Best movies like Mondays in the Sun
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to Mondays in the Sun? Offer your insights to lead others to tv shows and films you've already seen that might appeal to them as well. Support expanding the community of people introducing videos to one another. We encourage your participation!
Plot Summary:
After the closure of their shipyard in Northern Spain, a few former workers: Santa, José, Lino, Amador, Sergei and Reina keep in touch. They meet mainly at a bar owned by their former colleague Rico. Santa is the most superficially confident and the unofficial leader of the group. A court case hangs over him relating to a shipyard lamp he smashed during protest against the closure. José is bitter that his wife, Ana, is employed when he is not. The gap between them is widening and he is fearful that she will leave him for a co-worker. Despite arthritic legs, Ana endures night shifts at a fish factory and thinks her looks are now lost. Not everyone seems to agree including her boss. Lino, an aging family man doggedly pursuing positions beyond his qualifications. The oldest member of the group, Amador, has degenerated into alcoholism after being abandoned by his wife; maintaining an increasingly transparent pretense that his wife will soon return from holiday.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain, France, Italy
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: touching, sincere, realistic, political, psychological, serious, feel good, bleak, comedy drama, social
Best tv shows and movies like Mondays in the Sun (2002):
Similar in 82%
Unknown Pleasures (2002)
Plot Summary:
Three disaffected youths live in Datong in 2001, part of the new "Birth Control" generation. Fed on a steady diet of popular culture, both Western and Chinese, the characters of Unknown Pleasures represent a new breed in the People's Republic of China, one detached from reality through the screen of media and the internet.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: China, Japan, South Korea, France
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative, neo noir, gloomy
Similar in 84%
The Good Heart (2009)
Plot Summary:
Brian Cox stars as Jacques, the curmudgeonly owner of a gritty New York dive bar that serves as home to a motley assortment of professional drinkers. Jacques is determinedly drinking and smoking himself to death when he meets Lucas (Dano), a homeless young man who has already given up on life. Determined to keep his legacy alive, Jacques deems Lucas is a fitting heir and takes him under his wing, schooling him in the male-centric laws of his alcoholic clubhouse: no new customers, no fraternizing with customers and, absolutely no women. Lucas is a quick study, but their friendship is put to the test when the distraught and beautiful April (Isild Le Besco) shows up at the bar seeking shelter, and Lucas insists they help her out.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Iceland, Denmark, USA, France, Germany
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, sincere, realistic, independent film, thought provoking, social, sad, crying, psychological
Similar in 77%
Drifting Clouds (1996)
Plot Summary:
Tram driver Lauri looses his job. Shortly later, the restaurant where his wife Ilona works as a headwaitress is closed. Too proud, to receive money from the social welfare system, they hardly try to find new jobs. But they are completely unlucky and clumsy, one disaster is followed by the next. Finally, their courage, confidence, and their unbreakable love triumph over the fate.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Finland, Germany, France
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, touching, realistic, inspirational, uplifting, clever, humorous, semi serious, sexy, thought provoking
Similar in 77%
The Good Boss (2021)
Plot Summary:
Academy Award Winner Javier Bardem stars as Blanco, proprietor of Básculas Blanco, a Spanish company producing industrial scales in a provincial Spanish town, which awaits the imminent visit from a committee that will decide if they merit a local Business Excellence award: everything has to be perfect when the time comes. Working against the clock, Blanco pulls out all the stops to address and resolve issues with his employees, crossing every imaginable line in the process.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: social, tragicomedy, black comedy, dark comedy
Similar in 86%
Noi the Albino (2003)
Plot Summary:
17 year old Noi drifts through life on a remote fjord in Iceland. In winter, the fjord is cut off from the outside world, surrounded by ominous mountains and buried under a shroud of snow. Noi dreams of escaping from this white-walled prison with Iris, a city girl who works in a local gas staion. But his clumsy attempts at escape spiral out of control.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Iceland, Germany, UK, Denmark
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: harsh, touching, depressing, enigmatic, bleak, realistic, art house, compassionate, philosophical, experimental
Similar in 80%
Human Resources (1999)
Plot Summary:
Set in Limoges, the movie tells the story of "good son" Franck (Jalil Lespert), who returns to his hometown to do a trainee managerial internship in the Human Resources department of the factory where his anxious, taciturn father has worked for 23 years.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France, UK
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: melancholic, sincere, thought provoking, emotional, touching, political, psychological, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 77%
Riff-Raff (1991)
Plot Summary:
The story of Stevie, a construction worker, and his girlfriend, an unemployed pop singer, serves to show the living conditions of the British poor class.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: political, social, independent film, humorous, realistic, gloomy, semi serious
Similar in 78%
Raining Stones (1993)
Plot Summary:
This Ken Loach film tells the story of a man devoted to his family and his religion. Proud, though poor, Bob wants his little girl to have a beautiful (and costly) brand-new dress for her First Communion. His stubbornness and determination get him into trouble as he turns to more and more questionable measures, in his desperation to raise the needed money. This tragic flaw leads him to risk all that he loves and values, his beloved family, indeed even his immortal soul and salvation, in blind pursuit of that goal.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: independent film, bleak, sentimental, sincere, touching, offbeat, realistic, gloomy, semi serious, social
Similar in 81%
Someone Else's America (1995)
Plot Summary:
This tale takes place in a bar. The Spanish Alonso and his blind mother run this place. Bay, who is Alonso's friend live here too. This story tells something about Alonso and Bay and the "American Dream".
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 715
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, UK, France, Germany, Greece
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 87%
Lonesome Jim (2005)
Plot Summary:
Failing to make it on his own, 27-year-old Jim moves back in with his parents and deals with crippling family obligations.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: touching, emotional, stylized, sincere, humorous, mumblecore, cult classic, aesthetic, offbeat, realistic
Similar in 84%
Two Days, One Night (2014)
Plot Summary:
Sandra is a young woman who has only one weekend to convince her colleagues they must give up their bonuses in order for her to keep her job — not an easy task in this economy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Drama
Country: Belgium, France, Italy
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: depressing, independent film, sincere, serious, compassionate, atmospheric, emotional, thought provoking, bleak, cerebral
Similar in 86%
All or Nothing (2002)
Plot Summary:
Penny's love for her partner, taxi-driver Phil, has run dry. He is a gentle, philosophical guy, and she works on the checkout at a supermarket.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, France
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: depressing, emotional, bleak, serious, realistic, meditative, sentimental, sincere, talky, offbeat
Similar in 85%
Neighborhood (1998)
Plot Summary:
A coming-of-age story in the vein of CITY OF GOD and KIDS - available for the first time in the U.S.!.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain, France
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: social, hispanic, serious, realistic
Similar in 90%
1, 2, 3, Freeze (1993)
Plot Summary:
A provocative, seemingly absurd patchwork movie which sends a worthwhile message about hope against all odds, love, children and human understanding. Schoolgirl Victorine has an insane mother and an alcoholic father who can never find his way home in their maze of slum apartment blocks. Aggressive, sexually threatening boys of all ages are everywhere, and while the teacher eventually relents to a gang of adolescent rapists, Victorine gives herself to a rowdy gang of older layabouts, eventually winning the heart of burglar Paul.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 891
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sexy, bleak, humorous, serious, realistic, experimental, surreal, disturbing, controversial, stylized
Similar in 82%
The Navigators (2001)
Plot Summary:
In South Yorkshire, a small group of railway maintenance men discover that because of privatization, their lives will never be the same. When the trusty British Rail sign is replaced by one reading East Midland Infrastructure, it is clear that there will be the inevitable winners and losers as downsizing and efficiency become the new buzzwords.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Germany, Spain
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, social, bleak, gloomy, thought provoking
Similar in 77%
Liam (2000)
Plot Summary:
A morality tale of xenophobia, religious prejudice, mob violence, poverty, and their effect on two children in Liverpool during the Depression. When a shipyard closes, Liam and Teresa's dad loses his job. Liam, who's about 8, making his first Holy Communion, gets a regular dose of fire and brimstone at church. Teresa, about 13, has a job as a maid to the Jewish family that owns the closed shipyard. The lady of that house is having an affair, and Teresa becomes an accomplice. Liam stutters terribly, especially when troubled. Dad comes under the sway of the Fascists, who blame cheap Irish labor and Jewish owners. A Molotov cocktail brings things to a head.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Germany, France, Italy
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, bleak, emotional, sincere, depressing, intense, tense, serious, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 85%
Georgia Rule (2007)
Plot Summary:
Georgia Rule follows a rebellious, uncontrollable teenager who is hauled off by her dysfunctional mother to spend the summer with her grandmother. Her journey will lead all three women to revelations of buried family secrets and an understanding that - regardless what happens - the ties that bind can never be broken.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: teen, melancholic, stylized, sincere, sentimental, realistic, serious, uplifting, feel good, crying
Similar in 87%
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 82%
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Plot Summary:
Liz Gilbert had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having – a husband, a house and a successful career – yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy, the power of prayer in India and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 104000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: inspirational, romantic, touching, road movie, sentimental, scenic, emotional, sweet, motivational, realistic
Similar in 86%
Muriel's Wedding (1994)
Plot Summary:
Muriel’s Wedding is P.J. Hogan’s film debut. A humorous emancipation story of an unemployed woman who evolves from a dreamer into a self sustaining successful woman. An amusing comedy that’s funny, silly, angry and serious.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Australia, France
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: funny, light, humorous, melancholic, sweet, emotional, sentimental, realistic, feel good, semi serious
Similar in 89%
Mumford (1999)
Plot Summary:
In the small town of Mumford, a psychologist of the same name moves in and quickly becomes very popular, despite a questionable past.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, realistic, psychological, melancholic, compassionate, light, touching, semi serious, clever
Similar in 82%
The Van (1996)
Plot Summary:
Set in "Barrytown", a fictitious working-class quarter of Dublin. "Bimbo" Reeves gets laid off from his job. With his redundancy, he buys a van and sells fish and chips with his buddy Larry. Due to Ireland's surprising success at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, their business starts off well, but the relationship between the two friends soon becomes strained as Bimbo behaves more like a typical boss.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, Ireland, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, independent film, social, touching, feel good, semi serious, parody, funny, light
Similar in 78%
Duane Hopwood (2005)
Plot Summary:
A down-on-his-luck divorced father struggles to get his life and family back together before it's too late.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: emotional, humorous, realistic, captivating, psychological, clever, touching, gloomy, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 87%
Crossing Borders (2006)
Plot Summary:
Spain 1960, the dawn of the country's economic development. Industrial "reorganization" means that many workers have lost their jobs and are forced to emigrate. Martin is one of them. Martin, his wife Pilar and their son Pablito live with Martin's parents in a basement apartment that comes with their job as superintendents of the building. Encouraged by Marcos, his friend and co-worker, Martin decides to emigrate to Switzerland. The whole family has to admit that for the time being this is the most promising plan. Unable to obtain a work contract from the Swiss Consulate, Martin and Marcos decide to go anyway, pretending they are tourists to get past the border police. Pablito will experience drastic changes in a short period of time: his father's departure, a new way of life in a different country with a different environment and learning another language. But afterwards, in Switzerland, they will face new experiences which will allow them to live with renewed happiness.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, semi serious, humorous, feel good, intercultural
Similar in 77%
Cemetery Junction (2010)
Plot Summary:
In 1970s England, three blue-collar friends spend their days joking, drinking, fighting and chasing girls. Freddie wants to leave their working-class world but cool, charismatic Bruce and lovable loser Snork are happy with life the way it is. When Freddie gets a new job as a door-to-door salesman and bumps into his old school sweetheart Julie, the gang are forced to make choices that will change their lives for ever.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: witty, inspirational, stylized, funny, humorous, talky, semi serious, melancholic, atmospheric, clever
Similar in 79%
Strange Relations (2001)
Plot Summary:
Drama - A NYC psychiatrist is diagnosed with leukemia - and when he finds out he was adopted, he travels to England in search of his birth mother and some answers. - Paul Reiser, Amber Sealey, Lachele Carl.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 807
Genere: Drama, Comedy
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, emotional, semi serious, realistic, crying
Similar in 80%
Intimate Stories (2002)
Plot Summary:
Three people and a baby set off on separate journeys, along the same road; their disparate dreams and stories intertwine amidst the breathtaking deserted Patagonic route.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Argentina, Spain
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: road movie, sentimental, humorous, realistic, sincere, touching, semi serious, anthology
Similar in 76%
The Savages (2007)
Plot Summary:
A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: sentimental, realistic, independent film, emotional, compassionate, touching, depressing, melancholic, sincere, humorous
Similar in 88%
Rocket Science (2007)
Plot Summary:
Hal, a 15-year-old high-school student with a minor yet socially alienating (and painful) disability: he stutters uncontrollably. Determined to work through the problem, Hal opts for an extreme route he joins the school debating team, which sends him on a headfirst plunge into breakneck speech competitions and offers a much-needed boost toward correcting the problem.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: clever, sincere, psychological, sentimental, touching, teen, indie film, realistic, funny, feel good
Similar in 88%
Parasite (2019)
Plot Summary:
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 910000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: suspense, black comedy, exciting, dark comedy, captivating, tragic ending, psychological thriller, political, social, disturbing