Best movies like Old Joy
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Two old pals reunite for a camping trip in Oregon's Cascade Mountains.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 76 min
Plot tags: road movie, atmospheric, talky, lyrical, sincere, realistic, touching, serious, independent film, entertaining
Best tv shows and movies like Old Joy (2006):
Similar in 90%
How Much Further (2006)
Plot Summary:
Esperanza and Tristeza both have to get to Cuenca. However, by an unlucky turn of events, the bus they are on gets delayed due to a worker strike. Taking their journey into their own hands, they decide to hitchhike to Cuenca. Along the way they meet interesting characters who help them re-evaluate the purpose of their journey.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 809
Genere: Drama
Country: Ecuador
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: road movie, realistic, touching, captivating, scenic, semi serious
Similar in 89%
The High Pressures (2014)
Plot Summary:
Miguel travels to Pontevedra, his hometown, with the request of serching for some locations for a movie. His trip takes him back to the place where he grew up, meeting up with some old friends, but also leads him to the possibility of a new relationship: Alicia, a young nurse who will get to calm him down. Miguel will try to finish his work even though he mostly prefers to film the natives he meets, the movements and faces of his friends, the trains coming or the sea. A journey around the uprooting (the cinema) and love.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 91
Genere: Drama
Country: Spain
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 86%
River of Grass (1994)
Plot Summary:
Cozy, a dissatisfied housewife, meets Lee at a bar. A drink turns into a home break-in, and a gun shot sends them on the run together, thinking they've committed murder.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 76 min
Plot tags: road movie, independent film, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious
Similar in 79%
The Lost Coast (2008)
Plot Summary:
Director/screenwriter Gabriel Fleming (One Thousand Years) explores the subtleties of loneliness, friendship, and sexuality with this tale of two high school friends who are forced to face their unspoken sexual history while wandering the streets of San Francisco on Halloween night.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 553
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 74 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, emotional, realistic, gloomy, crying, queer cinema
Similar in 76%
Just Like a Woman (2012)
Plot Summary:
Two women get on the highway heading to Santa Fe. Marilyn dreams of winning a contest held by a famous belly dancing company, while her friend, Mona, has a secret: she's a fugitive from justice - accused of her mother-in-law's death.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA, France
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, captivating, disturbing, sex comedy, touching, realistic, independent film, interesting
Similar in 86%
Week-ends (2014)
Plot Summary:
It sometimes takes little to spoil a weekend in the country. A simple misunderstanding in a supermarket parking lot, a bad reaction, and there you go, everything is awry. Nothing is going well for Christine. Jean leaves her. Her oldest friends, Sylvette and Ulrich, are no longer such good friends. Everything is falling apart at the seams. But life is always full of surprises.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 189
Genere: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: emotional, realistic, atmospheric, psychological, touching, serious
Similar in 88%
Redemption Road (2010)
Plot Summary:
A Tennessee-set drama focused on an individual's spiritual redemption.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 586
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, semi serious, contemplative, psychological, captivating, sincere, touching, humorous, talky, independent film
Similar in 89%
Bombón: El Perro (2004)
Plot Summary:
In Patagonia, a mechanic who dreams of a different life starts to think big after his adopted pup wins first prize at a local dog show.Life is no bed of roses for 52-year-old Juan "Coco" Villegas. He, who has been a gas station attendant for twenty years in Patagonia, finds himself jobless overnight. He first tries to survive by selling knives of his own making. But business is bad and he can't find real work. One day though, after fixing a vehicle on a farm, he gets paid by means of a ... beautiful Argentinian watch-dog! From this blessed day on, things start shaping well at last... Written by Guy Bellinger.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: Argentina, Spain
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: sentimental, semi serious, touching, humorous, realistic, road movie, slow cinema, aesthetic
Similar in 75%
A Few Days of Respite (2010)
Plot Summary:
Mohsen teaches French at the University of Tehran, and Hassan is a photographer. Mohsen and Hassan are also lovers, and in Iran they live in fear, as homosexuality is punishable by death. Tired of denying their love, Mohsen and Hassan flee Iran to head to Paris, where they'll be illegal aliens but can at least live openly as a couple. To avoid arousing suspicion until they arrive in Paris, Mohsen and Hassan keep their distance while traveling, and during a train stop, Mohsen helps a sixty-ish women, Yolande, with her luggage. The two strike up a conversation and she clearly enjoys his company; over dinner, she offers to help him find work in town and let him stay at her apartment. It's clear to Yolande that Mohsen is an illegal immigrant, but she doesn't realize that he's gay, and he finds himself wondering if he should stay with Hassan or live with Yolande, where he would not have love but would enjoy safety, security and could easily become a French citizen through marriage.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 43
Genere: Drama
Country: France, Algeria
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags: emotional, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, queer cinema
Similar in 84%
World Traveler (2001)
Plot Summary:
After hitting the road a man encounters characters that make him realize the importance of family.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, captivating, road movie, humorous, contemplative, talky, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 78%
Coast to Coast (2003)
Plot Summary:
Contemporary story of a couple whose marriage has gone astray, partly due to the infidelity of both partners and also the fact that their eldest son was killed in a car accident 8 years before.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, disturbing, clever, talky, gloomy
Similar in 76%
In the Gloaming (1997)
Plot Summary:
Danny, dying of Aids, returns home for his last months. Always close to his mother, they share moments of openness that tend to shut out Danny's father and his sister.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 67 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative, gloomy, queer cinema
Similar in 87%
How I Got Lost (2009)
Plot Summary:
HOW I GOT LOST is the heartbreaking yet hopeful story of Andrew and Jake, two friends dealing with loss amidst events bigger than them. Andrew is the friend we all have, the one who convinces you to come along despite your better judgment. Talented but with seemingly nothing to lose, his tailspin is balanced only by his professional drive to succeed as a trader on Wall Street. His best friend Jake, broken-hearted and writing sports instead of fiction, does his best to clean up the mess his friend creates until he runs into his capricious ex, Sarah again. So Andrew convinces him to ditch New York and hit the road, going nowhere. They commandeer a cab to Philadelphia, where they borrow Andrews moms station wagon. But when their car runs out of gas in the middle of Pennsylvania, Andrew reveals the real reason for the trip -- his father has died, and he doesn't think he can make it through the funeral alone.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 309
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, sincere, captivating, contemplative
Similar in 90%
Not Waving But Drowning (2012)
Plot Summary:
Not Waving But Drowning is a chronological look at growing up, formed from two different stories. The two sets of friends represent the American dilemma between what you have known and what you hope to know; the tear between longing for the past and the desire to explore.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 431
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, atmospheric, touching, captivating, sincere, serious, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 88%
Third Star (2010)
Plot Summary:
James and his three closest lifelong friends go on an ill-advised trip to the stunning coastal area of Barafundle Bay in West Wales. What follows is a touching and comical adventure dealing with friendship, heroism and love.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: humorous, emotional, contemplative, uplifting, touching, realistic, semi serious, sad, thought provoking, road movie
Similar in 89%
Now & Later (2011)
Plot Summary:
Sex, politics and American culture are mixed into a combustible combination in Now & Later. Angela is an illegal Latina immigrant living in Los Angeles who stumbles across Bill, a disgraced banker on the run. She takes him in. Through passionate sex, soul-searching conversations ranging from politics to philosophy, and other worldly pleasures, Angela introduces Bill to another worldview. As their affair heats up, the course of Bill's life begins to take an abrupt and unexpected turn.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative, talky, sexy, art house, explicit, sensual, gloomy
Similar in 81%
Me and Will (1999)
Plot Summary:
Two women with a passion for motorcycles meet while going through rehab. When they discover they've both longed to ride Captain America's red, white, and blue chopper from Easy Rider, they escape the rehab clinic and hit the highway in search of their dream bike.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 522
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: road movie, independent film, sincere, touching, offbeat, humorous, realistic, contemplative, semi serious
Similar in 88%
3 Nights in the Desert (2014)
Plot Summary:
Three former band mates enter a cave after hearing it has the power to give them what they need. As unsettling desires rise to the surface, they all wonder if the cave has real power.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, talky, serious, realistic, minimal cast, independent film
Similar in 84%
The Lie (2011)
Plot Summary:
A man's life is altered unexpectedly after telling a lie to get out of work.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 735
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: realistic, psychological, mumblecore, captivating, contemplative, touching, humorous, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 90%
Brother to Brother (2004)
Plot Summary:
A drama that looks back on the Harlem Renaissance from the perspective of an elderly, black writer who meets a gay teenager in a New York homeless shelter.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, thought provoking, touching, realistic, captivating, social, contemplative, queer cinema
Similar in 80%
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Plot Summary:
A driver and a mechanic travel around the United States hopping from drag strip to drag strip in a 1955 Chevy Bel-Air coupe. They race for money, betting with their competitors. The pair gain a young and talkative female stowaway. Along the way they unintentionally attract a well-to-do drifter driving a new Pontiac GTO. This older man, looking for attention, antagonizes their efforts.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: road movie, meditative, atmospheric, grindhouse, disturbing, serious, realistic, cult classic, existential, independent film
Similar in 87%
A Cooler Climate (1999)
Plot Summary:
Iris is broke after her divorce and takes a job working as a housekeeper for a wealthy woman named Paula. When Paula and her husband separate, an unlikely friendship blossoms between the women.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 702
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: independent film, psychological, sentimental, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, contemplative, talky
Similar in 82%
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Plot Summary:
A drop-out from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil-rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: road movie, serious, realistic, thought provoking, captivating, cynical, cerebral, cult classic, philosophical, existential
Similar in 85%
Last Orders (2001)
Plot Summary:
Jack Dodd was a London butcher who enjoyed a pint with his mates for over 50 years. When he died, he died as he lived, with a smile on his face watching a horse race on which he had bet, with borrowed money. But before he died he had a final request, 'Last Orders', that his ashes be scattered in the sea at Margate. The movie follows his mates, Ray, Lenny and Vic and his foster son Vince as they journey to the sea with the ashes. Along the way, the threads of their lives, their loves and their disappointments are woven together in their memories of Jack and his wife Amy.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, realistic, talky, atmospheric, sincere, serious, emotional, contemplative, road movie
Similar in 88%
Gerry (2002)
Plot Summary:
Two friends named Gerry become lost in the desert after taking a wrong turn. Their attempts to find their way home only lead them into further trouble.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA, Argentina
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: surreal, minimal cast, art house, enigmatic, melancholic, disturbing, captivating, visual, mindfuck, independent film
Similar in 86%
The Last Year (2002)
Plot Summary:
Paul's homosexual affair at Bible College with a new student named Alex sets tongues wagging, mostly with un-Christian reactions. The dean, himself a closet case, threatens to expel Paul, and the football jocks have their eye on Alex. The church confessional is sure to be busy as spirituality and sexuality clash in this movie based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 399
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: emotional, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, sexual, independent film, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 87%
Wendy and Lucy (2008)
Plot Summary:
Wendy, a near-penniless drifter, is traveling to Alaska in search of work, and her only companion is her dog, Lucy. Already perilously close to losing everything, Wendy hits a bigger bump in the road when her old car breaks down and she is arrested for shoplifting dog food. When she posts bail and returns to retrieve Lucy, she finds that the dog is gone, prompting a frantic search for her pet.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: touching, sad, road movie, psychological, realistic, emotional, meditative, talky, stylized, sincere
Similar in 77%
Scarecrow (1973)
Plot Summary:
Two drifters bum around, visit earthy women and discuss opening a car wash in Pittsburgh.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: road movie, atmospheric, emotional, sincere, touching, depressing, anamorphic, cult classic, serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Plot Summary:
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a gay hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 61000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: road movie, cult classic, surreal, art house, lgbt cinema, touching, serious, captivating, melancholic, independent film
Similar in 81%
Rain Man (1988)
Plot Summary:
Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 538000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: road movie, sincere, uplifting, touching, inspirational, emotional, psychological, captivating, clever, social