32 Movies Like Donnie Darko (2001) You Need to Watch Next
Updated August 2026
View Donnie Darko details →Richard Kelly's 2001 film blends comedy, drama, fantasy and mystery around a troubled teenager who, after narrowly surviving a bizarre accident, is haunted by visions of a large, unsettling rabbit that goads him toward a string of crimes. It's a deliberately strange, mood-heavy piece that leaves much to interpretation, trading clean answers for atmosphere, dread and dark humor. The tone slips between suburban unease and something more otherworldly, and its puzzle-box structure invites rewatching. This one suits viewers drawn to ambiguity and cult oddities rather than tidy resolution. If you like films that linger and provoke debate, and don't need every thread neatly tied, it's worth seeking out.
If you loved Donnie Darko (2001) by Richard Kelly, here are 32 movies that share its content DNA. iRankMovies measures real similarity using cosine similarity across eight weighted dimensions — genre (50%), tone (12%), pace (10%), structure (8%), era (7%), theme (6%), audience (4%) and narrative perspective (3%) — not just the rating. The closest matches according to our analysis are Click, Mary Poppins, 17 Again. Every title is ranked by how closely it matches and backed by the iRank Score, a composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb across 12,000+ analysed titles.
The Best Movies Similar to Donnie Darko
Selected for their real similarity in content, these are the movies that share the most with Donnie Darko in terms of theme, narrative tone, and cinematic style. Every recommendation goes beyond genre — we evaluate the type of conflict, pacing, dramatic context, and the experience they create for viewers.
Click
2006 · Frank Coraci
A married workaholic, Michael Newman doesn't have time for his wife and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty, a loopy sales c
In common: Drama · Fantasy
Mary Poppins
1964 · Robert Stevenson
In turn of the century London, a magical nanny employs music and adventure to help two neglected children become closer to their father.
In common: Fantasy
17 Again
2009 · Burr Steers
On the brink of a midlife crisis, 30-something Mike O'Donnell wishes he could have a "do-over." And that's exactly what he gets when he wakes up one morning to find he's 17 years old again. With his a
In common: Fantasy
Big
1988 · Penny Marshall
When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big—he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight. But he is still the same 13-yea
In common: Drama · Fantasy
Being John Malkovich
1999 · Spike Jonze
One day at work, unsuccessful puppeteer Craig finds a portal into the head of actor John Malkovich. The portal soon becomes a passion for anybody who enters its mad and controlling world of overtaking
In common: Drama · Fantasy
Cats
2019 · Tom Hooper
A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
In common: Drama · Fantasy
Haunted Mansion
2023 · Justin Simien
A woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.
In common: Drama · Fantasy
Black Knight
2001 · Gil Junger
Martin Lawrence plays Jamal, an employee in Medieval World amusement park. After nearly drowning in the moat, he awakens to find himself in 14th century England.
In common: Fantasy
13 Going on 30
2004 · Gary Winick
After total humiliation at her thirteenth birthday party, Jenna Rink wants to just hide until she's thirty. Thanks to some magic wishing dust, Jenna's prayer has been answered. With a knockout body, a
In common: Fantasy
Midnight in Paris
2011 · Woody Allen
While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.
In common: Fantasy
The Time Traveler's Wife
2009 · Robert Schwentke
Due to a genetic disorder, handsome librarian Henry DeTamble involuntarily zips through time, appearing at various moments in the life of his true love, the beautiful artist Clare Abshire.
In common: Drama · Fantasy
Parasite
2019 · Bong Joon Ho
All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
In common: Drama
Gone Girl
2014 · David Fincher
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
In common: Drama · Mystery
About Time
2013 · Richard Curtis
The night after another unsatisfactory New Year's party, Tim's father reveals to him that the men in their family have the ability to travel through time. They can't change history, but they can chang
In common: Drama · Fantasy
Shallow Hal
2001 · Peter Farrelly
After taking his dying father's advice, Hal dates only the embodiments of female physical perfection. But that all changes after Hal has an unexpected run-in with self-help guru Tony Robbins. Intrigue
In common: Drama · Fantasy
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
2006 · Tom Tykwer
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in the stench of 18th century Paris, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. However, his work takes a dark turn as he
In common: Fantasy · Drama
Mirage
2018 · Oriol Paulo
During a mysterious thunderstorm, Vera, a young mother, manages to save a life in danger, but her good deed causes a disturbing chain of unexpected consequences.
In common: Drama · Fantasy · Mystery
Ruby Sparks
2012 · Jonathan Dayton
Calvin is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing – as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a cha
In common: Drama · Fantasy
A Tale of Two Sisters
2003 · Kim Jee-woon
Two sisters return home after a stay in a mental institution, only to face disturbing events and a strained relationship with their stepmother. As eerie occurrences unfold, dark family secrets begin t
In common: Drama · Mystery
A Dog's Will
2000 · Guel Arraes
The lively João Grilo and the sly Chicó are poor guys living in the hinterland who cheat a bunch of people in a small town in Northeastern Brazil. When they die, they have to be judged by Christ, the
In common: Drama · Fantasy
Inherent Vice
2014 · Paul Thomas Anderson
In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.
In common: Drama · Mystery
A Dog's Purpose
2017 · Lasse Hallström
A dog goes on quest to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes with multiple owners.
In common: Drama
The Family Man
2000 · Brett Ratner
Jack's lavish, fast-paced lifestyle changes one Christmas night when he stumbles into a grocery store holdup and disarms the gunman. The next morning he wakes up in bed lying next to Kate, his college
In common: Drama · Fantasy
In the House
2012 · François Ozon
A sixteen-year-old boy insinuates himself into the house of a fellow student from his literature class and writes about it in essays for his French teacher. Faced with this gifted and unusual pupil, t
In common: Drama · Mystery
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2013 · Ben Stiller
A timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through daydreams embarks on a true-life adventure when a negative goes missing.
In common: Drama
Deep Water
2022 · Adrian Lyne
A well-to-do husband who allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce becomes a prime suspect in the disappearance of her lovers.
In common: Drama · Mystery
Meet the Fockers
2004 · Jay Roach
Hard-to-crack ex-CIA man Jack Byrnes and his wife Dina head for the warmer climes of Florida to meet the parents of their son-in-law-to-be, Greg Focker. Unlike their happily matched offspring, the fut
All Dogs Go to Heaven
1989 · Don Bluth
When a casino-owning dog named Charlie is murdered by his rival Carface, he finds himself in Heaven. Wanting to get back at his killer, he cons his way back to the living with the warning that doing s
In common: Drama
Just My Luck
2006 · Donald Petrie
Manhattanite Ashley is known to many as the luckiest woman around. After a chance encounter with a down-and-out young man, however, she realizes that she's swapped her fortune for his.
In common: Drama
Luca
2021 · Enrico Casarosa
Luca and his best friend Alberto experience an unforgettable summer on the Italian Riviera. But all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below t
In common: Drama
Return to Silent Hill
2026 · Christophe Gans
When James receives a mysterious letter from his lost love Mary, he is drawn to Silent Hill—a once-familiar town now consumed by darkness. As he searches for her, James faces monstrous creatures and u
In common: Drama · Mystery
Leave the World Behind
2023 · Sam Esmail
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.
In common: Drama · Mystery
Popular series
Breaking Bad
2008 · Michelle MacLaren
Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live. He becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023 · Kazutaka Yamanaka
After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity’s m
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005 · Michael Dante DiMartino
In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
