Movies Like Ordinary People

If you liked Ordinary People (1980), a drama movie directed by Robert Redford, 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
Causeway (2022)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
A US soldier suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to life back home in New Orleans. When she meets local mechanic James, the pair begin to forge an unexpected bond.
2
The Sixth Sense (1999)
★ 8/10Also drama
Following an unexpected tragedy, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe meets a nine year old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.
3
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
★ 8/10Also drama
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.
4
Thief (1981)
★ 7.3/10Also drama
Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids…
5
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
★ 7.3/10Also drama
Dolores Claiborne was accused of killing her abusive husband twenty years ago, but the court's findings were inconclusive and she was allowed to walk free. Now she has been accused of killing her employer, Vera…
6
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
A young woman fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her nightmarish marriage, but discovers it is impossible to elude her controlling husband.
7
Louder Than Bombs (2015)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
Three years after his wife, acclaimed photographer Isabelle Reed, dies in a car crash, Gene keeps everyday life going with his shy teenage son, Conrad. A planned exhibition of Isabelle’s photographs prompts Gene's…
8
Mothers' Instinct (2024)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
Housewives Alice and Celine are best friends and neighbours who seem to have it all. However, when a tragic accident shatters the harmony of their lives, guilt, suspicion and paranoia begin to unravel their sisterly…
9
The Thing with Feathers (2025)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
Following the death of his wife, a young father's hold on reality crumbles, and a strange presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young sons.
10
The Chronology of Water (2025)
★ 6.7/10Also drama
Plagued by an abusive childhood, a woman finds escape in competitive swimming, sexual experimentation, toxic relationships, and addiction before ultimately finding her voice through writing.
11
Beautiful Boy (2011)
★ 6/10Also drama
A married couple on the verge of separation are leveled by the news their 18-year-old son committed a mass-shooting at his college, then took his own life.
12
You Were Never Really Here (2017)
★ 6.5/10Also drama
A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe's nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered—leading to what may be his death trip or…
13
I'm Not Ashamed (2016)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
Based on the journal entries of Rachel Joy Scott, the first student killed in the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.
14
A Killer Among Friends (1992)
★ 7.2/10Also drama
A teenage girl disappears and later turns up drowned, with a log across her back. Three years later, a former friend comes forward with some answers.
15
Magnolia (1999)
★ 7.7/10Also drama
On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will…
16
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
★ 6.7/10Also drama
An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.
17
James White (2015)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
James White is a troubled twentysomething trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. As he retreats further into a hedonistic lifestyle, his mother's battle with a serious illness faces a series of setbacks…
18
Christine (2016)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
In 1974, television reporter Christine Chubbuck struggles with depression and professional frustrations as she tries to advance her career.
19
Derailed (2005)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
When two married business executives having an affair are blackmailed by a violent criminal, they are forced to turn the tables on him to save their families.
20
Leave the World Behind (2023)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
A family's getaway to a luxurious rental home takes an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices—and two strangers appear at their door.