6 Best Midlife Crisis Movies of All Time

By Vlad Zakh · April 27, 2028

Drama thought provokingfeel good

Middle-aged reinvention and regret have inspired some of cinema’s sharpest, funniest, and most bittersweet character studies.

This Is 40 (2012) 01

This Is 40 (2012)

IMDb ★ 5.9

A couple approaching forty confronts financial strain, aging parents, and marital frustration.

Up in the Air (2009) 02

Up in the Air (2009)

IMDb ★ 7.4

A corporate downsizing consultant's rootless lifestyle is challenged by unexpected romance and family obligation.

Sideways (2004) 03

Sideways (2004)

IMDb ★ 7.4

Two friends' wine country road trip before one's wedding forces both to confront their unfulfilled lives.

About Schmidt (2002) 04

About Schmidt (2002)

IMDb ★ 7.2

A recently retired, widowed insurance actuary questions the meaning of his entire life on a cross-country trip.

American Beauty (1999) 05

American Beauty (1999)

IMDb ★ 8.3

A suburban father's midlife crisis unravels his family and reshapes his entire outlook on life.

City Slickers (1991) 06

City Slickers (1991)

IMDb ★ 6.8

Three unfulfilled friends approaching midlife take a cattle drive vacation to rediscover their sense of purpose.

Vlad Zakh

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.