Best movies like The Motel
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to The Motel? Leverage your insights to direct others toward tv series and films you've already viewed that might likewise intrigue them. Assist in growing the cohort of people bringing up videos between each other. We value your contribution!
Plot Summary:
Thirteen-year-old Ernest Chin lives and works at a sleazy hourly-rate motel on a strip of desolate suburban bi-way. Misunderstood by his family and blindly careening into puberty, Ernest befriends Sam Kim, a self-destructive yet charismatic Korean man who has checked in. Sam teaches the fatherless boy all the rites of manhood.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, sincere, touching, realistic, independent film
Best tv shows and movies like The Motel (2005):
Similar in 85%
Pushing Hands (1991)
Plot Summary:
The story is about an elderly Chinese tai chi chuan teacher and grandfather who emigrates from Beijing to live with his son, American daughter-in-law, and grandson in a New York City suburb. The grandfather is increasingly distanced from the family as a "fish out of water" in Western culture.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Taiwan, USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, spiritual, art house, sentimental, sincere, realistic, semi serious, light, thought provoking
Similar in 83%
Lifelines (2008)
Plot Summary:
Comedy - Lifelines examines an extraordinarily stressful day in the life of a dysfunctional suburban family. Mom Nancy, a schoolteacher, is unable to handle the constant barrage of hostility from her three children. Husband Ira is ineffectual in helping his wife with her anxiety. Older son Mikey is barely able to express himself. Middle child Meghan flouts whatever restrictions her parents place on her, and youngest child Spencer, needs to be handcuffed to the car just to participate in family outings. - Jane Adams, Josh Pais, Joe Morton.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 129
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, touching, emotional, realistic
Similar in 75%
The Misfortunates (2009)
Plot Summary:
13-year-old Gunther Strobbe grows up surrounded by alcohol, trash and his completely useless father and uncles. Slowly but surely, he's being prepared for the same hapless life. Can he defy his destiny?.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Belgium, Netherlands
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, semi serious, sentimental, humorous, realistic, dark comedy, epic, disturbing, comedy drama
Similar in 83%
The Good Life (2007)
Plot Summary:
A story about a mostly normal young man who makes the most out of fitting in when he obviously doesn't.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: sincere, semi serious, humorous, realistic, captivating, cult classic, whimsical
Similar in 87%
Daddy Longlegs (2009)
Plot Summary:
After months of living a solitary existence, Lenny, 34, picks up his kids from school. Every year he spends a couple of weeks with his sons Sage, 9, and Frey, 7. Lenny hosts his kids within a midtown studio apartment in New York City. During these two weeks, he must figure out if he wants to act as their father or be their friend. Ultimately, their trip upstate results in complete lawlessness taking over their lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: mumblecore, humorous, semi serious, sincere, realistic, inspirational, independent film, sentimental
Similar in 78%
Good Fences (2003)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 1970s, Tom Spader is an attorney who is determined to end what he has dubbed "the colored man's losing streak." When his winning of a high-profile case thrusts him into the limelight, he decides to moves his wife and their two kids out of their mixed lower-middle-class town and into the posh enclave of Greenwich, Connecticut.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 876
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, black comedy, biting, suspense
Similar in 75%
The Best Thief in the World (2004)
Plot Summary:
Izzy, the youngest son of a troubled New York family, takes a shine to breaking into people's apartments as a way to get attention.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 544
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, emotional, realistic, independent film, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 79%
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 75%
Mama's Boy (2007)
Plot Summary:
A twenty-nine year-old slacker who lives with his mom realizes his sweet set-up is threatened when she hears wedding bells with her self-help guru beau.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, light
Similar in 77%
You Wont Miss Me (2009)
Plot Summary:
A kaleidoscopic film portrait of Shelly Brown, a twenty-three year-old alienated urban misfit recently released from a psychiatric hospital.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 355
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: mumblecore, psychological, realistic, humorous, captivating, independent film, sincere, bleak, emotional, semi serious
Similar in 83%
Norman (2010)
Plot Summary:
A teenager pretends to be dying from cancer as a way to cope with the realities of his daily existence and his father's terminal illness.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: humorous, emotional, tragicomedy, semi serious, sincere, touching, realistic, gloomy, independent film
Similar in 84%
Defying Gravity (2008)
Plot Summary:
Cassandra, a mute runaway girl, takes refuge in the cemetery in which her mother is laid to rest. She is watched over by Jorge, the cemetery caretaker, an illegal alien who is committed to the restoration of a classic '60 cadillac hearse. Shore is a dynamic, handsome, and brilliant young man who also happens to be homeless. After almost hitting Cassandra in his dilapidated VW bus, he becomes fascinated by the gothic cemetery waif and attempts to befriend her. A sequence of events results in Cass getting lost. Jorge and Shore flee the cemetery in a stolen hearse to find Cassandra before her abusive step-father does. All paths lead to Yermo - the site of a roadside diner and a feisty but compassionate transvestite waitress named Lola.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 152
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, offbeat, independent film, campy
Similar in 88%
Funeral Kings (2012)
Plot Summary:
It's always a good day for a funeral at St. Mark's Middle School. Andy and Charlie, two altar servers, don't just get to miss class anytime a parishioner kicks the bucket, they cut out early and play hooky as soon as the service is over. Eventually their irreverent personalities will put them in a situation that is too big for them to handle.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, captivating, psychological, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 85%
Crossing the Bridge (1992)
Plot Summary:
A film about three high school friends who find their happy-go-lucky existence tarnished forever the instant they get embroiled in a drug-running scheme that goes awry. When things start getting messy, they rue the day they agreed to the venture; instead of smuggling weed from Canada to Detroit, which they'd expected, the threesome's forced to traffic a huge stash of heroin.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 931
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 81%
The Great Wall Is a Great Wall (1986)
Plot Summary:
When computer programmer, Leo Fang, is passed up for promotion, he feels it is because he is Chinese, and quits. He takes his Chinese-American family to Mainland China to visit his relatives, the Chao's for a vacation. The clash of cultures, between the men, wives, and teenagers, leads to some confusion, and misunderstanding.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 447
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, China
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, independent film
Similar in 86%
Mo (2007)
Plot Summary:
Every kid wants to be cool and fit in - life's a blast even when you're different. When Mo's reflection is revealed, he sees a body that doesn't quite resemble any of his peers. Here, he tells the tale of his youth, growing up on the south shore of Long Island, New York.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 222
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, feel good, semi serious, offbeat, humorous, realistic
Similar in 77%
As Cool as I Am (2013)
Plot Summary:
A smart teenage girl comes of age in a small town with her self-centered parents who had her when they were teenagers.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, semi serious, realistic, independent film, vintage
Similar in 77%
The Rainbow Tribe (2008)
Plot Summary:
Morgan Roberts, a middle aged adult in crisis, reunites with his best friend when he returns to the summer camp of his youth. His troubles seem to magnify when he is joined by a rag-tag group of 10 year old campers. Through their struggles they collectively overcome their personal problems and exchange them for one of the best summers of their lives. is.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 715
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: Czech Republic, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, semi serious, realistic, slapstick
Similar in 87%
LOL (2006)
Plot Summary:
The relationships of three men are examined through their use of technology.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 910
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: mumblecore, sincere, humorous, talky, clever, touching, offbeat, realistic, witty, semi serious
Similar in 78%
Quitters (2015)
Plot Summary:
Quitters tells the story of the Raymans, a wealthy Jewish family that's falling apart. The son, Clark, is a bright and curious high schooler with a talent for manipulation. As his mother May enters treatment for a pill addiction, and he and his father Roger stop getting along, Clark thinks about running away from home. He just needs to decide where to go.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 271
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, captivating, independent film
Similar in 90%
Isn't It Delicious (2013)
Plot Summary:
When Joan Weldon discovers she is dying of lung cancer, she sets out to reconcile her dysfunctional relationships with her three children, her husband, and along the way, her former best friend. The family's destructive ways are offset by messy and somewhat humorous attempts by Joan to set her children on the right course before she dies. In this big dysfunctional mix, they will all learn to connect in their own ways, and realize on their own terms what life is about.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 70
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, independent film, dark comedy
Similar in 76%
Bruno (2000)
Plot Summary:
The story of a unique young boy genius, Bruno, whose expression of his own individuality leads his family and community along an emotional journey.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, emotional, semi serious, sentimental, humorous, inspirational, motivational, independent film, flamboyance
Similar in 81%
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
Similar in 89%
Kryptonite! (2011)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1970s Naples, bullied nine year-old Peppino is watching the world around him as his extended dysfunctional family change. Psychedelic flower power and hippie love is threatening the old traditional southern Italian family. Dad is having an affair and Mom has taken to her bed with depression. Super-mod brother and sister Titina and Salvatore take the boy under their wings, introducing him to demonstrations and love-ins, whilst caped superhero Gennaro visits Peppino even after being knocked down and killed by the number 12 bus. It is the imaginary appearances of this older superman cousin that help the nine-year-old navigate the complicated adult world.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 695
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: semi serious, sentimental, touching, humorous, realistic
Similar in 83%
The Best Things in the World (2010)
Plot Summary:
Everyday family life as perfectly normal madness. “As Melhores Coisas do Mundo“ follows a few days in the life of the 15-year-old Mano, who is fighting on two fronts: his parents have just got divorced and he is going through puberty. Mano tries to make his way through life, with its first sexual experiences, his depressed brother and his self-centered parents. It’s a humorous homage to the pitfalls of daily life and the diversity of life.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Brazil
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, semi serious, captivating, spectacular, realistic, queer cinema
Similar in 87%
Treading Water (2013)
Plot Summary:
At first glance, Mica seems a perfectly normal boy. But first glances can often be deceiving... For one, Mica's house is now a museum honouring Guillermo Garibai, the legendary Mexican crooner. Mica spends most of his time there, giving guided tours to aging Garibai fans. But stranger still, Mica smells. He smells like fish. Numerous doctors, his life-long therapist and even his own parents are at a loss. No one wants to be Mica's friend. Girls won't talk to him. His life appears pointless, uneventful, doomed. That is, until Laura walks into it.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 728
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Mexico, Canada
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: semi serious, touching, humorous, realistic, stylized, offbeat, vintage
Similar in 90%
The Debut (2000)
Plot Summary:
Filipino-American high school student Ben (Dante Mercado) works in a comic book shop to earn money to pay his way into Cal Arts. His father, a postman, is determined that his son--who has won a pre-med scholarship to UCLA--will become a doctor. The eighteenth birthday party of Ben's sister, Rose, sets off a comedic and touching series of events and family struggles that will in turn determine young Ben's future. This fresh independent production from Gene Cajayon presents a lighthearted and warm coming-of-age tale filtered through the eyes of an American subculture rarely seen on film.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 686
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, touching, realistic, witty, independent film
Similar in 88%
Chubby (2014)
Plot Summary:
Chubby is the nickname of Kevin, a 12 years old kid already weights 100 kilos (220.46 lb). If he keeps devours fries, pastries and ice cream everyday, he's gonna have heart attack sooner or later unless he decides to change his diet to turn around and stop eating junk food.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 179
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Belgium, Switzerland
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 81%
The Flats (2002)
Plot Summary:
The Flats tells a cautionary tale of friendship and desire played out among a group of 20-somethings transitioning into adulthood. Main character Harper and his buddies make the most of their freedom prior to an impending court-ordered jail sentence. Things get even more serious when Harper and his best friend's girlfriend, Paige, begin a sobering relationship.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 271
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 83%
American Chai (2001)
Plot Summary:
The film deals with an Indian American student who wanted to pursue his love of music over the more 'typical' academic endeavors of Indian Americans (e.g., medicine, engineering, law, and business).
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 327
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, witty, semi serious, realistic