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Beginners poster

Movies that feel likeBeginners (2011)

Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna only months after his father Hal Fields has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father, who, following the death of his wife of 44 years, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life – which included a younger boyfriend.

If you loved Beginners, the closest films we have are Drinking Buddies (2013), Take This Waltz (2011) and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008). All three share Beginners' contemplative and romantic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Late Marriage (2001).

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See it on the Mood Map

If Beginners hit the spot, these will too

Drinking Buddies poster
Drinking Buddies
2013 · dir. Joe Swanberg
🍅 84%★ 6.1romance · drama · comedyNetflixPrime Video

Both keep coming back to the same thing: relationship

Weekend trips, office parties, late night conversations, drinking on the job, marriage pressure, biological clocks, holding eye contact a second too long… you know what makes the line between “friends” and “more than friends” really blurry? Beer.

Take This Waltz poster
Take This Waltz
2011 · dir. Sarah Polley
🍅 79%★ 6.5drama · comedy · romanceNetflix

Common ground: relationship

Twenty-eight-year-old Margot is happily married to Lou, a good-natured cookbook author. But when Margot meets Daniel, a handsome artist who lives across the street, their mutual attraction is undeniable.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi poster
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
2008 · dir. Aditya Chopra
🍅 78%★ 7.2comedy · drama · romanceNetflix

The same mix in both: stillness, then romance

A boring, reserved husband secretly becomes a lively, confident stranger to woo his own unaware wife only to make her fall head over heels for his dashing alter ego.

Away We Go poster
Away We Go
2009 · dir. Sam Mendes
🍅 67%★ 7drama · comedy · romance

Tender and witty in the same breath

Verona and Burt have moved to Colorado to be close to Burt's parents but, with Verona expecting their first child, Burt's parents inexplicably decide to move to Belgium, now leaving them in a place they hate and without a support structure in place. They set off on a whirlwind tour of of disparate locations where they have friends or relatives, sampling not only different cities and climates but also different families. Along the way they realize that the journey is less about discovering where they want to live and more about figuring out what type of parents they want to be.

Barfi! poster
Barfi!
2012 · dir. Anurag Basu
🍅 84%★ 8.1drama · romance · comedy

Drama built on play, twice over

The heartwarming tale of Barfi, a charming deaf-mute young man from 1970s Darjeeling, and two unalike women who can't help but fall for him.

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK poster
I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
2006 · dir. Park Chan-wook
🍅 92%★ 6.9drama · comedy · romance

Both lean on stillness more than on romance

Young-goon, mentally deranged and frequently electro-charging herself with a transistor radio, has been admitted into a mental institution. Firmly believing herself to be a cyborg, she refuses to consume like a human being. Il-soon is another patient, who catches the eye of Young-goon and soon becomes a close friend. Il-soon is now confronted with the biggest task: to cure Young-goon's mental problem and have her eat real food.

Jab We Met poster
Jab We Met
2007 · dir. Imtiaz Ali
🍅 100%★ 7.9drama · comedy · romance

Romantic comedy in both cases

A depressed wealthy businessman and a spunky carefree young woman embark on an unexpected journey that changes their lives.

Free Fall poster
Free Fall
2013 · dir. Stephan Lacant
★ 7.5drama · romance

Two things both keep coming back to: coming out and lgbt

The difference: Easier on the wit than Beginners

A promising career with the police, a baby on the way... Marc's life seems to be right on track. Then he meets fellow policeman Kay and during their regular jogs Marc experiences a never-before-felt sense of ease and effortlessness – and what it means to fall in love with another man.

Late Marriage poster
Late Marriage
2001 · dir. Dover Koshashvili
🍅 88%★ 7.1comedy · drama · romanceRent or buy

Tender drama, and it commits to that

Zaza is a 31-year old Israeli bachelor, handsome and intelligent, and his family wants to see him married. But tradition dictates that Zaza has to choose a young virgin. She must be beautiful and from a good family, preferably rich. Zaza's parents, Yasha and Lily drag Zaza to meet potential brides and their families. Zaza has no choice. He plays along with his family, advocates of the suffocating traditions of their Georgian Jewish heritage. But Zaza always manages to somehow get out of being engaged. What his parents don't know is that Zaza is already in love. Judith is sensuous, strong and intriguing. She's also a divorcée with a 6-year-old daughter. So Zaza has kept Judith a secret from his family. He will have to choose between respect of the strict confines of family and tradition, or the love of his life.

The Family Stone poster
The Family Stone
2005 · dir. Thomas Bezucha
🍅 52%★ 6.3comedy · drama · romancePrime Video

Romance with a pulse of wit, in both cases

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

An uptight, conservative businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family's annual Christmas celebration and finds that she's a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.

Kal Ho Naa Ho poster
Kal Ho Naa Ho
2003 · dir. Nikkhil Advani
🍅 75%★ 7.9comedy · drama · romanceNetflixPrime Video

Comedy built on play, twice over

An uptight MBA student falls for the charismatic new neighbor who charms her troubled family – but he has a secret that forces him to push her away.

The Worst Person in the World poster
The Worst Person in the World
2021 · dir. Joachim Trier
🍅 96%★ 7.7drama · romance · comedyRent or buy

Both are built on the same subject: cancer

The chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed films that share Beginners’ defining feeling.