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Movies like Mermaids

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Film · 10 connections

Mermaids (1990)

Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax is tired of her wacky mom moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper, Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate, hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are.

Directed byRichard Benjamin

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What to watch after Mermaids

A feature-film shortlist from the cached Film Atlas engine. The interactive map may include more titles or newer results. These are similarity matches, not a guarantee of age suitability.

  1. 01

    Can't Buy Me Love

    Strong story similarity

    1987 · 94 min · Comedy · Other

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    Nerdy high schooler Ronald Miller rescues cheerleader Cindy Mancini from parental punishment after she accidentally destroys her mother's designer clothes. Ronald agrees to pay for the $1,000 outfit on one condition: that she will act as though they're a couple for an entire month. As the days pass, however, Cindy grows fond of Ronald, making him popular. But when Ronald's former best friend gets left behind, he realizes that social success isn't everything.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • strong shared themes: coming of age and dress
    • strong genre and movie-style overlap
    Explore movies like Can't Buy Me Love
  2. 02

    Baby Boom

    Strong story similarity

    1987 · 110 min · Comedy · Drama · Other

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    J.C. Wiatt is a talented and ambitious New York City career woman who is married to her job and working towards partner at her firm. She has a live-in relationship with Steven, a successful investment broker who, along with J.C., agreed children aren't part of the plan. J.C.'s life takes an unexpected turn when a distant relative dies and the will appoints her the caretaker of their baby girl, Elizabeth. The baby's sudden arrival causes Steven to leave, breaking off their relationship. Juggling power lunches and powdered formula, she is soon forced off the fast track by a conniving colleague and a bigoted boss. But she won't stay down for long. She'll prove to the world that a woman can have it all and on her own terms too!

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • strong genre and movie-style overlap
    • a closely matched era
    Explore movies like Baby Boom
  3. 03

    Reality Bites

    Shared cast

    1994 · 98 min · Comedy · Drama · Other

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    A small circle of friends suffering from post-collegiate blues must confront the hard truth about life, love and the pursuit of gainful employment. As they struggle to map out survival guides for the future, the Gen-X quartet soon begins to realize that reality isn't all it's cracked up to be.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • strong genre and movie-style overlap
    • a principal cast member
    Explore movies like Reality Bites
  4. 04

    Scandalous Sex

    Strong story similarity

    2004 · 91 min · Drama · Other

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    A daughter seeks to restore the reputation of her disgraced father, a wronged college professor. With help of a professional student, she must overcome an ambitious sorority bitch and corrupt college dean.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • strong genre and movie-style overlap
    Explore movies like Scandalous Sex
  5. 06

    Harold and Maude

    Strong story similarity

    1971 · 92 min · Comedy · Drama · Other

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    A deadpan young man obsessed with death meets an eccentric septuagenarian who teaches him to live life to the fullest.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • strong genre and movie-style overlap
    • shared coming of age movie style
    Explore movies like Harold and Maude
  6. 07

    Swimfan

    Strong story similarity

    2002 · 84 min · Drama · Mystery · Other · Thriller

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    Ben Cronin has it all: the admiration of his many friends, a terrific girlfriend, and he's on the fast-track to an athletic scholarship. Ben's rock-solid, promising future and romance are turned upside-down with the arrival of Madison Bell. Madison, the new girl in town, quickly sets her sights on the impressionable Ben. While their first few meetings are innocent enough, the obsessive and seductive Madison wants more ... much more.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • shared genre DNA
    Explore movies like Swimfan
  7. 08

    Suddenly, Love

    Strong story similarity

    1978 · 100 min · Drama · TV Movie

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    Young lovers — she's a child of the ghetto, determined to escape her alcoholic, bickering parents; he's a socially prominent attorney with a long-standing health problem — attempt to defy every obstacle to their romance and ultimate marriage.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    Explore movies like Suddenly, Love
  8. 09

    Silver Linings Playbook

    Strong story similarity

    2012 · 122 min · Comedy · Drama · Other

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    After losing his job and wife, and spending time in an institution, a former teacher winds up living with his parents. He wants to rebuild his life and reconcile with his wife, but his father would be happy if he shared his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles. Things get complicated when he meets Tiffany Maxwell who offers to help him reconnect with his wife if he will do something very important for her in exchange.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • strong genre and movie-style overlap
    Explore movies like Silver Linings Playbook
  9. 10

    Elsa & Fred

    Strong story similarity

    2014 · 97 min · Comedy · Drama · Other

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    After his daughter persuades him to move into a new apartment, aged widower Fred strikes up a friendship with his eccentric 74-year-old neighbour Elsa, who convinces him it's never too late to keep enjoying life. Although he seemed resigned to a miserable bedridden existence, Fred embraces Elsa's youthful enthusiasm as she introduces him to the path of life and entertains him with outlandish stories about her past life. But when he discovers Elsa's terminally ill, Fred decides to accompany her on the trip of her dreams to the eternal city of Rome to help her fulfil a lifelong ambition.

    Why it connects

    • strong story and style similarity
    • strong genre and movie-style overlap
    Explore movies like Elsa & Fred

How these movie recommendations work

Film Atlas combines story similarity, movie metadata and TMDB relationship signals. Shared studios can support a match; audience and film-format safeguards help avoid poor fits. The explanations above come from the engine’s recorded evidence—not invented reviews.

A similarity match is different from a quality rating. Use the map to explore the connections and decide what fits your mood.

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