Movies like Desperate Living
If you like "Desperate Living" you are looking for surreal, humorous and witty movies about / with lesbian, repression, mental illness, gender bending, nudism, castration and suburbs themes of Comedy, Crime and Fantasy genre shot in USA.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
Desperate Living (1977)
5K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A rich housewife enlists her maid's help to murder her husband; they go on the lam and end up in Mortville, a homeless community built into a garbage dump.
Style:
surreal, humorous, witty, offbeat, realistic, semi serious, cult film, allegory, biting, suspense ...
Plot:
lesbian, repression, mental illness, gender bending, nudism, castration, suburbs, satire, pubic hair, crimes, fairy, family relations, transsexual, couple relations, partners, parents and children, ruler, crime, love and romance, fugitives, mole, society, couples, dishonesty, gender ...
Time:
70s, 20th century
Place:
california, texas
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Desperate Living
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out humorous, cult film, offbeat and semi serious films with plots about dialogue, brutality, storytelling, mentor, nudity (full frontal - brief), dark humor and murder mostly in Comedy, Crime and Horror genres. Some movies like Desperate Living: Pink Flamingos (1972), Female Trouble (1974), Polyester (1981), Multiple Maniacs (1970), A Dirty Shame (2004). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Subscribe for new and better recommendations:
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Notorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against Connie & Raymond Marble, a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person ...
Style:
disturbing, sexual, cult film, witty, sexy ...
Plot:
transvestism, obsession, perversion, mother son incest, strong sexual content, arson, sexual perversion, vandalism, dehumanization, nudity (full frontal - brief), zoophilia, cannibalism ...
Time:
20th century, 70s
Place:
maryland, usa, baltimore, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
100%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
The life and times of Dawn Davenport, showing her progress from loving schoolgirl to crazed mass murderer - all of which stems from her parents' refusal to buy her cha-cha heels for Christmas. She runs away from home, is raped, becomes a single ...
Style:
disturbing, surreal, humorous, absurd, offbeat ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
juvenile delinquent, nudity (full frontal - brief), graphic violence, hitchhiker, electric chair, acid, hitchhiking, physical appearance, gay, crimes, crime, rape ...
Time:
20th century, 70s
Place:
california
⇓ similarity ⇓
47%
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
A suburban housewife's world falls apart when her pornographer husband admits he's serially unfaithful to her, her daughter gets pregnant, and her son is suspected of being the foot-fetishist who's been breaking local women's ...
Style:
humorous, witty, suspense, biting, realistic ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
dysfunctional family, misfit, pornography, suburbs, abortion, satire, family relations, strangulation, foot fetish, eccentric family, love affair, parents and children ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
baltimore, usa, boston, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
41%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
A traveling sideshow called the Cavalcade of Perversion draws in and terrorizes unsuspecting spectators. The leader of the troupe of misfits is Lady Divine, who goes out for blood after discovering her lover's affair.
Style:
underground film, witty, offbeat, humorous, realistic ...
Plot:
murder, rape, sexual perversion, blasphemy, lobster, church, gory, transvestism, nosy, psychopath, rivalry, deadly ...
Time:
60s
⇓ similarity ⇓
38%
Movie in collections
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Sylvia Stickles runs a convenience store with her husband and mother-in-law. One day, Sylvia is hit on the head and transforms from an uptight prude to a sex-crazed lunatic. As she goes on a rampage through town, Sylvia attracts the attention of Ray ...
Style:
sex comedy, sexual, humorous, sexy, absurd ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
sexual fantasy, sex addict, perversion, addiction, eccentric family, golden years, parents and children, gays and lesbians, society, lifestyle, sex, large breasts ...
Time:
contemporary
Place:
baltimore, maryland, usa, california, tokyo
⇓ similarity ⇓
32%
Also search:
Sex and Zen similar movies
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
A picture perfect middle class family is shocked when they find out that one of their neighbors is receiving obscene phone calls. The mom takes slights against her family very personally, and it turns out she is indeed the one harassing the ...
Style:
psycho film, parody, witty, humorous, realistic ...
Plot:
housewife, dark humor, murder, serial killer, female killer, family relations, crime, crimes, psycho killer, suburban life, mental illness, parents and children ...
Time:
90s, 1990s
Place:
usa, baltimore
⇓ similarity ⇓
31%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, France
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
An insane independent film director and his renegade group of teenage film makers kidnap an A-list Hollywood actress and force her to star in their underground film.
Style:
cynical, satirical, absurd, humorous, biting ...
Plot:
perversion, filmmaking, hostage, heroin, lifestyle, actor's life, nothing goes right, hostages, showbiz, dark humor, misfit, rebellion ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
baltimore, usa, maryland, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
Elliot Gould plays Alfred Chamberlain -- a one time successful photographer who is now down on his luck because he began to eliminate people from his photographs. He also suffers from an inability to feel or to be passionate about anything. But then ...
Style:
biting, suspense, witty, cynical, realistic ...
Plot:
murder, satire, heist, apathy, couples, graphic violence, profanity, couple relations, eccentric family, violence spree, social decay, society ...
Time:
70s, 20th century
Place:
new york, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
26%
Movie in collections
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
A mentally unhinged factory worker must decide whether to listen to his talking cat and become a killer, or follow his dog's advice to keep striving for normalcy.
Style:
disturbing, psychological, surreal, humorous, semi serious ...
Plot:
psychopath, mental illness, serial killer, danger, factory, psychopath as protagonist, pets, hearing voices, crimes, workplace situations, murder, psychiatrist ...
Time:
contemporary, 21st century
Place:
usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
23%
2K
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
It's time again for California's "Young American Miss" beauty pageant, the biggest event of the year for Big Bob Freelander and Brenda DiCarlo, who give their all to put on a successful pageant. But Brenda is having marital ...
Style:
suspense, biting, realistic, humorous, semi serious ...
Plot:
satire, beauty pageant, choreographer, strong female presence, couples, small town, couple relations, society, mischievous children, contests and competitions, lifestyle, youth ...
Time:
70s, 20th century
Place:
california, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
22%
Also search:
Movies like Death Becomes Her
14K
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
A Baltimore sandwich shop employee becomes an overnight sensation when photographs he's taken of his weird family become the latest rage in the art world. The young man is called "Pecker" because he pecks at his food like a bird.
Style:
not serious, witty, humorous, absurd, offbeat ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
art, photographer, lifestyle, ambition, social differences, society, misfit, nudity (full frontal - brief), stripper, satire, popularity, photograph ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
new york, baltimore, usa, maryland
⇓ similarity ⇓
21%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
The Coen Brothers tell the story of a absurd yet likable family with an unproductive couple as the focal point. The couple has gotten themselves into some trouble while kidnapping a baby and give Hollywood one of the most memorable chase scenes to ...
Style:
witty, humorous, surreal, talky, atmospheric ...
Plot:
screwball, baby, robbery, kidnapping, redemption, blackmail, ex convict, policewoman, crime, crimes, couple relations, missing child ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
arizona, usa, phoenix arizona
⇓ similarity ⇓
21%
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
A small New Mexican village discovers a severed hand that is considered a miracle of God, when it actually belongs to a murdered spouse with a husband in search of it.
Style:
humorous, realistic, semi serious, witty, offbeat ...
Plot:
murder, infidelity, prostitute, investigation, dishonesty, unlikely criminals, desert, deadly, clergy, buddies, small town life, village life ...
Time:
90s
Place:
new mexico, usa, latin america, mexico, texas
⇓ similarity ⇓
21%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
An avid detective is assigned to investigate the heist of a batch of precious coins that end up in the hands of a suicidal barber.
Style:
humorous, funny, absurd, light, twists and turns ...
Plot:
romance, transvestite, love and romance, theft, crimes, crime gone awry, disorder, kidnapping, hitman, eccentricity, greed, organized crime ...
Time:
90s, 70s
⇓ similarity ⇓
21%
761
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Hazel runs a beauty salon out of her house, but makes extra money by providing ruthless women to do hit jobs. K.T. is a parasite, and contacts Hazel looking for work when he runs out of money. She is reluctant to use him for a hit, since she prefers ...
Style:
humorous, realistic, semi serious, splatter, psychotronic ...
Plot:
dark humor, hitman, love affair, murder, parents and children, showbiz, hollywood, dishonesty, crimes, mentally challenged, social misfits, pets ...
Time:
70s
Place:
new york
⇓ similarity ⇓
21%
Also search:
Heathers related movies
Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
When the notorious Diaper Mafia take hostage the Tromaville School for the Very Special, only the Toxic Avenger and his morbidly obese sidekick Lardass can save Tromaville.
Style:
parody, suspense, humorous, semi serious, funny ...
Audience:
teens, boys' night
Plot:
superhero, satire, farce, gory, save the day, imaginary, righting the wronged, disorder, superhuman powers, danger, crime gone awry, rivalry ...
Time:
90s, 2000s, 80s
Place:
new jersey
⇓ similarity ⇓
21%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: France
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
This bizarre surrealistic black comedy takes place in a small fictitious post-apocalyptic town where food is scarce and butcher Clapet has the macabre business of using human flesh to feed his customers. Yet when his daughter falls in love with his ...
Style:
cult film, futuristic, surreal, stylized, atmospheric ...
Plot:
dark humor, distopia, cannibalism, cannibal, clown, escape, satire, post apocalyptic, suicide attempt, butcher, underground, post apocalypse ...
Time:
future
Place:
france
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
95K
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
A girl who halfheartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics: by killing the popular kids.
Style:
witty, semi serious, cynical, realistic, suspense ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
dark humor, murderous pair, high school, suicide, teenage life, teenage love, deadly, suicide attempt, insanity, murder, sociopath, violence ...
Time:
80s, 20th century
Place:
ohio, usa, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
Movie in collections
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
A publishing executive is visited and bitten by a vampire and starts exhibiting erratic behavior. He pushes his secretary to extremes as he tries to come to terms with his affliction. The vampire continues to visit and drink his blood, and as his ...
Style:
surreal, suspenseful, absurd, psychological, macabre ...
Plot:
vampire, hallucination, insanity, mental illness, supernatural, imaginary, dangerous attraction, woman in danger, losing-it hero, bite, delusion, nightclub ...
Time:
80s
Place:
usa, new york, new jersey
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
A mobster named Jimmy the Tulip agrees to cooperate with an FBI investigation in order to stay out of prison; he's relocated by the authorities to a life of suburban anonymity as part of a witness protection program. It's not long before a ...
Style:
funny, humorous, twists and turns, semi serious, entertaining ...
Audience:
date night
Plot:
hitman, dark humor, mafia, murder, opposites attract, farce, crime, crimes, dentist, misfit, love affair, unlikely partners ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
chicago illinois, montreal, canada, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
Also search:
Seven Psychopaths related movies
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min.
Story:
Fed up of his business partner, Ernest Trend hires the services of two exterminators. When things go drastically wrong and they murder the wrong man, the race is on to frame an innocent video surveillance man.
Style:
surreal, humorous, not serious, offbeat, cult film ...
Plot:
hitman, false accusation, murder, screwball, crimes, crime, friends, disorder, silly humor, partners, nothing goes right, clergy ...
Time:
80s
Place:
usa, detroit
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: France, Portugal
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Raoul Ruiz’s enthralling thriller is made up of four intertwining stories of bizarre occurrences in Paris featuring a man who was stolen away by fairies, a professor who becomes a tramp, the lovers who inherit a chateau – and the last tale that ...
Style:
surreal, atmospheric, humorous, enigmatic, witty ...
Plot:
mental illness, self discovery, introspection, human nature, crimes, destructive relationship, prostitute, eccentricity, mansion, imagination, brutality, existentialism ...
Time:
90s, 1990s, 1920s
Place:
paris france, new jersey, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: France
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
An absurd black comedy that cunningly reverses the conventions of the crime thriller to comment on the alienating and dehumanizing effects of contemporary urban life. Alphonse Tram is unwittingly involved in several murders despite having no memory ...
Style:
humorous, semi serious, realistic, surreal, witty ...
Plot:
murder, unemployment, missing person, crime, investigation, crimes, resentment, dark humor, estrangement, rebelliousness, police corruption, deadly ...
Time:
20th century, 70s
Place:
france
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
Movie in collections
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Norman Reedus stars as Harry Odum, a henpecked, 18-year-old momma's boy in Youngstown, Ohio, who -- with his violent temper -- impresses a local boss of the Jewish Mafia. Soon he's found his calling as a hit man alongside his crack addict ...
Style:
humorous, disturbing, intense, talky, suspense ...
Plot:
coming of age, sex with mother, hitman, crimes, family relations, parents and children, self discovery, dark humor, suburban life, rise and fall, criminal heroes, gangsters ...
Time:
90s
Place:
ohio, usa, california
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: France, USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Russ Richards is a TV weatherman and local celebrity on the verge of losing his shirt. Desperate to escape financial ruin, he schemes with Crystal the TV station's lotto ball girl to rig the state lottery drawing. The numbers come up right, but ...
Style:
humorous, realistic, not serious, feel good, stylized ...
Plot:
lottery, weatherman, small town, tv station, criminal heroes, dark humor, crime, crimes, cons and scams, couple relations, unlikely criminals, nothing goes right ...
Time:
20th century, 80s
Place:
pennsylvania, usa, new jersey
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
Also search:
The Whole Nine Yards related movies
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Joe McBeth is a hard-working but unambitious doofus who toils at a hamburger stand alongside his wife Pat, who has much smarter. Pat believes she could do better with the place than their boss Norm is doing, so she plans to usurp Norm, convincing ...
Style:
humorous, parody, realistic, not serious, witty ...
Plot:
restaurant, murder, disorder, crime gone awry, crime, crimes, nothing goes right, goofy hero, law enforcement, couple relations, comedy of errors, police detective ...
Time:
20th century, 70s, 1930s, 18th century
Place:
bosnia, europe, former yugoslavia, pennsylvania, scotland
⇓ similarity ⇓
20%
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Steve Brooks, a sexist womanizer, is killed by a group of his angry former lovers. In heaven, he makes a bargain with God for redemption and agrees to return to Earth. Once there, he must have a sincere relationship with a female and make her fall ...
Style:
humorous, semi serious, satirical, inspirational, sex comedy ...
Audience:
date night, girls' night, chick flick
Plot:
body swapping, reincarnation, switching roles, womanizer, fish out of water, murder, gender, redemption, gender bending, partners, love and romance, battle of the sexes ...
Time:
80s
Place:
new york
⇓ similarity ⇓
19%
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Jerry Springer stars as more or less himself, the host of a raunchy, controversial and popular Los Angeles talk show which features everyday people with problems and who frequently vent thrir problems on the air.
Style:
sexy, cynical, humorous, satirical, surreal ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
dysfunctional family, tv show, media satire, family problems, infidelity, vengeance, social decay, dishonesty, mother daughter relationship, sexual promiscuity, stupidity, culture clash ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Place:
los angeles, california, usa
⇓ similarity ⇓
19%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
A loser of a crook and his wife strike it rich when a botched bank job's cover business becomes a spectacular success.
Style:
witty, humorous, talky, feel good, realistic ...
Plot:
bank robbery, unlikely criminals, cheating, overnight success, disorder, crimes, couple relations, cons and scams, love and romance, crime, bank robber, criminal ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
new york, usa, new jersey
⇓ similarity ⇓
19%
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Madeline is married to Ernest, who was once arch-rival Helen's fiance. After recovering from a mental breakdown, Helen vows to kill Madeline and steal back Ernest. Unfortunately for everyone, the introduction of a magic potion causes things to ...
Style:
gothic, humorous, satirical, cynical, clever ...
Plot:
dark humor, immortality, love triangle, afterlife, rivalry, obsession, couple relations, supernatural, death, vengeance, magic, zombie ...
Time:
90s, 2020s, 1990s, 70s, 80s ...
Place:
beverly hills, usa, california, los angeles
⇓ similarity ⇓
19%
Subscribe for new and better recommendations:
Related movie lists
