Collateral Beauty
Year: 2016
Runtime: 97 min
Language: English
Director: David Frankel
Budget: $36M
Following a devastating loss, a New York advertising executive spirals into deep despair. To help him cope, his colleagues devise an unusual plan, enlisting the help of three figures representing Love, Time, and Death. Through these unexpected encounters, he is compelled to re-evaluate his life and find beauty amidst his grief, ultimately discovering a renewed sense of hope and connection.
Warning: spoilers below!
Haven’t seen Collateral Beauty yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!
Timeline & Setting – Collateral Beauty (2016)
Explore the full timeline and setting of Collateral Beauty (2016). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.
Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 22:26
Main Characters – Collateral Beauty (2016)
Meet the key characters of Collateral Beauty (2016), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.
Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 22:26
Major Themes – Collateral Beauty (2016)
Explore the central themes of Collateral Beauty (2016), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.
Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 22:26
Explore Movie Threads
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Movies with surreal guides through grief like Collateral Beauty
Where abstract concepts personified help characters process profound loss.Find movies like Collateral Beauty where characters navigate profound loss with the help of surreal or allegorical figures. These emotionally resonant dramas use unique narrative devices to explore grief, healing, and finding hope, offering similar bittersweet and thoughtful viewing experiences.
Narrative Summary
Stories in this thread typically begin with a character immobilized by a significant personal tragedy. The plot is advanced through encounters with symbolic or fantastical figures representing universal concepts. This external intervention forces the protagonist to confront their emotions, leading to a journey of introspection that culminates in a gradual, often bittersweet, acceptance and re-engagement with the world.
Why These Movies?
These films are grouped by their shared use of a specific narrative device—allegorical guides—to handle heavy themes of mourning. They blend realistic emotional pain with a layer of philosophical or magical realism, creating a unique tone that is both somber and hopeful, with a steady, character-focused pace.
Movies about corporate soul-searching like Collateral Beauty
High-powered professionals hit a crisis that forces them to rediscover their humanity.If you liked Collateral Beauty's story of an ad executive reevaluating his life after tragedy, explore these movies about high-powered professionals facing a crisis. These dramas focus on betrayal, redemption, and finding true meaning outside of corporate success, offering heavy emotional weight and thoughtful pacing.
The Company Men
2011
Collateral Beauty
2016
The Inheritance
2004
The Sky Is Falling
2000
Faithless
2000
Solitary Man
2009
Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor
2013
My Name Is Emily
2017
In the Name of My Daughter
2015
Scent of a Woman
1992
Human Resources
2000
Good Grief
2023
So B. It
2017
Room at the Top
1959
Lonelyhearts
1958
Narrative Summary
The pattern involves a protagonist at the peak of their professional power whose world collapses due to a traumatic event, ethical lapse, or personal loss. Stripped of their professional identity, they are forced to confront their emptiness and rebuild their life on a more authentic, often simpler, foundation, frequently mending broken relationships along the way.
Why These Movies?
These movies share a focus on the intersection of professional life and personal identity crises. They feature a similar emotional mix of heavy themes like grief or betrayal with a redemptive, hopeful arc. The pacing is steady and introspective, centered on character development rather than plot twists.
Unlock the Full Story of Collateral Beauty
Don't stop at just watching — explore Collateral Beauty in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Collateral Beauty is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Collateral Beauty Summary
Read a complete plot summary of Collateral Beauty, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.
Collateral Beauty Timeline
Track the full timeline of Collateral Beauty with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
