Movies like Eat Pray Love explore in a mind-blowing manner what it’s like to have your life unexpectedly changed right in front of you.
The plot of Eat Pray Love centers on Elizabeth, who sets out on a journey from India to Italy and beyond with the hopes of mending past wounds, nourishing her spirit, and picking up new talents while simultaneously recreating herself.
If you’re a fan of this classic and quite unsure whether other movies like Eat Pray Love exist, you are in luck.
Here are some films with similar themes of adventure in search of self-discovery.
1. Wild (2014)
- Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski.
Wild is a captivating film and our top consideration for movies like Eat Pray Love.
Cheryl, the lead character in Wild, is at a crossroads in her life, and she has to face several setbacks, much like Elizabeth in Eat Pray Love.
Cheryl Strayed is on the brink after her mother’s death, the unpleasant split of her marriage, and her destructive lifestyle.
She decides to stop her long decline and regain control of her life. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, one of the nation’s longest and most challenging mountain routes.
2. Everything Is Illuminated (2005)
- Starring: Elijah Wood, Eugene Hütz, Boris Leskin, Laryssa Lauret.
Everything Is Illuminated is second on our list of movies like Eat Pray Love, and it portrays events that reflect how the past plays a role in the present and shapes the future.
Safran Foer Jonathan, a young Jewish American, discovers some rather interesting facts about his family and takes a trip to Ukraine to learn more about his grandfather’s life.
Jonathan travels into Ukraine’s interior under the guidance of a local named Alex to throw light on incidents that happened to his grandfather during World War II.
Jonathan embarks on this journey with his grandfather, David Jr., and his dog.
3. Midnight in Paris (2011)
- Starring: Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Owen Wilson.
The romantic comedy, Midnight in Paris, starring Woody Allen, portrays a story about the process of dissatisfaction and pursuing ambitions. Everything that occurs in the course of the film takes place in Paris.
Gil Pender goes on a trip to Paris with his fiancée and decides to take some solo late-night trips during his stay.
On one such occasion, he bumps into some people who seem to be partying in the city and finds himself roped in with them.
Strangely, the group takes him back in time, and his encounter with them changes his perspective on the current world where he finds himself.
4. Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
- Starring: Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan, Raoul Bova.
Another of our top picks for movies like Eat Pray Love, Under the Tuscan Sun, is a rom-com film adapted from a book with the same title.
Frances Mayes is creative in her mid-thirties and had just been estranged from her husband after discovering he wasn’t faithful.
Frances seems to be dealing with writer’s block and decides to shift her focus to other things.
This resolution will lead her to move to Italy, where she proceeds to purchase a new property in a bid to start over.
Luckily for seems, her plan turned out to be the best one she could have ever made.
5. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
- Starring: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mía Maestro.
The Motorcycle Diaries is a biographical drama that entwines tales about Socialism and Ernesto Guevara’s life.
It is part of our list of movies like Eat Pray Love because Ernesto, the show’s main character, seems to always be on the road accompanied by his friend.
Ernesto Guevara, age 23, and Alberto Granado, a buddy, set out on a car trip to South America before his final semester of medical school, during a break.
The two guys quickly become aware of the vast inequalities in South America as they come into contact with impoverished peasants and see the abuse of labor by wealthy manufacturers.
Ernesto’s views shift when they arrive at a leper colony in Peru, and he chooses to identify with the sick at his expense.
6. Nomadland (2020)
- Starring: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Swankie.
Among the movies like Eat Pray Love, Nomadland, one of the most recent on our list, released towards the end of 2020, is based entirely on a real-life event. It explores what remains amid the ruins of a crumbling planet.
A lady loses everything to the Great Recession and embarks on a journey to the West coast.
She adopts the life of a nomad throughout her trip, as she can be seen living in a camper while trying to reinvent her life.
7. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
- Starring: Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Jaden Smith.
The American biographical drama directed by Gabriele Muccino, The Pursuit of Happyness, was released in 2006.
It is based on Christopher Gardner’s battle with homelessness for almost a year.
After being evicted from their flat, Christopher and his young son are left homeless and can be seen out on the streets.
Eventually, he began to work as an unpaid intern at a renowned brokerage business.
Chris must fight to establish a better future for himself and his son despite living in shelters and facing the many challenges that come with that life.
8. One Week (2008)
- Starring: Joshua Jackson, Liane Balaban, Campbell Scott.
One Week should be one of your top considerations for movies like Eat Pray Love.
The Canadian drama shows off the country’s excellent sceneries while telling the story of the life of cancer patient Ben Tyler.
The movie had its world premiere on September 8 at the Toronto International Film Festival, and on March 6, it was shown in theaters.
The film starts with Ben receiving a fatal and incurable cancer diagnosis.
As a result, it gives him a wake-up call, and he decides to travel across Canada on a vintage motorcycle to find purpose in his life.
Ultimately, he reignites his romance with his fiancée and reawakens his desire to pursue a career as a writer.
9. The Longest Ride ( 2015)
- Starring: Britt Robertson, Scott Eastwood, Jack Huston, Oona Chaplin, Jason Fabian, Alan Alda
The Longest Ride is a romantic drama movie based on Nicholas Sparks’s best-selling book. It illustrates the need for sacrifice if love is to result in a ‘happily ever after.’
Despite being in love, Luke and Sophia’s divergent ideologies and aspirations threaten to separate them.
While Sophia prepares to start her dream career in the New York art scene, Luke hopes to return to the rodeo circuit.
The couple draws inspiration from Ira, an aged man who had been married to his wife for a long time, as they make plans for their future.
10. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
- Starring: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Dev Patel, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel stands out amid the many travel films set in India and among movies like Eat Pray Love.
The Indian village of Khempur is the setting for the film and features a lot of stunning shots of Udaipur.
To have a more exotic and affordable retirement experience, several British seniors choose to travel to India.
During their travels, they see posters of the newly renovated Marigold Hotel and are drawn to the place.
They envision a life of luxury in beautiful environs, but upon arrival, they discover that the Marigold is different from what it stands for.
11. The Beautiful Country (2005)
- Starring: Damien Nguyen, Bai Ling, Tim Roth, Nick Nolte, Temuera Morrison.
In The Beautiful Country (2005), the protagonist sets out on the one voyage that different individuals take at one point in their life: the journey of self-discovery.
The plot centers on a journey toward bridging a biological gap and finding one’s identity.
On a quest to find his long-lost GI father, Binh, a young Vietnamese man, embarks on an incredible six-month trip from his village south of Saigon to a farm in Texas.
His dream never wavers, even when he is apprehended by the police and faces starvation and illness.
12. Into The Wild (2017)
- Starring: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Catherine Keener, Brian Dierker.
Into the Wild is a fantastic addition to our collection of movies like Eat Pray Love.
It is a biographical action drama that tells Christopher McCandless’s life story as adapted from a novel.
In the story, the main character, Christopher McCandless, abandons all of his possessions and embarks on a voyage of self-discovery by hitchhiking across the Americas.
He develops as a person due to numerous experiences that have a lasting impact on him.
13. Love Actually (2003)
- Starring: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman.
This is another exciting feature on our list of movies like Eat Pray Love.
It is a holiday-themed romance and travelogue film highlighting the magnificent sites and scenes in London and the surrounding areas.
The plot opens up on the lives of eight couples dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales.
These couples each express their notions of “love” in real life throughout the story.
14. The Way (2010)
- Starring: Martin Sheen, Deborah Kara Unger, James Nesbitt, Yorick van Wageningen, Emilio Estevez.
Next on our list of movies like Eat Pray Love is this thought-engaging piece that celebrates life objectives and the unique way they may be pursued.
It promotes the historic Spanish pilgrimage and pays homage to the Camino de Santiago.
The movie depicts the trip of an American father who goes to France to reclaim his son’s remains after they fell out of contact.
When the father finally makes it to the pilgrimage, he is grateful for the experience and the numerous things he has learned on his voyage.
15. The Bucket List (2007)
- Cast: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes, Rob Morrow.
The Bucket List is one of the best adventure movies like Eat Pray Love to add to your list of movies to check out.
It was distributed by Warner Bros Pictures and was met with mixed reviews but was still considered a commercial success.
Billionaire Edward Cole and mechanic Carter meet in a hospital after a cancer diagnosis.
The duo befriend themselves and decide to go on a trip that’ll help them tick off some things on their bucket list before their imminent end.
16. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)
- Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Sean Penn.
Ben Stiller directed and played the crucial role of Walter, a socially awkward man working with Life Magazine in this adventure drama.
The storyline was inspired by a book of the same name by James Thurber; however, it was the second adaptation of the book.
It had a star-studded cast featuring the likes of Kristen Wiig, and Shirley MacLaine, amongst others.
Walter’s company Life Magazine is about to release its last printed edition before switching to online media.
While a life of unemployment looms for Walter, he tries to connect with a love interest via dating apps.
Additionally, he gets involved in a slightly complicated work-related situation and watches to discover how everything unfolds.
