Best movies like Downtown 81
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The film is a day in the life of a young artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, who needs to raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. He wanders the downtown streets carrying a painting he hopes to sell, encountering friends, whose lives (and performances) we peek into.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 72 min
Plot tags: humorous, witty, semi serious, sincere, atmospheric, clever, contemplative, grim, offbeat, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like Downtown 81 (2000):
Similar in 80%
(Untitled) (2009)
Plot Summary:
A fashionable contemporary art gallerist in Chelsea, New York falls for a brooding new music composer in this comic satire of the state of contemporary art.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, witty, avant garde, offbeat, realistic, semi serious, black comedy
Similar in 89%
Swim Little Fish Swim (2013)
Plot Summary:
Between surrealism, unusual characters, art and magic tricks, "Swim Little Fish Swim" is a dreamlike journey from childhood to adulthood.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 839
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA, France
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sincere, humorous, touching, realistic, semi serious, mumblecore, independent film
Similar in 89%
Achilles and the Tortoise (2008)
Plot Summary:
Machisu is a painter. He never had the success he thinks he is entitled to. Regardless of this, he always remains trying to be successful. His wife Sachiko keeps supporting him, despite all setbacks. Machisu, the only son of a rich collector, has a childs love for painting. Praise from a famous artist friend of his father inspires the young boy to dream of becoming a painter himself. s a young man, poor loner Machisu manages to attend art school with money earned from working. He is introduced to an unconventional world of bold creativity but he also gets his first bitter taste of harsh criticism from a dealer. Encouragement comes in the form of attractive clerk Sachiko who is convinced that she alone understands him. Marriage is soon followed by a daughter, as love and hope drive Machisu to commit even more deeply to his art.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: philosophical, thought provoking, emotional, art house, sad, cult classic, tragicomedy, offbeat, humorous, realistic
Similar in 85%
The Photographer (2000)
Plot Summary:
A year after becoming the toast of New York City's art scene, photographer Max Martin has lost his ability to take a decent picture. On the night before his make-or-break gallery opening, surrounded by the trappings of success but devoid of inspiration, Max embarks on a bizarre trek through the city in search of ten mysterious photographs that could save his career. Shot in brilliant color and dramatic black and white, first-time director Jeremy Stein's industrial New York City is a wonderland, roamed by witches and magical creatures, where survival hinges on the completion of a simple quest. Accompanied by an unlikely crew of strangers he meets along the way, Max trips through a modern-day Oz and rediscovers the easily forgotten value of seeing magic reflected in everyday life.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 355
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, offbeat
Similar in 79%
Burnzy's Last Call (1995)
Plot Summary:
A downtown Manahattan gin mill plays host to a series of comic vignettes.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 113
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: independent film, sincere, offbeat, humorous, realistic, contemplative, talky, semi serious
Similar in 76%
I'm Still Here (2010)
Plot Summary:
I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the film follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip-hop musician. The film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads and explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: mockumentary, surreal, melancholic, disturbing, talky, stylized, semi serious, humorous, realistic, cult classic
Similar in 78%
Let Them Chirp Awhile (2007)
Plot Summary:
The basic storyline of the film follows Bobby and Scott, two young men in their late twenties who are struggling to make careers out of their artistic dreams but their competitiveness with each other gets in the way.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 82
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 75%
All the Vermeers in New York (1990)
Plot Summary:
Anna, a French actress, is approached by financial broker Gordon in the Vermeer room of a New York gallery. However, romance does not ensue.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: independent film, clever, contemplative, political, sex comedy, atmospheric, serious, realistic, erotic, light
Similar in 79%
Taking Off (1971)
Plot Summary:
Unable to deal with her parents, Jeannie Tyne runs away from home. Larry and Lyne Tyne search for her, and in the process meet other people whose children ran away. With their children gone, the parents are now free to rediscover/enjoy life.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, social, clever, offbeat, humorous, captivating, realistic, witty, talky, semi serious
Similar in 88%
Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
Plot Summary:
A comedic biopic focused on the life of fictional jazz guitarist Emmett Ray. Ray was an irresponsible, free-spending, arrogant, obnoxious, alcohol-abusing, miserable human being, who was also arguably the best guitarist in the world.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, talky, sentimental, humorous, tragicomedy, realistic, semi serious, clever, witty, independent film
Similar in 84%
Permanent Vacation (1980)
Plot Summary:
In downtown Manhattan, a twenty-something boy whose Father is not around and whose Mother is institutionalized, is a big Charlie Parker fan. He almost subconsciously searches for more meaning in his life and meets a few characters along the way.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: independent film, artsy, art house, atmospheric, surreal, contemplative, slow cinema, existential, indie film, aesthetic
Similar in 81%
My Dinner with Jimi (2003)
Plot Summary:
The story of the night The Turtles met The Beatles and Howard Kaylan had dinner with Jimi Hendrix.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 265
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sentimental, realistic, captivating, semi serious, sincere, touching, serious, contemplative, cult film
Similar in 80%
I Am Not a Hipster (2012)
Plot Summary:
Things are not looking good for Brook, a young, talented singer/songwriter who has become the clichéd tortured artist. Slow to come to terms with the death of his mother, Brook is self-absorbed, aggressive, and the major obstruction to his own career success. His isolation is lifted when his three sisters and estranged father come to spread his mother’s ashes. Brook’s loving sisters have a magical effect on his anger and apathy, suggesting there may be hope for the misanthropic musician after all.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, sincere, atmospheric, touching, realistic, mumblecore, gloomy, independent film, inspirational
Similar in 79%
Beat Street (1984)
Plot Summary:
An aspiring DJ, from the South Bronx, and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and culture.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: hood, independent film, grim, serious, realistic, light, bloody, melancholic, affectionate, harsh
Similar in 75%
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1982)
Plot Summary:
Corrine Burns retreats far into plans for her band, The Fabulous Stains, after her mother's death.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: retro, psychotronic, thinking, cult classic, independent film, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty
Similar in 77%
Desperate Teenage Lovedolls (1984)
Plot Summary:
Two girls rediscover their love for playing rock, find a drummer and begin practicing. When one of their mothers intervenes, they run away from home and are forced to fend for themselves on the streets against gangs and rival bands. Soon they are discovered and taken under the wing of rock manager Johnny Tremaine (played by Steven McDonald) who uses them for sex and his own aspirations of wealth. The Love Dolls set out to get revenge on those who have wronged them, and rise to the top of the rock world.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 243
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: independent film, offbeat, humorous, realistic, not serious, campy
Similar in 75%
200 Cigarettes (1999)
Plot Summary:
A collection of twentysomethings try to cope with relationships, loneliness, desire and their individual neuroses.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: talky, witty, melancholic, feel good, semi serious, humorous, funny, entertaining, offbeat, realistic
Similar in 75%
Slaves of New York (1989)
Plot Summary:
Meet the denizens of New York City: artists, prostitutes, saints, and seers. All are aspiring toward either fame or oblivion, and hoping for love and acceptance. Instead they find high rents, faithless partners, and dead-end careers.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: ironic, sentimental, humorous, psychological, captivating, touching, offbeat, realistic, experimental, witty
Similar in 84%
City Baby (2013)
Plot Summary:
Sexy. Style-conscious. Extreme love affairs. Complicated friendships. Life happens all too quickly when Cloey is reluctantly plucked from her comfort zone and complete reliance on others is overturned – a secure relationship with her boyfriend unravels, her childhood best friend is moving away and daddy’s (Daniel Baldwin) checkbook closes. City Baby comments on the ladder-climbing mentality of always reaching for the next bigger, better thing – relationship, city, job – when sometimes what's right in front of us is just fine. Scattered with cameos from Portland musicians like Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, live musical performances by Glass Candy and Starfucker, and a thoughtful soundtrack featuring all Portland bands and musicians, City Baby depicts a playground for semi-adults, revolving through the lives of cool kids.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 225
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, captivating, psychological, sexy, independent film, sincere, semi serious, sexual
Similar in 75%
Frownland (2007)
Plot Summary:
A rotten egg lobbed with spazmo aim at the spotless surface of the silver screen, FROWNLAND centers on social misfit and self-labeled "troll from under the bridge" Keith Sontag (Dore Mann). When he's not trying to sell coupons door-to-door, Keith struggles with evicting his roommate from their seedy apartment, helping a friend who's suicidal and just getting by as an outsider in the cruel city.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 758
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: mumblecore, humorous, semi serious, clever, realistic, witty, stylized, inspirational, controversial, offbeat
Similar in 80%
Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
Plot Summary:
Rootless Hungarian émigré Willie, his pal Eddie, and visiting sixteen-year-old cousin Eva always manage to make the least of any situation, whether aimlessly traversing the drab interiors and environs of New York City, Cleveland, or an anonymous Florida suburb.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, West Germany
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: independent film, road movie, black and white, art house, contemplative, atmospheric, stylized, cult classic, indie film, aesthetic
Similar in 78%
Jake Squared (2013)
Plot Summary:
A filmmaker sets out to make a new project in order to figure out how he's screwed up every relationship he's ever had.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 631
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: psychological, humorous, contemplative, semi serious, light, captivating, offbeat, mind bending, realistic, independent film
Similar in 77%
Here and There (2009)
Plot Summary:
Here and There (Serbian: Tamo i ovde) is a Serbian film which was premiered at the Belgrade Film Festival FEST 2009. Here and There follows two interconnected stories on two different continents. Robert (Thornton), a depressed New Yorker, tries to make quick cash and ends up in Serbia, where instead of money he finds his soul. At the same time, a young Serbian immigrant, Branko (Trifunović), struggles in an unforgiving New York, desperately trying to bring his girlfriend from Serbia to the United States. Mirijana Karanović plays Branko's mother.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Serbia, USA, Germany
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: sentimental, clever, humorous, realistic, semi serious, offbeat, cynical
Similar in 81%
LOL (2006)
Plot Summary:
The relationships of three men are examined through their use of technology.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 910
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: mumblecore, sincere, humorous, talky, clever, touching, offbeat, realistic, witty, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Newlyweds (2011)
Plot Summary:
A newlywed couple's honeymoon is upended by the arrivals of their respective sisters.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: humorous, captivating, light, sincere, realistic, witty, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 83%
Mind the Gap (2004)
Plot Summary:
Five seemingly unrelated people decide to take huge risks in their personal lives in an effort to find happiness.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 997
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 134 min
Plot tags: humorous, talky, semi serious, captivating, sincere, sentimental, clever, touching, offbeat, realistic
Similar in 88%
24 Hour Party People (2002)
Plot Summary:
In 1976, Tony Wilson sets up Factory Records and brings Manchester's music to the world.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: UK
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: witty, psychedelic, atmospheric, sincere, humorous, absurd, cult classic, clever, stylized, educational
Similar in 79%
Basquiat (1996)
Plot Summary:
Director Julian Schnabel illustrates the portrait of his friend, the first African-American pop artist Jean-Michel Basquiat who unfortunately died at a young age and just as he was beginning to make a name for himself in the art world. Alongside the biography of Basquiat are the artists and the art scene from early 1980’s New York.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: stylized, factual, inspirational, atmospheric, captivating, realistic, artsy, art house, thought provoking, dark
Similar in 90%
New York Stories (1989)
Plot Summary:
Three stories happening in New York. The first, by Scorsese, is about a painter who creates his works helped by high volume music and an attractive assistant; second, by Coppola, is about a rich and bold 12 years old who helps her separated parents to reconciliate; third, by Allen, is a witty piece of comedy about the impossibility of getting rid of the son's role.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: anthology, talky, realistic, semi serious, touching, humorous, witty, clever, stylized, black comedy
Similar in 90%
Watching TV with the Red Chinese (2012)
Plot Summary:
In New York City in 1980, Dexter Mitchell plays half-willing big brother to his neighbors, a trio of exchange students from the People's Republic of China.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 112
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, offbeat, non-linear, independent film