10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

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With Netflix’s Afterlife of the Party proving to have a heartwarming narrative, some fans might be looking for movies that follow a similar structure.

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10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

Netflix’s popular new fantasy-dramedy Afterlife of the Party joins a long line of uplifting and life-affirming reincarnation movies, placing the main character, Cassie (Victoria Justice), in a lesson-learning predicament she must overcome in order to enter heaven. The more amends Cassie makes, the quicker she can join pass through the pearly gates.

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Many movies in the past have followed a similar thematic blueprint, fusing a lighthearted air and comedic tone with a weighty theme of death and the afterlife. While some take a slightly darker approach than others, most to all of them end up professing profound moral lessons.

10 Heaven Can Wait (1978) – Stream On Max Go

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

In a classic Hollywood story that has been adapted thrice, Heaven Can Wait provides an entertaining wrinkle to the reincarnation comedy. In one of his best films, Warren Beatty plays Joe Pendelton, a hotshot NFL quarterback who nearly dies in an accident and is taken to heaven prematurely by an overzealous angel, only to be returned to earth in the body of a recently killed millionaire.

For as delightfully upbeat the comedy is, it also presents Joe with a serious crisis when he’s told he must give up the millionaire’s body as well after he trains rigorously to remain the Rams’ quarterback during the upcoming Super Bowl. The sacrifice Joe makes is tearfully reminiscent of what Cassie must give up.

9 Chances Are (1989) – Stream On Apple+

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

Robert Downey Jr. gives a whimsically charming turn as Alex Finch in Chances Are, an enchanting romantic fantasy about a man who dies and reincarnates as Louie Jeffries. Here, he makes a compassionate attempt to rekindle Louie with his wife, Corinne (Cybill Shepherd). However, problems soon arise when Alex begins to slowly fall for Miranda (Mary Stuart Masterson), who is Louis’ daughter.

The existential bind Alex finds himself in has his loyalties torn between making Corinne happy as Louie and making Miranda happy as Alex, leading to an unpredictable and genuinely affecting conclusion that is somewhat similar to Afterlife of the Party.

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8 The Heavenly Kid (1985) – Stream On Paramount+

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

Also known as Teen Angel, The Heavenly Kid is a tale of redemption and second chances for Bobby Fanatana (Lewis Smith), a hip 1960s greaser who dies in a “game of chicken.” After he is denied entry into heaven, Bobby is told he must go back to Earth and turn a nerdy kid named Lenny (Jason Gedrick) into a cool high school student. It’s basically Afterlife of the Party meets He’s All That.

The lesson Bobby learns as a guardian angel is that being cool isn’t the biggest priority in life and that the lifestyle he is teaching Lenny is not beneficial to him. As such, Lenny ends up teaching Bobby more about himself than vise versa.

7 Beetlejuice (1988) – Stream On Peacock

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

From the vivid imagination of Tim Burton, the beloved Beetlejuice puts the deceased Maitlands (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) in a moral quandary when they reincarnate as ghosts and attempt to frighten their trendy new homeowners out of their house.

The decision to hire the titular ghoulish bio-exorcist (Michael Keaton) is one dilemma but the real crux of the conflict comes when Adam and Barbara befriend Lydia (Wiona Ryder), the daughter of the family that has moved in. Unwilling to sever their new kinship, the Maitlands compromise with their benevolent spirit so they can all harmoniously coexist. Much like Afterlife of the Party, acceptance is a major theme.

6 Death Becomes Her (1992) – Stream OnPeacock

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

For a wickedly mordant dark comedy about aging, beauty, immortality, and reincarnation, Robert Zemeckis’ Death Becomes Her is the place to be. Meryl Streep plays Madeline Ashton, a faded narcissistic actor who imbibes a magical elixir and is reanimated after fatally plummeting down the stairs.

Although one of the major themes in Afterlife of the Party focuses on friendship, the major conflict here involves a love triangle between Madeline’s frenemy Helen (Goldie Hawn) and Helen’s former fiancee Ernest (Bruce Willis), who is now married to Madeline. The two women force Ernest to drink the potion and become immortal as well, leading to a sidesplitting soiree of supernatural fantasy.

5 What Dreams May Come (1998) – Stream On Netflix

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

For another wistfully tear-jerking tale of the afterlife, tune in to watch What Dreams May Come. The quixotic romantic fantasy tracks Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams), a man who unwittingly dies in a car accident and goes to heaven. When he discovers his wife has taken her life out of severe guilt over his passing, Chris traverses the afterlife to find his one true love before she is sent to the underworld.

Dripping with heartfelt sentimentalism, the movie’s themes underscore the importance of redemption, second chances, self-sacrifice, acceptance, and following one’s heart no matter the consequences, all of which are reflected in Afterlife of the Party as well.

4 Defending Your Life (1991) – Stream On Max Go

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

From the brilliant mind of Albert Brooks, Defending Your Life is a fantastic reincarnation dramedy with a great central premise. The afterlife resembles a purgatorial courtroom-like waiting area called Judgment City, where several recently deceased people must plead for their return to Earth.

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When Daniel Miller (Brooks) dies in a car crash and is sent before two judges to adjudicate how fit he is for heaven, hell, or an earthly return, he weighs all the pros and cons of his existence while falling for a recent deceased woman named Julia (Meryl Streep). Much like Cassie in Afterlife of the Party, Dan is rewarded for following his heart.

3 Always (1989) – Stream On Apple+

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

Steven Spielberg’s Always is a weepy remake of the 1943 film A Guy Named Joe, in which an aerial firefighter named Pete (Richard Dreyfuss) dies in a plane crash, reincarnates into the body of a younger pilot whom he mentors and watches him fall in love with his grieving girlfriend.

With a sincere tone, ethereal quality, and touching story similar to Afterlife of the Party, Always is a life-affirming tale of sacrificing one’s own happiness to ensure that of a loved one, knowing that the only way to move on, heal, and improve is to share love rather than horde it for themself.

2 Groundhog Day (1993) – Stream On AMC+

10 Best Movies Like Afterlife Of The Party

While Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day doesn’t entail reincarnation like Afterlife of the Party, the same general premise applies. Cynical and mean-spirited weatherman, Phil Conners (Bill Murray), becomes trapped in a time-loop on the titular holiday, where he must learn how to become a better person before he can break the spell and return to his normal life.

The evolution Phil undergoes from being a crass, self-centered jerk to a caring, upstanding model citizen as he begins to open his heart and perform charitable acts. The respect and care he shows towards others also gets to the heart of how redemption and second chances in life can blaze a path towards true peace and happiness.

1 It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

One of the most beloved movies of all time, no story better encapsulates the uplifting value of altruism and humanity’s profoundly precious time on Earth than Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life. Similar to the beginning of Cassie’s When George Bailey (James Stewart) is visited by a guardian angel who shows him what life would be like without his existence, he realizes what a monumental impact he has on his closest loved ones.

It’s hard to express the affirming emotional impact the movie has as Bailey reflects on his past at Christmastime, realizing that life on Earth is just as beautiful and pleasant as Heaven. Ranked #24 on IMDb’s Top 250, It’s a Wonderful Life is the best movie about reincarnation and guardian angels ever made.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/afterlife-of-the-party-similar-best-movies/

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