Best movies like Happy New York

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Happy New York Starring Bogusław Linda, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Janusz Gajos, Cezary Pazura, and more. If you liked Happy New York then you may also like: Nanny, Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie, The Rag Man, Revenge of the Green Dragons, An American Tail and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

The story of six Polish emigrants living in New York City, who try to live their American Dream and cope with the realities of the Big Apple.

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Nanny

Senegalese immigrant Aisha lands a job as a nanny for a wealthy Manhattan couple. As she prepares for the arrival of the son she left behind in Senegal, a violent presence begins to invade both her dreams and her reality, threatening to destroy the American Dream she is painstakingly piecing together.

Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie

Through the experiences of two amateur Bigfoot researchers in Appalachian Ohio, we see how the power of a dream can bring two men together and provide a source of hope and meaning that transcend the harsh realities of life in a dying steel town.

The Rag Man

Tim Kelly is an orphan who runs away after his orphanage burns down. Presumed to be killed in the fire, he is able to roam the streets of New York freely. He meets Max Ginsberg, an old Jewish junk dealer with rheumatism, and the two strike a partnership and a close friendship.

Revenge of the Green Dragons

A true immigrant story set against the vibrant backdrop of Flushing, N.Y. in the 1980s and 1990s.

An American Tail

A young mouse named Fievel and his family decide to migrate to America, a "land without cats," at the turn of the 20th century. But somehow, Fievel ends up in the New World alone and must fend off not only the felines he never thought he'd have to deal with again but also the loneliness of being away from home.

The Astronaut Farmer

Texan Charles Farmer left the Air Force as a young man to save the family ranch when his dad died. Like most American ranchers, he owes his bank. Unlike most, he's an astrophysicist with a rocket in his barn - one he's built and wants to take into space. It's his dream. The FBI puts him under surveillance when he tries to buy rocket fuel, and the FAA stalls him when he files a flight plan – but Charles is undeterred.

Chappaqua

Semi-autobiographical story of Conrad Rooks, who travels to France to undergo a drug-withdrawal cure. Flashbacks to the beginings of psychedelia in San Fran. Though initially confusing, as Rooks blends drug-illusion with reality, and cuts color with black-and-white and monochrome tinted shots, "Chappaqua" is conventionally constructed with a beginning, middle, and end.

Search and Destroy

A self-help guru's televised teachings inspire a down-and-out businessman to pursue his dream of making a movie.

The Shopworn Angel

During WWI Bill Pettigrew, a naive young Texan soldier is sent to New York for basic training. He meets worldly wise actress Daisy Heath when her car nearly runs him over.

The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream

Since World War II North Americans have invested much of their newfound wealth in suburbia. It has promised a sense of space, affordability, family life and upward mobility. As the population of suburban sprawl has exploded in the past 50 years Suburbia, and all it promises, has become the American Dream. But as we enter the 21st century, serious questions are beginning to emerge...

She Wants Me

A neurotic writer working on his new film gets into a tricky situation when an A-list actress shows interest in the role intended for his girlfriend.

Summer in the City

When a small town woman with southern charm is given a big promotion managing a store in the Big Apple, she tries to adopt a big city personality and it leads to disastrous results.

Sicko

Sicko is a Michael Moore documentary about the corrupt health care system in The United States who's main goal is to make profit even if it means losing people’s lives. "The more people you deny health insurance the more money we make" is the business model for health care providers in America.

Expect to Die

The military has been testing a new Virtual Reality fighting simulator, but testing is abruptly canceled when a soldier loses his life during the action. Its creator, Dr. Vincent MacIntyre, goes underground to continue developing the device, until detective Justin Blake and his partner Stone break into the syndicate to stop them. However, they are too late, and the new simulator is even deadlier than the first!

Someone Else's America

This tale takes place in a bar. The Spanish Alonso and his blind mother run this place. Bay, who is Alonso's friend live here too. This story tells something about Alonso and Bay and the "American Dream".

The Gene Krupa Story

The story of legendary jazz drummer, Gene Krupa. Since his youth, all Gene ever wanted to do is play the drums and make music. This is something his parents would not approve of- they want him to be a priest. When Gene's father dies he promises to enter the priesthood. He soon realizes that he doesn't belong there and leaves to join his friend, Eddie's band. Ethel, Eddie's girlfriend, convinces Gene to go to New York and make it big. The 3 of them head to New York. Here Ethel and Gene soon fall in love and Gene makes a name for himself. Gene starts to live in the fast lane, with drugs, alcohol, women and parties. Ethel, unhappy with Gene's lifestyle, leaves him. Gene soon "hits rock bottom" where he has to face reality and choose where to take his life.

The History of Love

The story of a long-lost book that mysteriously reappears and connects an old man searching for his son with a girl seeking a cure for her mother's loneliness.

Falling in Love Again

Harry and Sue Lewis met in the 40s as teenagers living in the Bronx. He was an aspiring architect, she was the most beautiful girl in school, and both had a fondness for bran muffins. They fell in love, got married, moved to Los Angeles, and had two kids. While struggling with his midlife crisis, Harry receives an invitation for his high school's reunion back so he takes Sue and their teenage kids on a cross-country car trip back to the Big Apple. Will they see in the Bronx what they expected? Will the good memories from their past help rekindle their fading love? Is it too late to dream?

Murder: By Reason of Insanity

A married couple from Poland emigrates to the U.S.,. but things don't turn out as well as they had imaged. The husband's business fails, while his wife's career really takes off. The husband, unable to cope with the pressures of his failed business, his failing marriage and the adjustments necessary to live in a completely different society, begins to take out his frustrations on his wife.

Christmas Waltz

After Avery’s storybook Christmas wedding is canceled unexpectedly, dance instructor Roman helps her rebuild her dreams.

Cry Tough

After getting out of prison, a Latino criminal tries to go straight.

Tales from the Rabbit Hole: A Curious Kitsch Novel

A kaleidoscope of several intertwined stories about people struggling to resist their vulnerabilities, in search of love, dignity, forgiveness and the great beauty of life in chaotic New York City.

Eclipse: The Rise of Ink

Casey is a comic fan who left everything in North Carolina to come to New York City to make his dream of becoming a superhero come true after reading "S MAN" Comic Book. Convinced that the comic book predicted his destiny of becoming a superhero as well as saving New York from an imminent threat taking place in the following 24 hours, Casey fight to convince New Yorkers of the danger and to put the pieces of the puzzle together in order save the Big Apple and realizing his dream of becoming a superhero.

Come from Away

7,000 passengers are stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after all flights into the US are grounded on September 11, 2001. Filmed live on stage at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in New York City.

So This Is New York

A small town man inherits a significant fortune and takes his family to New York City whereupon they are continually shocked at the alien culture of the Big Apple.

Sunny Side Up

Molly and Bee, sweet young 'working girls,' live in a cheap room over a New York grocery store. Molly's idol, wealthy Jack Cromwell, lives in a Long Island mansion but is markedly less happy, since his fiancée Jane won't discourage her other admirers. Fleeing in his car, Jack ends up in an urban block party where he meets you-know-who.

New York Town

Victor Ballard, a happy-go-lucky albeit impoverished sidewalk photographer, shares a New York City studio apartment with Polish immigrant painter Stefan Janowski. The big city doles out joy and misery indiscriminately: In the apartment below Victor and Steve, Gus Nelson learns that his wife has given birth to quintuplets, while the lonely tenant in the apartment below Gus has given up on life and committed suicide.

Gdanski Railway Station

Polish Jews, who were forced to leave their country in 1968, meet every year in Ashkelon. After nearly 40 years, they share their memories of exile, loss and regret, and still consider themselves Polish.

I'm No Longer Here

In Monterrey, Mexico, a young street gang spends their days dancing to slowed-down cumbia and attending parties. After a mix-up with a local cartel, their leader is forced to migrate to the U.S. but quickly longs to return home.

Between Us

Abruptly abandoned by her husband in a country completely foreign to her, Colombian native Mariana (Paola Mendoza) struggles to take care of herself and her two young children on the unforgiving streets of New York City. Sebastian Villada, Laura Montana and Anthony Chisholm also star in this gritty independent drama jointly written and directed by Mendoza and her collaborator Gloria La Morte.

The Citizen

Yearning to leave behind his life of misfortune in the Middle East, Ibrahim Jarrah wins the U.S. Green Card Lottery for a chance to become an American citizen. Ibrahim lands in New York City the day before 9/11…and the events of the September terrorist attacks forever shape the struggles he faces on his journey to capture the American dream.

Death of a Salesman

Willy Loman clings to the belief that he is a success as a salesman, that he is a beloved family man, that he is well-liked; but, as he grows older, he is forced to contemplate the unpleasant reality of his existence.

Callback

Larry is an ardent evangelical Christian, lives in New York, works as a mover, and dreams of breaking into the world of commercial acting. As he seeks his big break, he argues with his boss and leads a solitary life. His fate takes an unexpected turn the day he meets Alexandra.

The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's "American Pie"

With a narrative running deeper than a catchy tune and cryptic verses, “American Pie” is a musical phenomenon woven deep into the history of American culture, entertaining audiences around the world for over 50 years. This documentary tells the stories of the people who were a part of this moment from the beginning, shows the point of view of a new generation of artists who are motivated by the same values and ideas that inspired the song’s creation, and highlights cultural moments in America’s history that are as relevant now as they were in 1971, when the song was released.

Earth and the American Dream

A beautiful and disturbing film recounts America’s story from the environment’s point of view. From the arrival of Columbus to the simple wilderness living of the 16th and 17th centuries, through the agrarian lifestyle of the 18th century, the changes from the Industrial Revolution, to the 20th century when most of the planet’s resources have been depleted — this film examines the North American landscape and all the wildlife destruction, deforestation, soil depletion and pollution that have been wrought to make the American Dream come true.

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