feelsalike.comSign in
The Idiots poster

Movies that feel likeThe Idiots (1998)

A group of perfectly intelligent young people decide to react to society's cult of aimless, non-creative and non-responsible form intellect by living together in a community of 'idiots'. Their primary activity becomes going out into the world of 'normal' people and pretending to be mentally incompetent. They take advantage of this situation to create anarchy, and, by every possible means, to make those around them miserable.

If you loved The Idiots, the closest films we have are The Boss of It All (2006), Pieces of April (2003) and Smoke (1995). All three share The Idiots' witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

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

🍅 73% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.7 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Lars von Trierwittyplayfulcontemplative
7 of 12 streaming nowAmazon Prime Video · Paramount Plus Premium · MUBI

Can't choose? Answer three questions and get one movie for tonight.

Stream it:MUBI ↗
See it on the Mood Map

When is The Idiots streaming? →

If The Idiots hit the spot, these will too

The Boss of It All poster
The Boss of It All
2006 · dir. Lars von Trier
🍅 74%★ 6.6comedy

Both are Lars von Trier's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than The Idiots does

The owner of an IT firm wants to sell his business for profit; however, when he started his firm, he invented a nonexistent president to hide behind when unpopular steps needed to be taken. When potential purchasers insist on negotiating with 'The Boss' face to face, the owner hires a failed actor to play the part.

Pieces of April poster
Pieces of April
2003 · dir. Peter Hedges
🍅 83%★ 7comedy · drama

The same mix in both: wit, then play

Quirky and rebellious April Burns lives with her boyfriend in a low-rent New York City apartment miles away from her emotionally distant family. But when she discovers that her mother has a fatal form of breast cancer, she invites the clan to her place for Thanksgiving. While her father struggles to drive her family into the city, April -- an inexperienced cook -- runs into kitchen trouble and must ask a neighbor for help.

Smoke poster
Smoke
1995 · dir. Wayne Wang
🍅 89%★ 7.4comedy · drama

Contemplative comedy in both cases

Writer Paul Benjamin is nearly hit by a bus when he leaves Auggie Wren's smoke shop. Stranger Rashid Cole saves his life, and soon middle-aged Paul tells homeless Rashid that he wouldn't mind a short-term housemate. Still grieving over his wife's murder, Paul is moved by both Rashid's quest to reconnect with his father and Auggie's discovery that a woman who might be his daughter is about to give birth.

Whisky poster
Whisky
2004 · dir. Juan Pablo Rebella
🍅 100%★ 7.1comedy · drama

Both lean on wit more than on drama

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

When his long-lost brother resurfaces, Jacobo, desperate to prove his life has added up to something, looks to scrounge up a wife. He turns to Marta, an employee at his sock factory, with whom he has a prickly relationship.

Day of the Wacko poster
Day of the Wacko
2002 · dir. Marek Koterski
★ 8.1comedy · drama

Comedy with a pulse of play, in both cases

It is a bitter story about a middle-aged man, who hates his life and other people, including himself. Adam Miauczynski, the character known from director Marek Koterski's previous films, is a 49 year-old teacher, who reads poetry during school lessons and later goes home swearing and calling his neighbours' names. The worst pain for him is the next 5 minutes of living. He doesn't accept himself and even everyday contacts with others cause his aggression. Though constantly dreaming of a romantic love, he is not bold enough to make his dreams come true. The desperate Miauczynski personalizes our own fears and obsessions, which have become so visible recently.

Soul Kitchen poster
Soul Kitchen
2009 · dir. Fatih Akin
🍅 73%★ 7.2drama · comedy

Drama built on stillness, twice over

In Hamburg, German-Greek chef Zinos unknowingly disturbs the peace in his locals-only restaurant by hiring a more talented chef.

Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. poster
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.
2003 · dir. Rajkumar Hirani
★ 8.2comedy · drama

Witty comedy, and it commits to that

A gangster sets out to fulfill his father's dream of becoming a doctor.

The Trip poster
The Trip
2011 · dir. Michael Winterbottom
🍅 89%★ 7comedy · drama

Both lean on play more than on drama

When Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, he envisions it as the perfect getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But, when she backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him but his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.

Best in Show poster
Best in Show
2000 · dir. Christopher Guest
🍅 93%★ 7.5comedyParamount+

Both are comedy through and through

The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives -- the Mayflower Dog Show. The canine contestants and their owners are as wondrously diverse as the great country that has bred them.

The Green Butchers poster
The Green Butchers
2003 · dir. Anders Thomas Jensen
🍅 63%★ 7.2comedy

Comedy approached the same way

Svend and Bjarne work for a butcher in a small Danish town. Fed up with their boss' arrogance, they decide to start their own butcher shop. After dismal beginnings, an unfortunate accident happens which coincides with a large order of meat. One hasty decision leads to another and soon the business thrives. In the meantime, Bjarne has to deal with his twin brother who has been in coma for years following a gruesome car accident.

Gloria poster
Gloria
2013 · dir. Sebastián Lelio
🍅 100%★ 6.9comedy · drama

Both sit in the same contemplative register

Gloria is a 58-year-old divorcée. Her children have all left home but she has no desire to spend her days and nights alone. Determined to defy old age and loneliness, she rushes headlong into a whirl of singles’ parties on the hunt for instant gratification – which only leads to repeated disappointment and enduring emptiness. But when Gloria meets Rodolfo, an ex-naval officer seven years her senior, she begins to imagine the possibility of a permanent relationship.

Le Week-End poster
Le Week-End
2013 · dir. Roger Michell
🍅 89%★ 6.4comedy · dramaPrime Video

Drama of the same temperament

Nick and Meg Burrows return to Paris, the city where they honeymooned, to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and rediscover some romance in their long-lived marriage. The film follows the couple as long-established tensions in their marriage break out in humorous and often painful ways.

In the mood for more witty?

all witty movies →

The best-reviewed films that share The Idiots’ defining feeling.