The 40-Year-Old Virgin
2005USA★ 6.43.5 pt match
Both films sit with belonging, figuring out who you are, and the family you choose. They share the same lens on old ways vs. new world. Same energy: warm, dark comedy, and episodic.
Mon oncle
1958FranceLanguage: frDirected by Jacques Tati★ 7.4
Available in English: subtitled
Genial, bumbling Monsieur Hulot loves his top-floor apartment in a grimy corner of the city, and cannot fathom why his sister's family has moved to the suburbs. Their house is an ultra-modern nightmare, which Hulot only visits for the sake of stealing away his rambunctious young nephew. Hulot's sister, however, wants to win him over to her new way of life, and conspires to set him up with a wife and job.
Themes and style
Tone
whimsicaldark comedywarmabsurdist
Pacing
episodicslow burn
Story
journeyunraveling
Emotion
belongingfiguring out who you areloss of innocencethe family you choose
Themes
class and moneyold ways vs. new worldfamily wounds passed downfamily duty
Feel
crowd pleaserquietly hauntingrewatchablediscussion starter
Violence
noneWhere to watch
Hollywood films like Mon oncle
If Mon oncle hit you the right way, here are Hollywood films that share its DNA. Same emotional weight, same kind of stories, same kind of payoff.
Elf
2003USA★ 6.73.5 pt match
What ties these together is belonging, figuring out who you are, and the family you choose. The world both films live in revolves around family duty, family wounds passed down, and old ways vs. new world. The feel is the same: whimsical, warm, and episodic.
Beetlejuice
1988USA★ 7.43 pt match
Both films sit with belonging, the family you choose, and figuring out who you are. The world both films live in revolves around class and money, old ways vs. new world, and family duty. Both move the same way too, dark comedy, whimsical, and episodic.