SimilarScreen
Diner

Diner

Suddenly, life was more than French fries, gravy, and girls.

19826.81h 50m

Overview

Set in 1959, Diner shows how five young men resist their adulthood and seek refuge in their beloved Diner. The mundane, childish, and titillating details of their lives are shared. But the golden moments pass, and the men shoulder their responsibilities, leaving the Diner behind.

Directed by Barry Levinson
Written by Barry Levinson
Produced by Jerry Weintraub
Box OfficeBudget: $5.0MRevenue: $14.1M

Top Cast

Steve Guttenberg

Steve Guttenberg

Edward 'Eddie' Simmons

Daniel Stern

Daniel Stern

Laurence 'Shrevie' Schreiber

Mickey Rourke

Mickey Rourke

Robert 'Boogie' Sheftell

Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon

Timothy Fenwick Jr.

Tim Daly

Tim Daly

William 'Billy' Howard

Ellen Barkin

Ellen Barkin

Beth Schreiber

Paul Reiser

Paul Reiser

Modell

K

Kathryn Dowling

Barbara

Michael Tucker

Michael Tucker

Bagel

J

Jessica James

Mrs. Simmons

Themes & Keywords

new year's evegambling debtbaltimore, usadinerfake accidenttwenty something1950s

About Diner

Diner is a comedy, drama film released in 1982 exploring themes of new year's eve, gambling debt, baltimore, usa, diner, fake accident, twenty something. Directed by Barry Levinson, it stars Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke. Set in 1959, Diner shows how five young men resist their adulthood and seek refuge in their beloved Diner. The mundane, childish, and titillating details of their lives are shared. But the golden moments pass, and the men shoulder their responsibilities, leaving the Diner behind.

Movies Similar to Diner

Discover titles like Diner — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to Diner

If you enjoyed Diner, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of Diner.

Tin Men
34% Match

Tin Men(1987)

Movie6.3/10

A minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.

Liberty Heights
31% Match

This semi-autobiographical film by Barry Levinson follows various members of the Kurtzman clan, a Jewish family living in suburban Baltimore during the 1950s. As teenaged Ben completes high school, he falls for Sylvia, a black classmate, creating inevitable tensions. Meanwhile, Ben's brother, Van, attends college and becomes smitten with a mysterious woman while their father tries to maintain his burlesque business.

Sleepless in Seattle
28% Match

After the death of his mother, a young boy calls a radio station in an attempt to set his father up on a date. Across the country, an engaged woman becomes convinced that they belong together, despite their never having met. Will their paths collide despite the odds?

When Harry Met Sally...
28% Match

Sex always gets in the way of friendships between men and women. At least, that's what Harry Burns believes. So when Harry meets Sally Albright and a deep friendship blossoms between them, Harry's determined not to let his attraction to Sally destroy it. But when a night of weakness ends in a morning of panic, can the pair avoid succumbing to Harry's fears by remaining friends and admitting they just might be the perfect match for each other?

Asteroid City
27% Match

In an American desert town circa 1955, the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

Avalon
27% Match

Avalon(1990)

Movie6.7/10

A Polish-Jewish family comes to the U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century. There, the family and their children try to make themselves a better future in the so-called promised land.

My Favorite Year
26% Match

Fledgling comic Benjy Stone can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann, gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.

Polyester
26% Match

Polyester(1981)

Movie7.0/10

Blessed with a keen sense of smell and cursed with a philandering pornographer husband, a parasitic mother, and a pair of delinquent children, the long-suffering Francine Fishpaw turns to the bottle as her life falls apart -- until deliverance appears in the form of a hunk named Todd Tomorrow. Originally screened with "Odorama" scratch and sniff cards so the audience could (at their own risk) smell along with the film.

Slacker
25% Match

Slacker(1990)

Movie6.7/10

Austin, Texas, is an Eden for the young and unambitious, from the enthusiastically eccentric to the dangerously apathetic. Here, the nobly lazy can eschew responsibility in favor of nursing their esoteric obsessions. The locals include a backseat philosopher who passionately expounds on his dream theories to a seemingly comatose cabbie, a young woman who tries to hawk Madonna's Pap test to anyone who will listen and a kindly old anarchist looking for recruits.

Human Traffic
24% Match

For Jip, Lulu, Koop, Nina and Moff, the dead-end jobs they endure during the week just kill the time until Friday night. That's when they cut very loose and get on the rollercoaster ride that takes them right through to Monday morning.

Big Fan
23% Match

Big Fan(2009)

Movie6.1/10

Paul Aufiero, a 35-year-old parking-garage attendant from Staten Island, is the self-described "world's biggest New York Giants fan". One night, Paul and his best friend Sal spot Giants star linebacker Quantrell Bishop at a gas station and decide to follow him. At a strip club Paul cautiously decides to approach him but the chance encounter brings Paul's world crashing down around him.

Babylon
22% Match

Babylon(2022)

Movie7.4/10

A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, tracing the rise and fall of multiple characters in an era of unbridled decadence and depravity during Hollywood's transition from silent films to sound films in the late 1920s.

Chocolat
22% Match

Chocolat(2000)

Movie7.0/10

In the winter of 1959, a single mother and her young daughter arrive in a rural French town, where they open an unusual chocolate shop that disrupts the moral fiber of the strictly Catholic townsfolk and mayor.

M*A*S*H
22% Match

M*A*S*H(1970)

Movie7.0/10

One of the world's most acclaimed comedies, M*A*S*H focuses on three Korean War Army surgeons brilliantly brought to life by Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Elliott Gould. Though highly skilled and deeply dedicated, they adopt a hilarious, lunatic lifestyle as an antidote to the tragedies of their Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and in the process infuriate Army bureaucrats. Robert Duvall, Gary Burghoff and Sally Kellerman co-star as a sanctimonious Major, an other-worldly Corporal, and a self-righteous yet lusty nurse.

Forrest Gump
22% Match

A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.