Best movies like I Ought to Be in Pictures
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Grandmother has nothing to say when Libby tells her that she is off to LA to look up Dad, a Hollywood screenwriter. Grandmother has been in a New York cemetery for six years and Dad has been out of Libby's life for 16 of her 19 years. Libby arrives in LA on a Tuesday and phones Dad the one night that Stephanie, who does Jane Fonda's hair, stays over. Stephanie is there the next morning when Libby decides she needs to tell her story face-to-face.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: sentimental, clever, touching, humorous, emotional, realistic, witty, semi serious
Best tv shows and movies like I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982):
Similar in 84%
Loitering with Intent (2014)
Plot Summary:
Fledgling screenwriters retreat to a quiet country manor to work on their script, but a constellation of needy characters produces constant interruptions.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 869
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, light, emotional, captivating, sentimental, realistic, witty, independent film, whimsical
Similar in 85%
Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972)
Plot Summary:
A middle aged restaurateur begins to feel the desire to roam and realizes that one day each week, his mother's apartment will be empty all afternoon. He makes several attempts at seduction, only to learn that it is much more complicated and difficult than he could have imagined.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 642
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: sex comedy, colorful, sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious, hot
Similar in 90%
Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995)
Plot Summary:
Filmed entirely on location in East Hampton, Long Island, "Last Summer in the Hamptons" concerns a large theatrical family spending the last weekend of their summer together at the decades-old family retreat which economic circumstances have forced them to put on the market. Victoria Foyt plays a young Hollywood actress whose visit wreaks havoc on the stellar group of family and friends - led by matriarch Viveca Lindfors and made up of an extraordinary mix of prominent New York actors, directors, and playwrights. In the course of a very unusual weekend, comic as well as serious situations arise, and the family's secrets - of which there are many - begin to unravel.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 434
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: independent film, clever, talky, sincere, humorous, realistic, contemplative, semi serious, psychological, romantic
Similar in 82%
Momma's Man (2008)
Plot Summary:
In Momma's Man an adult decides to escape the pressures of life and return to his old bedroom at his parents' house. An odd premise, but executed with skill and tenderness.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 761
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: psychological, emotional, realistic, mumblecore, sincere, captivating, touching, serious, independent film
Similar in 80%
Judy Berlin (1999)
Plot Summary:
A dramatic comedy where a the relationship of a teacher and married principal goes much worse than that of their children.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: realistic, independent film, sentimental, thought provoking, touching, humorous, surreal, contemplative, semi serious, light
Similar in 81%
You Can Thank Me Later (1998)
Plot Summary:
In this Canadian comedy-drama, Shirley Cooperberg heads a Montreal Jewish family. During her husband's operation, her brood arrives at the hospital -- failed writer Eli, neurotic Susan, and successful theatrical producer Edward. An onslaught of one-liners find targets amid sibling rivalries and angst-ridden animosities.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 259
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada, UK
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: sincere, clever, touching, humorous, realistic, witty, talky, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 85%
Max Dugan Returns (1983)
Plot Summary:
An English teacher and struggling single mother has her life disrupted when the father who abandoned her as a child comes back into her life.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: talky, feel good, humorous, semi serious, touching, realistic, detective, funny, light, clever
Similar in 82%
Plaza Suite (1971)
Plot Summary:
Film version of the Neil Simon play has three separate acts set in the same hotel suite in New York's Plaza Hotel with Walter Matthau in a triple role. In the first, Karen Nash tries to get her inattentive husband Sam's attention to spruce up their failing marriage. In the second, brash film producer Jesse Kiplinger tries to get his former one-time flame Muriel to see him for what he stands for. In the third, Roy Hubley and his wife Norma try and try to get their uncertain-of-herself daughter out of the bathroom before her approaching wedding.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: clever, humorous, witty, anthology, realistic, semi serious, sketch comedy, funny, light, surprise ending
Similar in 78%
The Reception (2005)
Plot Summary:
The complex relationship between a wealthy French woman and her best friend a, gay black American, is thrown into turmoil when her estranged daughter comes to visit them with her new husband for the weekend in upstate New York. Through a series of drunken evenings and daytime squabbles it becomes apparent that no one involved is what they seem.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 197
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, captivating, sentimental, sexy, psychological, sincere, clever, serious, contemplative
Similar in 77%
The Talent Given Us (2004)
Plot Summary:
A retired New York City couple drive across country to reconnect with their reclusive son, joined by their two unmarried daughters.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 463
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, clever, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 77%
The Sunshine Boys (1975)
Plot Summary:
Lewis and Clark, aka The Sunshine Boys, were famous comedians during the vaudeville era, but off-stage they couldn't stand each other and haven't spoken in over 20 years of retirement. Willy Clark's nephew is the producer of a TV variety show that wants to feature the reunion this classic duo. It is up to him to try to get the Sunshine Boys back together again for the show.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: funny, humorous, witty, talky, touching, realistic, semi serious, biting, sketch comedy, clever
Similar in 81%
Lost in Yonkers (1993)
Plot Summary:
In the summer of 1942 two young boys are sent to stay with their stern grandmother Kurnitz and their childlike aunt Bella in Yonkers, New York.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, psychological, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious, funny, light, sexy
Similar in 80%
Only When I Laugh (1981)
Plot Summary:
A boozy Broadway actress comes out of a 12-week cure to face the problems of her best friends as well as her needy daughter. She tries to balance the terrors of returning to work with the demands of all around her with humor and insight, while staying off the booze.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: sentimental, clever, touching, realistic, talky, semi serious
Similar in 86%
Memories of Me (1988)
Plot Summary:
After a heart attack, Abbie Polin (Crystal), a New York doctor, goes to Los Angeles to see his father, Abe (King), who works in Hollywood as the "king of the extras." Their relationship has been strained for several years. This was the first movie directed by Henry Winkler, and much of it was filmed inside the MGM Studios in Culver City, California, only a few miles from Hollywood. Lisa, the romantic interest in Abbie's life, also comes for a visit and bonds with Abe, who gets along famously with everyone but his son. Abe begins having memory loss and eventually is diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. He and his son grow closer in time and, before it's too late, Abbie tries to get Abe a speaking role in a film.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, touching, humorous, emotional, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 86%
Happy Hour (2003)
Plot Summary:
Set in present day New York City, "Happy Hour" is a literate and often funny story of love and how to receive it. Tulley, a once-promising literary star now biding his time as an advertising copy editor, moves from cynicism to acceptance as he secretly hopes to write a great novel only to learn that his life of booze will end all too soon. Levine, his best friend and Natalie, the woman who might have saved him, suffer the pain of Tulley's anger and rejection.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 441
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, emotional, serious, realistic, independent film
Similar in 77%
Garbo Talks (1984)
Plot Summary:
A New York accountant (Ron Silver) sets out to grant his dying mother's last wish--to meet film star Greta Garbo. Sidney Lumet's bittersweet 1984 comedy also stars Anne Bancroft, Catherine Hicks, Carrie Fisher, Harvey Fierstein, Howard Da Silva, Steven Hill, Hermione Gingold, Dorothy Loudon and Betty Comden.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: sad, sentimental, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Kotch (1971)
Plot Summary:
Joseph Kotcher, retired salesman, walks out on his son and daughter-in-law after their attempts to put him in a retirement home. He tracks down their babysitter, sacked because she is pregnant, and rents a small house nearby. He finds a new purpose in life. Jack Lemmon's first film as director stars his old friend Walter Matthau.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: independent film, psychological, sentimental, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 79%
Mistress (1992)
Plot Summary:
A comedy about a screenwriter (Wuhl) whose old movie script is read by a producer (Landau) and the search for financial backers begins. But it seems that each money source (Aiello, DeNiro, Wallach) has his own mistress that he wants put into the film. Gradually, the screenwriter is forced to make changes to his script to accommodate these backers until he finally sees no semblance of his original ideas in the writing.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: humorous, cynical, light, captivating, cult classic, exciting, independent film, realistic, witty, talky
Similar in 89%
Empty Nest (2008)
Plot Summary:
Empty Nest tells the story of a couple who have to struggle to find themselves after their children grow up and move out. It starts out as a fairly simple story of a couple but becomes complicated by a series of events that may or may not be occurring only in Leonardo’s mind.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 903
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Argentina, Spain, France, Italy
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, sentimental, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 84%
Marine Life (2000)
Plot Summary:
Marine Life revolves around the choatic family life of June, a middle-aged lounge singer and mother. Aging and twice divorced, lounge singer June Nordstrom tries to cope with her fading beauty, her troubled offspring, her waning career and her young lover, who begins seeing a woman his age behind June's back.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 159
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: realistic, touching, humorous, emotional, semi serious, captivating, independent film
Similar in 89%
Finding Joy (2013)
Plot Summary:
Pompous and self-absorbed Kyle, is unhappily stuck in his life, longing to relive the success of his first novel. His not-so-desirable life rapidly unravels forcing him to return home to his wildly eccentric family with his tail between his legs. Life at home begins to show signs of improvement when Kyle meets the spunky, vivacious girl across the street who recruits Kyle to help her make the world a better place, making him feel alive for the first time in ages and inspiring his writing. But its short-lived. Joys been told shes going to die soon and wants Kyle to write her obituary.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 426
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, realistic, touching, emotional, semi serious, offbeat
Similar in 81%
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 90%
God Said, 'Ha!' (1998)
Plot Summary:
Julia Sweeney tells the viewers the monologue about the hard time in her life when her brother fought with cancer and she was also diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, witty, talky, independent film, clever, realistic, gloomy, semi serious, minimal cast
Similar in 77%
Two Weeks (2006)
Plot Summary:
In this bittersweet comedy, four adult siblings gather at their dying mother's house in North Carolina for what they expect to be a quick, last goodbye. Instead, they find themselves trapped — together — for two weeks.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, humorous, realistic, spiritual, tear jerker, semi serious
Similar in 89%
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 78%
Crimes of the Heart (1986)
Plot Summary:
Three sisters with quite different personalities and lives reunite when the youngest of them, Babe, has just shot her husband. The oldest sister, Lenny, takes care of their grandfather and is turning into an old maid, while Meg, who tries to make it in Hollywood as a singer/actress, has had a wild life filled with many men. Their reunion causes much joy, but also many tensions.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: touching, talky, humorous, dark comedy, emotional, melancholic, black comedy, sentimental, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 78%
Two-Bit Waltz (2014)
Plot Summary:
Suspension from school, the loss of a friend, a broken heart and lack of inspiration lead to Maude's downfall in this romp through teenage error. Your teenage years are never easy… but for Maude, things couldn't be worse. Within one week, she is suspended from school, stranded by her best friend, dumped by the boy she loved and inherits an enormous amount of money with the passing of her grandmother– only to be claimed under one condition: Maude must prove by age 18 that she knows exactly what to do with her life. But with her 18th birthday rapidly approaching, Maude must dive into a world of self-discovery or else lose the inheritance.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 455
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: semi serious, sentimental, humorous, realistic, witty, stylized, clever, offbeat, independent film
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Brooklyn Lobster (2005)
Plot Summary:
Giorgio's Lobster Farm has been a tradition in Brooklyn for over 65 years. Manned by an eccentric crew and serving the best seafood in the state.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 489
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: humorous, emotional, atmospheric, captivating, sentimental, sincere, touching, realistic, semi serious, semi autobiographical
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The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008)
Plot Summary:
A commitment-phobic man reunites with his estranged, ailing father and comes to terms with his own childhood.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 83%
The Four Seasons (1981)
Plot Summary:
Three middle-aged wealthy couples take vacations together in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Along the way we are treated to mid-life, marital, parental and other crises.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, realistic, witty, talky, clever, semi serious, funny, light