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Ed Wood poster

Movies that feel likeEd Wood (1994)

The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time", who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.

If you loved Ed Wood, the closest films we have are Babette's Feast (1987), Roger & Me (1989) and There's Still Tomorrow (2023). All three share Ed Wood'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 An Honest Liar (2014).

🍅 92% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Tim Burtonwittyplayfulcontemplativeepic
6 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

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If Ed Wood hit the spot, these will too

Babette's Feast poster
Babette's Feast
1987 · dir. Gabriel Axel
🍅 97%★ 7.7drama · history · comedyMax

The same mix in both: wit, then play

A French housekeeper with a mysterious past brings quiet revolution in the form of one exquisite meal to a circle of starkly pious villagers in late 19th century Denmark.

Roger & Me poster
Roger & Me
1989 · dir. Michael Moore
🍅 100%★ 7.5documentary · history · comedy

Contemplative where it counts, epic underneath

The difference: Leans harder into documentary than Ed Wood does

A documentary about the closure of General Motors' plant at Flint, Michigan, which resulted in the loss of 30,000 jobs. Details the attempts of filmmaker Michael Moore to get an interview with GM CEO Roger Smith.

There's Still Tomorrow poster
There's Still Tomorrow
2023 · dir. Paola Cortellesi
🍅 89%★ 7.7drama · comedy · historyRent or buy

Witty comedy in both cases

The difference: Made in the 2020s, in a different era of the craft

In postwar Rome, a working-class woman dreams of a better future for herself and her daughter while facing abuse at the hands of her domineering husband. When a mysterious letter arrives, she discovers the courage to change the circumstances of her life.

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle poster
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
2004 · dir. Danny Leiner
🍅 75%★ 7comedy · adventure

Drama with a pulse of play, in both cases

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than Ed Wood does

Nerdy accountant Harold and his irrepressible friend, Kumar, get stoned watching television and find themselves utterly bewitched by a commercial for White Castle. Convinced there must be one nearby, the two set out on a late-night odyssey that takes them deep into New Jersey. Somehow, the boys manage to run afoul of rednecks, cops and even a car-stealing Neil Patrick Harris before getting anywhere near their beloved sliders.

An Honest Liar poster
An Honest Liar
2014 · dir. Justin Weinstein
🍅 98%★ 7.4history · comedy · documentaryPrime Video

Both lean on stillness more than on history

An Honest Liar tells the incredible story of the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James 'The Amazing' Randi. The film brings to life Randi's intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet at the age of 81, Randi created fictional characters, fake psychics, and even turned his partner of 25 years, Jose Alvarez, into a sham guru named Carlos.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou poster
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2004 · dir. Wes Anderson
🍅 73%★ 7.2adventure · comedy · drama

Comedy built on scale, twice over

Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned, a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane, a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou's past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor.

Vice poster
Vice
2018 · dir. Adam McKay
🍅 64%★ 7.2drama · comedy · historyRent or buy

Witty drama, and it commits to that

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

George W. Bush picks Dick Cheney, the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 presidential election. No stranger to politics, Cheney's impressive résumé includes stints as White House chief of staff, House Minority Whip and Defense Secretary. When Bush wins by a narrow margin, Cheney begins to use his newfound power to help reshape the country and the world.

The Darjeeling Limited poster
The Darjeeling Limited
2007 · dir. Wes Anderson
🍅 69%★ 7.2adventure · drama · comedy

Both lean on play more than on history

Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other -- to become brothers again like they used to be. Their "spiritual quest", however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray).

All About My Mother poster
All About My Mother
1999 · dir. Pedro Almodóvar
🍅 98%★ 7.8comedy · drama

One thread runs through both: transsexuality

Following the tragic death of her teenage son, Manuela travels from Madrid to Barcelona in an attempt to contact the long-estranged father the boy never knew. She reunites with an old friend, an outspoken transgender sex worker, and befriends a troubled actress and a pregnant, HIV-positive nun.

The Favourite poster
The Favourite
2018 · dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
🍅 93%★ 7.5history · comedy · dramaRent or buy

Both lean on stillness more than on comedy

England, early 18th century. The close relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill is threatened by the arrival of Sarah's cousin, Abigail Hill, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the two cousins to be the Queen's favourite.

Rose Island poster
Rose Island
2020 · dir. Sydney Sibilia
🍅 75%★ 7comedy · adventureNetflix

Epic drama in both cases

In 1968, engineer Giorgio Rosa established the independent state called "The Isle of Roses" off the coast of Rimini, built on a platform outside the territorial waters, with Esperanto as the official language. The Italian authorities did not take it well because the micronation was seen as an expedient to not pay taxes on the revenues obtained thanks to the arrival of numerous tourists and curious people.

Il Sorpasso poster
Il Sorpasso
1962 · dir. Dino Risi
★ 8.2drama · comedy · adventure

Cut from the same comedy cloth

Roberto, a shy law student in Rome, meets Bruno, a forty-year-old exuberant, capricious man, who takes him for a drive through the Roman and Tuscany countries in the summer. When their journey starts to blend into their daily lives though, the pair’s newfound friendship is tested.

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The best-reviewed films that share Ed Wood’s defining feeling.