Movies Like If Things Were Different

If you liked If Things Were Different (1980), a drama and tv movie movie directed by Robert Michael Lewis, 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
Death of a Salesman (1985)
★ 6.9/10Also drama and tv movie
Willy Loman, an aging, failing salesman, struggles to accept reality and his failure to achieve the American Dream.
2
The Christmas Shoes (2002)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and tv movie
Two separate stories mesh - in the first, a young music teacher, Maggie Andrews, begins dying of a heart condition and her son Nathan tries to get a pair of Christmas shoes for her before she dies. In the second…
3
The Girl (2012)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and tv movie
Director Alfred Hitchcock is revered as one of the greatest creative minds in the history of cinema. Known for his psychological thrillers, Hitchcock’s leading ladies were cool, beautiful and preferably blonde. One…
4
Certain Women (2016)
★ 6/10Also drama
Three strong-willed women strive to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest: a lawyer forced to subdue a troubled client; a wife and mother whose plans to construct her dream home…
5
Mildred Pierce (1945)
★ 7.6/10Also drama
A hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.
6
Pitfall (1948)
★ 6.8/10Also drama
An insurance man wishing for a more exciting life becomes wrapped up in the affairs of an imprisoned embezzler, his model girlfriend, and a violent private investigator.
7
Fast Girls (2012)
★ 6/10Also drama
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
8
Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors (2015)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and tv movie
"Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" is based on the inspiring true story of living legend Dolly Parton's remarkable upbringing. This once-in-a-lifetime movie special takes place inside the tight-knit Parton family as…
9
Take the Lead (2006)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
A former professional dancer volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system and, while his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based…
10
Plunder Road (1957)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.
11
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.
12
How Sarah Got Her Wings (2015)
★ 5.9/10Also drama and tv movie
Good Samaritan Sarah Fitzpatrick has a fatal accident just before Christmas, and finds herself in the lobby before the gates of Heaven. Certain that she will be let in, she is shocked to find that her name is not on…
13
Mansfield Park (2007)
★ 6.1/10Also drama and tv movie
Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy relatives, the Bertrams, where she is treated poorly by most except her cousin Edmund. Her life is complicated by the arrival of the worldly Mary and Henry Crawford
14
5 Flights Up (2014)
★ 6/10Also drama
A long-time married couple who've spent their lives together in the same New York apartment become overwhelmed by personal and real estate-related issues when they plan to move away.
15
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
★ 7.3/10Also drama and tv movie
Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American…
16
Harry and Meghan: Escaping the Palace (2021)
★ 6.7/10Also tv movie and drama
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are taking on the British monarchy in the third installment in Lifetime’s movie trilogy about the royal couple. The film explores what really happened inside the palace that drove Harry…
17
Flowers in the Attic (2014)
★ 6.7/10Also drama and tv movie
After the sudden death of their father, four children face cruel treatment from their ruthless grandmother.
18
Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods (2009)
★ 7.2/10Also drama and tv movie
An alien similar to Ra appears out of the Stargate, killing five soldiers and kidnapping another, a year after the original Stargate mission. A new team is assembled, including some old members, and they go in search…
19
A Wife's Nightmare (2014)
★ 6.3/10Also drama and tv movie
Liz, just returned home after a mental breakdown, has to welcome a relative stranger into her home when Caitlin, a young, vivacious woman, claims to be her husband's daughter.
20
Love Finds You In Sugarcreek (2014)
★ 6.5/10Also drama and tv movie
Will a mysterious stranger's past wreak havoc on a quiet Amish community after they've opened their doors -- and hearts -- to him and his son?