Movies Like An Act of Penance

If you liked An Act of Penance (2026), a movie directed by Caleb Clarke, 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
A Different Man (2024)
★ 6.9/10
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare.
2
All About Eve (1950)
★ 8.1/10
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a…
3
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
★ 7.4/10
A fading actor best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to become more altruistic, rebuild his career…
4
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
★ 7.5/10
A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
5
Hamlet (1948)
★ 7.4/10
Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Sir Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet continues to be the most compelling version of Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy. Olivier is at his most inspired—both as…
6
The Band Wagon (1953)
★ 7.2/10
A Broadway artiste turns a faded film star's comeback vehicle into an artsy flop.
7
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1991)
★ 6.9/10
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, minor characters from the play 'Hamlet', find themselves on the road to Elsinore Castle at the behest of the King of Denmark. The duo encounter a band of players before arriving to find…
8
Caught in a Cabaret (1914)
★ 5.8/10
Charlie is a clumsy waiter in a cheap cabaret, suffering the strict orders from his boss. He meets a pretty girl in the park and tries to impress her by pretending to be an ambassador. Unfortunately she has a jealous…
9
Ghostlight (2024)
★ 7.2/10
When melancholic construction worker Dan finds himself drifting from his wife and daughter, he discovers community and purpose in a local theater's production of Romeo and Juliet. As the drama onstage starts to mirror…
10
The Goodbye Girl (1977)
★ 7/10
After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.
11
Love Story (1970)
★ 6.8/10
Harvard Law student Oliver Barrett IV and music student Jennifer Cavilleri share a chemistry they cannot deny - and a love they cannot ignore. Despite their opposite backgrounds, the young couple put their hearts on…
12
Hamilton (2025)
★ 7.8/10
Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, this filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit is the story of America then, told by America now.
13
Black Swan (2010)
★ 7.7/10
A committed dancer struggles to maintain her sanity after winning the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake."
14
She's Funny That Way (2015)
★ 5.9/10
On the set of a playwright's new project, a love triangle forms between his wife, her ex-lover, and the call girl-turned-actress cast in the production.
15
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
★ 8.3/10
A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
16
Deathtrap (1982)
★ 6.7/10
A Broadway playwright puts murder in his plan to take credit for a student's script.
17
I Want Your Sex (2026)
★ 6/10
When a naive young man becomes the sexual muse for a renowned and provocative artist, his dream job quickly turns dangerous as he is drawn into an obsessive world of power, betrayal, and murder.
18
The Onion Movie (2008)
★ 6.1/10
Venerable newscaster Norm Archer reports the latest news in politics, health, culture and entertainment - such as an automotive recall of decapitation-inducing "Neckbelts" and a study finding that "depression hits…
19
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
★ 7.3/10
Life's questions are 'answered' in a series of outrageous vignettes, beginning with a staid London insurance company which transforms before our eyes into a pirate ship. Then there's the National Health doctors who try…
20
Play Dirty (1969)
★ 6.3/10
During World War II in North Africa, a group of British commandos disguised as Italian soldiers must travel behind enemy lines and destroy a vital Nazi oil depot.