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Cruel Intentions poster

Movies that feel likeCruel Intentions (1999)

Slaking a thirst for dangerous games, Kathryn challenges her stepbrother, Sebastian, to deflower their headmaster's daughter before the summer ends. If he succeeds, the prize is the chance to bed Kathryn. But if he loses, Kathryn will claim his most prized possession.

If you loved Cruel Intentions, the closest films we have are A Heart in Winter (1992), Phantom Thread (2017) and Lust, Caution (2007). All three share Cruel Intentions' contemplative and romantic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Head-On (2004).

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If Cruel Intentions 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

Contemplative and romantic in the same breath

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

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.

Phantom Thread poster
Phantom Thread
2017 Β· dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.4drama Β· romanceNetflix

Tender where it counts, obsessive underneath

In 1950s London, a renowned dressmaker's meticulous lifestyle begins drastically changing as his relationship with his young muse intensifies.

Lust, Caution poster
Lust, Caution
2007 Β· dir. Ang Lee
πŸ… 73%β˜… 7.5action Β· drama Β· romance

One thread runs through both: sexual obsession

The difference: Leans harder into action than Cruel Intentions does

During World War II, a secret agent must seduce, then assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai. Her mission becomes clouded when she finds herself falling in love with the man she is assigned to kill.

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

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to history than Cruel Intentions does

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.

The Age of Innocence poster
The Age of Innocence
1993 Β· dir. Martin Scorsese
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.2drama Β· romancePrime Video

Both keep coming back to the same thing: upper class

The difference: Easier on the obsession than Cruel Intentions

In 19th century New York high society, a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin.

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

Common ground: virgin

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.

After We Collided poster
After We Collided
2020 Β· dir. Roger Kumble
πŸ… 13%β˜… 5.1drama Β· romanceNetflixPrime Video

The same hand behind both of them: Roger Kumble

The difference: 21 years apart, and the 2020s show

Tessa finds herself struggling with her complicated relationship with Hardin; she faces a dilemma that could change their lives forever.

Head-On poster
Head-On
2004 Β· dir. Fatih Akin
β˜… 7.9drama Β· romance

Both are built on the same subject: drug abuse

With the intention to break free from the strict familial restrictions, a suicidal young woman sets up a marriage of convenience with a forty-year-old addict, an act that will lead to an outburst of envious love.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape poster
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
1993 Β· dir. Lasse HallstrΓΆm
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.7romance Β· drama

The same preoccupation in both: brothers and sisters

Gilbert Grape is a small-town young man with a lot of responsibility. Chief among his concerns are his mother, who is so overweight that she can't leave the house, and his mentally impaired younger brother, Arnie, who has a knack for finding trouble. Settled into a job at a grocery store and an ongoing affair with local woman Betty Carver, Gilbert finally has his life shaken up by the free-spirited Becky.

The Bridges of Madison County poster
The Bridges of Madison County
1995 Β· dir. Clint Eastwood
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.6drama Β· romance

Romance built on romance, twice over

Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson for four days in the 1960s.

The Dreamers poster
The Dreamers
2003 Β· dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
πŸ… 59%β˜… 7.1drama Β· romance

Both lean on tenderness more than on drama

When Isabelle and Theo invite Matthew to stay with them, what begins as a casual friendship ripens into a sensual voyage of discovery and desire in which nothing is off limits and everything is possible.

Sense and Sensibility poster
Sense and Sensibility
1995 Β· dir. Ang Lee
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.7drama Β· romance

Contemplative romance in both cases

The Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne, learn that their prospects of marriage seem doomed by their family's sudden loss of fortune. After Henry Dashwood dies unexpectedly, his estate must pass on by law to his son. These circumstances leave Mr. Dashwood's wife and daughters without a home and with barely enough money to live on. As Elinor and Marianne struggle to find romantic fulfillment in a society obsessed with financial and social status, they must learn to mix sense with sensibility in their dealings with both money and men.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Cruel Intentions’ defining feeling.