Best movies like The Open Road
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Minor leaguer Carlton Garret takes an unexpected road trip to track down his estranged father, legendary baseball player Kyle Garret when Carlton’s mother becomes sick. Once reunited, Carlton struggles to deal with the series of misadventures caused by his father’s antics. Attempts at bonding come to a head as the mismatched duo make their way from Ohio back home to Houston to reunite the family.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: road movie, feel good, semi serious, humorous, realistic, touching, independent film
Best tv shows and movies like The Open Road (2009):
Similar in 85%
$5 a Day (2008)
Plot Summary:
After being released from jail, the son of a con man joins his father on the road.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: semi serious, humorous, realistic, feel good, entertaining, light, independent film, offbeat, crying
Similar in 79%
Smother (2008)
Plot Summary:
After he's fired from his job, an everyday guy faces pressure from his wife to have a baby and from his mom, who has decided to move in with the young couple.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: realistic, semi serious, suspenseful, tense, suspense, humorous, sex comedy, slapstick comedy, exciting
Similar in 86%
Road North (2012)
Plot Summary:
A sly riff on the Prodigal Son story, Mika Kaurismaki's latest — about a joyless workaholic concert pianist who ends up on a wild ride with his long-lost rapscallion father — is a funny and cogent analysis of machismo, abandonment issues and the value of reconnecting with one's roots. (TIFF).
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Finland
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, road movie, captivating, buddy comedy, semi serious
Similar in 88%
Magic Men (2014)
Plot Summary:
An elderly Israeli Jew of Greek origins was sent to Greece to represent his town in a town twinning ceremony, however he went instead to search for his friend from the childhood, who saved him from the Holocaust. In meantime he formed a special relationship with young Greek woman, and dealt with the broken relationship with his devout Hasidic son.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 226
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Israel
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 75%
Twister (1989)
Plot Summary:
An oddball family on a Kansas farm are trapped in their farmhouse by an impending storm. The patriarch of the clan is a retired soda pop tycoon. He is currently dating a children's TV evangelist. Also living at the farm is his layabout daughter and her precocious 8 year old daughter, his would-be artist son, the son's fiancée, and the black maid. Also thrown into the mix is the daughter's ex-husband, a ne-er-do-well who is seeking to get back in his ex-wife's good graces.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: sad, independent film, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, contemplative, semi serious, exciting, light
Similar in 82%
The Discoverers (2012)
Plot Summary:
Washed-up history professor Lewis Birch takes his begrudging teenagers Zoe and Jack on a road trip to a conference in hopes of jumpstarting his career and reconnecting with his kids. But, when Lewis’s estranged father Stanley goes missing on a Lewis and Clark historical reenactment trek, Lewis is forced to make a family detour. The Birch family find themselves on a journey of discovery and connection as they make their own passage west.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 565
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: road movie, humorous, semi serious, light, captivating, touching, realistic, independent film, whimsical
Similar in 83%
The Talent Given Us (2004)
Plot Summary:
A retired New York City couple drive across country to reconnect with their reclusive son, joined by their two unmarried daughters.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 463
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, clever, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 76%
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 75%
Josh and S.A.M. (1993)
Plot Summary:
Josh and Sam are two brothers facing change, their mother is about to marry a French accountant and the kids are sent to go live with their father in Florida. Meanwhile Josh tells Sam that he is a "S.A.M." that is going to be sent to Africa to fight in a war and that Canada is a safe haven for any S.A.M. unwilling to fight. The cross-country journey begins when the 2 boys think they killed a drunk and steal his car en route to Canada where they encounter The Liberty Maid. Will Josh & S.A.M. make it to Canada or will they wish they should have never left home.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, semi serious, realistic, exciting, light, melancholic, suspenseful, tense, road movie
Similar in 83%
Memories of Me (1988)
Plot Summary:
After a heart attack, Abbie Polin (Crystal), a New York doctor, goes to Los Angeles to see his father, Abe (King), who works in Hollywood as the "king of the extras." Their relationship has been strained for several years. This was the first movie directed by Henry Winkler, and much of it was filmed inside the MGM Studios in Culver City, California, only a few miles from Hollywood. Lisa, the romantic interest in Abbie's life, also comes for a visit and bonds with Abe, who gets along famously with everyone but his son. Abe begins having memory loss and eventually is diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. He and his son grow closer in time and, before it's too late, Abbie tries to get Abe a speaking role in a film.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: independent film, sentimental, touching, humorous, emotional, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 75%
The Thing About My Folks (2005)
Plot Summary:
Ben's dad Sam shows up one night with a note from Ben's mother (Sam's wife of 46 years), that she has left. While Ben's wife and his three sisters try to find her, Ben takes Sam on a day trip to see a farmhouse that's for sale. The day trip turns into a road trip while dad and son explore their past, their relationship, and why Sam's wife might have left him. The road trip includes fishing, drinking, playing pool, sleeping under the stars, and frank discussion. Anger simmers close at hand, as do love and hope. Where Sam's wife is - and why she left - leads to the movie's resolution.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: talky, sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 89%
In Memory of My Father (2005)
Plot Summary:
The youngest son of a legendary Hollywood producer, a Robert Evans type, accepts a bribe from his father to document his death.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 650
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, Austria
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, cynical, semi serious, captivating, entertaining, clever, offbeat, realistic, witty
Similar in 82%
The Quitter (2014)
Plot Summary:
When a failed baseball player's ex-girlfriend moves back to the neighborhood with her seven-year-old daughter, he realizes he carries more regrets than how he handled his baseball career.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 121
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: sincere, humorous, semi serious, light, captivating, touching, realistic, independent film
Similar in 78%
Fathers & Sons (2010)
Plot Summary:
Fathers & Sons is a comedic exploration of a group of men and their relationships with their fathers. A middle-aged Jewish man meets his father for the first time at the funeral of his mother. A south-Asian accountant introduces his white fiance to his father - a gay, Bollywood choreographer. A recently bankrupted Wall-Street broker has come home to borrow money from his music teacher father, and four brothers gather at the paternal home to pay their last respects and to collect their inheritance.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 78
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, light, captivating, entertaining
Similar in 82%
My Father's Bike (2012)
Plot Summary:
Grandfather's wife unexpectedly leaves him for another man and this sparks a series of events. His son and grandson arrive from abroad and set of for a journey to find a woman dear to each of them.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 930
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: humorous, emotional, road movie, captivating, light, entertaining, touching, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 79%
Finding Joy (2013)
Plot Summary:
Pompous and self-absorbed Kyle, is unhappily stuck in his life, longing to relive the success of his first novel. His not-so-desirable life rapidly unravels forcing him to return home to his wildly eccentric family with his tail between his legs. Life at home begins to show signs of improvement when Kyle meets the spunky, vivacious girl across the street who recruits Kyle to help her make the world a better place, making him feel alive for the first time in ages and inspiring his writing. But its short-lived. Joys been told shes going to die soon and wants Kyle to write her obituary.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 426
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, realistic, touching, emotional, semi serious, offbeat
Similar in 81%
The Trouble with Bliss (2011)
Plot Summary:
35-year-old Morris Bliss (Michael C. Hall) is clamped in the jaws of New York City inertia: he wants to travel but has no money; he needs a job but has no prospects; he still shares an apartment with his widowed father; and the premature death of his mother has left him emotionally walled up. When he finds himself wrapped up in an awkward relationship with Stephanie (Brie Larson), the 18-year-old daughter of a former classmate, Morris quickly discovers his static life unraveling and opening up in ways that are long overdue.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, independent film, sincere
Similar in 81%
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 86%
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 77%
Two Weeks (2006)
Plot Summary:
In this bittersweet comedy, four adult siblings gather at their dying mother's house in North Carolina for what they expect to be a quick, last goodbye. Instead, they find themselves trapped — together — for two weeks.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: touching, sentimental, humorous, realistic, spiritual, tear jerker, semi serious
Similar in 83%
Dutch (1991)
Plot Summary:
To get to know his girlfriend's son, a man volunteers to pick him up from a prep school....only to learn that her son's not the nicest kid.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: light, road movie, funny, entertaining, feel good, light hearted, humorous, realistic, semi serious, exciting
Similar in 76%
Life's a Breeze (2013)
Plot Summary:
Life's A Breeze tells the story of a family as they search for a lost fortune around the streets of Dublin.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Ireland, Sweden
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, captivating, light, sentimental, touching, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 78%
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 79%
Rolling Family (2004)
Plot Summary:
A wedding invite from an estranged sibiling inspires a grandmother to assemble her family and embark on a roadtrip in a broken down caravan.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, UK
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: road movie, touching, semi serious, feel good, humorous, realistic, offbeat
Similar in 89%
The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008)
Plot Summary:
A commitment-phobic man reunites with his estranged, ailing father and comes to terms with his own childhood.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: touching, humorous, realistic, semi serious, offbeat, independent film
Similar in 77%
Manhood (2003)
Plot Summary:
A black comedy about a reformed womanizer who struggles to keep his family together.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 293
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, humorous, emotional, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 85%
The Guilt Trip (2012)
Plot Summary:
An inventor and his mom hit the road together so he can sell his latest invention.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: light, road movie, touching, humorous, melancholic, hilarious, sentimental, semi serious, funny, bad ending
Similar in 88%
Dad (1989)
Plot Summary:
A busy executive (Ted Danson) learns during a meeting that his mother may be dying and rushes home to her side. He ends up being his father's caretaker and becomes closer to him (Jack Lemmon) than ever before. Estranged from his own son (Ethan Hawke), the executive comes to realize what has been missing in his own life.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, emotional, feel good, uplifting, inspirational, sincere, thought provoking, poignant, comedy drama
Similar in 82%
Father of Invention (2010)
Plot Summary:
Nearly a decade after a faulty product landed him in prison, an arrogant inventor is determined to restore his reputation and rebuild his fortune. But first, he has to convince his estranged daughter that he's worthy of a second chance.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: entertaining, humorous, captivating, light, feel good, sentimental, realistic, witty, semi serious
Similar in 87%
Motherhood (2009)
Plot Summary:
Motherhood is a comedy written and directed by Katherine Dieckmann, and stars Uma Thurman, Anthony Edwards and Minnie Driver. Shot on location in New York’s West Village, focuses on the dilemmas of motherhood, such as marriage, work, and self, shown in the trials and tribulations of one pivotal day.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, realistic, touching, semi serious, independent film, neurotic