
Movies that feel like 3 Idiots (2009)
If you loved 3 Idiots, the closest films we have are The Squid and the Whale (2005), Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) and Eighth Grade (2018). All three share 3 Idiots' contemplative and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 7 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Hulu and others, checked against today's data.
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If 3 Idiots hit the spot, these will too

The same preoccupation in both: growing up

Rajkumar Hirani directing both, with the same fingerprints on each
The difference: None of the wistfulness 3 Idiots is built on

One thread runs through both: growing up


Contemplative where it counts, wistful underneath
The difference: 30 years apart, and the 1970s show

Both keep coming back to the same thing: teacher

Both lean on wit more than on comedy
The difference: Reviewed a good deal more coolly


Drama built on stillness, twice over
The difference: Sits closer to romance than 3 Idiots does

Comedy with a pulse of wistfulness, in both cases

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

Witty comedy, and it commits to that
The difference: Leans harder into music than 3 Idiots does
In the mood for more contemplative?
all contemplative movies →The best-reviewed films that share 3 Idiots’ defining feeling.









