3 Movies To Watch If You Loved ‘Anora’

Anora is a semi-romantic comedy-drama movie that has been a favorite of fans and critics in 2024. It won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and many are hoping star Mikey Madison will receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role as the title character. This article catalogs movies with a similar vibe to Anora.

First, what is Anora about? 23-year-old Anora “Ani” Mikheeva (Mikey Madison) lives in the Russian-American neighborhood of Brighton Beach in Brooklyn where she works as a stripper and sometimes sex worker. She meets the wealthy Nikolai Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), the heir of a Russian oligarch, at her strip club and their business relationship turns into a whirlwind romance that culminates in the couple getting married in Las Vegas. Things change when Nikolai’s parents hear of the marriage and arrive in New York to bring their son home to Russia.

So, if you loved Anora what should you watch next?

Zola (2021)

Zola is a black comedy in which, like Anora, the title character is a working class stripper who is drawn into a chaotic character’s secret life. After agreeing to accompany another stripper, Stefani (Riley Keough), to Florida in order to make big money dancing, Zola learns that the real purpose of the trip is for Stefani to coerce Zola into doing sex work. The presence of pimps, illicit activities, large amounts of cash and guns veers towards pandemonium as Zola waits for an opportunity to go home.

For A Good Time Call… (2012)

This is a light-hearted comedy with two strong female leads pursuing big money in sex work in New York City. Lauren (Lauren Miller Rogen) and Katie (Ari Graynor) are reluctant roommates who are both struggling for money. When Lauren discovers Katie moonlights as a phone sex operator, she helps her set up her own business so that she can make more money. The girls quickly earn $12,000 and begin to take the company seriously.

Erin Brockovitch (2000)

The best part of Anora is Mikey Madison’s fearlessly strong character. Another movie that hits this note is Erin Brockovitch. Julia Roberts portrays the main character, a single mother of three working at a law office to make ends meet. She uncovers evidence that a utility company has poisoned residents of a small California town and helps her boss organize a major class action lawsuit.

Honorable mentions

Other movies similar to Anora: Heartbreakers (2001), Spring Breakers (2012), Showgirls (1995), Pretty Woman (1990), Legally Blonde (2001), Ready or Not (2019) and Misery (1990) — because Mikey Madison would make a fantastic Annie Wilkes.