Movies Like Orphans (1998)

Orphans is a 1998 comedy, drama film from Peter Mullan with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Breaking the Waves and Courageous.

Comedy Drama

Breaking the Waves

1996

In a small, conservative Scottish village, an oilman is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when he urges her to have sex with another.

7.5

MagicScore

Courageous

2011

Law enforcement officers Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their partners stand up to the worst the streets have to offer with confidence and focus. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood. They know that God desires to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, but their children are beginning to drift further and further away from them. When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God... and to their children?

7.6

MagicScore

First Reformed

2018

A pastor of a small church in upstate New York starts to spiral out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist and his pregnant wife.

7.0

MagicScore

The Old Gun

1975

In Montauban in 1944, Julien Dandieu in a surgeon in the local hospital. Frightened by the German army entering Montauban, he asks his friend Francois to drive his wife and his daughter in the back country village where Julien has an old castle. One week later, Julien decided to meet then for the week end, but the Germans are already occupying the village.

7.5

MagicScore

Original Gangstas

1996

The Rebels rule the streets of Gary, Indiana. They shoot storekeeper Marvin Bookman for giving the police information about a drive-by shooting they committed. Marvin’s son, former NFL star and Rebel founder John returns to be with his father and, with a little help from some friends, to destroy the gang his way.

5.6

MagicScore

Full Eclipse

1993

The LA police department have a special team of officers with a talent for reducing big-time crime. The team leader has an excellent track record for crime reduction in other big cities, but his methods are unconventional, and so is he - he's a werewolf.

5.1

MagicScore

I Know Where I'm Going!

1945

Plucky Englishwoman Joan Webster travels to the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides in order to marry a wealthy industrialist. Trapped by inclement weather on the Isle of Mull and unable to continue to her destination, Joan finds herself charmed by the straightforward, no-nonsense islanders around her, and becomes increasingly attracted to naval officer Torquil MacNeil, who holds a secret that may change her life forever.

7.0

MagicScore

Limbo

2020

An offbeat observation of refugees waiting to be granted asylum on a fictional remote Scottish island. It focuses on Omar, a young Syrian musician who is burdened by the weight of his grandfather’s oud, which he has carried all the way from his homeland.

7.0

MagicScore

T2 Trainspotting

2017

After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie.

6.9

MagicScore

#10

The Angels' Share

2012

Narrowly avoiding jail, new dad Robbie vows to turn over a new leaf. A visit to a whisky distillery inspires him and his mates to seek a way out of their hopeless lives.

6.9

MagicScore

#11

Local Hero

1983

An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.

6.8

MagicScore

#12

Nina's Heavenly Delights

2006

A feisty young woman returns to Glasgow to run her deceased father's curry house.

6.7

MagicScore

#13

Beats

2019

Summer 1994, Scotland. Johnno and Spanner are best mates, but Johnno’s family are moving him to a new town and a better life, leaving Spanner behind to face a precarious future. In pursuit of adventure and escape they head out on one last night to an illegal rave before parting ways indefinitely.

6.6

MagicScore

#14

Stone of Destiny

2008

Tells of the daring heist of The Stone of Destiny in the 1950s by a charming group of idealistic Scottish undergraduates, whose action rekindled Scottish nationalistic pride.

6.5

MagicScore

#15

The Acid House

1998

A surreal triptych adapted by "Trainspotting" author Irvine Welsh from his acclaimed collection of short stories. Combining a vicious sense of humor with hard-talking drama, the film reaches into the hearts and minds of the chemical generation, casting a dark and unholy light into the hidden corners of the human psyche.

6.2

MagicScore

#16

That Sinking Feeling

1980

Ronnie, Wal, Andy and Vic are four bored, unemployed teens in dreary, rainy Glasgow. Ronnie comes up with a great idea. He has noticed that stainless steel sinks are worth a lot of money and comes up with a complicated scheme: to steal sinks from a warehouse dressed as girls and using a stop-motion-potion.

6.1

MagicScore

#17

The Decoy Bride

2011

A local woman is hired to draw paparazzi away from a Hollywood actress who has come to Scotland to get married.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

Ecstasy

2011

A small-time drug smuggler from Scotland, is trying to figure out his way through life until he meets a beautiful girl from Canada, who seeks a change after a bad relationship she just got out of.

4.9

MagicScore

#19

Paper Moon

1973

During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.

7.9

MagicScore

#20

Ee.Ma.Yau.

2018

Set in Chellanam, Kochi, the story revolves around the death of Vavachan Mesthiri in a coastal village. It showcases the events that unfold between two evenings and looks at death from different perspectives.

7.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Orphans?

The top films similar to Orphans by MovieMagicScore are Breaking the Waves (7.5), Courageous (7.6), First Reformed (7.0). Each shares comedy/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Orphans worth watching?

Orphans holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 37 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Orphans?

Orphans (1998) is a comedy, drama film directed by Peter Mullan, starring Douglas Henshall, Gary Lewis, Rosemarie Stevenson.

Where can I find more recommendations like Orphans?

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 Breaking the Waves Movies like Courageous Movies like First Reformed Movies like The Old Gun Movies like Original Gangstas Movies like Full Eclipse

About movies like Orphans

This ranked list pairs Orphans (1998), a comedy and drama film from Peter Mullan, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Douglas Henshall 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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