Movies Like West Beirut (1998)

West Beirut is a 1998 comedy, drama, romance film from Ziad Doueiri with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with A Brighter Summer Day and Life of Pi.

Comedy Drama Romance

A Brighter Summer Day

1991

A boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.

8.2

MagicScore

Life of Pi

2012

The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper's son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.

7.4

MagicScore

Mud

2013

Two teenage boys find a fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River and help him reunite with his lover and escape an avenging family and their armed posse.

7.1

MagicScore

Adoration

2020

Paul lives with his mother in the private clinic of doctor Loisel, deeply hidden in the woods. Paul likes to roam the forest and observe nature. One day Gloria, a schizophrenic teenager of around fifteen years old, arrives, and Paul falls in love immediately.

5.8

MagicScore

Joe the King

1999

A destitute 14-year-old struggles to keep his life together despite harsh abuse at his mother's hands, harsher abuse at his father's, and a growing separation from his slightly older brother.

5.9

MagicScore

Persepolis

2007

In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Satrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own.

7.9

MagicScore

In the Heat of the Sun

1995

Beijing, 1970s. The Cultural Revolution has driven most adults to the provinces leaving 14-year-old Monkey and his pals have free reign over the city. They hang around, get up to no good, and discover that unsolvable mystery known as "girls."

7.8

MagicScore

Measure of a Man

2018

A bullied teen experiences a turning point summer in which he learns to stand up for himself.

6.5

MagicScore

Torremolinos 73

2003

Set in 1973 Spain, a struggling encyclopedia salesman and his wife take advantage of an offer to make adult films. The act turns him into an aspring legit filmmaker and her into an international sex symbol.

6.2

MagicScore

#10

Super 8

2011

In late 1970s Ohio, a group of friends filming a homemade zombie movie witness a devastating train derailment. Soon after, their quiet town is gripped by unexplained disappearances, strange phenomena, and a growing sense of fear, as they uncover that something terrifying has been set loose.

6.8

MagicScore

#11

Summer of 85

2020

What do you dream of when you're 16-years-old and in a seaside resort in Normandy in the 1980s? A best friend? A lifelong teen pact? Scooting off on adventures on a boat or a motorbike? Living life at breakneck speed? No. You dream of death. Because you can't get a bigger kick than dying. And that's why you save it till the very end. The summer holidays are just beginning, and this story recounts how Alexis grew into himself.

7.4

MagicScore

#12

Saint Ralph

2005

This Canadian made comedy/drama, set in Hamilton, Ontario in 1954, is a sweet and - at times - goofy story that becomes increasingly poignant as the minutes tick by. It's the fictional tale of a wayward 9th grader, Ralph (Adam Butcher), who is secretly living on his own while his widowed, hospitalized mother remains immersed in a coma. Frequently in trouble with Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent), the principal of his all-boys, Catholic school, Ralph is considered something of a joke among peers until he decides to pull off a miracle that could save his mother, i.e., winning the Boston Marathon. Coached by a younger priest and former runner, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), whose cynicism has been lifted by the boy's pure hope, Ralph applies himself to his unlikely mission, fending off naysayers and getting help along a very challenging path from sundry allies and friends.

6.9

MagicScore

#13

Submarine

2011

15-year-old deep-thinking Welsh schoolboy Oliver Tate struggles to initiate and maintain a relationship with Jordana, his devilish, dark-haired classmate at their Swansea high school. As his parents' marriage begins to fall apart, similar problems arise in his relationship with Jordana.

7.4

MagicScore

#14

The Half of It

2020

Shy, straight-A student Ellie is hired by sweet but inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help wooing the most popular girl in school. But their new and unlikely friendship gets tricky when Ellie discovers she has feelings for the same girl.

7.1

MagicScore

#15

Dream Boy

2008

The story of Nathan, a young teenager who tries to flourish in a romantic relationship with neighbour Roy. The two young men will have to face the brutal reality of the rural south of the United States in the late 1970s.

6.1

MagicScore

#16

Lucas

1986

A brilliant but socially inept 14-year-old experiences heartbreak for the first time when his two best friends – Cappie, an older-brother figure, and Maggie, the new girl with whom he is in love – fall for each other.

6.7

MagicScore

#17

The Last of the High Kings

1996

It is 1977, Dublin rocks to the music of Thin Lizzy and the world is stunned by the death of Elvis Presley. Frankie, caught between acne and adulthood, has just completed his final exams in school. Convinced he will fail, he survives the summer organising a beach party, having lustful thoughts about two girls he believes are unobtainable and fending off the advances from a visiting American family friend, all whilst coping with his oddball family.

5.6

MagicScore

#18

The French Kissers

2009

An awkward adolescent boy and his angst-ridden friends try their best to fit in amongst a cast of varied characters.

5.8

MagicScore

#19

You Are Not Alone

1978

Young teenager Bo is too sensitive for the hothouse atmosphere of a boarding school run by a cold, unfeeling would-be man of the cloth. Lonely and scared, he finds a soulmate in the headmaster's son Kim with whom he forms a bond of friendship... that slowly grows into something more.

7.4

MagicScore

#20

P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang

1982

Summer, 1948. 14-year-old Alan has just three wishes: that there will be lasting peace, that England will win the Ashes, and that he will finally kiss classmate Ann. So when he's cast opposite her in a play that requires a kiss and England seem to be doing well in cricket, life couldn't be better.

7.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like West Beirut?

The top films similar to West Beirut by MovieMagicScore are A Brighter Summer Day (8.2), Life of Pi (7.4), Mud (7.1). Each shares comedy/drama/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is West Beirut worth watching?

West Beirut holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 46 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is West Beirut?

West Beirut (1998) is a comedy, drama, romance film directed by Ziad Doueiri, starring Rami Doueiri, Mohammad Chamas, Rola Al Amin.

Where can I find more recommendations like West Beirut?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like A Brighter Summer Day Movies like Life of Pi Movies like Mud Movies like Adoration Movies like Joe the King Movies like Persepolis

About movies like West Beirut

This ranked list pairs West Beirut (1998), a comedy and drama and romance film from Ziad Doueiri, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Rami Doueiri 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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