20 best movies like It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

List of the best movies like It's a Wonderful Life (1946): The Family Man, Joy, Martian Child, Dream Factory, Voyage of the Unicorn, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Secret Garden, The Joy Luck Club, Courageous, The Big Green.

Tags: movies similar to It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - full list

Markimdb: 6.8
Genrefantasy, comedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:05

Jack's lavish, fast-paced lifestyle changes one Christmas night when he stumbles into a grocery store holdup and disarms the gunman. The next morning he wakes up in bed lying next to Kate, his college sweetheart he left in order to pursue his career, and to the horrifying discovery that his former life no longer exists. As he stumbles through this alternate suburban universe, Jack finds himself at a crossroad where he must choose between his high-power career and the woman he loves.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genredrama, biography
CountryUSA
Duration02:18

A story based on the life of a struggling Long Island single mom who became one of the country's most successful entrepreneurs.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genrecomedy, drama, family
CountryUSA
Duration01:46

A recently-widowed science fiction writer considers whether to adopt a hyper-imaginative 6-year-old abandoned and socially-rejected boy who says he's really from Mars.

Markimdb: 6.5
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryGermany

A romantic drama set in 1961 that follows a young studio extra's ambitious efforts to reunite with the French girl he loves after being separated by the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrefantasy, adventure
CountryUSA, Canada
Duration02:50

One day the Aislings find themselves magically transported to a ship called the Unicorn. Here, they discover that they've been chosen to fulfill an incredible quest! They undergo an incredible journey of discovery in strange lands with enchanted creatures, but find their voyage is really one of the spirit, as they each learn faith and the power of love.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrecomedy, drama, family
CountryUSA
Duration01:46

A girl, abandoned by her mother when she was three, moves to a small town in Florida with her father. There, she adopts an orphaned dog she names Winn-Dixie. The bond between the girl and her special companion brings together the people in a small Florida town and heals her own troubled relationship with her father.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrefantasy, drama, family
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration01:41

A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and neglected. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genredrama
CountryUSA, China
Duration02:19

Through a series of flashbacks, four young chinese women born in America and their respective mothers born in feudal China, explore their past. This search will help them understand their difficult mother/daughter relationship.

Markimdb: 7
Genrefantasy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:09

As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their partners are confident and focused. They willingly stand up to the worst the streets have to offer. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood. They know that God desires to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, but their children are beginning to drift further and further away from them. When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a new found urgency help these dads draw closer to God ... and to their children? COURAGEOUS is the fourth release of Sherwood Pictures, the movie making ministry of Sherwood Church in Albany, Georgia.

Markimdb: 5.5
Genrecomedy, family, sport
CountryUSA
Duration01:40

In a depressed Texas town, British foreign exchange teacher Anna attempts to inject some life into her hopeless kids by introducing them to soccer. They're terrible at first, but Anna and her football-hero assistant whip them into shape. As they work overtime, the pair help kids build their self-esteem and also get involved in solving family squabbles.

Markimdb: 6.1
Genremelodrama
CountryUSA, Germany, South Africa

Hollywood arrives in force to Quincy, the small town where the secret Crown Cola billionaire's live. They want to film about the billionaire's and how they made their fortunes. Summer Jenkins, who was the town pariah, joins forces with the scout, Ben, and finds filming locations, extras, lessons with the town officials and house owners, etc. When Cole Masten arrives, they hate each other, but sparks fly. Cole is running from a nasty divorce, yet is captivated by Summer. Summer is dying to leave town to get away from the gossip. This is a great story about Southern customs, a Southern girl, and a Hollywood star who finds his lady.

Markimdb: 5.4
Genrefantasy, family, cartoon
CountryUnited Kingdom, Germany
Duration01:17

The film begins with a live-action sequence set in Boston in 1857, the site of a live reading by renowned novelist Dickens. As he begins his 'story of ghosts' a woman in the audience screams because she has seen a mouse and Dickens points out that this is appropriate since his story begins with a mouse. At this point the story turns into the animated version and Dickens explains that the mouse, na

Markimdb: 5.4
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA

In an updated contemporary version of the beloved stage play and 1989 film, "Steel Magnolias" chronicles the lives and friendship of six women in Louisiana. Supporting each other through their triumphs and tragedies, they congregate at Truvy’s beauty shop to ponder the mysteries of life and death, husbands and children - and hair and nails - all the important topics that truly unite and celebrate women.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genredrama, sport
CountryAustralia, France, USA
Duration02:07

PK, an English orphan terrorized for his family's political beliefs in Africa, turns to his only friend, a kindly world-wise prisoner, Geel Piet. Geel teaches him how to box with the motto “fight with your fists and lead with your heart”. As he grows to manhood, PK uses these words to take on the system and the injustices he sees around him - and finds that one person really can make a difference.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrethriller, fantasy, melodrama, drama, musical, family
CountryUnited Kingdom
Duration01:53

The classic Charles Dickens' Christmas ghost tale told in musical form.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genredrama, music
CountryUnited Kingdom, France
Duration01:50

Set against the background of the 1984 Miner's Strike, Billy Elliot is an 11 year old boy who stumbles out of the boxing ring and onto the ballet floor. He faces many trials and triumphs as he strives to conquer his family's set ways, inner conflict, and standing on his toes!

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrefantasy, drama, family, sport
CountryUSA
Duration01:47

Ray Kinsella is an Iowa farmer who hears a mysterious voice telling him to turn his cornfield into a baseball diamond. He does, but the voice's directions don't stop -- even after the spirits of deceased ballplayers turn up to play.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrefantasy, melodrama, drama, family
CountryUSA
Duration01:51

Fifteen years ago, Ben Walker made a decision to leave his college sweetheart and ultimately his faith, in order to pursue a lucrative business opportunity. Now with a high-paying career and a trophy fiancé, he is visited by an angel, who gives him a glimpse into what his life would look like had he followed his calling.

Markimdb: 7
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:49

Focuses on the lives of residents in the fictional London suburb of Charnham.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrefantasy, comedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:49

An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham, has been working for months on the plans for an elaborate new cathedral which he hopes will be paid for primarily by a wealthy, stubborn widow. He is losing sight of his family and of why he became a churchman in the first place. Enter Dudley, an angel sent to help him. Dudley does help everyone he meets, but not necessarily in the way they would have preferred. With the exception of Henry, everyone loves him, but Henry begins to believe that Dudley is there to replace him, both at work and in his family's affections, as Christmas approaches.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryFrance
Duration01:59

Samba migrated to France 10 years ago from Senegal, and has since been plugging away at various lowly jobs. Alice is a senior executive who has recently undergone a burnout. Both struggle to get out of their dead-end lives. Samba's willing to do whatever it takes to get working papers, while Alice tries to get her life back on track until fate draws them together.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:47

Based on the novel by Truman Capote, this often-witty coming-of-age drama looks at a young man growing up with an unusual family in the Deep South in the 1940s.

Markimdb: 5
Genrecomedy, family
CountryUSA
Duration01:33

Two neighbors have it out after one of them decorates his house for the holidays so brightly that it can be seen from space.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genrefantasy, comedy, musical, family, cartoon
CountryUSA
Duration01:34

Uncle Remus draws upon his tales of Br'er Rabbit to help little Johnny deal with his confusion over his parents' separation as well as his new life on the plantation.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:29

When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.

Markimdb: 6.5
Genredrama
CountryUSA
Duration01:57

The story of Katherine Ann Watson, a feminist teacher who studied at UCLA graduate school and in 1953 left her boyfriend behind in Los Angeles, California to teach at Wellesley College, a conservative women's private liberal arts college in Massachusetts, United States.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:43

After leaving Washington D.C. hospital, plastic surgeon Ben Stone heads for California, where a lucrative practice in Beverly Hills awaits. After a car accident, he's sentenced to perform as the community's general practitioner.

Markimdb: 8
Genredrama
CountryUSA
Duration02:26

Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryFrance
Duration01:28

Marianne leaves Abel for Paul, his best friend and the father of her unborn child. Eight years later, Paul dies and Marianne returns to Abel. However, things have changed for the both of them and feelings of jealousy surround their new relationship.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genredrama
CountryUSA
Duration02:03

Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genrecomedy, melodrama
CountryUSA

Bakery owner Molly meets Josh, a widower who recently moved to town with his young son, but she is also charmed by a mysterious client whom she’s never met in person and she doesn’t realize that they’re the same man.

Markimdb: 5.5
Genredrama
CountryUSA
Duration01:22

A man struggles with the tragic memories of his past to make sense of his present, but soon realizes that time isn't the enemy he thinks it is.

Markimdb: 5.8
Genredrama, family, biography
CountryUSA
Duration01:40

Heaven is for Real recounts the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world. Four-year-old Colton shares the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth... things he couldn't possibly know.

Markimdb: 7.9
Genredrama, family
CountryUSA, Hong Kong, Canada
Duration02:15

The story of August Pullman – a boy with facial differences – who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.

Markimdb: 6.8
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUnited Kingdom
Duration01:35

In 1970s England, three blue-collar friends spend their days joking, drinking, fighting and chasing girls. Freddie wants to leave their working-class world but cool, charismatic Bruce and lovable loser Snork are happy with life the way it is. When Freddie gets a new job as a door-to-door salesman and bumps into his old school sweetheart Julie, the gang are forced to make choices that will change their lives for ever.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrefantasy, drama
CountryUnited Kingdom, Spain, USA
Duration02:30

A boy imagines a monster that helps him deal with his difficult life and see the world in a different way.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrefamily
CountryUnited Kingdom
Duration01:31

When a broken hearted boy loses the treasured wooden nativity set that links him to his dead father, his worried mother persuades a lonely ill-tempered woodcarver to create a replacement, and to allow her son to watch him work on it.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genredrama
CountryCanada

Set in cold rural Quebec at Christmas time, we follow the coming of age of a young boy and the life of his family which owns the town's general store and undertaking business. Mon Oncle Antoine is Director Claude Jutra's masterpiece: A poignant, starkly honest, but humane film, shot through with authenticity from beginning to end. Realized with an unflagging artistic vision, Mon Oncle Antoine poetically portrays a young boy's coming of age, vividly capturing the Quebec mining town in which he lives.

Markimdb: 5.2
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, family
CountryUSA
Duration01:39

Vada Sultenfuss has a holiday coming up, and an assignment: to do and essay on someone she admires and has never met. She decides she wants to do an assignment on her mother, but quickly realises she knows very little about her. She manages to get her father to agree to let her go to LA to stay with her Uncle Phil and do some research on her mother.

Markimdb: 6.5
Genremelodrama, drama
CountryCanada
Duration01:34

A prudish woman, working on tenure as a literacy professor at a large urban university, finds herself strangely attracted to a free-spirited, liberal woman whom works at a local carnival which comes to town.

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