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Crumb poster

Movies that feel likeCrumb (1995)

This movie chronicles the life and times of R. Crumb. Robert Crumb is the cartoonist/artist who drew Keep On Truckin', Fritz the Cat, and played a major pioneering role in the genesis of underground comix. Through interviews with his mother, two brothers, wife, ex-wife and ex-girlfriends, as well as selections from his vast quantity of graphic art, we are treated to a darkly comic ride through one man's subconscious mind.

If you loved Crumb, the closest films we have are A Heart in Winter (1992), Tony Takitani (2004) and Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013). All three share Crumb's contemplative and obsessive feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is American Movie (1999).

πŸ… 95% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Terry Zwigoffcontemplativeobsessive
8 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Peacock Premium

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See it on the Mood Map

If Crumb hit the spot, these will too

A Heart in Winter poster
A Heart in Winter
1992 Β· dir. Claude Sautet
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.5drama Β· romance

One thread runs through both: obsession

The difference: Leans harder into drama than Crumb does

Beautiful violin virtuoso Camille has two obsessions: the music of Ravel, and a friend of her husband's who crafts violins. But his heart seems to be as cold as her playing is passionate.

Tony Takitani poster
Tony Takitani
2004 Β· dir. Jun Ichikawa
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.2drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: obsession

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Crumb does

A reclusive illustrator falls in love with a young woman who addictively shops for clothing.

Nymphomaniac: Vol. I poster
Nymphomaniac: Vol. I
2013 Β· dir. Lars von Trier
πŸ… 77%β˜… 6.9drama

Contemplative where it counts, obsessive underneath

A man named Seligman finds a fainted wounded woman in an alley and he brings her home. She tells him that her name is Joe and that she is nymphomaniac. Joe tells her life and sexual experiences with hundreds of men since she was a young teenager while Seligman tells about his hobbies, such as fly fishing, reading about Fibonacci numbers or listening to organ music.

The Blue Angel poster
The Blue Angel
1930 Β· dir. Josef von Sternberg
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.6drama

Both lean on stillness more than on documentary

The difference: Made in the 1930s, in a different era of the craft

Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel, in an attempt to catch them there. Seeing Lola perform, the teacher is filled with lust, eventually resigning his position at the school to marry the young woman. However, his marriage to a coquette -- whose job is to entice men -- proves to be more difficult than Rath imagined.

American Movie poster
American Movie
1999 Β· dir. Chris Smith
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.8documentary Β· comedy

Obsessive documentary in both cases

American Movie documents the story of filmmaker Mark Borchardt, his mission, and his dream. Spanning over two years of intense struggle with his film, his family, financial decline, and spiritual crisis, American Movie is a portrayal of ambition, obsession, excess, and one man's quest for the American Dream.

Two Sons of Francisco poster
Two Sons of Francisco
2005 Β· dir. Breno Silveira
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.9drama Β· history Β· music

Documentary with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

The story of Francisco, a very simple and poor man whose dream was to see his children become country music stars, and who made all the efforts to make it happen.

Padmaavat poster
Padmaavat
2018 Β· dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali
πŸ… 55%β˜… 7.1drama Β· history Β· romanceNetflix

Both sit in the same obsessive register

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

Rajputana, India, 13th century. The tyrannical usurper Alauddin Khilji, sultan of Delhi, becomes obsessed with Queen Padmavati, wife of King Ratan Singh of Mewar, and goes to great lengths to satisfy his greed for her.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind poster
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977 Β· dir. Steven Spielberg
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.6science fiction Β· dramaPeacock

A 1970s cousin in spirit

After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

Thelma poster
Thelma
2017 Β· dir. Joachim Trier
πŸ… 92%β˜… 6.9drama Β· mystery Β· thriller

A 2010s answer to the same itch

A college student starts to experience extreme seizures. She soon learns that the violent episodes are a symptom of inexplicable abilities.

Avalon poster
Avalon
2001 Β· dir. Mamoru Oshii
πŸ… 83%β˜… 6.4action Β· science fiction

Products of the same few years

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Crumb

In a future world, young people are increasingly becoming addicted to an illegal (and potentially deadly) battle simulation game called Avalon. When Ash, a star player, hears of rumors that a more advanced level of the game exists somewhere, she gives up her loner ways and joins a gang of explorers. Even if she finds the gateway to the next level, will she ever be able to come back to reality?

The Master poster
The Master
2012 Β· dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.1drama

Same instincts, 17 years apart

Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II.

Misery poster
Misery
1990 Β· dir. Rob Reiner
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.8drama Β· thrillerMax

Another one that scratches it

After an accident, acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon is rescued by a nurse who claims to be his biggest fan. Her obsession takes a dark turn when she holds him captive in her remote Colorado home and forces him to write back to life the popular literary character he killed off.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Crumb’s defining feeling.