Movies Like The Wise Kids (2011)

The Wise Kids is a 2011 drama film from Stephen Cone with a MovieMagicScore of 5.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Love, Simon and I Killed My Mother.

Drama

Love, Simon

2018

Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier, it's a little more complicated. He hasn't told his family or friends that he's gay, and he doesn't know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he's fallen for online.

8.0

MagicScore

I Killed My Mother

2009

Hubert, a brash 17-year-old, is confused and torn by a love-hate relationship with his mother that consumes him more and more each day. After distressing ordeals and tragic episodes, Hubert will find his mother on the banks of Saint Lawrence river, where he grew up, and where a murder will be committed: the murder of childhood.

7.5

MagicScore

Wild Reeds

1994

As the Algerian War draws to a close, a teenager with a girlfriend starts feeling homosexual urges for two of his classmates: a country boy, and a French-Algerian intellectual.

7.0

MagicScore

The Mudge Boy

2003

Chronicling the troubled existence of Duncan Mudge, a 14-year-old misfit who—while vying for the attention of his vacant father—struggles to fill the void brought on by his mother's sudden death.

6.6

MagicScore

Edge of Seventeen

1999

1984, Sandusky, Ohio. A naive 17-year-old navigates heartbreak and self-expression as he explores his sexuality.

6.5

MagicScore

Boy Erased

2018

Jared, the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, is outed to his parents at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a gay conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith.

7.0

MagicScore

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

2018

Pennsylvania, 1993. After getting caught with another girl, teenager Cameron Post is sent to a conversion therapy center run by the strict Dr. Lydia Marsh and her brother, Reverend Rick, whose treatment consists in repenting for feeling “same sex attraction.” Cameron befriends fellow sinners Jane and Adam, thus creating a new family to deal with the surrounding intolerance.

6.9

MagicScore

Henry Gamble's Birthday Party

2015

Unfolding over the course of one very eventful day in his life, at 17-year-old preacher’s kid Henry's afternoon birthday pool party, the guests include an assortment of grown-ups from the family church, as well as Henry’s secular and religious teen friends — including the closeted young Logan, who clearly has eyes for Henry.

5.9

MagicScore

Tan Lines

2005

Cute teen Midget Hollow wanders through life riding big waves and partying with surfer boys. When Midget's best friend's gay brother Cass arrives on the scene, the two quickly dive head first into a clandestine sea of sexual awakening.

4.9

MagicScore

#10

Pretty Boy

2015

Sean is taken to a motel and is given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father. He must sleep with her to "fix" his questionable homosexuality. "Pretty Boy" is a coming of age story of a young bullied teen, Sean, struggling with his sexuality and the hardships of high school. After his father finds some questionable magazines in his room, this devout Christian will go to any lengths to get his son to find the light and "perform" the way a man should. Sean is introduced to Katie, a prostitute that understands the stigmas of modern society and helps him see the true light that is within him.

7.6

MagicScore

#11

Beautiful Thing

1996

Set during a long, hot summer on the Thamesmead Estate in Southeast London, where three teenagers edge towards adulthood.

7.2

MagicScore

#12

Leo's Room

2010

Leo, a young man coming to terms with his own sexuality, runs into Caro, a primary school friend he fancied when they were kids, who's now trying to ward off her own personal demons. This casual re-encounter will affect their personal conflicts without either truly grasping the other's problem.

6.8

MagicScore

#13

Being 17

2016

Damien lives with his mother Marianne, a doctor, while his father, a pilot, is on a tour of duty abroad with the French military. At school, Damien is bullied by Thomas, who lives in the farming community up in the mountains. The boys find themselves living together when Marianne invites Thomas to come and stay with them while his mother is ill in hospital. Damien must learn to live with the boy who terrorized him.

6.8

MagicScore

#14

You'll Never Be Alone

2016

When his cross-dressing teenage son suffers a brutally violent attack, a mannequin-factory manager desperately seeks help and, when none can be found, is forced to take matters into his own hands.

6.3

MagicScore

#15

1992

2016

It's 1992. Martin is 17 and he films his daily life with his Hi8 camera. He films anything and everything—his room, the world around him... But never his father, the thought doesn't occur to him. One day he meets Dominique. He's 23 and works as a student monitor at Martin's high school.

6.2

MagicScore

#16

The Flavor of Corn

1989

Lorenzo, a handsome first-year professor in an isolated Italian village, falls under the spell of his most beguiling pupil, a dark-haired, starry-eyed 12-year-old named Duilio. As Lorenzo's relationship with his heartless girlfriend deteriorates, he finds himself walking the fields with his loving student. When their idyllic friendship is questioned by Duilio's suspicious stepmother, Lorenzo is brought to a crisis of conscience.

6.1

MagicScore

#17

Beach Rats

2017

On the outskirts of Brooklyn, Frankie, an aimless teenager, suffocates under the oppressive glare cast by his family and a toxic group of delinquent friends. Struggling with his own identity, Frankie begins to scour hookup sites for older men.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

But I'm a Cheerleader

2000

Megan is an all-American girl. A cheerleader. She has a boyfriend. But Megan doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. Her conservative parents worry that she must be a lesbian and send her off to "sexual redirection" school, where she must, with other lesbians and gays learn how to be straight.

7.0

MagicScore

#19

Les Invisibles

2012

Several elderly homosexual men and women speak frankly about their pioneering lives, their fearless decision to live openly in France at a time when society rejected them.

6.8

MagicScore

#20

The Prom

2020

After the PTA of a conservative high school in Indiana bans same-sex couples from attending the annual prom, a gang of flamboyant Broadway stars try to boost their image by showing up to support two lesbian students.

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Wise Kids?

The top films similar to The Wise Kids by MovieMagicScore are Love, Simon (8.0), I Killed My Mother (7.5), Wild Reeds (7.0). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Wise Kids worth watching?

The Wise Kids holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.9/10 from 43 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Wise Kids?

The Wise Kids (2011) is a drama film directed by Stephen Cone, starring Molly Kunz, Allison Torem, Sadieh Rifai.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Wise Kids?

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 Love, Simon Movies like I Killed My Mother Movies like Wild Reeds Movies like The Mudge Boy Movies like Edge of Seventeen Movies like Boy Erased

About movies like The Wise Kids

This ranked list pairs The Wise Kids (2011), a drama film from Stephen Cone, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Molly Kunz 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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