Top 250 Movies Like A Round Of Applause

A young substitute teacher escapes from her drudging everyday life by fantasizing about bizarre parallel realities.

As a fan of Albert Camus and Jean-Luc Godard, teenage Nick Twisp is definitely out of his element when his mother and her boyfriend move the family to a trailer park. When a pretty neighbor named Sheeni plays records by French crooners, it's love at first sight for frustrated and inexperienced Nick. Learning that she is dating someone, Nick launches a hilarious quest to find his way into Sheeni's heart -- and bed.

In 1671, with war brewing with Holland, a penniless prince invites Louis XIV to three days of festivities at a chateau in Chantilly. The prince wants a commission as a general, so the extravagances are to impress the king. In charge of all is the steward, Vatel, a man of honor, talent, and low birth. The prince is craven in his longing for stature: no task is too menial or dishonorable for him to give Vatel. While Vatel tries to sustain dignity, he finds himself attracted to Anne de Montausier, the king's newest mistress. In Vatel, she finds someone who's authentic, living out his principles within the casual cruelties of court politics. Can the two of them escape unscathed?

A stripped-down account of a young man's existential reckoning. "As dust hides a mirror, lust hides the self," reads one of the film's Vedanta-sourced intertitles. And indeed, while the Pierre Clementi protagonist's inner life remains obscure, the Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood that offers his temptations appears in harrowing detail.

Fresh out of university, a Turkish young man with literary aspirations returns to his home village, and to his father, a debt-ridden man with a gambling problem.

Grandmother has nothing to say when Libby tells her that she is off to LA to look up Dad, a Hollywood screenwriter. Grandmother has been in a New York cemetery for six years and Dad has been out of Libby's life for 16 of her 19 years. Libby arrives in LA on a Tuesday and phones Dad the one night that Stephanie, who does Jane Fonda's hair, stays over. Stephanie is there the next morning when Libby decides she needs to tell her story face-to-face.

How do you put a life into 500 words? Ask the staff obituary writers at the New York Times. OBIT is a first-ever glimpse into the daily rituals, joys and existential angst of the Times obit writers, as they chronicle life after death on the front lines of history.

Shaun Brumder is a local surfer kid from Orange County who dreams of going to Stanford to become a writer and to get away from his dysfunctional family household. Except Shaun runs into one complication after another, starting when his application is rejected after his dim-witted guidance counselor sends in the wrong form.

A man's affair with his friend's much-younger daughter throws two neighboring families into turmoil.

The story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham, who uncovers one of the most significant social scandals in recent times – the forced migration of children from the United Kingdom to Australia and other Commonwealth countries. Almost singlehandedly, Margaret reunited thousands of families, brought authorities to account and worldwide attention to an extraordinary miscarriage of justice.

A pretty, sheltered teenager falls for a boy from the wrong side of town.

A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.

Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A tribal history" Paul Rachman's feature documentary debut is a chronicle of the underground hardcore punk years from 1979 to 1986. Interviews and rare live footage from artists such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SS Decontrol and the Dead Kennedys.

"The Fear of an Unfaithful Woman" - Inge Duhan lives with her husband, the lawyer Erich Duhan, and her little daughter Susi in Berlin. Inge is a very attractive woman. She loves her husband and has always been faithful to him. On a holiday trip to the French Riviera Inge meet the charming painter Francard. A brief affair begins that turns into blackmail.

A smart teenage girl comes of age in a small town with her self-centered parents who had her when they were teenagers.

A mediocre musician goes on the road in search of the world's greatest guitar maker

A family's well-kept secrets are exposed when the daughter accuses her ex-boyfriend of rape.

A surreal portrait of a Catholic Private School and its hierarchy. A new student must submit to the bizarre rituals of his peers and the expectations of the school's administration by selling chocolates.

A pair of aliens arrive on Earth to prepare for invasion, but crash instead. With enormous cone-shaped heads, robotlike walks and an appetite for toilet paper, aliens Beldar and Prymatt don't exactly blend in with the population of Paramus, N.J. But for some reason, everyone believes them when they say they're from France.

Andie is an outcast, hanging out either with her older boss, who owns the record store where she works, or her quirky high school classmate Duckie, who has a crush on her. When one of the rich and popular kids at school, Blane, asks Andie out, it seems too good to be true. As Andie starts falling for Blane, she begins to realize that dating someone from a different social sphere is not easy.

A very successful stock broker is called to court to testify against a mob boss who was into some inside trading. Andrew Morenski must become Max Hauser and go back to high school for protection from the mob.

A leukemia patient attempts to end a 20-year feud with her sister to get her bone marrow.

When a man is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he takes custody of his misanthropic teenage son, for whom quality time means getting high, engaging in small-time prostitution, and avoiding his father.

The idyllic life of Bill, a retired aging rock star, and his young wife is rocked by a lover from her past, resulting in catastrophic consequences.

At Pacific Palisades High, a poor Latino falls hard for a troubled girl from the affluent neighborhood.

A mysterious criminal rolls into a small town planning to knock off the local bank, assuming it will go off without a hitch. But when he encounters a retired poetry professor, his plans take an unlikely turn. With no place to stay, the professor generously welcomes him into his home. As the two men talk, a bond forms between these two polar opposites, and surprising moments of humor and compassion emerge. As they begin to understand each other more, they each examine the choices they've made in their lives, secretly longing to live the type of lifestyle the other man has lived, based on the desire to escape their own.

A macho man in a family on the eve of deer-hunting season must deal with the eldest son's curse of never having bagged a buck.

Two quirky, cynical teenaged girls try to figure out what to do with their lives after high school graduation. After they play a prank on an eccentric, middle aged record collector, one of them befriends him, which causes a rift in the girls' friendship.

A woman's seaside vacation takes a dark turn when her obsession with a young mother forces her to confront secrets from her past.

The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time", who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.

An aging codger named Geri plays a daylong game of chess in the park against himself. Somehow, he begins losing to his livelier opponent. But just when the game's nearly over, Geri manages to turn the tables.

A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.

Grand Canyon revolved around six residents from different backgrounds whose lives intertwine in modern-day Los Angeles. At the center of the film is the unlikely friendship of two men from different races and classes brought together when one finds himself in jeopardy in the other's rough neighborhood.

The story, set in Kansas during the 1920's, covers less than a year in the life of a black teenager, and documents the veritable deluge of events which force him into sudden manhood. The family relationships and enmities, the fears, frustrations and ambitions of the black teenager in small-town America are explored with a strong statement about human values.

A teenage summer in a small town in the desert, a dysfunctional family, a rock band, a can full of glue, two boys, one girl, loads of tongue kisses, dry heat, wind in Patagonia, existential angst... A teenage story in the middle of nowhere.

My American Cousin is a Canadian drama film, released in 1985. Written and directed by Sandy Wilson based on her own childhood, the film stars Margaret Langrick as Sandy Wilcox, a pre-teen girl growing up on a ranch in rural Penticton, British Columbia in the late 1950s. Sandy's longing to be treated as an adult is roused even further when her older American cousin Butch Walker (John Wildman) comes for a visit. The cast also includes Richard Donat, Jane Mortifee, Babz Chula and Camille Henderson.

Henry Poole abandons his fiancée and family business to spend what he believes are his remaining days alone. The discovery of a 'miracle' by a nosy neighbor ruptures his solitude and restores his faith in life.

After he inherits some money, Harold Bissonette ("pronounced bis-on-ay") decides to give up the grocery business, move to California and run an orange grove. Despite his family's objections and the news that the land he bought is worthless, Bissonette packs up and drives out to California with his nagging wife Amelia and children.

The life and struggles of a notorious rock musician seeping into a pit of loneliness whose everyday life involves friends and family seeking financial aid and favors, inspired by rock music legend Kurt Cobain and his final hours.

Standing on the edge of adulthood, Andrew yearns to find his purpose as a young African-American in today's America. With his mother longing to find more to her life then parenting, Andrew is forced to take on the mounting pressure of family responsibility. His search for connection with an absent father, leads him to a dangerous crossroads.

An unemployed construction worker heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior, who believes the man has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert.

When Phil and Debbie Winslow relocate from their native Kansas to the sunny climes of Orange County, their big-hearted, havoc-wreaking Great Dane gets a taste of the dog's life, California-style.

An ordinary high school girl and a top teen model decide to switch places after meeting and discovering they bear an uncanny resemblance.

Singer Steve, friend Seymour and fiance Jane, along with her dizzy blonde room mate Irma, have a series of misadventures on a California-bound train and end up involved with a gang of murderous gangsters in Las Vegas.

In downtown Manhattan, a twenty-something boy whose Father is not around and whose Mother is institutionalized, is a big Charlie Parker fan. He almost subconsciously searches for more meaning in his life and meets a few characters along the way.

In the near future, Cameron Turner is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Presented with an experimental solution to shield his wife and son from grief, he grapples with altering their fate.

A man breaks into a tech billionaire's empty vacation home, but things go sideways when the arrogant mogul and his wife arrive for a last-minute getaway.

A teenager finds her perfect life upended when she's stalked by a mysterious doppelganger who has her eyes set on assuming her identity.

"Cheaper by the Dozen", based on the real-life story of the Gilbreth family, follows them from Providence, Rhode Island, to Montclair, New Jersey, and details the amusing anecdotes found in large families.

The father of a family has an affair. This affects every member of the family.

15-year-old Natalie, confused to begin with, finds out about her father's affair with one of his students. Refusing to simply stand by and watch her family disintegrate, Natalie takes it upon herself to expose the problem, and in doing so calls into question the family's penchant for denial.

When Johnny D. is forced to take on his family's financial troubles, he turns to the Manhattan club scene to make some fast cash. As he falls under the wing of a veteran nightlife promoter, Johnny quickly rises through the ranks - but soon finds that not everything behind the red rope is full of glitz and glamour.

To prove his brother's innocence, undercover officer Nick enrolls in high school again, dealing with crushes, bullies, humiliations, popularity swings, and quirky teachers and staff to find the real murderer.

Before heading off to college, an overthinking teenager asks out a former girlfriend in an effort to reconnect and hold on to his past.

After witnessing the killing of his parents, a teenage boy is put in a witness relocation program and sent to a boarding school in Canada to start a new life. He soon befriends a fellow student, who is actually undercover for the bad guys & looking for him.. will they discover the truth about each other? Can their new friendship survive?

Comic melodrama following the day-to-day life of high school senior Will, a promising but naive athlete struggling with choices that could determine his future, romance and family difficulties.

A woman struggles to escape the clutches of her overbearing, co-dependent mother, while gradually falling for a sexy, sophisticated attorney.

A teenage girl living in 1908 rural Indiana attends high school despite her mother's fierce opposition of her life, the friendship of a free-spirted older woman helps her stick to her goals.

In 1987 a disillusioned door to door orange salesman horrifically murders his first victim. Move forward 27 years and a land developer is buying an orange grove. He and his 3 friends plan a fishing trip to get his head around the pending transaction, unbeknownst to them, his estranged wife and her new boyfriend have also chosen the very same location for a break. The usual strange noises and unnerving situations ensue when they congregate at a secluded cabin, as The Orange Man eliminates them 1 by 1 with the aid of his prosthetic hook and a bag of oranges!

Seeking fulfillment, a young drifter forgoes isolation to embark on a year-long murder spree.

A family in emotional turmoil is taken by surprise in this quirky adventure where an eccentric 8-year-old American boy, Wes, has an existential epiphany - He believes that he is in fact a Mongolian goat herder.

David's comfortable world is turned upside down when his birth mother Melissa unexpectedly reaches out, longing to meet the eighteen year old son she's only held once.

The story of Bea Johnson from birth to graduation as she navigates life with an intellectually disabled parent and an extended family who can't quite agree on the best way to help.

Diane and Kate are not only mother and daughter but also best friends. Their lives are turned upside down, however, when Diane announces her engagement to a man named Bruce, whom she's been secretly dating.

A young man having an existential crisis convinces a Canadian self-help guru to come to London and become his personal life coach.

Suspension from school, the loss of a friend, a broken heart and lack of inspiration lead to Maude's downfall in this romp through teenage error. Your teenage years are never easy… but for Maude, things couldn't be worse. Within one week, she is suspended from school, stranded by her best friend, dumped by the boy she loved and inherits an enormous amount of money with the passing of her grandmother– only to be claimed under one condition: Maude must prove by age 18 that she knows exactly what to do with her life. But with her 18th birthday rapidly approaching, Maude must dive into a world of self-discovery or else lose the inheritance.

Two families disembark on a cruise to San Juan in celebration of Christmas.

Pompous and self-absorbed Kyle, is unhappily stuck in his life, longing to relive the success of his first novel. His not-so-desirable life rapidly unravels forcing him to return home to his wildly eccentric family with his tail between his legs. Life at home begins to show signs of improvement when Kyle meets the spunky, vivacious girl across the street who recruits Kyle to help her make the world a better place, making him feel alive for the first time in ages and inspiring his writing. But its short-lived. Joys been told shes going to die soon and wants Kyle to write her obituary.

A social outcast with a facial birthmark finds his world flipped upside down after he posts videos of his quirky life onto the Internet and becomes an unwilling cyber-celebrity.

In a psychiatric hospital, a junior doctor is treating a young black man diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. The patient is having a final interview with the doctor, who has invited his mentor to sit in on the session. He is concerned that the diagnosis is inaccurate and would like the patient hospitalised for longer. The senior doctor, however, disagrees.

Yağmur, drawing pictures on electrical transformers for the public benefit, gets in a friendly and warm neighborhood that she longed for all her life, in her quest to get rid of her childhood traumas. This new adventure will not only relieve the longing for the warmth of a family she wished, but also opens the door to a totally new life where she will forget the pangs of love in her heart.

Two brothers share a house in LA's Fairfax district: Tony's a feckless actor, Chris is an accountant. Both are in relationships on rocky ground. As these emotions swirl, Tony meets his US Postal Service letter carrier, a single mom named Kathy who's come to LA from Wyoming with her daughter, a budding actress. Chris meets Anna, an Italian beauty working in the States for a few months wrangling animals on movie sets. Chris also befriends Clive, an aging and crusty man whose longing for his recently-deceased wife is a portrait of true love. Can Clive's example help Chris sort out his love life, and can Tony grow up enough to see the possibilities with Kathy and her daughter?

A quirky relationship unfolds between an immigrant and an all-American folk music fan.

An adulterous man married to a wealthy Realtor plans on killing his wife with the assistance of his young lover. Little does the cheating husband know that his young lover is planning to blackmail him.

A young man obsessed with tiny plastic sharks looks for love in this ninety minute quirky existential romantic comedy shark film starring Kailer Scopacasa and Magenta Squash.

A documentary that explores the world of children who reside in discounted motels within walking distance of Disneyland, living in limbo as their families struggle to survive in one of the wealthiest regions of America. The parents of motel kids are often hard workers who don't earn enough to own or rent homes. As a result, they continue to live week-to-week in motels, hoping against hope for an opportunity that might allow them to move up in the O.C.

No sick days. Mandatory diets. Boob jobs. Endless rehearsals. It's what showgirls do for love--and a steady job--in the Las Vegas spotlight. 'A Chorus Line' meets 'Real Sex' in this sexy yet poignant documentary that follows the mounting of a new all-female musical revue in Las Vegas--from auditions through opening night--over the course of ten pressure-packed weeks.

Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she’s introduced to the sport of skateboarding. As a result, she has to fight the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.

With guidance from their mother, five siblings overcome humble beginnings to form the renowned gospel group the Clark Sisters.

Jack Grinnell, an aspiring grunge musician, must overcome the grim reality of his heroin addiction that has destroyed all of the relationships in his life.

"A Couple" is a film about a long term relationship between a man and a woman. The man is Leo Tolstoy. The woman is his wife, Sophia. They were married for 36 years, had 13 children nine of whom survived. Each kept a diary. Although they lived together, in the same house, they wrote letters frequently to each other. Leo Tolstoy insisted that they read their diaries aloud to guests at dinner parties. The Tolstoy’s were also a dysfunctional couple, arguing frequently and being very unhappy with each other while occasionally enjoying passionate moments of reconciliation. The film is Sophia’s monologue about the joys and struggles of their life together, loosely drawn from their letters to each other and their diary entries.

In a town not so far away and a time not so long ago, baby Rose was left on the porch of Greenwoods Orphanage, where Mrs. Hartley and the children under her tender care become her family. But when tragedy strikes, Rose loses the only home she has ever known and she is abruptly shipped to Irongates—a place that seems as cold and cruel as her previous home was kind. Strict headmaster Mr. Crampton immediately seems to dislike Rose and makes sure she and the other children are punished for any minor infraction of his rules. Rose soon makes friends with Emily, but in spite of her gentle and forgiving nature, some of the children will take any chance they can to get her into trouble. When she learns that every Christmas Mr. Crampton’s generous brother gives an orange to each child, Rose waits in eager anticipation.

Tina lives in a quiet seaside town but her life is anything but quiet - her mother is threatening to leave her father, her daughter is being bullied and she and her husband Mick are juggling full time jobs and three children. Determined to ditch the dysfunction and beat her inner demons, Tina puts on her fighting gloves - literally, stepping into the boxing ring to sweat out her anxieties and punch up her self-worth. But does she have what it takes to get her family off the ropes and emerge victorious?

Snoop stars as a grocery clerk named Cordé Christopher, a young and magnetic man, subject to keen female interest. He becomes a protégé of Orange Juice, an experienced pimp, after being informed of the better and richer life he can lead if he becomes a pimp. OJ cultivates Cordé's 'talent' and shares street knowledge with him, including the Rules of the "Pimping" Game. To some degree OJ treats Corde like a son. After achieving success Cordé has to choose between the love of his life, Chardonnay Allen, and his successful career as a pimp.

After losing her parents, 14-year-old Annabel lives with her fisherman grandfather on an island paradise. She is surrounded by an extended family of loving but quirky neighbors and her best friend – a dolphin named Mitzy. Everything changes when her maternal grandparents arrive with a shifty lawyer to bring her back to New York. It’s up to Annabel and her friends to figure out how to save the day and prove that love conquers all!

Incomplete is a captivating story of one woman's longing to complete her family through love and desire but unearths an elusive weave of deception. It's a riveting tale of trust, betrayal and the fine lines that divides when secrets are hidden and shared with strangers.

A French special op suffers an existential crisis as he wanders New York City in search of a mission and the requisite connections.

Quirky stranger Donovan (Colin Firth) blows into the Scottish village of Port Clyde. There, he rents a room with the Pannick family and ingratiates himself into their lives. Lucy (Katy Murphy) is the long-suffering matriarch of the clan, caring for her senile grandmother (Liz Smith) and mentally disabled brother, Sandy (David Brown). When the town cancels Sandy's train route to school, Donovan suggests starting their own bus line. They do, much to the consternation of local officials.

As a young man, Tom, prepares to leave the Suffolk village of his birth, voices and experiences from his family's past crowd in on his mind, weaving a poetic tapestry of the love of home and the longing to get away from it.

A young married couple struggles to stay together after the husband suffers a crisis of faith.

Helen is 25 years old. After finishing university, she comes back to her homeland from New York. The life was following its own route in her absence. Everything is foreign here for the returned Helen. Helen tries not only to find her place in Tbilisi - once a familiar environment for her - but also to find herself and find the keys that fit the locks of the main existential questions of life. Her encounter with film director Gabo is the start of an adventure that takes us into the minds and souls of a man and a woman, and old and a young soul. Their encounter is the start of a journey that encompasses more than just physical trip.

Millie Stope lives with her grandfather on a remote island. Man-child Nicholas, a fugitive from justice, also lives there and is terrorizing them - and he's interested in Millie. One day widower John Woolfolk, sailing on his yacht, happens upon the island. Soon he and Millie fall in love. Will jealous Nicholas stand for this?

After the loss of their mother, 17-year-old Dylan, his two sisters, and father are forced to move back to the small town where their parents met and grew up. While getting back on their feet, the family stays with their eccentric Aunt Norah and tries to adjust to a new life. They meet a quirky neighborhood kid, Pete, who convinces them to embark on a "bucket-list" type adventure inspired by a list found in their Dad's high school storage boxes. The task is not as easy as it seems and ultimately teaches everyone about managing grief, moving forward, and the importance of family.

Oliver is a bright 12-year-old who lives in the shadow of his parents' loss of their first son. His family appears fine on the outside, but is broken behind closed doors. As they work out their faith, Oliver is left to grapple with his own belief in God and the answers to life's biggest questions: Why am I here? What happens after death? Who made us? An angel disguised as a quirky traveler is sent to help him bring the pieces of the puzzle together. As Oliver's struggles cause him to look to science for answers, he discovers God is found by faith not by sight.

Exploring the life and impact of the greatest spiritual and legal philosopher in Islamic history, this film examines Ghazali's existential crisis of faith that arose from his rejection of religious dogmatism, and reveals profound parallels with our own times. Ghazali became known as the Proof of Islam and his path of love and spiritual excellence overcame the pitfalls of the organised religion of his day. His path was largely abandoned by early 20th century Muslim reformers for the more strident and less tolerant school of Ibn Taymiyya. Combining drama with documentary, this film argues that Ghazali's Islam is the antidote for today's terror.

A dysfunctional family awake on Christmas morning to discover they’re sealed inside their house by a mysterious black substance. On television, a single line of text reads: “Stay Indoors and Await Further Instructions.”

An ultra-low budget, gay themed, mid-life crisis, romantic comedy/musical. In it, we follow Joe, a typical accountant-type, as he strives to regain the sparkle in his life by becoming a Cyndi Lauper drag queen. Office politics, personal drama, and musical numbers from the 1980's punctuate this quirky character-driven romantic comedy about one man's journey to find himself...and the perfect set of pumps.

Ray Dalton [Roy Kirkland] is a successful businessman, snappy dresser, drives a Lexus on 22s and never meets a stranger, but love seems to be the hardest object to acquire. Ray gets lots of advice from relatives, friends and even professionals, but continues his search for the one right man. You see, Ray only dates straight guys who, unfortunately for Ray, all have girlfriends, which get in the way. This quirky slice of life comedy, based on actual events, is packed with great characters, sexy men and even a few girls. There s always another man around the next corner, and Ray turns lots of corners!