Entertainment
Great Quirky Movies for Grown-Ups
List Rules
Vote up the your favorite off-kilter and twee movies made for mature audiences.
Snarky cynics, charming cheaters, and feuding families are prime subjects for great quirky movies for adults. The top quirky drama films often spotlight characters embarking on a new chapter of their lives - usually without the support of their loved ones. This is a list of the greatest dramas about quirky characters including everything from Margot at the Wedding to Young Adult to Sideways.
What films will you find on this list of the best quirky movies for adults? The Royal Tenenbaums follows a delightfully dysfunctional family as they deal with suicide, incestuous love, and a fake cancer diagnosis. Its all-star cast includes Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Gene Hackman, and many more. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a unique romance, thanks in part to its quirky lead characters. Other good films features on this list include Lost in Translation, Little Miss Sunshine, and Midnight in Paris.
Which of these dramas are the quirkiest movies of all? Give your personal picks a thumbs up to move them to the top of the list, and get in on the conversation in the comments section.Ranked by
- 1Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst
- Released: 2004
- Directed by: Michel Gondry
After a painful breakup, Clementine (Kate Winslet) undergoes a procedure to erase memories of her former boyfriend Joel (Jim Carrey) from her mind. When Joel discovers that Clementine is going to ...more - 2Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette
- Released: 2006
- Directed by: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
The Hoover family -- a man (Greg Kinnear), his wife (Toni Collette), an uncle (Steve Carell), a brother (Paul Dano) and a grandfather (Alan Arkin) -- puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into ...more - 3Audrey Tautou, Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett
- Released: 2001
- Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Amélie is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre. It ...more - 4Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell
- Released: 2004
- Directed by: Jared Hess
In small-town Preston, Idaho, awkward teen Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) has trouble fitting in. After his grandmother is injured in an accident, his life is made even worse when his strangely ...more - 5Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup
- Released: 2003
- Directed by: Tim Burton
When Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) becomes ill, his son, William (Billy Crudup), travels to be with him. William has a strained relationship with Edward because his father has always told exaggerated ...more - 6John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Spike Jonze
In this quirky cult-favorite comedy, unemployed New York City puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) reluctantly takes a temp job as a filing clerk for the eccentric Dr. Lester (Orson Bean). While at ...more - 7Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller
- Released: 2001
- Directed by: Wes Anderson
Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary --- all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums ...more - 8Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Benny (Aidan Quinn), who cares for his mentally disturbed sister, Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), also welcomes the eccentric Sam (Johnny Depp) into his home at Joon's request. Sam entertains Joon ...more - 9Carey Mulligan, Laverne Cox, Bo Burnham
- Released: 2020
- Directed by: Emerald Fennell
Nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be -- she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie ...more - 10Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi
- Released: 2001
- Directed by: Terry Zwigoff
The story of neo-cool Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) who, faced with graduation from high school, take a hard look at the world they wryly observe and decide what they really ...more - 11Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Cyril Cusack
- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Hal Ashby
Cult classic pairs Cort as a dead-pan disillusioned 20-year-old obsessed with suicide and a loveable Gordon as a fun-loving 80-year-old eccentric. They meet at a funeral, and develop a taboo romantic ...more - 12Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu
- Released: 2004
- Directed by: Stephen Chow
When the hapless Sing (Stephen Chow) and his dim-witted pal, Bone (Feng Xiaogang), try to scam the residents of Pig Sty Alley into thinking they're members of the dreaded Axe Gang, the real gangsters ...more - 13Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Antonio Banderas
- Released: 2012
- Directed by: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Young author Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano), once a literary darling, is having trouble composing his next novel. Following a therapist's advice, Calvin pulls out an old manual typewriter and creates ...more - 14Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett
- Released: 2004
- Directed by: Wes Anderson
Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned (Owen ...more - 15Ryan Gosling, Paul Schneider, Emily Mortimer
- Released: 2007
- Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Extremely shy Lars (Ryan Gosling) finds it impossible to make friends or socialize. His brother (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer) worry about him, so when he announces that he has a ...more - 16Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard
- Released: 2011
- Directed by: Woody Allen
Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is a screenwriter and aspiring novelist. Vacationing in Paris with his fiancee (Rachel McAdams), he has taken to touring the city alone. On one such late-night excursion, Gil ...more - 17Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots
- Released: 2019
- Directed by: Riley Stearns
After getting attacked on the street, Casey enlists in a local dojo that's led by a charismatic and mysterious sensei. He soon uncovers a sinister fraternity of violence and masculinity while ...more - 18Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams
- Released: 1998
- Directed by: Wes Anderson
When a beautiful first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) arrives at a prep school, she soon attracts the attention of an ambitious teenager named Max (Jason Schwartzman), who quickly falls in love with ...more - 19Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman
- Released: 2007
- Directed by: Wes Anderson
Estranged brothers Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) reunite for a train trip across India. The siblings have not spoken in over a year, ever since their father ...more - 20Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent
- Released: 2010
- Directed by: Mike Mills
After his mother dies, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) is stunned when his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, comes out of the closet. When Hal passes away a few years ...more - 21Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi
- Released: 2003
- Directed by: Sofia Coppola
A lonely, aging movie star named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a conflicted newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), meet in Tokyo. Bob is there to film a Japanese whiskey commercial; Charlotte is ...more - 22Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Spike Jonze
Nicolas Cage is Charlie Kaufman, a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin ...more - 23Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker
- Released: 1994
- Directed by: Tim Burton
Because of his eccentric habits and bafflingly strange films, director Ed Wood (Johnny Depp) is a Hollywood outcast. Nevertheless, with the help of the formerly famous Bela Lugosi and a devoted cast ...more - 24Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson
- Released: 2013
- Directed by: Spike Jonze
A sensitive and soulful man earns a living by writing personal letters for other people. Left heartbroken after his marriage ends, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) becomes fascinated with a new operating ...more - 25Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen
- Released: 2004
- Directed by: Alexander Payne
Struggling writer and wine enthusiast Miles (Paul Giamatti) takes his engaged friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), on a trip to wine country for a last single-guy bonding experience. While Miles wants ...more
