Movies Like Wife Begins at 40

If you liked Wife Begins at 40 (1988), a movie directed by Harold Snoad, 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
Author! Author! (1982)
★ 6/10
While facing the stress of his original play being produced on Broadway, playwright Ivan Travalian deals with having to raise his son, his stepdaughters, and his stepsons.
2
Night and Day (1946)
★ 6/10
When his first stage show fails, songwriter Cole Porter goes off to fight in WWI until, injured, he lands in a hospital. He impresses nurse Linda Lee with his creativity, but their budding romance must wait as Cole…
3
Barefoot in the Park (1967)
★ 7.1/10
In this film based on a Neil Simon play, newlyweds Corie, a free spirit, and Paul Bratter, an uptight lawyer, share a sixth-floor apartment in Greenwich Village. Soon after their marriage, Corie tries to find a…
4
The Out-of-Towners (1999)
★ 5.8/10
The adventures of married couple Henry and Nancy Clark, vexed by misfortune while in New York City for Henry's job interview.
5
The Roses (2025)
★ 6.7/10
Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo: successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing – as Theo's career nosedives while…
6
Alfie (2004)
★ 5.9/10
A tale of a philosophical womanizer who is forced to question his seemingly carefree existence.
7
Revolutionary Road (2008)
★ 7/10
A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.
8
Runaway Bride (1999)
★ 6.1/10
Having already left three grooms at the altar, Maggie Carpenter is branded "the runaway bride" by jaded New York journalist Ike Graham. But, after his facts are called into question, Ike races to Maggie's hometown to…
9
My Mother's Wedding (2025)
★ 6.1/10
Three sisters return to their home for the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother. But the mother and daughters are forced to revisit the past and confront the future, with help from a colorful group of unexpected…
10
The Grass Is Greener (1960)
★ 6.4/10
Victor and Hillary are down on their luck to the point that they allow tourists to take guided tours of their castle. But Charles Delacro, a millionaire oil tycoon, visits, and takes a liking to more than the house…
11
The Drama (2026)
★ 6.9/10
A happily engaged couple is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.
12
On Chesil Beach (2018)
★ 6.1/10
In 1962 England, a young couple finds their idyllic romance colliding with issues of sexual freedom and societal pressure, leading to an awkward and fateful wedding night.
13
The Map That Leads to You (2025)
★ 6.7/10
Heather is a young woman traveling Europe with friends before starting her perfectly planned life. A chance meeting with Jack sparks an unexpected romance that leads to deep emotional discovery. As secrets and life…
14
Much Ado About Nothing (2013)
★ 6.8/10
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
15
Finding Neverland (2004)
★ 7.3/10
During a writing slump, playwright J.M. Barrie meets a widow and her four children, all young boys—who soon become an important part of Barrie’s life and the inspiration that lead him to create his masterpiece. Peter…
16
Love at First Sight (2023)
★ 7.2/10
Hadley and Oliver begin falling in love on a flight from New York to London, but when they lose each other at customs, can they defy all odds to reunite?
17
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)
★ 7/10
American multi-millionaire Michael Brandon marries his eighth wife, Nicole, the daughter of a broke French Marquis. But she doesn't want to be only a number in the line of his ex-wives and undertakes her own strategy…
18
Hero (1992)
★ 6.3/10
Bernie Laplante is having a rough time. He's divorced, his ex-wife hates him and has custody of their son, the cops are setting a trap for him, then to top it all, he loses a shoe whilst rescuing passengers of a…
19
Persuasion (2022)
★ 6.1/10
Living with her snobby family on the brink of bankruptcy, Anne Elliot is an unconforming woman with modern sensibilities. When Frederick Wentworth - the dashing one she once sent away - crashes back into her life, Anne…
20
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.