NoBadPicks

Movies Like Don't Worry, Be Happy

If you loved Don't Worry, Be Happy's Drama storytelling, these films deliver a similar experience — carefully selected for tone, themes, and emotional depth. Each pick includes where to watch it right now.

Top Picks

El Chicano
6.6

El Chicano

2019

A pair of twin brothers from East L.A. choose to live their lives differently and end up on opposite sides of the law.

Street Flow 2
6.1

Street Flow 2

2023

Struggling to overcome cycles of betrayal, revenge and violence, the Traoré brothers continue to fight for a brighter future in a seedy Paris suburb.

Adieu Philippine
6.9

Adieu Philippine

1962

Michel is a young technician in the fledgling TV industry and is due for military service in two months at the time of the Algerian War. Juliette and Liliane are inseparable best friends, and aspiring actresses, who hang around outside the TV studio. Michel invites them in to watch, flirts with them both, and dates them separately and together. When Michel goes on a holiday to Corsica, just before he is drafted, the girls follow.

Maestro
6.1

Maestro

2014

Henry, a young actor, finds himself involved in a film by cinema superstar, Cédric Rovere. Charmed by his benevolence, feelings hitherto unknown are aroused, while Rovere, intrigued by Henry's dream, lives this shoot as an unexpected gift.

All to Play For
6.4

All to Play For

2023

Sylvie lives with her two children whom she’s raising on her own. One evening, there’s an accident, and her youngest son is removed from her care. Sylvie must subsequently fight to get her son back and to keep herself afloat.

Brotherly Love
7.0

Brotherly Love

2015

West Philadelphia basketball star Sergio Taylor deals with the pressures of fame while his brother and sister have their own issues with ambition.

Haute Couture
6.1

Haute Couture

2021

Esther is at the end of her career as Head Seamstress at Dior Avenue Montaigne workshop. One day, she gets her handbag stolen in the metro by a 20 years old girl, Jade. Instead of calling the police she decides to take care of Jade. She sees in her the opportunity to pass on her skills, the craft of dressmaking, her only wealth. In the frenetic world of Haute Couture, Esther will give Jade la beauté du geste, a way to reach beyond herself.

Elisa
6.4

Elisa

1995

Marie has had a tough childhood ever since her mother Elisa committed suicide. She has spent most of her life in an orphanage and now makes a living as a small time criminal in Paris. Now she wants to unravel her past and find her father whom she blames for her mother's death.

More Movies Like Don't Worry, Be Happy

Chéri
6.1

Chéri

2009

The son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.

The Last Woman
6.0

The Last Woman

1976

Psychological drama of the compelling relationship between a young French engineer and the girl he takes into his home after his wife has left him with their baby son.

Salomé
6.2

Salomé

2013

One of Al Pacino's directory experiments, the stage elements of the film were filmed over 5 days in 2011. Initially part of the documentary "Wilde Salomé", the two pieces make up a thrilling tribute and rumination on Wilde's original stage play.

Farewell to the Night
6.1

Farewell to the Night

2019

Muriel is overjoyed, as her beloved grandson Alex is staying at her place for a few days before moving to Canada to work. But when the changes in his behavior arouse her curiosity, she is led to the discovery of a dark secret.

Cardboard Boxer
6.3

Cardboard Boxer

2016

Gentle and broken, a homeless man fights others on video for money but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.

For My Country
6.1

For My Country

2023

Aissa, a young officer of Algerian origin, tragically loses his life during a fresher initiation ritual at the prestigious French military academy of Saint-Cyr. As the death tears through his family, controversy arises over Aissa’s funeral plans when the Army refuses to take responsibility. Ismael, his older, rebellious brother, tries to keep the family united as they fight to win justice for Aissa.

The Girl from Paris
6.4

The Girl from Paris

2001

A woman in her thirties gets tired of life in Paris and decides to leave and become a farmer.

Hardball
6.5

Hardball

2001

An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.

Hands of Stone
6.6

Hands of Stone

2016

The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.

Through the Fire
7.3

Through the Fire

2018

Franck is a firefighter in Paris. He saves people. He lives at the station with his wife, who is about to have twins. He’s happy. During a call out to a fire, he puts himself in danger, to save his men. He’s going to have to learn to live again and accept to be the one being saved, this time.

The Nest
6.1

The Nest

2020

Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.

The Adopted
6.8

The Adopted

2011

Lisa and Marine live a life of relative companionship together, where the only man permitted into the equation is Lisa’s young son, Leo. However, their simple existence is thrown into disarray when Marie meets and falls in love with Alex, a customer at her bookshop. Lisa is left feeling excluded, and tension develop. But soon an unexpected accident forces all of those involved to reassess the situation and adopt a different position in each other’s lives.

Why These Movies Are Similar

These recommendations share core qualities with Don't Worry, Be Happy (2003): Drama themes, similar narrative structure, and comparable emotional depth. NoBadPicks uses a combination of TMDB collaborative filtering, genre matching, and AI analysis to surface films most likely to resonate with fans of Don't Worry, Be Happy.

See full details for Don't Worry, Be Happy (2003)

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