Best movies like The Handyman
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
One of Canada's talented directors, actress Micheline Lanctot expresses an effective, engaging approach in this simple, poignant drama about Armand (Jocelyn Berube), a handyman with one problem romance after another. The quiet Armand settles into Montreal after his wife has left him and before long, he continues the momentum when an ill-considered liaison with a nubile woman ends on her insistence. Next, Armand gives his heart to a frustrated housewife, though this decision is hardly well thought out. In the meantime, a gay man who rents out a room in his apartment has unfulfilled longings directed at the unsuspecting handyman. L'Homme a Tout Faire won a Silver Medal for "Best Picture" at the 1980 San Sebastian Film Festival.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 106
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like The Handyman (1980):
Similar in 90%
Eclipse (1994)
Plot Summary:
A round of unerotic sexual couplings in Toronto, interspersed with interviews about an impending total eclipse.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 212
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada, Germany
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: independent film, documentary filmmaking
Similar in 76%
Heavenly Bodies (1984)
Plot Summary:
A small "Dance-ercize" studio fights for its existence against the unscrupulous owner of a rival club. The conflict boils down to a "Dance Marathon" to settle the score.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 887
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 82%
Fag Hag (1992)
Plot Summary:
A straight young woman living in Tokyo becomes involved in the lives of a gay man and his married lover.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 221
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: crying, weeping
Similar in 82%
Split Image (1982)
Plot Summary:
An impressionable young man finds himself literally enslaved by a modern-day religious cult. In an effort to bring him back to reality, the boy's parents hire a deprogrammer to kidnap him and return him to his family.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: spiritual, retro, independent film, weird
Similar in 85%
Lies My Father Told Me (1975)
Plot Summary:
A Jewish boy grows up in 1920s Montreal with a grandfather who tells stories and a father who won't work.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 573
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 90%
Your Three Minutes Are Up (1973)
Plot Summary:
Charlie is a sad sack of a man, working at a depressingly dull office job and stuck in a passionless engagement to a neurotic woman. One of the few bright spots in his life is his friend Mike, who seems to be living a life of carefree bohemianism.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 158
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: road movie, independent film
Similar in 83%
Unfinished Business (1984)
Plot Summary:
Seventeen year old Izzy Marks lives in Toronto with her divorced mother and finds her life boring and directionless. Meant to be a sequel to Don Owen's acclaimed 1964 film "Nobody Waved Good-bye", "Unfinished Business" looks at life two decades later for Peter and Julie's (Peter Kastner and Julie Biggs) daughter Isabelle "Izzy" Marks (Isabelle Mejias). Curious, funny and intelligent, 17 year old Izzy feels the frustrations of her limiting environment and the pull of a more exciting, larger world. She meets passionate anarchist wannabe Jessie 'Fixit' (Peter Spence) and is quickly drawn into his free living alternative lifestyle. Much to the displeasure of her once free-thinking parents and friends.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 43
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 81%
A Summer Story (1988)
Plot Summary:
A bittersweet tale of lost love, based on a short story ("The Apple Tree") by John Galsworthy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: period piece, independent film, sentimental, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, period drama
Similar in 78%
Nobody Waved Goodbye (1964)
Plot Summary:
18 year-old Peter lives with his parents in a middle-class Toronto suburb and rebels constantly against their imposed middle-class goals and conventions and the materialist values they represent. He constantly mocks and belittles his family with his only real ally being his girlfriend Julie. Peter's relationship with his parents reaches its boiling point when he borrows his father's new car without permission and is left by him to spend the night in jail after Peter is arrested for reckless driving. Peter runs away from home and moves into a rooming house, and eventually gets a shady job as a parking attendant. His relationship with Julie becomes exponentially more complicated and he finally realizes that being alone in the real world is much harder than he ever imagined.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 326
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 87%
Fast Talking (1984)
Plot Summary:
A bright young teenager from a broken home uses his quick wits and glib tongue to get out of trouble - but they also get him into it.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 146
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: independent film, detective
Similar in 78%
Crazy Moon (1987)
Plot Summary:
1987 Canadian film starring the then relatively unknown Kiefer Sutherland as Brooks, an eccentric rich kid, with a fondness for big band music, bow ties and taking strange photographs who one day whilst stealing a mannequin from a clothes store, meets Anne, a free-spirited, young deaf girl who works in the shop. It's a meeting that will transform his life. As their friendship blossoms he starts to learn sign-language and she helps him to conquer his fear of water but with a bullying brother, insensitive overbearing father and his father's peculiar new girlfriend alll pressurising him to be 'normal' will Brooks be able to break free from their boundaries and his own fears and limitations to find the meaning of true and selfless love.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 677
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 80%
Ticket to Heaven (1981)
Plot Summary:
David is a young man seduced by a religious cult that uses starvation, exhaustion, and brainwashing to mold recruits into money hustling disciples of a messiah-like leader. Chronicles David's chilling transformation into a gaunt, mindless shadow of his former self...and his ultimate salvation when friends and family launch a plan to kidnap and deprogram him.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 862
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, thought provoking, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 79%
The FJ Holden (1977)
Plot Summary:
Suburban Australia in the late 70s. It was the era of the drive-in movie, the Chico Roll girl and the beloved FJ Holden. Boasting drunken fist fights, back seat sex, illegal drag racing, a classic Oz rock soundtrack (featuring Ol'55, Skyhooks and Renee Geyer) and the screen debut of future star Sigrid Thornton. THE FJ HOLDEN forged a strong connection with 70s mainstream youth audiences and today.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 257
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: road movie, independent film, cult film
Similar in 90%
The Fourth Wish (1976)
Plot Summary:
The poignant struggle of a man to grant his terminally ill son three wishes - and the obstacles cast in his way of achieving this goal.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 106
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: crying, independent film, juvenile
Similar in 88%
Hitting Home (1988)
Plot Summary:
Canadian businesswoman Dinah Middleton's is devastated when her teenage son, Alex, is killed by a hit-and-run driver. When the police fail to turn up any suspects, she turns private detective to track the killer down. She traces the murderer to New York, only to discover that the crime is not covered by the extradition treaty between Canada and the US. She becomes obsessed with bringing the criminal to justice.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 139
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, independent film
Similar in 84%
The Custodian (1993)
Plot Summary:
Det. Quinlan has left his alcoholic wife, sprouting a bloom of insecurity, anger and self-motivation within him to expose the corrupt police force that surrounds him. He abandons his 'straight' life to partner in crime with his co-worker, Det. Church, in order to get on the inside of the circle of double-agents. He sides privately with a reporter, Reynolds, and an Internal Affairs lawyer, Ferguson, to expose them to the press. Once they have gathered enough information, all the corrupt police, including the newly recruited Quinlan are arrested. Ferguson then works to get Quinlan a reduced sentence for helping them.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 367
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: neo noir, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film, detective
Similar in 84%
Fire with Fire (1986)
Plot Summary:
A young woman from a Catholic school and a young man from a nearby prison camp fall in love and run away together to escape the law, the church and their parents.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: romantic, sexy, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 81%
Native Son (1986)
Plot Summary:
In 1940s Chicago, a young black man takes a job as a chauffeur to a white family, which takes a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills the teenage daughter of the couple and then tries to cover it up.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 617
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: independent film, serious, emotional, realistic, suspenseful, gloomy, biting, sexy, thought provoking, clever
Similar in 82%
Goin' Down the Road (1970)
Plot Summary:
Story of desolation as two friends travel from Nova Scotia to Toronto in hope of finding a better life. Drifting from job to job: bottling plant, car wash, bowling alley, newspaper delivery, and in between enjoying the night life of the big city. Their previous life is looking better all the time. This movie is a time capsule of Toronto's Yonge Street - record stores (defunct A&A's), bars, and old neighbourhood side streets.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 967
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: disturbing, independent film, sentimental, sincere, thought provoking, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 86%
By the Sea (2015)
Plot Summary:
Set in France during the mid-1970s, Vanessa, a former dancer, and her husband Roland, an American writer, travel the country together. They seem to be growing apart, but when they linger in one quiet, seaside town they begin to draw close to some of its more vibrant inhabitants, such as a local bar/café-keeper and a hotel owner.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Malta, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: psychological, depressing, melancholic, scenic, artsy, erotic, sexy, thought provoking, cult classic, aesthetic
Similar in 83%
The River (2001)
Plot Summary:
Episodic study of feelings where six stories intertwine over one Saturday in a small town. Two boys save a young woman, Anni, and her baby from suicide by drowning. Esa, a down-on-his-luck musician in need of a loan, arrives to his father's 60th birthday party. Waitress Leena tries to stir up a romance between her co-workers at a pizza parlor. Middle-aged Ilpo comes home early from the paper mill and finds a strange man in their bedroom. Old Milja waits for her daughter Merja at the hospital where she is visiting her terminally ill husband Henri. Teenage Santeri tries to cope with his homosexuality.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 845
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Finland
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, realistic, captivating, suspense, anthology, crying, freeze frame
Similar in 90%
Wedding in White (1972)
Plot Summary:
A young girl's brother comes home from the army, and brings an army buddy with him. The three of them go out that night to celebrate, and after much drinking has been done, the brother's friend rapes the sister. After the two men have gone back, the girl finds that she's pregnant--and discovers that her parents don't blame the soldier, but blame her.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 371
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: crying, independent film
Similar in 84%
The Crossing (1990)
Plot Summary:
A single day. To challenge the past. To accept the present. To decide the future. Sam arrives in his home town after 18 months away, hopeful that Meg, the girlfriend he abandoned, will go back with him to the city. His return brings the outside world into the parochial confines of the town, provoking mixed reactions which fuel conflict. Meg, heartbroken when Sam left her, has begun an affair with Sam's friend Johnny. On the eve of Sam's arrival, Johnny asks Meg to marry him. The marriage proposal, along with Sam's unexpected return, forces Meg to choose not only between the two men but also the type of life she wants. The conflicting loyalties and emotions generated by the triangle provide the focus for an array of inter-related characters enmeshed in the life of this country town. There is a feeling of impending tragedy as night falls and Johnny becomes increasingly desparate.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 642
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, crying, independent film
Similar in 76%
Heatwave (1982)
Plot Summary:
A woman attempts to stop a redevelopment plot which she thought was the cover-up for fraud and other criminal activity.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 410
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: neo noir, retro, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, independent film, detective
Similar in 88%
Lonely Hearts (1982)
Plot Summary:
In this offbeat comedy, an unlikely romance develops between a flamboyant, middle-aged piano tuner and an extremely timid office worker.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 378
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Australia
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, semi serious, crying, independent film
Similar in 75%
Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train (1998)
Plot Summary:
Friends of painter Jean-Baptiste Emmerich gather at a Paris railroad station for a four-hour journey to Limoges, where Emmerich wanted to be buried. The dozen travelers include art historian François and his lover Louis, who develops an interest in teenage Bruno. Traveling parallel with the train is a station wagon with Jean-Baptiste's body, and this vehicle is driven by Thierry, husband of Catherine, who's on the train with their daughter. François plays a taped interview with Jean-Baptiste, revealing his sexual appeal to both men and women. Lucie is convinced that she was his main love. Also on board is his nephew, Jean-Marie and Jean-Marie's estranged wife Claire. After the funeral in "Europe's largest cemetery," the story continues in the mansion of Jean-Baptiste's brother Lucien.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: erotic, sexy, psychological, realistic, talky, anthology, touching, serious, crying, romantic
Similar in 90%
Little Lili (2003)
Plot Summary:
This film, loosely inspired by Anton Chekov's The Seagull, weaves a story about sex, family and the business of making films. When the young and overly sensitive filmmaker Julien screens his new DV art-film starring his girlfriend Lili (Swimming Pool's Ludivine Sagnier) --a sexy young local girl--to his famous actress mother Mado, and her lover Brice, an accomplished film director, an unraveling of the delicate peace in their house begins. The graceful beauty Lili, who dreams of becoming a famous actress like Mado, is immediately fascinated by Brice, who gladly falls prey to her charms.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: France, Canada
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, clever, touching, erotic, contemplative, sexual, crying, sexy
Similar in 88%
Lianna (1983)
Plot Summary:
A happily married woman comes to realize herself of being a repressed lesbian after she has an affair with a female college professor, and then tries to come to terms with her newfound lifestyle.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: sensual, cult classic, independent film, sincere, touching, realistic, sexual, serious, sexy, queer cinema
Similar in 84%
Better Than Sex (2000)
Plot Summary:
After a one-night stand a couple is faced with the terrifying possibility of what they really want.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Australia, France
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sexy, emotional, erotic, humorous, witty, clever, talky, sexual, intense, realistic
Similar in 75%
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (2014)
Plot Summary:
A New York couple's relationship is tested after the loss of their child. This film is the wide-released combination of the original two :him and :her volumes that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: independent film, psychological, meditative, surreal, sincere, touching, crying, sad, eros, cute