Best movies like The Dinner
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An evening at an Italian restaurant. Hosted by tolerant and relaxed Flora, various parties of middle-class people come in -- large and small, young and old, regulars and tourists, married and single -- to dine, converse, argue, celebrate, make confessions; to overhear other people's discussions, to interrupt them, to sing, listen to music, and enjoy life. The camera, just like the people, moves constantly from table to table, into the kitchen and the back room to observe the staff's petty jealousies and frustrations -- until two hours later it's time for everybody to go home.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: sincere, clever, humorous, realistic, contemplative, talky, semi serious, biting, suspense
Best tv shows and movies like The Dinner (1998):
Similar in 81%
We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974)
Plot Summary:
Gianni, Nicola and Antonio become close friends in 1944 while fighting the Nazis. After the end of the war, full of illusions, they settle down. The movie is a the story of the life of these three idealists and how they deal with the inevitable disillusionments of life.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: sad, touching, realistic, semi serious, italian comedy
Similar in 76%
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 79%
The Last New Year's Eve (1998)
Plot Summary:
New year's eve at "The Islands" condos. An aging countess's party is crashed by the soccer team from her gigolo's town. While dressing for a dinner party, the wealthy Guilia discovers her husband's affair with her best friend and vows revenge. Next door, a family prepares their vintage Dodge for a drive through the streets. A call girl ties up a lawyer while, unbeknownst to him, three men await the right moment to break into his office. Across the hall, a woman downs pills in a lonely suicide attempt. Two young men hide out in a bedroom smoking dope; one of them has some dynamite. As midnight approaches, each group draws closer to grotesque tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, suspenseful, sexy, dark comedy, offbeat, controversial, splatter, grotesque
Similar in 76%
Bread and Chocolate (1974)
Plot Summary:
Italian immigrant tries to become a member of Swiss society but fails as a waiter and even as a chicken plucker. He then becomes involved with shady wealthy character and tries to hide his Italian identity. He refuses to give up no matter how awful his situation.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, black comedy, funny, inspirational, sexy, thought provoking, touching, enigmatic
Similar in 87%
Next Door (1994)
Plot Summary:
Matt and Karen have inconsiderate neighbours whose lawn sprinkler drowns their flowers. A feud errupts and a series of tit-for-tat actions develop and escalate.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 771
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical, semi serious, slapstick, biting, suspense
Similar in 75%
Tickets (2005)
Plot Summary:
A train travels across Italy toward Rome. On board is a professor who daydreams a conversation with a love that never was, a family of Albanian refugees who switch trains and steal a ticket, three brash Scottish soccer fans en route to a match, and a complaining widow traveling to a memorial service for her late husband who's accompanied by a community-service volunteer who's assisting her. Interactions among these Europeans turn on class and nationalism, courtesy and rudeness, and opportunities for kindness.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy, UK
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, humorous, semi serious, anthology, road movie, islamic, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 75%
The Terrace (1980)
Plot Summary:
Drama about the difficulties of a group of people trying to change their lives. A group of people gathers in a terrace in Rome . Some are friends, some know each other and others just meet for the first time. All are intellectual and belong to the middle class.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: captivating, satirical, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, contemplative, talky, cynical, non-linear
Similar in 76%
Mid-August Lunch (2008)
Plot Summary:
Gianni is a middle-aged man living in Rome with his imposing and demanding elderly mother. His only outlet from her and the increasing debt into which they are sinking, are the increasingly frequent quiet sessions at the local tavern. As an Oriental saying goes, 'Moments of crisis are moments of opportunities'. These appear during the celebration of the holiday of Ferragosto on 15 August. That's when everybody leaves town to have fun. Opportunity knocks on Gianni's door in the most unexpected way.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: feel good, talky, semi serious, clever, touching, humorous, realistic, culinary
Similar in 90%
Estomago: A Gastronomic Story (2007)
Plot Summary:
In a dog-eat-dog world, Raimundo Nonato has found an alternative way to move ahead: he cooks. No matter what social strata this deceptively innocent young man inhabits, he hones his skills and sharpens his knives—and then he falls in love. Jorge's nimble comic fable provides a smartly constructed gastronomic allegory for ambition and survival.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Brazil, Italy
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: sincere, humorous, semi serious, captivating, dark comedy, culinary, realistic
Similar in 89%
Let It Rain (2008)
Plot Summary:
Agnes Jaoui plays a local political candidate Agathe Villanova, who returns to her childhood home in the south of France in order to help her sister Florence (Pascale Arbillot) sort through their recently deceased mother's belongings. While she's there, the son (Jamel Debbouze as Karim) of family maid (Mimouna Hadji) takes advantage of her presence and attempts to interview her as part of a documentary about successful women that he's undertaken with his film school teacher, Michel (co-writer Jean-Pierre Bacri). However, Michel's intentions aren't quite what they seem, as he's having an affair with Florence and hoping to persuade her to leave her husband.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, sincere, talky, semi serious, sexy, contemplative, biting, suspense
Similar in 88%
Cooking with Stella (2009)
Plot Summary:
A woman cooks for clients and tries to keep her thefts of food and money from being discovered.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 321
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada, India
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: clever, realistic, feel good, humorous, semi serious, intercultural, uplifting, inter cultural
Similar in 88%
Tomorrow's Another Day (2000)
Plot Summary:
Such an inconsequential event - the unfortunate purchase of a package of cling film - reveals the character and behavior of a small group of individuals caught up in the chaos of today's society. Though it creates arguments and inner questioning, this event - and its various consequences - also creates bonds.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 535
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, clever, offbeat
Similar in 78%
Eating (1990)
Plot Summary:
At a spacious house in Los Angeles, Helene is turning 40-years old and her friends whom include French filmmaker Martine, house guest Sophie, and Lydia throw her a party. But also there is Kate a friend turning 30, and Sadie a Hollywood film agent turning 50. So, all of Helene's, Kate's, and Sadie's friends arrive for the party where Martine films the events with her movie camera and the shocking secrets revealed by Helene's mother Whitney, and her younger sister Nancy whom confide in their interviews about their obsession with food, and their roles in life.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 317
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: independent film, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, contemplative, talky, semi serious
Similar in 81%
The Cost of Living (2003)
Plot Summary:
Une héritière qui n'arrive pas à hériter, un radin qui ne peut rien dépenser, un petit garçon qui trouve un billet dans la rue, un restaurateur prodigue qui ne fait que donner... Tels sont, entre autres, les personnages de ce film "choral". Pourquoi certains dépensent-ils de manière convulsive là où d'autres retiennent l'argent comme la partie la plus vitale de leur être ? On croit parler d'argent, mais c'est d'amour dont il s'agit.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 659
Genere: Comedy
Country: France
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: clever, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 90%
All Against All (2013)
Plot Summary:
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IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 366
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sincere, humorous, realistic, semi serious, biting, suspense
Similar in 77%
Ugly, Dirty and Bad (1976)
Plot Summary:
Giacinto lives with his wife, their ten children and various other family members in a shack on the hills of Rome. Some time ago he has lost his left eye while at work, and got a consistent sum of money from the insurance company, which he keeps hidden from the rest of the family. His whole life is now based on defending the money he sees as his own, while the rest of the family tries to kill him.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: black comedy, dark comedy, dark, disturbing, humorous, realistic, political, social, controversial, art house
Similar in 84%
Night Bus (2014)
Plot Summary:
The passengers on the Night Bus have many different stories -- some are lovers, some have dark secrets, some are looking for a fight, others are just trying to get through the night.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 384
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, humorous, semi serious, realistic, contemplative, talky
Similar in 79%
Career Girls (1997)
Plot Summary:
Two young women reunite and rekindle their friendship after having said goodbye at their college graduation, six years earlier.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, France
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: cult classic, realistic, witty, talky, independent film, art house, sincere, touching, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Intrepido: A Lonely Hero (2013)
Plot Summary:
A middle-aged man tries to get by in Milan while trying to retain his dignity.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 738
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, touching, realistic, light, feel good
Similar in 89%
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 79%
18 Meals (2010)
Plot Summary:
Food, glorious food! Some of the most sumptuous and involving films revolve around that most common of acts: eating. 18 MEALS is an omnibus film of criss-crossing stories divided into three segments; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Jorge Coira's debut feature, shot over nine days in Santiago de Compostela has enough tasty portions to please audiences. Amongst Coira's expansive ensemble are aging street musician Edu, a pair awaking from a one-night stand, a businessman visiting his closeted homosexual brother and a lonely housewife, Sol. Victor and Sol are two of 18 MEALS' most fascinating characters as they each hide something - his sexuality, her depression - from those around them. Best of all is Pedro Alsono as Vladimir, a local celebrity actor who makes a meal for a mystery woman who never arrives. Who hasn't gone to a lot of trouble to do something extra special for someone just to have it go unappreciated?.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 539
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Spain, Argentina
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: realistic, sincere, humorous, semi serious, culinary, feel good
Similar in 82%
Soul Kitchen (2009)
Plot Summary:
SOUL KITCHEN film centers on a likable but hopelessly disorganized restauranteur, Zinos, whose cafe is second home to a motley crew of lovable eccentrics. When his girlfriend Nadine up and moves to Shanghai, a love-sick Zinos decides to fly after her, leaving his restaurant in the hands of his unreliable ex-con brother Illias. Both decisions turn out disastrous: Illias gambles away the restaurant to a shady real estate agent, and Zinos finds Nadine with a new lover. If the brothers can stop arguing and get it together, the Soul Kitchen might still have one last chance at staying in business. The mayhem that follows is a hilariously entertaining story of self-realization, set to an irresistibly soulful soundtrack.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Germany, France, Italy
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: talky, feel good, funny, entertaining, humorous, semi serious, visually appealing, culinary, realistic, inspirational
Similar in 83%
Entry Level (2007)
Plot Summary:
After losing his restaurant, chef CLAY MAGUIRE must start his career all over--at the bottom. Pushing forty with no "corporate skill-set", Clay enters the strange world of the Unemployable Interviewees of America. Clay and his fellow job-seekers strive for dignity, success, or at least a job taking customer service calls from prison inmates for minimum wage. A hilarious, insightful look at job interviews, finding the courage to start all over, and life at the ENTRY LEVEL.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 390
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 75%
Either Way (2011)
Plot Summary:
Icelandic drama about two remote road-workers.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 631
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Iceland
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: humorous, atmospheric, contemplative, captivating, psychological, offbeat, realistic, talky, semi serious
Similar in 78%
Family Resemblances (1996)
Plot Summary:
An upper middle-class French family celebrates a birthday in a restaurant. In one evening and during one meal, family history, tensions, collective and separate grudges, delights, and memories both clash and coalesce.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: witty, talky, humorous, realistic, dark comedy, sincere, culinary, clever, offbeat, semi serious
Similar in 89%
Kamome Diner (2006)
Plot Summary:
Where are we welcome? On a quiet street in Helsinki, Sachie has opened a diner featuring rice balls. For a month she has no customers. Then, in short order, she has her first customer, meets Midori, a gangly Japanese tourist, and invites her to stay with her, and meets Masako, a formal and ethereal middle-aged woman whose luggage has gone missing. The three women work in the diner, interact, and serve customers. A somewhat brusque man teaches Sachie to make delicious coffee, then he returns under other circumstances. Three neighborhood women inspect the empty diner every day; will anything bring them inside? The number of customers gradually increases, but the diner seems to attract only those with problems. Conversation with Sachie and the tasty food seem to resolve people's woes. We learn why Sachie serves rice balls; but why Finland?.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: sentimental, atmospheric, touching, humorous, semi serious, sincere, captivating, independent film, offbeat, realistic
Similar in 79%
Seven Days of Grace (2006)
Plot Summary:
Four women - a blonde, a hippie, a lesbian and a barmaid - are looking for love, money and success. When one inherits an Italian restaurant from her father, they see this as a chance to fulfil their dreams. Then the restaurant is in danger of closing down - and the girls pull out all the stops to save it.
IMDB Rating: 3.4
IMDB Votes: 125
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: semi serious, humorous, realistic, light, feel good, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 84%
The Trip to Italy (2014)
Plot Summary:
Years after their successful restaurant review tour of Northern Britain, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are commissioned for a new tour in Italy.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: humorous, melancholic, semi serious, witty, talky, road movie, independent film, realistic, contemplative, mockumentary
Similar in 82%
Love's Kitchen (2011)
Plot Summary:
Rob Haley (Dougray Scott), an up-and-coming chef and restaurateur in London, is grief-stricken when he loses his wife. With encouragement from his infamous friend and real life TV Chef Gordon Ramsay, Rob decides to spice up his life by turning a run-down country pub into a gourmet restaurant. His food catches the eye - and taste buds - of beautiful American food critic Kate Templeton (Claire Forlani) and they soon both write a recipe for love that leaves both their hearts - and their stomachs - in full.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, semi serious, culinary, realistic
Similar in 83%
Le Chef (2012)
Plot Summary:
A veteran chef faces off against his restaurant group's new CEO, who wants to the establishment to lose a star from its rating in order to bring in a younger chef who specializes in molecular gastronomy.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France, Spain
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: light, sentimental, funny, touching, sweet, feel good, humorous, culinary, social, happy