Movies Like Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich is a 1999 comedy, drama, fantasy film from Spike Jonze with a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Bad Education and Roald Dahl's Esio Trot.

Comedy Drama Fantasy

Bad Education

2004

An examination on the effect of Franco-era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two longtime friends.

7.4

MagicScore

Roald Dahl's Esio Trot

2015

Mr. Hoppy is a shy old man who lives alone in an apartment building. For many years, he has been secretly in love with Mrs. Silver, a woman who lives below him. Mr. Hoppy frequently leans over his balcony and exchanges polite conversation with Mrs. Silver, but he is too shy to disclose how he feels. Mr. Hoppy longs to express his feelings to Mrs. Silver, but he can never bring his lips to form the words. Mrs. Silver has a small pet tortoise, Alfie, whom she loves very much. One morning, Mrs. Silver mentions to Mr. Hoppy that even though she has had Alfie for many years, her pet has only grown a tiny bit and has gained only 3 ounces in weight. She confesses that she wishes she knew of some way to make her little Alfie grown into a larger, more dignified tortoise. Mr. Hoppy suddenly thinks of a way to give Mrs. Silver her wish and win her affection.

6.7

MagicScore

Transamerica

2005

A transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

7.0

MagicScore

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

1975

After getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, newly engaged couple Brad and Janet encounter the eerie mansion of the flamboyant, seductive Dr. Frank-N-Furter and a variety of eccentric characters. Through elaborate dance and rock music, the mad scientist unveils his latest creation: a perfect, muscular man.

7.4

MagicScore

Johnny Handsome

1989

A career criminal who has been deformed since birth is given a new face by a kindly doctor and paroled from prison. It appears that he has gone straight, but he is really planning his revenge on the man who killed his mentor and sent him to prison.

6.3

MagicScore

Maybe... Maybe Not

1994

The heterosexual man Axel is thrown out of his girlfriends home for cheating and ends up moving in with a gay man. Axel learns the advantages of living with gay men even though they are attracted to him and when his girlfriend wants him back he must make a tough decision.

6.2

MagicScore

Youth Without Youth

2007

Professor of language and philosophy Dominic Matei is struck by lightning and ages backwards from 70 to 40 in a week, attracting the world and the Nazis. While on the run, the professor meets a young woman who has her own experience with a lightning storm. Not only does Dominic find love again, but her new abilities hold the key to his research.

6.1

MagicScore

Stolen Kisses

1968

The third in a series of films featuring François Truffaut's alter-ego, Antoine Doinel, the story resumes with Antoine being discharged from military service. His sweetheart Christine's father lands Antoine a job as a security guard, which he promptly loses. Stumbling into a position assisting a private detective, Antoine falls for his employers' seductive wife, Fabienne, and finds that he must choose between the older woman and Christine.

7.3

MagicScore

As It Is in Heaven

2004

A musical romantic tragedy about a famous composer who moves back to his small hometown after having had heart troubles. His search for a simple everyday life leads him into teaching the local church choir, which is not easily accepted by the town yet the choir builds a great love for their teacher.

7.1

MagicScore

#10

The Hot Chick

2002

Not only is Jessica Spencer the most popular girl in school -- she is also the meanest. But things change for the attractive teen when a freak accident involving a cursed pair of earrings and a chance encounter at a gas station causes her to switch bodies with Clive, a sleazy crook. Jessica, in the form of the repulsive Clive, struggles to adjust to this radical alteration and sets out to get her own body back before the upcoming prom.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

Open Hearts

2002

Cecilie and Joachim are about to get married when a freak car accident leaves Joachim disabled, throwing their lives into a spin. The driver of the other car, Marie, and her family don’t get off lightly, either. Her husband Niels works in the hospital where he meets Cecilie and falls madly in love with her.

7.0

MagicScore

#12

Not Here to Be Loved

2005

Jean-Claude Delsart, a 50 years-old bailiff, with his worn-out smile and heart, abandoned a long time ago the idea that life could give him pleasures. Until the day, he dares to push the doors of a tango lesson...

6.7

MagicScore

#13

The Talented Mr. Ripley

1999

Tom Ripley is a calculating young man who believes it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody. Opportunity knocks in the form of a wealthy U.S. shipbuilder who hires Tom to travel to Italy to bring back his playboy son, Dickie. Ripley worms his way into the idyllic lives of Dickie and his girlfriend, plunging into a daring scheme of duplicity, lies and murder.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

The English Patient

1996

In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.

7.2

MagicScore

#15

Happiness

1998

The lives of several individuals intertwine as they go about their lives in their own unique ways, engaging in acts which society as a whole might find disturbing in a desperate search for human connection.

7.4

MagicScore

#16

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie

1999

In a loose retelling of the Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series, Utena Tenjou arrives at Ohtori Academy, only to be immediately swept up in a series of duels for the hand of her classmate Anthy Himemiya and the power she supposedly holds. At the same time, Utena reunites with Touga Kiryuu, a friend from her childhood who seems to know the secrets behind the duels. Utena must discover those secrets for herself, before the power that rules Ohtori claims her and her friends, new and old.

7.4

MagicScore

#17

The Unholy

2021

Alice is a young hearing-impaired girl who, after a supposed visitation from the Virgin Mary, is inexplicably able to hear, speak and heal the sick. As word spreads and people from near and far flock to witness her miracles, a disgraced journalist hoping to revive his career visits the small New England town to investigate. When terrifying events begin to happen all around, he starts to question if these phenomena are the works of the Virgin Mary or something much more sinister.

6.6

MagicScore

#18

The Science of Sleep

2006

A man entranced by his dreams and imagination is lovestruck with a French woman and feels he can show her his world.

7.0

MagicScore

#19

Lions for Lambs

2007

Three stories told simultaneously in ninety minutes of real time: a Republican Senator who's a presidential hopeful gives an hour-long interview to a skeptical television reporter, detailing a strategy for victory in Afghanistan; two special forces ambushed on an Afghani ridge await rescue as Taliban forces close in; a poli-sci professor at a California college invites a student to re-engage.

6.0

MagicScore

#20

Dream Scenario

2023

Hapless family man Paul Matthews finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.

6.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Being John Malkovich?

The top films similar to Being John Malkovich by MovieMagicScore are Bad Education (7.4), Roald Dahl's Esio Trot (6.7), Transamerica (7.0). Each shares comedy/drama/fantasy themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Being John Malkovich worth watching?

Being John Malkovich holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10 from 4,594 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Being John Malkovich?

Being John Malkovich (1999) is a comedy, drama, fantasy film directed by Spike Jonze, starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, John Malkovich.

Where can I find more recommendations like Being John Malkovich?

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 Bad Education Movies like Roald Dahl's Esio Trot Movies like Transamerica Movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show Movies like Johnny Handsome Movies like Maybe... Maybe Not

About movies like Being John Malkovich

This ranked list pairs Being John Malkovich (1999), a comedy and drama and fantasy film from Spike Jonze, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Cusack 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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