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Home/Joy/Similar Movies

Joy

Movies Like Joy (2018)

Joy is a 2018 drama film from Sudabeh Mortezai with a MovieMagicScore of 5.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Man's Job and Whore.

Man's Job poster

Man's Job

2007

Juha is 38 years old and has three small children and a depressed wife. He sees himself as strong and believes a man should provide for his family. But one day Juha is fired from his job. Ashamed, he weaves a web of lies to hide the fact from his family. With the help of his friend Olli, Juha begins prostituting himself to support his wife and children. With this he makes in two hours what it took him two days to earn before. The shame and deception mushroom, but the pay from the new profession seems to offset the downside.

Whore poster

Whore

1991

This melodrama investigates the life of a sex worker, in a pseudo-documentary style.

On the Doll poster

On the Doll

2007

A lurid, dark look into the lives of sex workers, where victims of child abuse deal with the consequences later in life.

Frozen River poster

Frozen River

2008

After her husband deserts her, working-class mother Ray Eddy is in great need of money to find a home. Lured by the possibility of easy cash, she joins Lila, a widowed Mohawk who earns a living by smuggling immigrants from Canada to the U.S. across the St. Lawrence.

Amadeus poster

Amadeus

1984

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Salzburger composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Before Sunrise poster

Before Sunrise

1995

An unexpected meeting on a train leads two travelers to spend an evening wandering through Vienna. As the night unfolds, they share stories and conversations about life and love, exploring new ideas while a quiet intimacy grows between them, knowing it may be their only night together.

Dolan's Cadillac poster

Dolan's Cadillac

2009

Robinson, a once peaceful, law-abiding school teacher, has turned into an obsessed vengeance machine, intent on killing the man who murdered his wife - ruthless Las Vegas mob boss James Dolan. But to do so, Robinson must infiltrate the dangerous underworld, and devise a diabolical plan that will bury Dolan once and for all.

The Third Man poster

The Third Man

1949

In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna.

Come, Sweet Death poster

Come, Sweet Death

2000

Former detective Brenner has become an ambulance driver and finds himself, much to his dismay, caught up in a war between two rival first aid organizations.

Mother's Day poster

Mother's Day

1994

48 hours in the life of the Neugebauer family. The May weekend with a small family celebration, which was planned as peaceful and contemplative, turns out to be a kind of Rocky Horror Picture Show in Vienna's municipal housing estate. Just like the other residents, the Neugebauers are preparing for the impending Mother's Day.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation poster

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

2015

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating 'The Syndicate', an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.

Sudani from Nigeria poster

Sudani from Nigeria

2018

When a soccer club manager brings one of his injured foreign players home to recuperate, they form an unlikely bond despite their cultural differences.

Tears of the Sun poster

Tears of the Sun

2003

Navy SEAL Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his elite squadron of tactical specialists are forced to choose between their duty and their humanity, between following orders by ignoring the conflict that surrounds them, or finding the courage to follow their conscience and protect a group of innocent refugees. When the democratic government of Nigeria collapses and the country is taken over by a ruthless military dictator, Waters, a fiercely loyal and hardened veteran is dispatched on a routine mission to retrieve a Doctors Without Borders physician.

Sakuran poster

Sakuran

2006

Anna Tsuchiya blasts back in time playing an oiran, a top-notched geisha of the Edo period’s Yoshiwara District, navigating brothel politics while trying to cling to the man she loves.

Amina poster

Amina

2021

In 16th-century Zazzau, now Zaria, Nigeria, Amina must utilize her military skills and tactics to defend her family's kingdom. Based on a true story.

Mister Johnson poster

Mister Johnson

1991

In 1923 British Colonial Nigeria, Mister Johnson is an oddity -- an educated black man who doesn't really fit in with the natives or the British. He works for the local British magistrate, and considers himself English, though he has never been to England. He is always scheming, trying to get ahead, which lands him in a lot of hot water.

Il Ministro poster

Il Ministro

2016

Franco Lucci is an entrepreneur on the verge of bankruptcy. The salvation of his company hangs on a large public contract that he could obtain thanks to the intervention of a minister who has become a friend and whom he has invited to dinner. Together with Michele, his partner and brother-in-law, Franco has organized the perfect evening: in addition to paying him a large bribe, the two arrange for him to find a girl willing to sleep with him in exchange for a recommendation. All under the eyes of Rita, Franco's wife, who tries to indulge her husband in his last desperate attempt to obtain the million-dollar contract. Because of the girl, the evening takes an unexpected turn.

Half of a Yellow Sun poster

Half of a Yellow Sun

2013

An epic love story: Olanna and Kainene are glamorous twins, living a privileged city life in newly independent 1960s Nigeria. The two women make very different choices of lovers, but rivalry and betrayal must be set aside as their lives are swept up in the turbulence of war.

The Endless Summer poster

The Endless Summer

1966

Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer is one of the first and most influential surf movies of all time. The film documents American surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they travel the world during California’s winter (which, back in 1965 was off-season for surfing) in search of the perfect wave and ultimately, an endless summer.

The Stroll poster

The Stroll

2023

The history of New York’s Meatpacking District, told from the perspective of transgender sex workers who lived and worked there. Filmmaker Kristen Lovell, who walked “The Stroll” for a decade, reunites her community to recount the violence, policing, homelessness, and gentrification they overcame to build a movement for transgender rights.

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Joy?

The top films similar to Joy by MovieMagicScore are Man's Job (5.7), Whore (5.2), On the Doll (4.8). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Joy worth watching?

Joy holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.9/10 from 46 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Joy?

Joy (2018) is a drama film directed by Sudabeh Mortezai, starring Anwulika Alphonsus, Precious Mariam Sanusi, Angela Ekeleme.

Where can I find more recommendations like Joy?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Man's Job Movies like Whore Movies like On the Doll Movies like Frozen River Movies like Amadeus Movies like Before Sunrise

About movies like Joy

This ranked list pairs Joy (2018), a drama film from Sudabeh Mortezai, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Anwulika Alphonsus 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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