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Nights of Cabiria poster

Movies that feel likeNights of Cabiria (1957)

Rome, 1957. A woman, Cabiria, is robbed and left to drown by her boyfriend, Giorgio. Rescued, she resumes her life and tries her best to find happiness in a cynical world. Even when she thinks her struggles are over and she has found happiness and contentment, things may not be what they seem.

If you loved Nights of Cabiria, the closest films we have are I Vitelloni (1953), La Dolce Vita (1960) and Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures (1965). All three share Nights of Cabiria's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Genevieve (1953).

πŸ… 100% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Federico Fellinicontemplativewittyplayful
5 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· TCM

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If Nights of Cabiria hit the spot, these will too

I Vitelloni poster
I Vitelloni
1953 Β· dir. Federico Fellini
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.8comedy Β· dramaMax

Federico Fellini working the same nerve twice

Five young men dream of success as they drift lazily through life in a small Italian village. Fausto, the group's leader, is a womanizer; Riccardo craves fame; Alberto is a hopeless dreamer; Moraldo fantasizes about life in the city; and Leopoldo is an aspiring playwright. As Fausto chases a string of women, to the horror of his pregnant wife, the other four blunder their way from one uneventful experience to the next.

La Dolce Vita poster
La Dolce Vita
1960 Β· dir. Federico Fellini
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8comedy Β· drama

Federico Fellini directing both, with the same fingerprints on each

Episodic journey of journalist Marcello who struggles to find his place in the world, torn between the allure of Rome's elite social scene and the stifling domesticity offered by his girlfriend, all the while searching for a way to become a serious writer.

Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures poster
Operation Y and Other Shurik's Adventures
1965 Β· dir. Leonid Gaidai
β˜… 8.4comedy

Witty where it counts, playful underneath

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than Nights of Cabiria does

The film consists of three independent parts: "Workmate", "DΓ©jΓ  vu" and "Operation Y". The plot follows the adventures of Shurik, the naive and nerdy Soviet student who often gets into ludicrous situations but always finds a way out very neatly.

Genevieve poster
Genevieve
1953 Β· dir. Henry Cornelius
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7comedy

Witty comedy in both cases

Two friends driving in the London to Brighton vintage car rally bet on which of them will be the first to arrive back home.

PlayTime poster
PlayTime
1967 Β· dir. Jacques Tati
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.8comedy

Drama with a pulse of play, in both cases

Clumsy Monsieur Hulot finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist, and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.

Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez poster
Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez
1964 Β· dir. Jean Girault
β˜… 7.1comedy

Comedy built on wit, twice over

The ambitious police officer Cruchot is transferred to St. Tropez. He's struggling with crimes such as persistent nude swimming, but even more with his teenage daughter, who's trying to impress her rich friends by telling them her father was a millionaire and owned a yacht in the harbor.

The Party poster
The Party
1968 Β· dir. Blake Edwards
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.4comedyPrime Video

Both lean on play more than on drama

Hrundi V. Bakshi, an accident-prone actor from India, is accidentally put on the guest list for an upcoming party at the home of a Hollywood film producer. Unfortunately, from the moment he arrives, one thing after another goes wrong with compounding effect.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington poster
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939 Β· dir. Frank Capra
πŸ… 85%β˜… 8.1comedy Β· drama

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

After the death of a United States Senator, the idealistic Jefferson Smith is appointed as his replacement in Washington. The naive and earnest new senator soon finds himself battling political corruption.

Being There poster
Being There
1979 Β· dir. Hal Ashby
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.9comedy Β· drama

Contemplative comedy in both cases

The difference: 22 years apart, and the 1970s show

A simple-minded gardener named Chance has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television.

Zero for Conduct poster
Zero for Conduct
1933 Β· dir. Jean Vigo
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.2comedy Β· drama

Both run contemplative where it counts

In a repressive boarding school with rigid rules of behavior, four boys decide to rebel against the director on a celebration day.

My Favorite Year poster
My Favorite Year
1982 Β· dir. Richard Benjamin
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.3comedy Β· drama

Drama in the same key

Fledgling comic Benjy Stone can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann, gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.

The Bank Dick poster
The Bank Dick
1940 Β· dir. Edward F. Cline
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.1comedy

Both are comedy through and through

Egbert SousΓ© becomes an unexpected hero when a bank robber falls over a bench he's occupying. Now considered brave, Egbert is given a job as a bank guard. Soon, he is approached by charlatan J. Frothingham Waterbury about buying shares in a mining company. Egbert persuades teller Og Oggilby to lend him bank money, to be returned when the scheme pays off. Unfortunately, bank inspector Snoopington then makes a surprise appearance.

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