Films like American Beauty
13 picks with a similar feel
What defines American Beauty, going by its Boxlist taste profile: A contained, stirring drama: grounded and uncomplicated. Best if you like close-up stories over spectacle. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of personal growth, self-destruction and troubled leads, plus tags such as closeted homosexual, exercise and first time.
Here are 13 films with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on American Beauty (1999).
- 1
Moonlight (2016)
Film7.4Heavier option
Why it's like American Beauty: Also intimate and emotional, with themes of self-destruction and troubled leads. Common ground: gay, coming of age, parent child relationship.
- 2
Boyhood (2014)
Film7.5Heavier option
Why it's like American Beauty: Also grounded and intimate, with themes of troubled leads and coming of age. Common ground: coming of age.
- 3
Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Film8.3Heavier option
Why it's like American Beauty: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and love against the odds. Common ground: gay, coming of age.
- 4
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Film7.8Heavier option
Why it's like American Beauty: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of personal growth and troubled leads. Common ground: closeted homosexual, gay.
- 5
Mommy (2014)
Film8.3Heavier option
Why it's like American Beauty: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: coming of age, parent child relationship.
- 6
Boogie Nights (1997)
Film7.6Heavier option
Why it's like American Beauty: Also grounded and intimate, with themes of troubled leads and coming of age. Common ground: adultery, coming of age.
- 7
Film7.8More intricate
Why it's like American Beauty: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and love against the odds. Common ground: coming of age.
- 8
Film8.1More intricate
Why it's like American Beauty: Also intimate and grounded, with themes of self-destruction and troubled leads. Common ground: dark comedy.
- 9
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Film7.1Warmer in tone
Why it's like American Beauty: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age and love against the odds. Common ground: coming of age.
- 10
Boy Erased (2018)
Film7.1More intricate
Why it's like American Beauty: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: coming of age.
- 11
The Great Beauty (2013)
Film7.5Warmer in tone
Why it's like American Beauty: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of troubled leads and social commentary. Common ground: satire.
- 12
Almost Famous (2000)
Film7.5Faster-paced
Why it's like American Beauty: Also straightforward and grounded, with themes of personal growth and self-destruction. Common ground: coming of age.
- 13
Pain and Glory (2019)
Film7.5Heavier option
Why it's like American Beauty: Also emotional and intimate, with themes of self-destruction. Common ground: gay.
Boxlist compares American Beauty with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
Which of these suit you?
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Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like American Beauty?
- Picks with a similar feel include Moonlight, Boyhood, Call Me by Your Name and Brokeback Mountain. Each shares part of American Beauty's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 13 films.
- How are these films like American Beauty chosen?
- Boxlist compares American Beauty with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.