Smart movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant smart movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out smart, thought provoking, clever, intellectual, suspense and complex films and TV shows about / with storytelling, mentor, dialogue, flashback, chase, twists and turns, death, catastrophe, destiny and moving plots mostly in Drama, Thriller and Mystery genres shot in USA, Germany, Canada and other countries.
636
TOP 10 movies tagged as smart: Limitless (2011), Good Will Hunting (1997), Death Note (2006), Source Code (2011), The Sixth Sense (1999), Equilibrium (2002), The Time Machine (2002), Pan's Labyrinth (2006), Split (2016), The Usual Suspects (1995).
Best films
New films
| Midnight Mass (2021) | 7.7 | |
| The Peripheral (2022) | 7.5 | |
| Space Sweepers (2021) | 6.5 | |
| Theodosia (2022) | 6.4 | |
| Edens Zero (2021) | 7.1 |
List of smart movies
642K
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
A paranoia-fueled action thriller about an unsuccessful writer whose life is transformed by a top-secret "smart drug" that allows him to use 100% of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. His enhanced abilities soon attract ...
Style:
clever, thought provoking, intellectual, philosophical, captivating ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, family friendly
Plot:
intelligence, success, drug, creativity, drug abuse, superhuman powers, ambition, rise to the top, rags to riches, brain capacity, experimental drug, prodigy ...
Time:
year 2011, future, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
usa, manhattan new york city, new york
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. ...
Style:
psychological, philosophical, emotional, sentimental, intellectual ...
Audience:
girls' night, teens, chick flick, family friendly, date night ...
Plot:
mathematics, genius, professor, prodigy, life, life philosophy, psychology, philosophy, mentor, psychotherapy, university, life lesson ...
Time:
year 1997, 20th century, 90s, 2010s
Place:
boston, harvard university, america, persia, massachusetts ...
Is relevant?
467K
Genre: Animation, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min.
TV show
Story:
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and ...
Style:
anime, manga, suspenseful, serious, exciting ...
Audience:
teens, kids, manly, boys' night
Plot:
mind game, anti hero, secret identity, law enforcement, rivals, heart attack, battle of wits, fighting crime, supernatural, vigilante, serial killer, supernatural ability ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
japan
Is relevant?
579K
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, France, Germany
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, discovering he's involved in a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. He learns he's part of a top-secret experimental program that enables ...
Style:
surprise ending, suspense, mind bending, clever, captivating ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens, chick flick
Plot:
time loop, time travel, train, alternate reality, parallel universe, twists and turns, memory, save the day, changing the past or future, destiny, terrorism, time ...
Time:
future, year 2011, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
chicago, usa, somalia, afghanistan, illinois
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A psychological thriller about an eight year old boy named Cole Sear who believes he can see into the world of the dead. A child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe comes to Cole to help him deal with his problem, learning that he really can see ghosts ...
Style:
psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, suspense, suspenseful ...
Audience:
teens, date night, girls' night, horror for children, teen drama
Plot:
twists and turns, afterlife, supernatural, psychology, ghost, plot twist, death, psychiatrist, psychic, life & death, supernatural horror, psychologist ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1999, future
Place:
usa, pennsylvania, persia, philadelphia
Is relevant?
361K
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.
Style:
futuristic, serious, philosophical, cerebral, psychological ...
Audience:
manly, boys' night
Plot:
distopia, martial arts, dystopian future, dystopia, gunfight, post apocalyptic, fighting the system, cyberpunk, violence, totalitarianism, rebellion, dictatorship ...
Time:
future, near future, 80s, year 2002, 2000s
Place:
china, beijing china
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: United Arab Emirates, USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Hoping to alter the events of the past, a 19th century inventor instead travels 800,000 years into the future, where he finds humankind divided into two warring races.
Style:
futuristic, atmospheric, serious, stylized, exciting ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
time travel, time machine, steampunk, dystopic future, apocalypse, escapades, changing the past or future, utopia, destiny, chase, time warp, post apocalypse ...
Time:
future, distant future, 2030s, victorian era, near future ...
Place:
usa, new york, egypt
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, War
Country: Mexico, Spain
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
Living with her tyrannical stepfather in a new home with her pregnant mother, 10-year-old Ofelia feels alone until she explores a decaying labyrinth guarded by a mysterious faun who claims to know her destiny. If she wishes to return to her real ...
Style:
fairy tale, dark fantasy, surreal, atmospheric, gothic ...
Audience:
kids, teen fantasy, date night, adult, teen drama
Plot:
monster, fantasy world, imagination, creature, mythology, macabre, legends and myths, magical, young heroes, imaginary, good versus evil, maze ...
Time:
1940s, 2000s, year 1944, 20th century, year 2006
Place:
spain, south america, europe, canada
Is relevant?
615K
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
Though Kevin has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant ...
Style:
psychological, suspense, twist ending, suspenseful, psychological thriller ...
Audience:
teens, teen fantasy, teen drama
Plot:
mental illness, kidnapping, dissociative identity disorder, murder, split personality, psycho, insanity, serial killer, paranoia, captive, schizophrenia, psychopath ...
Time:
2010s, year 2016, year 2017
Place:
philadelphia, pennsylvania, america
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an ...
Style:
neo noir, surprise ending, twist ending, clever, confusing ...
Audience:
boys' night, adult
Plot:
twists and turns, plot twist, heist, master criminal, whodunit, manipulation, organized crime, murder mystery, criminal, bank robber, killer, dialogue ...
Time:
20th century, 80s, 90s, year 1995, year 1981
Place:
los angeles, new york, hungary, turkey, north america ...
Is relevant?
101K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.
Style:
twist ending, surprise ending, suspense, neo noir, detective ...
Plot:
serial killer, murder, good versus evil, supernatural, twists and turns, devil, police detective, possession, curse, violence, psychic, demonic possession ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
usa, new york, philadelphia
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Truman Burbank is the star of "The Truman Show", a 24-hour-a-day "reality" TV show that broadcasts every aspect of his life -- live and in color -- without his knowledge. His entire life has been an unending soap opera for ...
Style:
philosophical, thought provoking, psychological, surreal, touching ...
Audience:
teens, family outing, teen drama
Plot:
self discovery, simulated reality, video surveillance, alternate reality, fictional reality show, dystopia, freedom, hidden camera, utopia, paranoia, consciousness, loneliness ...
Time:
year 1998, 20th century, 90s, future
Place:
florida, persia, america, usa, los angeles
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
684K
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 143 min.
Story:
Chuck, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia ditches at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and he washes up on a tiny ...
Style:
psychological, captivating, suspense, emotional, inspirational ...
Audience:
date night, family outing, teens, kids
Plot:
survival, loneliness, isolation, island, desert island, stranded on an island, courage, determination, solitude, lost at sea, air disaster, survivor ...
Time:
year 2000, 20th century, y2k, year 1999, 2000s ...
Place:
fictional island, moscow russia, persia, america, pacific ocean ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 147 min.
Story:
After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesic, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
Style:
surreal, psychological, neo noir, art house, disturbing ...
Audience:
date night, adult
Plot:
surrealism, twists and turns, amnesia, lesbian, obsession, dream, alternate reality, parallel universe, hollywood, filmmaking, lesbian sex, nightmare ...
Time:
2000s, year 2001, 20th century, future, 21st century
Place:
los angeles, persia, usa, california, mulholland drive
Is relevant?
191K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 135 min.
Story:
The filmed adaptation from David Benioff's novel of the same name. Set in New York, a convicted drug dealer named Monty has one day left of freedom before he is sent to prison. Anger, blame, frustration, betrayal, guilt and loneliness are ...
Style:
bleak, cerebral, clever, psychedelic, atmospheric ...
Plot:
friendship, drug lord, organized crime, drug dealer, drug, melancholy, 9/11, freedom, redemption, paranoia, hopes, profanity ...
Time:
2000s, year 2002, 21st century
Place:
new york, usa, new jersey
Is relevant?
290K
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Complete strangers stranded at a remote desert motel during a raging storm soon find themselves the target of a deranged murderer. As their numbers thin out, the travelers begin to turn on each other, as each tries to figure out who the killer is.
Style:
twist ending, suspense, scary, suspenseful, surprise ending ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
serial killer, twists and turns, murder mystery, whodunit, dissociative identity disorder, psychology, investigation, motel, murder, mental disorder, split personality, mental illness ...
Time:
year 2003, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, florida, nevada
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
"The Passion of the Christ" is a film about the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus. Director Mel Gibson received much criticism from critics and audiences for his explicit depiction of and focus on violence and on christs suffering, ...
Style:
biblical, christian film, controversial, spiritual, brutal ...
Audience:
chick flick, manly, adult
Plot:
jesus, christianity, jesus christ, redemption, religion, religious, bible, torture, suffering, betrayal, death, roman ...
Time:
ancient times, year 2004, 2000s, 1930s, 1st century ...
Place:
holy land, jerusalem, greece, ancient greece, middle east ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A husband-and-wife team play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means.
Style:
philosophical, psychological, humorous, witty, dark comedy ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
existentialism, private detective, self discovery, jealousy, making love, philosophy, relationships, investigation, environmental activism, meditation, buddhism, multiple storylines ...
Time:
year 2004, 20th century, 21st century
Place:
seattle
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
216K
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle.
Style:
road movie, sentimental, dark comedy, melancholic, romantic drama ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night
Plot:
road trip, wine, couples, vineyard, on the road, vacation, divorce, infidelity, food, affair, midlife crisis, wedding ...
Time:
2000s, year 2004, 21st century
Place:
california, san francisco, los angeles, bay area, usa ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 166 min.
Story:
Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.
Style:
touching, philosophical, sentimental, dramatic, melancholic ...
Audience:
date night, chick flick, teens, girls' night, adult
Plot:
destiny, true love, life philosophy, life & death, aging, existentialism, love and romance, life changing, melancholy, magic realism, love, life lesson ...
Time:
50s, 1940s, 20th century, 1930s, year 2008 ...
Place:
southern usa, cambodia, usa, new orleans, russia ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Nick Naylor is a charismatic spin-doctor for Big Tobacco who'll fight to protect America's right to smoke -- even if it kills him -- while still remaining a role model for his 12-year old son. When he incurs the wrath of a senator bent on ...
Style:
satirical, black comedy, entertaining, dark comedy, witty ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
marketing, advertising, business, lobbyist, satire, social satire, tobacco, reporter, lung cancer, politics, journalism, political satire ...
Time:
year 2005, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
washington d.c., vermont, usa, los angeles, japan ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Tom, greeting-card writer and hopeless romantic, is caught completely off-guard when his girlfriend, Summer, suddenly dumps him. He reflects on their 500 days together to try to figure out where their love affair went sour, and in doing so, Tom ...
Style:
touching, romantic, sentimental, sweet, romantic comedy ...
Audience:
date night, girls' night, chick flick, teens, teen drama
Plot:
breakup, love, relationships, couples, love story, unrequited love, love and romance, couple relations, manic pixie dream girl, unfulfilled love, life philosophy, heartache ...
Time:
year 2009, 2000s, 20th century, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
los angeles, california, new york, usa
Is relevant?
748K
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: South Africa, USA, New Zealand, Canada
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Aliens land in South Africa and, with their ship totally disabled, have no way home. Years later, after living in a slum and wearing out their welcome the 'Non-Humans' are being moved to a new tent city overseen by Multi-National United ...
Style:
serious, biting, suspense, tense, breathtaking ...
Audience:
chick flick, manly, boys' night, adult
Plot:
alien, extraterrestrial, distopia, space and aliens, alien encounter, metamorphosis, mutation, ufo, alien invasion, first contact, social commentary, transformation ...
Time:
year 2009, future, 2000s, year 2000, year 1982 ...
Place:
africa, south africa, johannesburg south africa
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
179K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Phil and Claire Foster fear that their mild-mannered relationship may be falling into a stale rut. During their weekly date night, their dinner reservation leads to their being mistaken for a couple of thieves – and now a number of unsavoury ...
Style:
romantic, funny, romantic comedy, hilarious, suspense ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night, girls' night, teens
Plot:
corruption, mistaken identity, marriage, night, car chase, gangster, multiple storylines, female detective, estranged couple, dating, misadventure, desire ...
Time:
year 2010, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
new york, new jersey, manhattan new york city, usa
Is relevant?
385K
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, UK, Spain
Duration: 172 min.
Story:
A set of six nested stories spanning time between the 19th century and a distant post-apocalyptic future. Cloud Atlas explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. ...
Style:
psychological, thought provoking, futuristic, spiritual, mind bending ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, adult
Plot:
destiny, dystopia, reincarnation, life & death, multiple storylines, life philosophy, clone, homosexual, distopia, post apocalypse, karma, tribe ...
Time:
future, year 1936, distant future, year 1975, near future ...
Place:
seoul, san francisco, belgium, persia, berlin germany ...
Is relevant?
293K
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA, Argentina
Duration: 105 min.
Story:
Nicky, a veteran con artist, takes a novice named Jess under his wing. While Nicky teaches Jess the tricks of the trade, the pair become romantically involved; but, when Jess gets uncomfortably close, Nicky ends their relationship. Three years ...
Style:
sexy, unusual plot structure, entertaining, suspense, exciting ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night, chick flick, date night
Plot:
heist, cons and scams, con artists, fall in love, twists and turns, mind game, interracial love, sex scene, femme fatale, manipulation, female thief, gambling ...
Time:
year 2015, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
peru, argentina, usa, south america, new orleans ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
A group of teens discover secret plans of a time machine, and construct one. However, things start to get out of control.
Style:
exciting, clever, suspense, futuristic, unusual plot structure ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
time travel, time, time loop, teenager, alternate timeline, time paradox, time machine, changing the past or future, time traveler, teenage life, butterfly effect, teleportation ...
Time:
future, year 2015, 2010s, year 2014, distant future ...
Place:
usa, woodstock, atlanta georgia
Is relevant?
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Three friends discover a mysterious machine that takes pictures 24 hours into the future and conspire to use it for personal gain, until disturbing and dangerous images begin to develop.
Style:
twist ending, psychological, cerebral, intellectual, confusing ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
time travel, time machine, time paradox, plot twist, parallel universe, time loop, twists and turns, murder, paranoia, blackmail, time, party ...
Time:
future, 2010s, year 2014, near future
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
A chief mechanic at a factory, haunted by apocalyptic nightmares, becomes a hero when Earth is invaded by a mysterious army bent on destruction.
Style:
suspense, light, apocalyptic, smart, cyber ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
artificial intelligence, spacecraft, husband wife relationship, father daughter relationship, alien invasion, invasion, apocalypse, dystopia, disaster, rescue, fear, friendship ...
Time:
future
Is relevant?
1.7M
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Australia
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.
Style:
thought provoking, atmospheric, suspense, bleak, psychological thriller ...
Audience:
teens, adult
Plot:
mental illness, villain, loneliness, mental patient, psycho, comedian, psychological trauma, mental disorder, psychopath, social problems, insanity, social decay ...
Time:
2010s, 80s, year 2019, 20th century, year 1981
Place:
new york, new jersey, los angeles, persia, bronx new york city
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
