Movies Like Tokyo Sonata (2008)

Tokyo Sonata is a 2008 drama film from Kiyoshi Kurosawa with a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Holiday Rush and Roma.

Drama

Holiday Rush

2019

After his sudden firing, a popular radio DJ moves in with his aunt, bringing along his four spoiled children, and a plan to return to the airwaves.

5.6

MagicScore

Roma

2018

In 1970s Mexico City, two domestic workers help a mother of four while her husband is away for an extended period of time.

7.6

MagicScore

Badhaai Ho

2018

A 25-year-old man tries to suppress his embarrassment when his mother announces that she is pregnant.

7.2

MagicScore

Borderline

2011

An attorney stumbles upon a suitcase filled with cocaine.

5.3

MagicScore

Tokyo Story

1953

The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.

8.1

MagicScore

Nobody Knows

2004

In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.

8.0

MagicScore

Early Summer

1951

A 28-year-old single woman is pressured to marry.

7.9

MagicScore

Shoplifters

2018

In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence begins to unravel. As the family grows attached to her, buried secrets surface, forcing them to confront the true meaning of love, belonging, and what makes a family.

7.8

MagicScore

An Autumn Afternoon

1962

Shuhei Hirayama is a widower with a 24-year-old daughter. Gradually, he comes to realize that she should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.

7.8

MagicScore

#10

Smashed

2012

Kate and Charlie like to have a good time. Their marriage thrives on a shared fondness for music, laughter… and getting smashed. When Kate’s partying spirals into hard-core asocial behavior, compromising her job as an elementary schoolteacher, something’s got to give. But change isn’t exactly a cakewalk. Sobriety means she will have to confront the lies she’s been spinning at work, her troubling relationship with her mother, and the nature of her bond with Charlie.

6.5

MagicScore

#11

STRAW

2025

What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.

7.8

MagicScore

#12

The Last Laugh

1924

An aging doorman, after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious hotel, is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbours and society.

7.8

MagicScore

#13

Lady Bird

2017

Lady Bird McPherson, a strong willed, deeply opinionated, artistic 17 year old comes of age in Sacramento. Her relationship with her mother and her upbringing are questioned and tested as she plans to head off to college.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

Ilo Ilo

2013

During the late 1990s, a busy working-class Singaporean couple hires a Filipino woman as a maid and nanny to their young son.

6.9

MagicScore

#15

Lucky Chan-sil

2020

With the death of her long-time director, Chan-sil, a film producer, is now unemployed. While working as a cleaning lady at an actress' house, she meets a young man. Attracted to him, Chan-sil realises old anxieties are about to emerge: her already gone-youth, messed-up love life, and broken career.

6.7

MagicScore

#16

Meet the Browns

2008

A single mother living in inner city Chicago, Brenda has been struggling for years to make ends meet and keep her three kids off the street. When she's laid off with no warning, she starts losing hope for the first time - until a letter arrives announcing the death of a father she's never met. Desperate for any kind of help, Brenda takes her family to Georgia for the funeral, but nothing could have prepared her for the Browns, her father's fun-loving, crass Southern clan. In a small-town world full of long afternoons and country fairs, Brenda struggles to get to know the family she never knew existed... and finds a brand new romance that just might change her life.

6.6

MagicScore

#17

Baby Boom

1987

J.C. Wiatt is a talented and ambitious New York City career woman who is married to her job and working towards partner at her firm. She has a live-in relationship with Steven, a successful investment broker who, along with J.C., agreed children aren't part of the plan. J.C.'s life takes an unexpected turn when a distant relative dies and the will appoints her the caretaker of their baby girl, Elizabeth. The baby's sudden arrival causes Steven to leave, breaking off their relationship. Juggling power lunches and powdered formula, she is soon forced off the fast track by a conniving colleague and a bigoted boss. But she won't stay down for long. She'll prove to the world that a woman can have it all and on her own terms too!

6.4

MagicScore

#18

Colossal

2017

A woman discovers that severe catastrophic events are somehow connected to the mental breakdown from which she's suffering.

6.3

MagicScore

#19

Liam

2001

A morality tale of xenophobia, religious prejudice, mob violence, poverty, and their effect on two children in Liverpool during the Depression. When a shipyard closes, Liam and Teresa's dad loses his job. Liam, who's about 8, making his first Holy Communion, gets a regular dose of fire and brimstone at church. Teresa, about 13, has a job as a maid to the Jewish family that owns the closed shipyard. The lady of that house is having an affair, and Teresa becomes an accomplice. Liam stutters terribly, especially when troubled. Dad comes under the sway of the Fascists, who blame cheap Irish labor and Jewish owners. A Molotov cocktail brings things to a head.

6.1

MagicScore

#20

Larry Crowne

2011

When he suddenly finds himself without his long-standing blue-collar job, Larry Crowne enrolls at his local college to start over. There, he becomes part of an eclectic community of students and develops a crush on his teacher.

6.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Tokyo Sonata?

The top films similar to Tokyo Sonata by MovieMagicScore are Holiday Rush (5.6), Roma (7.6), Badhaai Ho (7.2). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Tokyo Sonata worth watching?

Tokyo Sonata holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10 from 261 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Tokyo Sonata?

Tokyo Sonata (2008) is a drama film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, starring Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Kai Inowaki.

Where can I find more recommendations like Tokyo Sonata?

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 Holiday Rush Movies like Roma Movies like Badhaai Ho Movies like Borderline Movies like Tokyo Story Movies like Nobody Knows

About movies like Tokyo Sonata

This ranked list pairs Tokyo Sonata (2008), a drama film from Kiyoshi Kurosawa, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Teruyuki Kagawa 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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