Movies Like American Pastoral (2016)

American Pastoral is a 2016 crime, drama film from Ewan McGregor with a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Forrest Gump and Oh, Canada.

Crime Drama

Forrest Gump

1994

A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.

8.5

MagicScore

Oh, Canada

2024

Famed Canadian-American leftist documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife was one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam. Now in his late seventies, Fife is dying of cancer in Montreal and has agreed to a final interview in which he is determined to bare all his secrets at last, to demythologize his mythologized life.

5.8

MagicScore

Salvador (Puig Antich)

2006

The story of Salvador Puig Antich, one of the last political prisoners to be executed under Franco's Fascist State in 1974.

6.8

MagicScore

Born on the Fourth of July

1989

Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, Ron Kovic becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.

7.0

MagicScore

The Martha Mitchell Effect

2022

She was once as famous as Jackie O—and then she tried to take down a President. Martha Mitchell was the unlikeliest of whistleblowers: a Republican wife who was discredited by Nixon to keep her quiet. Until now.

6.4

MagicScore

Escape from Pretoria

2020

South Africa, 1978. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white political activists from the African National Congress imprisoned by the apartheid regime, put a plan in motion to escape from the infamous Pretoria Prison.

7.2

MagicScore

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

2009

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story is a movie based on the life story of world-renowned neurosurgeon Ben Carson from 1961 to 1987.

7.8

MagicScore

Priscilla

2023

When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.

6.8

MagicScore

The Greatest Beer Run Ever

2022

Chickie wants to support his friends fighting in Vietnam, so he does something wild—personally bring them American beer. What starts as a well-meaning journey quickly changes Chickie's life and perspective.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Medium Cool

1969

John Cassellis is the toughest TV news reporter around. After extensively reporting about violence and racial tensions in poor communities, he discovers that his network is helping the FBI by granting them access to his footage to find suspects.

6.7

MagicScore

#11

We Were Soldiers

2002

The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

Go Tell the Spartans

1978

A unit of American military advisors in Vietnam prior to the major U.S. involvement finds similarities between their helpless struggle against the Viet Cong and the doomed actions of a French unit at the same site a decade before.

6.2

MagicScore

#13

The Irishman

2019

Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.

7.6

MagicScore

#14

The Bikeriders

2024

After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

6.7

MagicScore

#15

Auto Focus

2002

A successful TV star during the 1960s, former "Hogan's Heroes" actor Bob Crane projects a wholesome family-man image, but this front masks his persona as a sex addict who records and photographs his many encounters with women, often with the help of his seedy friend, John Henry Carpenter. This biographical drama reveals how Crane's double life takes its toll on him and his family, and ultimately contributes to his death.

6.4

MagicScore

#16

The Ref

1994

A cat burglar is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve.

6.5

MagicScore

#17

Zodiac

2007

The Zodiac murders cause the lives of Paul Avery, David Toschi and Robert Graysmith to intersect.

7.5

MagicScore

#18

Palm Trees in the Snow

2015

Spain, 2003. An accidental discovery leads Clarence to travel from the snowy mountains of Huesca to Equatorial Guinea, to visit the land where her father Jacobo and her uncle Kilian spent most of their youth, the island of Fernando Poo.

7.4

MagicScore

#19

Patch Adams

1998

The true story of Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams, who in the 1970s found that humor is the best medicine, and was willing to do just anything to make his patients laugh—even if it meant risking his own career.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

My Brother Is an Only Child

2007

Accio and Manrico are siblings from a working-class family in 1960s Italy: older Manrico is handsome, charismatic, and loved by all, while younger Accio is sulky, hot-headed, and treats life as a battleground — much to his parents' chagrin. After the former is drawn into left-wing politics, Accio joins the fascists out of spite, but his flimsy beliefs are put to test when he falls for Manrico's like-minded girlfriend.

6.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like American Pastoral?

The top films similar to American Pastoral by MovieMagicScore are Forrest Gump (8.5), Oh, Canada (5.8), Salvador (Puig Antich) (6.8). Each shares crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is American Pastoral worth watching?

American Pastoral holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10 from 722 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is American Pastoral?

American Pastoral (2016) is a crime, drama film directed by Ewan McGregor, starring Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning.

Where can I find more recommendations like American Pastoral?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Forrest Gump Movies like Oh, Canada Movies like Salvador (Puig Antich)Movies like Born on the Fourth of July Movies like The Martha Mitchell Effect Movies like Escape from Pretoria

About movies like American Pastoral

This ranked list pairs American Pastoral (2016), a crime and drama film from Ewan McGregor, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Ewan McGregor take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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