Movies Like Under the Silver Lake (2018) for Neo-Noir Night
Hazy LA mysteries where stoned slackers stumble through conspiracy and noir confusion.
Hazy LA mysteries where stoned slackers stumble through conspiracy and noir confusion.
Best first watch
Inherent Vice (2014)
92% fit149 min · IMDb 6.6 · RT 73%
Paul Thomas Anderson's R-rated mystery follows a stoned detective searching for a missing ex-girlfriend across 1970s LA. The hazy conspiracy, confused hero, and sun-soaked noir feeling mirror Under the Silver Lake almost scene for scene.
Watch if
You want the closest thing to Under the Silver Lake's paranoid vibe.
Skip if
You find 149-minute meandering plots frustrating.
For you if
- You enjoy mysteries that care more about mood than solving the case
- You love watching confused protagonists wander through sun-drenched LA
- For fans of noir stories with a comedic, stoned, conspiratorial edge
Not for you if
- You need a mystery that wraps up neatly by the end
- You prefer fast-paced thrillers with constant action beats
- You want straightforward detective stories with clear heroes
How Under the Silver Lake (2018) alternatives compare
Pick Kiss Kiss Bang Bang if you want the fastest, funniest option at just 102 minutes. Pick Inherent Vice if you want to sink into the same hazy confusion as Under the Silver Lake, though budget nearly 2.5 hours. Pick Brick for something serious and tense with almost no laughs. The Big Lebowski sits in the middle on most axes but leads the pack on pure comedy. The Long Goodbye, streaming on Amazon Prime, offers the best balance of mood and accessibility.
How confusing is the plot?
Deliberately bewildering
How funny is it?
Darkly funny throughout
How long is the commitment?
Long at 149 minutes
Slow burn or fast start?
Very slow build
How confusing is the plot?
Dreamy and loose
How funny is it?
Dry deadpan humor
How long is the commitment?
Medium at 112 minutes
Slow burn or fast start?
Gradual and drifting
How confusing is the plot?
Confusing but who cares
How funny is it?
Comedy first, always
How long is the commitment?
Medium at 117 minutes
Slow burn or fast start?
Easygoing throughout
How confusing is the plot?
Twisty but followable
How funny is it?
Rapid-fire jokes
How long is the commitment?
Short at 102 minutes
Slow burn or fast start?
Quick and snappy
How confusing is the plot?
Dense but logical
How funny is it?
Almost no humor
How long is the commitment?
Medium at 110 minutes
Slow burn or fast start?
Tense from the start
Not sure what to watch?
Date night
Fast-paced and funny at 102 minutes, with great chemistry between the leads.
Quick watch
The shortest pick at 102 minutes, and its energy never lets up.
Friend group
Endlessly quotable with an 8.1 IMDb rating, The Dude brings everyone together.
Find your pick
Do you prefer your mysteries with a heavy dose of stoner comedy?
Moments you loved
Best movies like Under the Silver Lake (2018)
1. Inherent Vice (2014)
149 min · IMDb 6.6 · RT 73%
Paul Thomas Anderson's R-rated mystery follows a stoned detective searching for a missing ex-girlfriend across 1970s LA. The hazy conspiracy, confused hero, and sun-soaked noir feeling mirror Under the Silver Lake almost scene for scene.
Watch if
You want the closest thing to Under the Silver Lake's paranoid vibe.
Skip if
You find 149-minute meandering plots frustrating.
Where to watch
2. The Long Goodbye (1973)
112 min · IMDb 7.5 · RT 95%
Robert Altman's 95%-on-Rotten-Tomatoes take on Philip Marlowe turns the hard-boiled detective into a mumbling, cat-feeding drifter lost in 1970s Hollywood. It's the blueprint for every slacker noir that followed.
Watch if
You want a laid-back detective wandering through sunny LA corruption.
Skip if
You need your mysteries to move at a brisk pace.
Where to watch
3. The Big Lebowski (1998)
117 min · IMDb 8.1 · RT 79%
The Dude gets dragged into a kidnapping plot he barely understands, stumbling through LA crime with a White Russian in hand. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, this Comedy/Crime hybrid is the funniest slacker mystery on the list.
Watch if
You want the funniest version of a clueless guy solving crimes.
Skip if
You prefer mysteries that actually try to be mysterious.
Where to watch
4. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
102 min · IMDb 7.4 · RT 86%
At 102 minutes, this is the leanest pick, a fast-talking LA noir comedy where a thief and a detective trip over dead bodies and sharp one-liners. Its Crime and Mystery genres line up directly with Under the Silver Lake's blend.
Watch if
You want a snappy, self-aware noir comedy that moves quickly.
Skip if
You dislike narrators who constantly break the fourth wall.
Where to watch
5. Brick (2006)
110 min · IMDb 7.1 · RT 79%
Rian Johnson transplants hard-boiled detective dialogue into a high school setting, following a loner investigating his ex-girlfriend's disappearance. Rated R like the seed film, its surreal noir tone and missing-woman mystery hit familiar beats.
Watch if
You want a serious, stylized noir with zero comedy padding.
Skip if
You find stylized, old-fashioned dialogue distracting.
Where to watch
Beyond movies
TV shows and books that scratch the same itch
True Detective
Like Under the Silver Lake, it follows obsessive detectives uncovering vast conspiracies hidden beneath seemingly normal communities. The show's exploration of masculine delusion and conspiracy thinking mirrors Sam's journey.
Max
Lodge 49
This underrated series captures the same blend of slacker protagonist, mystical conspiracy, and Southern California setting. Both feature aimless men stumbling into ancient mysteries that may or may not be real.
AMC+
The Night Of
This HBO miniseries keeps the same slow tension and moral gray tone. One bad night in New York pulls an ordinary person into a maze of fear, clues, and bad choices.
Max
The Crying of Lot 49
by Thomas Pynchon
Pynchon's novella follows a woman uncovering a possible centuries-old conspiracy through seemingly random clues, matching Under the Silver Lake's paranoid detective work and ambiguous reality. Both question whether the mystery is real or a projection of the protagonist's psychological state.
Available in most bookstores and libraries
Common questions about movies like Under the Silver Lake (2018)
What is the best movie like Under the Silver Lake (2018)?
Based on our analysis, Inherent Vice (2014) is the closest match with a 92% fit score. See the full breakdown above for why it earned the top spot.
For movies like Under the Silver Lake, is Inherent Vice the strongest first watch from this list?
Inherent Vice is your best next watch. It matches the same moody, conspiratorial noir atmosphere, and Inherent Vice holds 73% on Rotten Tomatoes.
If I have limited weeknight time after Under the Silver Lake, is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (102 minutes) my best runtime pick?
At 102 minutes, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the quickest option here. It carries a solid 7.4 on IMDb.
Which streaming services are most reliable for finding The Long Goodbye right now after Under the Silver Lake?
The Long Goodbye is currently listed on Amazon Prime Video for a follow-up to Under the Silver Lake. Availability changes by region, so confirm current streaming listings before watching, and use Amazon Video or Apple TV Store as a rental fallback.
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