20 best movies like That's Life! (1986)

List of the best movies like That's Life! (1986): Dad, Beginners, Wide Awake, Family Affairs, Slums of Beverly Hills, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Professor, Please Give, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

Tags: movies similar to That's Life! (1986) - full list

Markimdb: 6.3
Genrecomedy, drama, family
CountryUSA
Duration01:57

A busy executive learns during a meeting that his mother may be dying and rushes home to her side. He ends up being his father's caretaker and becomes closer to him than ever before. Estranged from his own son, the executive comes to realize what has been missing in his own life.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:44

A young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer, and that he has a young male lover.

Markimdb: 5.9
Genrecomedy, drama, family
CountryUSA

The tale of a ten-year-old boy in a Catholic school who, following the death of his beloved grandfather, embarks on a quest to discover the meaning of life.

Markimdb: 7
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:49

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

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:31

In 1976, a lower-middle-class teenager struggles to cope living with her neurotic family of nomads on the outskirts of Beverly Hills.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:38

The life you love may be your own.... The wife of a much older man finds herself attracted to their neighbour's son, who is closer to her age.

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: 6.7
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:30

A world-weary college professor is given a life-changing diagnosis and decides to throw all pretense and conventions to the wind and live his life as boldly and freely as possible with a biting sense of humor, a reckless streak and a touch of madness.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:30

In New York City, a husband and wife butt heads with the granddaughters of the elderly woman who lives in the apartment the couple owns.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:30

Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, detective
CountryFrance, USA
Duration01:46

As the devoutly single Don Johnston is dumped by his latest girlfriend, he receives an anonymous pink letter informing him that he has a son who may be looking for him.

Markimdb: 5.6
Genrefantasy, comedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:03

Good natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived neighborhood they live in. On top of all this, his church is coming under threat from property developer Joe Hamilton. In desperation, Rev. Biggs prays to God for help - and help arrives in the form of an angel named Dudley.

Markimdb: 6.8
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:28

David, a struggling comedy writer fresh off from breaking up with his boyfriend, moves from New York City to Sacramento to help his sick mother. Living with his conservative father and much-younger sisters for the first time in ten years, he feels like a stranger in his childhood home. As his mother’s health declines, David frantically tries to extract meaning from this horrible experience and convince everyone (including himself) that he's "doing okay.”

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:39

A couple who have known each other since 8 are destined to be together until death do them apart.

Markimdb: 6.5
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA, Germany, United Kingdom
Duration02:10

Irresponsible party girl Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is kicked out of her father's (Ken Howard) and stepmother's (Candice Azzara) home, where she lives for free, and is taken in by her hard-working sister, Philadelphia lawyer Rose (Toni Collette). After Maggie's disruptive ways ruin her sister's love life, Rose turns her out as well. But when their grandmother, who they never knew existed, comes into their lives, the sisters face some complicated truths about themselves and their family.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:00

A couple is going through marital troubles made worse when a previously unknown grandson shows up.

Markimdb: 7
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:59

A police officer faces a personal meltdown following a divorce and the death of his mother.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:11

An unlikely friendship between two misfit neighbors becomes an unexpectedly emotional journey when the younger man is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Markimdb: 7
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:01

Eleven articulate people work through affairs of the heart in L.A. Paul produces Hannah's TV cooking show. Mark is dying of AIDS. Men have scalded Meredith so she rebuffs Trent's charm, but he persists. The trendy, prolix Joan tries to pull the solitary Keenan into her orbit. An adulterous couple meet at hotels for evening sex. Hugh tells tall tales, usually tragic, to women in bars.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:46

A film based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by American writer Jonathan Safran Foer, in which a young Jewish American man endeavors—with the help of eccentric, distant relatives—to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II, in a Ukrainian village which was ultimately razed by the Nazis.

Markimdb: 5.9
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:35

A Hollywood-set romantic tale of a guy who is content to live his life without a job yet with the love of his life, a young actress.

Markimdb: 5.2
Genrecomedy, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration01:42

A mentally disabled man gets help from a sociopath when he tries to reunite with his dying father, who years earlier disowned him.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration01:31

The feature film debut by artist Miranda July about a various comic situations and plots that intertwine. One story line is about a father who is ending his marriage and the other story is of a video artist (possibly autobiographical of Miranda July, also played by her) who is desperately trying to get her work in a modern art museum. The film won Caméra d'Or at Cannes.

Markimdb: 7.9
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryIndia
Duration03:06

Naina is a very serious girl with a very serious life. But one day, her soul is awakened by the happy-go-lucky Aman, who teaches her that life is meant to be lived. Naturally, she falls in love with him. But Aman is harboring a secret that keeps him from reciprocating Naina's love. But he cannot stand having her live a life without love, so he sets off on a mission to fill her life with someone else's love - someone she already knows...

Markimdb: 5.9
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:46

Jake and Kristy Briggs are newlyweds. Being young, they are perhaps a bit unprepared for the full reality of marriage and all that it (and their parents) expect from them. Do they want babies? Their parents certainly want them to. Is married life all that there is? Things certainly aren't helped by Jake's friend Davis, who always seems to turn up just in time to put a spanner in the works.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:33

Steven Lidz, unhappy with his home life since his mother became sick, moves in with his two eccentric uncles. As Steven grows closer to his uncles, he learns how to cope with his emotions and to value his own uniqueness.

Markimdb: 6.8
Genredrama
CountryUSA
Duration01:57

It seems that Bob Jones has everything a man could want, namely a fulfilling job and a beautiful, pregnant wife, Gail. But Bob's life is turned upside-down when he is diagnosed with cancer and given four months to live -- not even enough time to see his first child's birth. To cleanse himself of demons in his remaining days, Bob makes a video diary, hoping to pass along some wisdom to his future child. Along the way, he discovers a lot about himself.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryJapan, USA
Duration01:04

Al Fountain, a middle-aged electrical engineer, is on the verge of a mid-life crisis, when he decides to take his time coming home from a business trip, rents a car, and heads out looking for a lake he remembers from his childhood. But his wandering takes him into the life of Kid, a free-spirited young man who helps Al escape from the routine of everyday life and find freedom to enjoy himself.

Markimdb: 6
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA

A working girl from New Jersey looks for love with a fast-lane Manhattan salesman from Queens.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genredrama
CountryUSA

Danny, dying of Aids, returns home for his last months. Always close to his mother, they share moments of openness that tend to shut out Danny's father and his sister.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genrefantasy, comedy, melodrama, drama, family
CountrySpain, Canada, USA
Duration02:56

The film follows a man with an unwanted gift for healing who meets a teenager with cancer who helps him to find himself.

Markimdb: 7
Genrecomedy, drama, family
CountryUSA
Duration01:57

Teenager Homer Macauley stays at home in small-town Ithaca to support his family while his older brother Marcus prepares to go to war.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:40

Inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration01:41

Substance-addicted Hollywood actress, Suzanne Vale is on the skids. After a spell at a detox centre her film company insists as a condition of continuing to employ her that she live with her mother, herself once a star and now a champion drinker. Such a set-up is bad news for Suzanne who has struggled for years to get out of her mother's shadow, and who still treats her like a child. Despite these and other problems, Suzanne begins to see the funny side of her situation, and also realises that not only do daughters have mothers—mothers do too.

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: 6.3
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryUSA
Duration02:26

    Famous and wealthy funnyman George Simmons doesn't give much thought to how he treats people until a doctor delivers stunning health news, forcing George to reevaluate his priorities with a little help from aspiring stand-up comic Ira.

    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: 7
    Genrefantasy, comedy, drama, adventure
    CountryUSA, Sweden
    Duration01:55

      Alone on a tiny deserted island, Hank has given up all hope of ever making it home again. But one day everything changes when a dead body washes ashore, and he soon realizes it may be his last opportunity to escape certain death. Armed with his new “friend” and an unusual bag of tricks, the duo go on an epic adventure to bring Hank back to the woman of his dreams.

      Markimdb: 7.6
      Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, family, sport
      CountryUSA
      Duration01:44

      A family dog—with a near-human soul and a philosopher's mind—evaluates his life through the lessons learned by his human owner, a race-car driver.

      Markimdb: 6.6
      Genrecomedy, drama
      CountryUSA
      Duration01:46

      Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, father and husband, is 35 years old and still trying to find a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he'd always dreamed he'd be as a little kid. When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids and the only available public school is on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn't find.

      Markimdb: 5.5
      Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
      CountryUSA
      Duration01:57

      Jenny Farrell is getting married. But how will her straight-laced family react when they find out that the woman they thought was their daughter’s roommate is actually her fiancée? As the old-fashioned Farrells attempt to come to terms with the prospect of a surprise daughter-in-law, they face a difficult choice: either adapt with the times or risk being left behind.

      Markimdb: 6.8
      Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, biography
      CountryUSA
      Duration01:55

      Patch Adams is a doctor who doesn't look, act or think like any doctor you've met before. For Patch, humour is the best medicine and he's willing to do just anything to make his patients laugh—even if it means risking his own career.

      Markimdb: 6.2
      Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
      CountryUSA
      Duration01:38

      Ollie Trinke is a young, suave music publicist who seems to have it all, with a new wife and a baby on the way. But life deals him a bum hand when he's suddenly faced with single fatherhood, a defunct career and having to move in with his father. To bounce back, it takes a new love and the courage instilled in him by his daughter.

      Markimdb: 7.1
      Genrecomedy, drama
      CountryUSA
      Duration01:53

      A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

      Markimdb: 5.8
      Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, music
      CountryUSA
      Duration01:36

      A conservative lawyer named Diane takes her two teenage children Jake and Zoe to meet their estranged, hippie grandmother in Woodstock after her husband asks for a divorce.

      Markimdb: 6.2
      Genrecomedy, drama
      CountryUSA
      Duration02:43

      After leaving his wife and his job to find happiness, Anders begins a clumsy, heartbreaking quest to reassemble the pieces of his fractured life.

      Markimdb: 6
      Genremelodrama, drama
      CountryUSA

      Benjamin Morton's life changed forever the day he met the little girl next door. Ava was and always would be the girl of his dreams. From the innocence of a childhood friendship, through adolescent attraction, their love strengthens and grows. When life takes a turn neither of them expected, their entire future is called into question.

      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
      Genrecomedy, drama, family
      CountryUSA
      Duration02:05

      Loving but irresponsible dad Daniel Hillard, estranged from his exasperated spouse, is crushed by a court order allowing only weekly visits with his kids. When Daniel learns his ex needs a housekeeper, he gets the job -- disguised as an English nanny. Soon he becomes not only his children's best pal but the kind of parent he should have been from the start.

      Markimdb: 5.7
      Genrecomedy, drama
      CountryUSA
      Duration02:27

      An inner-city high school teacher discovers she is pregnant at the same time as one of her most promising students and the two develop an unlikely friendship while struggling to navigate their unexpected pregnancies.




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