Movies Like When the Wife's Away

If you liked When the Wife's Away (1998), a movie directed by Blade Thompson, 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
The Overnight (2015)
★ 5.9/10
Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family “playdate” becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on.
2
Unfaithful (2002)
★ 6.7/10
A New York suburban couple's marriage goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling.
3
Your Friends & Neighbors (1998)
★ 5.8/10
Restless and unhappy, two couples get caught up in infidelity and deception. Barry is a sullen businessman married to Mary, a writer who is unsatisfied with their relationship. Mary begins an affair with Jerry, a smug…
4
Auto Focus (2002)
★ 6.4/10
A successful TV star during the 1960s, former "Hogan's Heroes" actor Bob Crane projects a wholesome family-man image, but this front masks his persona as a sex addict who records and photographs his many encounters…
5
Intimacy (2001)
★ 6.2/10
Failed musician Jay abandoned his family and now earns a living as head bartender in a trendy London pub. Every Wednesday afternoon, a woman comes to his house for graphic, almost wordless, sex. One day, Jay follows…
6
Fear (1996)
★ 6.7/10
Nicole Walker always dreamed of being swept away by someone special — someone strong, sexy and sensitive who would care for her more than anything else in the world. David is all that and more: a modern-day knight who…
7
Fifty Shades Darker (2017)
★ 6.5/10
When a wounded Christian Grey tries to entice a cautious Ana Steele back into his life, she demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy…
8
Original Sin (2001)
★ 6.2/10
A young man is plunged into a life of subterfuge, deceit and mistaken identity in pursuit of a femme fatale whose heart is never quite within his grasp.
9
The Little Death (2014)
★ 6.7/10
A comedy film that looks into the loosely connected lives of people with strange sexual fantasies.
10
The Duke of Burgundy (2015)
★ 6.3/10
Day in and day out, lovers Cynthia and Evelyn enact an elaborate sadomasochistic fantasy as mistress and maid. But as their ritual of domination and submission begins to turn stale, Cynthia yearns for something more…
11
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
★ 5.9/10
When college senior Anastasia Steele steps in for her sick roommate to interview prominent businessman Christian Grey for their campus paper, little does she realize the path her life will take. Christian, as enigmatic…
12
Shame (2011)
★ 6.9/10
Brandon, a thirty-something man living in New York, eludes intimacy with women but feeds his deepest desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his younger sister temporarily moves into his apartment, stirring up…
13
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
★ 6.3/10
After returning to Los Angeles from a group therapy session, documentary filmmaker Bob Sanders and his wife, Carol, find themselves becoming vigilante couples counselors, offering unsolicited advice to their best…
14
Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
★ 6.7/10
Believing they have left behind shadowy figures from their past, newlyweds Christian and Ana fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as she steps into her role as Mrs. Grey and he…
15
The Man from Elysian Fields (2001)
★ 5.9/10
A failed novelist's inability to pay the bills strains relations with his wife and leads him to work at an escort service, where he becomes entwined with a wealthy woman whose husband is a successful writer.
16
Carnal Knowledge (1971)
★ 6.6/10
Two lifelong friends navigate complex sexual encounters and emotional entanglements, wrestling with societal norms and personal desires.
17
Graphic Desires (2023)
★ 6.8/10
When reclusive Franklin cheats on his partner with a mysterious girl he meets on a dating app, it becomes the start of a deadly obsession.
18
Bone Lake (2025)
★ 5.9/10
A couple’s romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate is upended when they are forced to share the mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple. In this darkly hilarious and seductive horror story, a dream…
19
Addicted (2014)
★ 5.9/10
A gallerist risks her family and flourishing career when she enters into an affair with a talented painter and slowly loses control of her life.
20
Over Your Dead Body (2026)
★ 6.4/10
A dysfunctional couple head to a remote cabin to "reconnect", but each has secret intentions to kill the other.