Best movies like Life the Way It Is

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Life the Way It Is Starring María Luisa García, Lucien Plazanet, Marie Rivière, Jenny Bellay, and more. If you liked Life the Way It Is then you may also like: You and Me, Oil for the Lamps of China, The Battle of the Sexes, Easy Money, Ever Since Eve 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.

Agnes leaves school and moves into a council house in Bagnolet with her friend Florence. She take a job as an office clerk, and becomes a staff representative after a colleague is dismissed for resisting the advances of her lecherous superior...

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You and Me

Mr. Morris, the owner of a large metropolitan department store, gives jobs to paroled ex-convicts in an effort to help them reform and go straight. Among his 'employed-prison-graduates' are Helen Roberts and Joe Dennis, working as sales clerks. Joe is in love with Helen and asks her to marry him, but she is forbidden to marry as she is still on parole, but she says yes and they are married. In spite of their poverty-level life, their marriage is a happy one until Joe discovers she has lied about her past, in order to marry him. Disillusioned, he leaves, goes back to his old gang and plans to rob the department store.

Oil for the Lamps of China

An American oil company representative almost sacrifices his marriage for his career.

The Battle of the Sexes

Angela Barrows is a man-eating business woman sent by her American employer to investigate their export opportunities in Edinburgh. En route she meets Robert MacPherson, a businessman who asks for her help to bring his company into the 20th Century. The staff, led by Mr Martin, has other ideas—and a battle between the old and new business methods soon breaks out.

Easy Money

A win on the football pools in postwar Britain changes lives. A happy family is turned into an unhappy argumentative lot until it is discovered the coupon apparently didn't get posted. A mild-mannered clerk worries about how to tell his overbearing boss he is quitting. A double-bass player finds life without the orchestra lacks something. The lure of the big money even turns some people into criminals, as when a coupon checker is tempted by his night-club singer girlfriend to cheat the company. Written by Jeremy Perkins

Ever Since Eve

Madge Winton (Marion Davies), a beautiful secretary, makes herself look homely in order to avoid advances by lecherous bosses. When her new employer, writer Freddy Matthews (Robert Montgomery), accidentally sees her without her disguise, she has to pretend to be her roommate Sadie.

Strange Affair

A young Parisian advertising executive becomes so captivated by the unsettling charm of his mysterious new employer that he eventually abandons his family and friends, viewing it a privilege to let the ubiquitous employer take over his home, his life, his desire. Only his wife remains suspicious, recognizing both the pathos and the evil in the man’s soul-stealing power.

Make Me a Star

A grocery clerk, longing to become a cowboy actor, goes to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune. Unfortunately, his acting ability is non-existent.

The Millionaire

Jack Norman is an office clerk who falls in love with co-worker Kate Blair, a stenographer. He gets fired from his job but before this can really sink in, he suddenly inherits 80 million dollars from a financier who once loved his mother. The financier, Glyde, was murdered, so Norman also inherits a load of troubles involving the blackmailers who want to killed him. In his attempt to outwit them, Norman poses as a valet, and has a friend impersonate him.

Scandal

Harmlessly flirting with a worldly artist, Beatrix is outraged when he tries to put the moves on her, and she storms indignantly out of his Greenwich Village studio. Alas, her visits to the lecherous artist have already stirred up gossip, so to allay suspicions Beatrix claims that she has come to New York to visit a family friend, Pelham Franklin.

Smithy

After being discharged from the 372nd infantry, on account of a bean shortage, smithy seeks employment. He finds a job on a construction site, where he helps to build a house, and soon causes havoc amongst the other workers. The construction company owner leaves for a week, and tells his secretary to send a letter to Mr. Smith telling him to complete the construction of the house while he (the owner) is away. The letter is accidently sent to Smithy who manages to complete the house. When the owner returns the house is complete, and Smithy is commended until the last support beam is removed...

Story of a Cloistered Nun

A woman who was promised to a powerful family's son at birth falls in love with another man, refuses to renounce him, and is sent to a nunnery by her shocked parents. Once there, she first undergoes degradation to acclimatize her to convent life; then she experiences rampant lesbianism by the repressed nuns, and becomes pregnant by her lover. Finally, her refusal to accede to one nun's lascivious lesbian advances leads to plotting and treachery, and her lover being murdered out of jealousy. Her life now ruined, she further scandalises her family by refusing to take her vows, and leaves the convent, devoting her existence to those in need. Claims to be based on a true story!

Park Benches

As she does every morning, Lucie takes advantage of her journey to work to lose herself for a while in the pages of a good book. And as she does every morning, she joins her colleagues at the office with a smile. It's a working day just like any other. Then suddenly all activity in the office stops. All attention is turned towards the window of the opposite building opposite and abanner reading: Man Alone. Is it a hoax? A cry for help? Everyone has his own interpretation, and will try, by any means possible, to discover what lies behind this mysterious message.

This Is Our Time

After graduation, five friends set out to make a difference in the world for God. Their ambitions are high, their passions are strong but will they have the courage to fulfill their calling regardless of what comes their way. The sacrifice they are asked to pay may just be too high. Through Godly council from an outside source, the group realizes that this is not their time after all, it's all His.

Bankers Also Have Souls

A bank clerk is given an unusual retirement gift, a high class call girl. Unaware that he has been 'set up' by colleagues the man goes with the girl to Venice where he enjoys his new found virility.

Downstairs

In the Austrian manor of Baron and Baroness von Burgen, the relationship between the upstairs aristocracy and the downstairs staff is quite positive. The servants seem to enjoy their time together, and some even fall in love, as head butler Albert and maid Anna have done. But when lecherous new chauffeur Karl Schneider enters the house, affairs and blackmail follow, and the harmony of the home is slowly destroyed.

Sue

An unemployed ex-office worker searching for work floats a fragile line of sanity as she struggles to find friendship and companionship. Her tenuous grasp on reality further fluctuates when a man whom she met in a restaurant and started an affair with is called to go to India for an assignment. The final straw occurs when she is evicted and moves into a sleazy hotel. She then starts seeking casual sex in unorthodox locations just to have human contact.

I'm Not Feeling Myself Tonight

Virginal nerd Jon Pigeon, manages to secure a job in a sex research institute where the patients run about the corridors naked, nude aerobics are encouraged and no man is safe from the crotch-grabbing tea lady. In his attempts to seduce pretty office secretary Cheryl, Pigeon invents a machine called Agnes that emits a 'sonic aphrodisiac' guaranteed to turn any man or woman into an slathering sex maniac. Although his attempts to zap Cheryl are singularly unsuccessful, Pigeon gets some interesting results when he accidentally turns the 'sex ray' on his bullying boss Nutbrown and the prudish Mary Watchtower.

The Left-Hand Side of the Fridge

Christophe agrees to be filmed by his roommate Stéphane, while he is searching for a meaningful engineering job. Since he voluntarily resigned his job when he was to be moved to quality control, he does not get unemployment benefits, and goes to classes on how to contest the decision.

The Gendarme and the Gendarmettes

Cruchot's police office moves into a new building. They do not only get high tech equipment, but also four young female police officers to educate. All of them scramble to work with them -- and cause pure chaos while being distracted by the fine ladies. Then they get into real trouble when one after the other of their female colleagues is kidnapped.

A Christmas Without Snow

A divorced woman (Michael Learned) moves to San Francisco from Omaha with her young son. She's trying to re-build her life after her divorce, she leaves her son with his grandmother. She joins the choir of a local church. She has some issues with the choirmaster (John Houseman) who tries to get the choir into shape before the Christmas concert. The choir overcome some personal setbacks as they all deal with personal issues. Zoe (Michael Learned) thinks of quitting the choir all together when push comes to shove.

The Stone Council

In France, the single translator Diane Siprien adopts an Asian baby named Liu-San in a foundation directed by Sybille Weber. Years later, a weird mark appears on the boy's chest and Diane and Liu share their dreadful nightmares. Diane is assigned for a three-day job in Germany and she leaves Liu with her friend Sybille. However, while going to the airport, Diane finds Liu hidden in the backseat and startles with an eagle flying toward the windshield, crashing her car. Liu falls into a coma and his digital recorder records the boy speaking in an unknown dialect. When Diane searches the translation and the origins of Liu, she is surrounded by mysterious murders. She discovers that the dialect is from the mystic Mongolian Tseven tribe and that Liu is a powerful Observer; further, he is in danger, threatened by sorcerers that need the boy for their Council of the Stone..

Corner Office

In this office satire, Orson, a straight-laced employee, retreats to a blissfully empty corner office to get away from his lackluster colleagues. But why does this seem to upset them so much?

Three Wise Girls

Romantic comedy drama about three friends in New York. Cassie has come to New York and goes to work as a model where her friend Gladys works. She falls in love with wealthy young Jerry who is already married. Gladys has the same probelm with her man Phelps.

Nothing Good Ever Happens

Neil is a painter and graphic designer. On a morning just like any other morning his girlfriend Amanda leaves him and moves out of their house (don't worry, it's a rental.) That morning Neil tries to cope as best he knows how, but in a strange turn of events he ends up shooting back a glass of bleach. He wakes up to suicide watch and court appointed therapy as well as the empty void Amanda left. Now Neil has to decide what he can do to feel better about himself. Should he get Amanda back? Make his old friends like him again? Confront his estranged father? Eat a ton of Chinese food? Or maybe he should just finish his latest goddamned painting. Will he figure it out? Well you better hope so.

The 11,000 Sexes

A young bank officer ogles the girls in his office and goes home to his prim wife. After reading a book of erotic poems by Guillaume Appollinaire of the World War I era, he finds himself inside the adventures of the book, which are largely of an erotic nature. When he awakens the next morning, he is inspired to order his life in a more satisfactory manner.

The Wonderful Crook

A manufacturer of furniture sees his business go down and decides to rob banks to pay his staff. Het gets romantically involved with one of his victims.

Colewell

In tiny Colewell, Pennsylvania, the residents gather at the post office for mail and gossip, while the days pass quiet and serene. That is until news comes that the office is to close, and beloved clerk Nora is left to fight for her job and reflect on the choices she has made that kept her in Colewell for so many years.

Whatever

It is a story of a depressed, isolated man stuck in a tedious but well-paying programming job.

Bottled Up

A solitary woman (Melissa Leo) earning her living by delivering mail and body piercing, makes every attempt to help her volatile adult daughter (Marin Ireland) get on her feet, and in-so-doing neglects herself, channeling all of her womanly desires into her houseplants...even when a charismatic and industrious environmentalist (Josh Hamilton) moves in with them.

Into the World

Jeanne works as an auxiliary in a maternity in Marseilles. Day and night, Jeanne and her colleagues fight to help mothers and their babies against the lack of staff and constant management pressure. Jeanne lives with her 18 year-old daughter, Zoé. When a tragedy occurs at the maternity and Zoé leaves to study in Paris, Jeanne’s secret past suddenly resurfaces and forces her to assert her life choices.

Burnt Out

François Durrieux, a man in his forties, married to Clémence and father of Benjamin, has been employed for years by the firm DSBO. In order not to lose his job, he always submits to his boss's demands whether it means working after office hours, canceling planned holidays or harming his family life. However, when one night, Simon Lacaze, his best friend and colleague, commits suicide just after being fired ignominiously, François rebels...

The Stolen Ranch

Returning home from the Great War, "Breezy" Hart (Fred Humes) and his shell-shocked buddy Frank Wilcox (Ralph McCullough) discover the Wilcox property in the hands of evil Sam Hardy (William Norton Bailey). Frank, who is the rightful heir to the ranch, goes into hiding, while "Breezy" takes a job in the ranch kitchen. Learning of Frank's whereabouts, Hardy plots to have the young heir killed. Luckily, Breezy overhears the villain plotting with his henchmen and is able to rescue his friend. Hardy and his men are arrested, and Frank, now cured of his illness, is reunited with his girl, June Marston (Nita Cavalier). Breezy, meanwhile, is busy romancing his kitchen staff colleague, Mary Jane (Louise Lorraine).

The World Apart

Bob Fulton is the superintendent of a mine in the West. He wins the enmity of dancehall owner Jack King when he saves one of the girls, Rose De Braisy, from his unwanted advances. Fulton also wins Rose's love, which he does not return. The mine's owner sends his troublesome son, Roland Holt, out West to work at the mine. Before Holt leaves the East he secretly marries Beth Hoover. Upon Holt's arrival, Fulton tries to befriend him, but Holt prefers the company of bad-guy King.

Melancoly Baby

Olga is married to Laurent, who is devoted to his career and often leaves Olga at home alone when he travels away for work. Whilst she is rich and wants for nothing, she is terribly bored with life. When Laurent is working away she meets up with his colleague Pierre and through him meets Claude, who is unemployed and fed up of his situation. Can Olga and Claude help each other to get their lives back on track?

The Prince of Graustark

Graustark needs thirty million dollars to satisfy a Russian loan. The Prince of Dawsbergen, ruler of the adjoining principality, will advance the money if the young Prince of Graustark marries his daughter. Prince Robin, however, inherits an independent spirit, his father having been an American. He refuses absolutely to marry a Princess whom he has never seen. His councilors plead in vain. With the ruin of his country imminent, the boy ruler hastily sails for America to negotiate the loan, hoping at the same time to meet the girl of his dreams. The money is readily advanced by William W. Blithers, a self-made millionaire anxious to have his daughter marry into royalty. The daughter, however, avoids the Prince and he does not see her. He rescues a girl from drowning and falls in love with her. He believes her to be Blithers' daughter, but she does not reveal her identity.

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