10 Best Movies Like ‘Mr. Nobody’, Ranked by IMDb Score
If you’ve seen Mr. Nobody (2009) and enjoyed it, you’ve probably had some trouble finding similar movies due to its incredibly unique and specific nature, both regarding the type of storytelling and the mysterious psychological, science-fiction plot. If that is the case with you, don’t worry a bit, I got you covered!
From sci-fi mysteries full of twists, or movies with non-linear storytelling, all the way to movies with several intertwining storylines, I’m bringing you the ten best movies like Mr. Nobody that will certainly blow you away, ranked solely by their IMDb scores. Enjoy!
10. ‘The Fountain’ (2006)
IMDb score: 7.2/10
What it’s about: In the past, a conquistador searched for the Mayan tree of life to free his queen. In the present, Tommy, a scientist, searches for a tree that could be the cure to save his dying wife. In the future, a space traveler has a tree encapsulated in a bubble while moving towards a nebula to try and find eternity with his own love. Are the stories connected?
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: Darren Aronofsky did a masterful job with The Fountain despite it being one of his lesser-known films. Just like in Mr. Nobody, you have multiple storylines from different points in time that eventually intersect, and we see different outcomes of each. It’s a cool movie that Mr. Nobody fans will certainly enjoy.
9. ‘I Origins’ (2014)
IMDb score: 7.3/10
What it’s about: A scientist becomes driven to disprove creationist theories about human eyes simply appearing instead of evolving over time. As he and his lab partner research, they uncover something that could change the fabric of what we know about humankind…
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: I Origins is a much different movie than Mr. Nobody in terms of genre. In my opinion, it has a bit more romance involved, but the mysterious, twisty story will have you spinning. The concept is brilliant, semi-sci-fi-based, and in the end, very heartwarming, kind of like Mr. Nobody.
8. ‘Cloud Atlas’ (2012)
IMDb score: 7.4/10
What it’s about: The past, present, and future are all connected, and all can be affected by the lives and actions of mere individuals. Have a glance at how one simple act of kindness can have a ripple effect that causes a revolution centuries later or how a single letter from the 19th century can be connected to a post-apocalyptic tribe living in the future in Hawaii.
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: Both of these films follow multiple storylines at various points in time. However, while Mr. Nobody conceptualizes the open-endedness of not making a choice, Cloud Atlas shows how each individual’s choices can affect the entire world – even if those choices seem fairly insignificant.
7. ‘The Butterfly Effect’ (2004)
IMDb score: 7.6/10
What it’s about: Evan Treborn has been running journals his entire life. He has also suffered from blackouts his entire life as well. As he got older, Evan realized that he can fill in those blackouts by reading his old journal, but the thing is – his life, and the lives of those around him, supernaturally changes depending on what ‘memory’ an choice he fills that blackout with.
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: Again, we’re dabbing around making choices, and The Butterfly Effect – much like Mr. Nobody, conceptualizes a scientific theory, or a principle, if you will. Here, however, the lead character has the opportunity to go back, change a certain decision, and we see how it changes his life and all the lives around him.
If you enjoyed the non-linear, multiple-storyline nature of Mr. Nobody, The Butterfly Effect will blow you away. I mean, the movie has – if I’m not mistaken – four alternative endings alone.
6. ‘Ex Machina’ (2014)
IMDb score: 7.7/10
What it’s about: Caleb is a young programmer who wins a prestigious competition and gets to spend a week at a private mansion of an IT company’s CEO. He thinks he will get an exclusive chance to learn from the best first-hand, but instead, he’s immersed in research and an experiment revolving around the first-ever real Artificial Intelligence…
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: After dabbing around our choices and what those choices make us be, Ex Machina dabs into the very concept of what it means to be human. What makes us human? Intelligence? Emotions? Flesh and bones?
Both films share a common sci-fi element and some similar questions, but Ex Machina is a bit different in terms of making it not so much a mystery and more so a moral dilemma.
5. ‘The Man from Earth’ (2007)
IMDb score: 7.8/10
What it’s about: Professor John Oldman is finally retiring, so his colleagues gather at his home for a laid-back, non-planned goodbye party. He reveals something to them – he is not just a retiring scholar. His past goes way – way beyond what they ever could’ve imagined.
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: This is one of my favorite films on this list, although I can understand why some people can find The Man from Earth a bit slow and boring. Almost the entire movie is based on dialogue, but it’s so incredibly well put together that the 90 minutes of runtime fly by when you get immersed into the story.
Just like Nemo in Mr. Nobody, Professor John Oldman had lived many lives and seen many things. In fact, he is much, much older than Nemo. You know neither of their exact ages, but their stories will make you fall in love with the sci-fi mystery genre.
4. ‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)
IMDb score: 7.9/10
What it’s about: A woman crashes in her car at a serpentine on Mulholland Drive, which renders her amnesiac. She’s trying to figure out what happened to her with the help of a wannabe Hollywood actress. As they search for clues, we soon learn that the answers they’re looking for go way beyond facts and fiction. What secrets does the Mulholland Drive carry?
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: There’s not as much sci-fi in Mulholland Drive as in Mr. Nobody – but there is so much mystery that your head will spin. The storytelling is non-linear and full of twists, just like Mr. Nobody, and the ending is mind-blowing – that is, if you can figure it all out by the time the end credits roll, just like Mr. Nobody.
In fact, the DVD version of Mulholland Drive came with a list of ten clues from David Lynch to help you ‘unlock’ the mystery of Mulholland Drive because many people claimed they had to watch the movie three or four times to understand what was happening.
3. ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004)
IMDb score: 8.3/10
What it’s about: Joel and Clementine were lovers, but after years and years, their relationship turned sour, and they broke up. Joel learns that Clementine had him erased from her memory with a simple but irreversible advanced medical procedure, so he decides to do the same.
However, as the process starts, going backward from the ugly to the more beautiful days of their relationship, Joel realizes he doesn’t want to lose those memories forever. Within his own mind, he tries to escape and reverse the irreversible process; all the while, a guy on the outside tries to use Joel’s memories to get Clementine in the present…
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: If you found Mr. Nobody to be kind of sad, then Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind will be absolutely heartbreaking. It’s by far the best you’ll ever see from Jim Carrey, as he carries this entire film on his back (despite an incredible cast and a phenomenal story), much like Jared Leto managed to do in Mr. Nobody.
Also, both movies are completely non-linear, sci-fi-based, romantic at times, and full of twists that make you think twice. In the end, you’ll sit in front of the screen watching the credits roll, blown away by what you’ve just seen.
2. ‘Memento’ (2000)
IMDb score: 8.4/10
What it’s about: A man suffers from short-term memory loss, meaning he forgets things that happened shortly in his past. So, he has to leave notes for himself to try and find his wife’s murderer, but what he finds out, in the end, may take him right back to where he started…
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: One of Christopher Nolan’s earliest masterpieces, Memento is the epitome of a non-linear storyline. You follow two storylines – one of Leonard trying to find his wife’s murderer and the other, which tells the story backward, giving us more information each time.
It’s full of twists but with much less sci-fi, but the main thing that’s similar to Mr. Nobody is the ending – that’ll have you rewatch the movie in a completely new light.
1. ‘The Prestige’ (2006)
IMDb score: 8.5/10
What it’s about: After a horrible tragedy in the 1890s, two magicians and illusionists do their best to outshine and outwit each other, attempting to create the perfect illusion. However, their quest to sabotage and outwit each other will have even more tragic consequences, and the perfect illusion might happen off-stage, in real life…
Why it’s like Mr. Nobody: As the absolute kind of non-linear, multiple-storyline plots, it’s only natural that two Christopher Nolan films found their way to the top of this list. And, in my humble opinion, The Prestige might be his best work. Even if it seems there’s not too much sci-fi in The Prestige at first, you’ll be blown away as the story progresses.
Just like Mr. Nobody, The Prestige makes you believe one thing, then the other, then the third, then back to the first, all the way until the end, where you realize you had it all wrong the entire time. It’s an absolute masterpiece, with masterful performances from two of my favorite actors of all time (apart from Mr. Jake Gyllenhaal) and their supporting cast.
