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Being John Malkovich poster

Movies that feel likeBeing John Malkovich (1999)

One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who enters its mad and controlling world of overtaking another human body.

If you loved Being John Malkovich, the closest films we have are The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Groundhog Day (1993) and Bruce Almighty (2003). All three share Being John Malkovich'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 The Mermaid (2016).

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If Being John Malkovich hit the spot, these will too

The Purple Rose of Cairo poster
The Purple Rose of Cairo
1985 · dir. Woody Allen
🍅 93%★ 7.6fantasy · comedy · romance

Witty and playful in the same breath

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than Being John Malkovich does

Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' in hopes of raising her spirits, where she watches dashing archaeologist Tom Baxter time and again.

Groundhog Day poster
Groundhog Day
1993 · dir. Harold Ramis
🍅 93%★ 8romance · fantasy · comedy

The same mix in both: dream logic, then romance

The difference: Leans harder into romance than Being John Malkovich does

A cynical TV weatherman, along with his idealistic producer and his sardonic cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over.

Bruce Almighty poster
Bruce Almighty
2003 · dir. Tom Shadyac
🍅 48%★ 6.8fantasy · comedy

Witty comedy in both cases

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

Bruce Nolan toils as a "human interest" television reporter in Buffalo, NY, but despite his high ratings and the love of his beautiful girlfriend, Bruce remains unfulfilled. At the end of the worst day in his life, he angrily ridicules God — and the Almighty responds, endowing Bruce with all of His divine powers.

The Mermaid poster
The Mermaid
2016 · dir. Stephen Chow
🍅 95%★ 6.2comedy · fantasy · romance

Fantasy built on play, twice over

When Xuan's real estate project threatens the home of mermaids, Shan is sent to stop him. When they fall in love, he is encouraged to cancel the project. However, he must save them from bigger danger.

A Dog's Will poster
A Dog's Will
2000 · dir. Guel Arraes
★ 8.6comedy · drama · fantasy

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

The lively João Grilo and the sly Chicó are poor guys living in the hinterland who cheat a bunch of people in a small town in Northeastern Brazil. When they die, they have to be judged by Christ, the Devil and the Virgin Mary before they are admitted to paradise.

Bedazzled poster
Bedazzled
1967 · dir. Stanley Donen
🍅 74%★ 6.7fantasy · comedy · romance

Dreamlike comedy, and it commits to that

The difference: Made in the 1960s, in a different era of the craft

A hapless loser sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for seven wishes, but has trouble winning over the girl of his dreams.

Practical Magic poster
Practical Magic
1998 · dir. Griffin Dunne
🍅 31%★ 6.4romance · fantasy · comedyMax

Common ground: witch

Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a magical family, have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian's vicious boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters give themselves a crash course in hard magic. With policeman Gary Hallet growing suspicious, the girls struggle to resurrect Angelov -- and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens to end their family line.

Shallow Hal poster
Shallow Hal
2001 · dir. Peter Farrelly
🍅 49%★ 6comedy · fantasy · romance

Both lean on romance more than on fantasy

After taking his dying father's advice, Hal dates only the embodiments of female physical perfection. But that all changes after Hal has an unexpected run-in with self-help guru Tony Robbins. Intrigued by Hal's shallowness, Robbins hypnotizes him into seeing the beauty that exists even in the least physically appealing women. Hal soon falls for Rosemary, but he doesn't realize that his gorgeous girlfriend is actually a 300-pound-not-so-hottie.

The Invention of Lying poster
The Invention of Lying
2009 · dir. Ricky Gervais
🍅 56%★ 6.4comedy · fantasy · romance

Drama built on wit, twice over

Set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist, a loser changes his lot when he invents lying and uses it to get ahead.

Dark Shadows poster
Dark Shadows
2012 · dir. Tim Burton
🍅 35%★ 6.2comedy · fantasy

The same preoccupation in both: witch

Vampire Barnabas Collins is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate and family have fallen into ruin.

Click poster
Click
2006 · dir. Frank Coraci
🍅 34%★ 6.5comedy · drama · fantasyStarz

Comedy with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

A married workaholic, Michael Newman doesn't have time for his wife and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty, a loopy sales clerk, he gets the answer to his prayers: a magical remote that allows him to bypass life's little distractions with increasingly hysterical results.

When We First Met poster
When We First Met
2018 · dir. Ari Sandel
🍅 45%★ 6.4comedy · romance · fantasyNetflix

Both lean on play more than on fantasy

Using a magical photo booth that sends him back in time, Noah relives the night he met Avery over and over, trying to persuade her to fall for him.

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The best-reviewed films that share Being John Malkovich’s defining feeling.