:
When Juli meets Bryce in the second grade, she knows it's true love. After spending six years trying to convince Bryce the same, she's ready to give up - until he starts to reconsider.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 96000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, sweet, feel good, romantic, emotional, sentimental, realistic, romantic comedy, teen, cute