Movies Like The Motel Life (2013)

The Motel Life is a 2013 drama, mystery, thriller film from Alan Polsky with a MovieMagicScore of 5.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with MFKZ and Identity.

Drama Mystery Thriller

MFKZ

2018

Angelino is just one of thousands of deadbeats living in Dark Meat City. But an otherwise unremarkable scooter accident caused by a beautiful, mysterious stranger is about to transform his life... into a waking nightmare! He starts seeing monstrous forms prowling around all over the city... Is Angelino losing his mind, or could an alien invasion really be happening this quietly...?

7.1

MagicScore

Identity

2003

Complete strangers stranded at a remote desert motel during a raging storm soon find themselves the target of a deranged murderer. As their numbers thin out, the travelers begin to turn on each other, as each tries to figure out who the killer is.

7.2

MagicScore

Psycho

1960

When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.

8.4

MagicScore

Southland Tales

2007

Set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. Boxer Santaros is an action star who's stricken with amnesia. His life intertwines with Krysta Now, an adult film star developing her own reality television project, and Ronald Taverner, a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.

5.2

MagicScore

Midnight Special

2016

A father and son go on the run after the dad learns his child possesses special powers.

6.3

MagicScore

Breathless

1983

Jesse, a small-time criminal, high-tails it to Los Angeles to rendezvous with a French exchange student. Stealing a car and accidentally killing a highway patrolman, he becomes the most wanted fugitive in L.A.

5.8

MagicScore

Runaway

2005

Michael Adler has run away from his suburban home with his little brother Dylan. Hiding out in a quiet, rural town, Michael's convinced he can make a better life for both of them. While Dylan stays holed up in a cheap motel all day, Michael works at a convenience store where everything starts to come together for him. But as Michael falls in love with his beautiful co-worker, Carly, his past begin

6.5

MagicScore

The Strange Ones

2018

Mysterious events surround the travels of two brothers as they make their way across a remote American landscape. On the surface all seems normal, but what appears to be a simple vacation soon gives way to a dark and complex web of secrets. This is the feature film version of the 2011 short film going by the same name.

5.2

MagicScore

Deadfall

2012

A thriller that follows two siblings who decide to fend for themselves in the wake of a botched casino heist, and their unlikely reunion during another family's Thanksgiving celebration.

6.0

MagicScore

#10

Bottle Rocket

1996

Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a harebrained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry.

6.7

MagicScore

#11

The Rover

2014

Ten years after a severe economic collapse in the western world, lawlessness reigns and life is cheap. Eric is a lone drifter, and his car is his only possession. When a gang steals it, Eric comes across the injured Rey, left behind by the car thieves. The pair form an unlikely and uneasy alliance.

6.3

MagicScore

#12

28 Weeks Later

2007

Twenty-eight weeks after the spread of a deadly rage virus, the inhabitants of the British Isles have lost their battle against the onslaught, as the virus has killed everyone there. Six months later, a group of Americans dare to set foot on the Isles, convinced the danger has passed. But it soon becomes all too clear that the scourge continues to live, waiting to pounce on its next victims.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

Vincent N Roxxy

2016

A small town loner and a rebellious punk rocker unexpectedly fall in love as they are forced on the run and soon discover violence follows them everywhere.

5.4

MagicScore

#14

Grave of the Fireflies

1988

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

8.4

MagicScore

#15

HIT: The First Case

2020

Vikram Rudraraju is a 30-year-old cop working for the Telangana State Police. While Vikram is battling with his own traumatic past, the stakes get high when a girl called Preethi mysteriously disappears in Hyderabad and Vikram has to solve the case at any cost.

6.6

MagicScore

#16

My Father's Secrets

2022

Brussels, Belgium, 1959. Michel and Charly Kichka, two Jewish brothers, enjoy a happy childhood with their parents and their two sisters. Henri, their discreet and usually silent father, does not speak at all about his past, so they imagine that as a young man he was an adventurer, a pirate or a treasure hunter.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

Killing Them Softly

2012

Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

Son of the White Mare

1981

A horse goddess gives birth to three powerful brothers who set out into the Underworld to save three princesses from three evil dragons and reclaim their ancestors' lost kingdom.

7.5

MagicScore

#19

Godkiller: Walk Among Us

2010

Even in a postapocalyptic future in which Earth has been colonized by aliens, humans need hearts to live, so when an orphan boy's sister needs a new one, he'll go to just about any length to get it in this "illustrated film" from Matt Pizzolo.

5.4

MagicScore

#20

Reba McEntire's The Hammer

2023

After a judge passes away under suspicious circumstances, Kim Wheeler, an attorney who is appointed as a judge for Nevada's 5th district after the former judge's death, finds herself covering a circuit that stretches between Las Vegas and Reno — a rugged, often desolate area where anything and everything can happen. As the investigation into the death intensifies, Kim's sister Kris, who runs the local brothel, becomes the prime suspect.

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Motel Life?

The top films similar to The Motel Life by MovieMagicScore are MFKZ (7.1), Identity (7.2), Psycho (8.4). Each shares drama/mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Motel Life worth watching?

The Motel Life holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.7/10 from 76 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Motel Life?

The Motel Life (2013) is a drama, mystery, thriller film directed by Alan Polsky, starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Motel Life?

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 MFKZ Movies like Identity Movies like Psycho Movies like Southland Tales Movies like Midnight Special Movies like Breathless

About movies like The Motel Life

This ranked list pairs The Motel Life (2013), a drama and mystery and thriller film from Alan Polsky, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Emile Hirsch 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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