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Movies Like Joy

If you liked Joy (2017), a drama movie directed by Abini Gold, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

  1. 1The Nest

    The Nest (2020)

    ★ 6.1/10Also drama

    Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban…

  2. 2The Kindness of Strangers

    The Kindness of Strangers (2019)

    ★ 6.4/10Also drama

    Clara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter…

  3. 3The Young One

    The Young One (1960)

    ★ 7/10Also drama

    A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.

  4. 4What Maisie Knew

    What Maisie Knew (2013)

    ★ 7.1/10Also drama

    In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new…

  5. 5Poor Cow

    Poor Cow (1967)

    ★ 6.4/10Also drama

    Joy lives a life filled with bad choices. At a young age, she marries and has a child–with an abusive thief who quickly ends up incarcerated. Left alone, she takes up with the guy's mate, another thief, who seems to…

  6. 6Salomé

    Salomé (2013)

    ★ 6.1/10Also drama

    After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé…

  7. 7The Girl and the Spider

    The Girl and the Spider (2021)

    ★ 6/10Also drama

    Lisa is moving. Upheaval all around: Her mother flirts with a handyman. An eccentric woman seems to be preparing for a glamorous event, a family next door returns from vacation, and a girl documents the adventurous…

  8. 8Eleanor the Great

    Eleanor the Great (2025)

    ★ 6.8/10Also drama

    94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.

  9. 9Holy Lands

    Holy Lands (2019)

    ★ 6.1/10Also drama

    When lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife…

  10. 10Bastard Out of Carolina

    Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)

    ★ 7.1/10Also drama

    A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as…

  11. 11Lorelei

    Lorelei (2020)

    ★ 6/10Also drama

    A man is released from prison after 15 years. He reunites with his high school girlfriend, now a single mother of three. What follows is a lyrical take on love, regret and second chances.

  12. 12Rosie

    Rosie (2019)

    ★ 6.2/10Also drama

    A mother strives to shield her young family from their new reality when their landlord sells the property and renders them homeless.

  13. 13The Pumpkin Eater

    The Pumpkin Eater (1964)

    ★ 6.6/10Also drama

    Jo, the mother of seven children, divorces her second husband in order to marry Jake, a successful but promiscuous screenwriter. Though they are physically and emotionally compatible, they are slowly torn apart.

  14. 14Inside I'm Dancing

    Inside I'm Dancing (2004)

    ★ 7.4/10Also drama

    Michael is a 24-year-old who has cerebral palsy and long-term resident of the Carrigmore Residential Home for the Disabled, run by the formidable Eileen. His life is transformed when the maverick Rory O'Shea moves in.

  15. 15Adopt a Highway

    Adopt a Highway (2019)

    ★ 6.9/10Also drama

    Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn…

  16. 16180

    180 (2026)

    ★ 5.9/10Also drama

    When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.

  17. 17F.I.S.T.

    F.I.S.T. (1978)

    ★ 6.5/10Also drama

    Johnny Kovak joins the Teamsters trade-union in a local chapter in the 1930s and works his way up in the organization. As he climbs higher and higher his methods become more ruthless and finally senator Madison starts…

  18. 18Charm City Kings

    Charm City Kings (2020)

    ★ 7.8/10Also drama

    Mouse desperately wants to join The Midnight Clique, the infamous Baltimore dirt bike riders who rule the summertime streets. When Midnight’s leader, Blax, takes 14-year-old Mouse under his wing, Mouse soon finds…

  19. 19Hands of Stone

    Hands of Stone (2016)

    ★ 6.6/10Also drama

    The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.

  20. 20Gracie

    Gracie (2007)

    ★ 6.2/10Also drama

    A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.

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