Aging can be scary, especially in your 40s. The following is a list of the 15 best movies about midlife crises that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. Most importantly they’ll give you important life lessons in an entertaining way.
15. Office Space (1999)
Peter Gibbons, an employee of a software company, hates his job. He is so frustrated with his work routine that he gets mentally upset. He goes for hypnotherapy. During his session, his therapist dies. At his job, he refuses to sit after working hours.
He plays games during office timing and tries to manipulate his managers to get higher management posts. He and his friends find out that they are going to lose their jobs, so they decide to take revenge on the company.
14. The Incredibles (2004)
This animated film is based on the life of a married superhero couple. Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl are pressured by the government to live normal lives like Bob and Helen. Their superpower activities are restricted by the government.
The government asks the adventurous Mr. Incredible to fight Syndrome, an evil supervillain. Syndrome lures him into a trap. That’s when his family comes to his rescue.
13. Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
Cal Weaver is living an ideal lifestyle in America. He has his own house, a beautiful family, and a decent job. His gorgeous wife, Emily, loves him very much. One day he finds out that his wife is going to file a divorce against him.
Getting single at the age of 40, he enters the world of dating. Jacob Palmer, his new friend, teaches him the art of dating.
12. Falling Down (1993)
William Foster is an unemployed and divorced middle-aged man facing enumerate problems in his life. On his way to attend his daughter’s birthday party, his car breaks down on the Los Angeles Highway.
Frustrated, he starts walking along the road. The frustration builds up and he becomes violent. He encounters a spectrum of personalities during his walk toward the venue.
This movie shows life in its raw form. A great piece of art.
11. Thelma & Louise (1991)
Thelma, a housewife, meets a woman named Louise, an independent waitress, on a fishing trip. They become friends. The leisure trip becomes a nightmare when Louise shoots a guy at the bar while trying to save Thelma. After that incident, both plan to flee the country. Louise flies to Mexico, where Thelma would join her. Meanwhile, Thelma falls in love with a thief and a detective is trying to convince both ladies to accept their crime.
This movie is a cultural icon and has become a part of popular culture.
10. Birdman (2014)
Riggman, a former famous cinema superhero, finds it challenging to uplift his career. To uplift his stagnant career he has an ambitious Broadway production plan.
But luck is not on his side and his leading actor gets injured before the opening night. He is forced to find a new lead that too between managing things with his ex-wife, his daughter, and his girlfriend. Talk about a midlife crisis.
9. A Serious Man (2009)
Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at Minnesota University has trouble coming his way from both ends. His wife is leaving him, his jobless brother is moving in and someone is trying to sabotage his chances for tenure.
To get some guidance, Larry seeks advice from three Rabbis but it seems the more his afflictions increase the more he doubts his beliefs.
This one is one of our favorites and we recommend you watch this the next time you sit in front of a screen.
8. Lost in Translation (2003)
Bob Harris, an aging movie star, lands in Tokyo to shoot a commercial. He meets Charlotte, an unhappy newlywed whose husband left her behind. The two strangers discover the city together and in the process become friends with each other.
A movie that transcends beyond physical connection and sheds light on the more emotional connection between humans.
7. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Walter Mitty is an employee of a famous magazine production company. When he loses an important negative on the front cover of the magazine’s last physical issue, his job is at stake.
Normally a dull person who dreams up romantic and action-filled scenarios in his head to escape his reality, Walter ends up living his dreams to save his job. A movie that can make you turn around your life for the better. A must-watch!
6. Another Round (2020)
Another Round is inspired by its director Thomas Vinterberg’s daughter, Ida.
Four high school teachers believe the human body has naturally occurring low alcohol levels. They decide to do a social experiment to discover how drinking excessive alcohol, especially during working hours will help release stress and tension.
But the outcomes were far from what they expected. All of them had devastating effects on their lives. A movie that screams, ‘Don’t try this at home or anywhere else’.
5. Bad Boys for Life (2020)
In this movie, Mike and Marcus are hunted down by a Miami drug lord’s wife and son who were tried and imprisoned thanks to the duo’s involvement.
The two detectives decide to face the situation head-on but they face personal conflicts and challenges that test their loyalty and friendship. But we all know, ‘Bad Boys For Life!’.
4. Father of the Bride (1991)
George Banks and Nina are proud of their daughter Annie. But when she returns home from her studies abroad she announces that she got engaged to a guy. The news turns their world around. The overprotective parents eventually agree to the wedding but George becomes obsessed with the in-laws. He goes to great lengths to check their background.
A movie that will make you laugh and cry.
3. Wild Hogs (2007)
Four suburban biker wannabe friends decide to go on an adventure to rev up their routine lives. The freewheeling road trip becomes more than they bargained for when they run in with a New Mexico motorcycle mob.
Looking to inspire your last-minute ditching friends to go on a trip, show them this movie.
2. Last Vegas (2013)
Childhood friends Billy, Paddy, Archie, and Sam head to Las Vegas for Billy’s Bachelor party. In the big city, they realize the ups and downs of life. Their deteriorating health and aging bodies make them conscious of themselves. During the trip, their strong friendship, love, and loyalty are beautifully portrayed.
Watch this with your boys and go on a spontaneous adventure trip to the big cities.
1. The Weatherman (2005)
David Spritz, a successful Chicago weatherman, is unhappy with his dull life. He is eclipsed by his father’s successful career as an author and his wife is leaving him. To make things right he applies for a high-profile job on a NY talk show. But when he gets the job, he is at a crossroads between the opportunity to repair his family life or to fast-track his career.
A dark comedy that is the most entertaining movie we’ve watched on this list.
Honorable Mentions
- Fatal Attraction (1987)
- The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Tell us which one’s your favorite from this list and which one you’ll be binging to next.
