Movies Like Men Don't Leave (1990)

Men Don't Leave is a 1990 comedy, drama film from Paul Brickman with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Hairspray and Silver Linings Playbook.

Comedy Drama

Hairspray

2007

Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad auditions to be on Baltimore's most popular dance show - The Corny Collins Show - and lands a prime spot. Through her newfound fame, she becomes determined to help her friends and end the racial segregation that has been a staple of the show.

6.7

MagicScore

Silver Linings Playbook

2012

After losing his job and wife, and spending time in an institution, a former teacher winds up living with his parents. He wants to rebuild his life and reconcile with his wife, but his father would be happy if he shared his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles. Things get complicated when he meets Tiffany Maxwell who offers to help him reconnect with his wife if he will do something very important for her in exchange.

7.1

MagicScore

A Long Way Down

2014

Four lost souls—a disgraced TV presenter, a foul-mouthed teen, an isolated single mother, and a solipsistic muso—decide to end their lives on the same night, New Year's Eve. When this disillusioned quartet of strangers meet unintentionally at the same suicide hotspot, a London high-rise with the well-earned nickname Topper's Tower, they mutually agree to call off their plans for six weeks, forming an unconventional, dysfunctional family. They become media sensations as the Topper House Four and search together for the reasons to keep on living.

6.2

MagicScore

Lolita

1962

Humbert Humbert is a middle-aged British novelist who is both appalled by and attracted to the vulgarity of American culture. When he comes to stay at the boarding house run by Charlotte Haze, he soon becomes obsessed with Lolita, the woman's teenaged daughter.

7.3

MagicScore

Julieta

2016

The film spans 30 years in Julieta’s life from a nostalgic 1985 where everything seems hopeful, to 2015 where her life appears to be beyond repair and she is on the verge of madness.

7.0

MagicScore

The Night House

2021

Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Beth is left alone in the lakeside home he built for her. Soon she begins to uncover her recently deceased husband's disturbing secrets.

6.6

MagicScore

Two Women

1960

A young widow flees from Rome during WWII and takes her lonely twelve-year-old-daughter to her rural hometown but the horrors of war soon catch up with them.

7.8

MagicScore

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

1993

Gilbert Grape is a small-town young man with a lot of responsibility. Chief among his concerns are his mother, who is so overweight that she can't leave the house, and his mentally impaired younger brother, Arnie, who has a knack for finding trouble. Settled into a job at a grocery store and an ongoing affair with local woman Betty Carver, Gilbert finally has his life shaken up by the free-spirited Becky.

7.7

MagicScore

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

1976

A lonely widowed housewife does her daily chores and takes care of her apartment where she lives with her teenage son, and turns the occasional trick to make ends meet. Slowly, her ritualized daily routines begin to fall apart.

7.4

MagicScore

#10

Léon Morin, Priest

1961

Barny, although a Marxist, is intrigued by the mysteries of religion. In confession, she teases a priest, Léon Morin, but he is a young and intelligent man and ready to discuss anything.

7.0

MagicScore

#11

In Name Only

1939

A wealthy man falls for a widow but is locked into a loveless marriage with a woman who has contrived to convince his parents she is the ideal wife.

7.0

MagicScore

#12

How to Be a Latin Lover

2017

An aging Latin lover gets dumped by his sugar mama and must fend for himself in a harsh world.

6.9

MagicScore

#13

A Simple Favor

2018

Stephanie, a dedicated mother and popular vlogger, befriends Emily, a mysterious upper-class woman whose son Nicky attends the same school as Miles, Stephanie's son. When Emily asks her to pick Nicky up from school and then disappears, Stephanie undertakes an investigation that will dive deep into Emily's cloudy past.

6.6

MagicScore

#14

Harvest Love

2017

A young widow and her nine year-old son spend a week at her family’s pear farm in Washington state, where they both fall in love with small town farm life, and she falls for the guy who has been managing the farm.

6.4

MagicScore

#15

End of the Road

2022

Recently widowed mom Brenda fights to protect her family during a harrowing road trip when a murder and a missing bag of cash plunge them into danger.

6.0

MagicScore

#16

Mother of the Bride

2024

Lana's daughter Emma returns from abroad and drops a bombshell: she's getting married. In Thailand. In a month! Things only get worse when Lana learns that the man who captured Emma's heart is the son of the man who broke hers years ago.

5.9

MagicScore

#17

The Woman in the Yard

2025

In the aftermath of her husband's death, widow Ramona's struggle to raise her two kids is hindered by the arrival of a mysterious woman with supernatural abilities.

5.7

MagicScore

#18

Forrest Gump

1994

A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.

8.5

MagicScore

#19

Moonstruck

1987

37-year-old Italian-American widow Loretta Castorini believes she is unlucky in love, and so accepts a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Johnny, even though she doesn't love him. When she meets his estranged younger brother Ronny, an emotional and passionate man, she finds herself drawn to him. She tries to resist, but Ronny, who blames his brother for the loss of his hand, has no scruples about aggressively pursuing her while Johnny is out of the country. As Loretta falls for Ronny, she learns that she's not the only one in her family with a secret romance.

6.8

MagicScore

#20

The King and I

1956

Widowed Welsh mother Anna Loenowens becomes a governess and English tutor to the wives and many children of the stubborn King Mongkut of Siam. Anna and the King have a clash of personalities as she works to teach the royal family about the English language, customs and etiquette, and rushes to prepare a party for a group of European diplomats who must change their opinions about the King.

7.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Men Don't Leave?

The top films similar to Men Don't Leave by MovieMagicScore are Hairspray (6.7), Silver Linings Playbook (7.1), A Long Way Down (6.2). Each shares comedy/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Men Don't Leave worth watching?

Men Don't Leave holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 32 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Men Don't Leave?

Men Don't Leave (1990) is a comedy, drama film directed by Paul Brickman, starring Jessica Lange, Arliss Howard, Joan Cusack.

Where can I find more recommendations like Men Don't Leave?

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 Hairspray Movies like Silver Linings Playbook Movies like A Long Way Down Movies like Lolita Movies like Julieta Movies like The Night House

About movies like Men Don't Leave

This ranked list pairs Men Don't Leave (1990), a comedy and drama film from Paul Brickman, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Jessica Lange 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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