Movies like The Secret of My Success (1987)
The best movies like The Secret of My Success (1987) are Thunderstruck (2012), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) and Taking Care of Business (1990). If The Secret of My Success hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAnalyze This (1999)6.5/10 from 2,247 votes
- NewestDating Sucks (2026)Released 2026
Thunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Importance of Being Earnest (1952)
Two young gentlemen living in 1890s England use the same pseudonym ('Ernest') on the sly, which is fine until they both fall in love with women using that name, which leads to a comedy of mistaken identities.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTaking Care of Business (1990)
An uptight advertising exec has his entire life in a filofax organizer which mistakenly ends up in the hands of a friendly convict who poses as him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Distinguished Gentleman (1992)
A Florida con man uses the recent death of the long time Congressman from his district, who he just happens to share a last name with, to get elected to his version of paradise, the U.S. Congress, where the money flows from lobbyists.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOscar (1991)
Angelo "Snaps" Provolone made his dying father a promise on his deathbed: he would leave the world of crime and become an honest businessman. Despite having no experience in making money in a legal fashion, Snaps sets about to keep his promise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBrain Donors (1992)
Three manic idiots—a lawyer, a cab driver and a handyman—team up to run a ballet company to fulfil the will of a millionaire. Stooge-like antics result as the trio try to outwit the rich widow and her scheming big-shot lawyer, who also wants to run the ballet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTower Heist (2011)
A luxury condo manager leads a staff of workers to seek payback on the Wall Street swindler who defrauded them. With only days until the billionaire gets away with the perfect crime, the unlikely crew of amateur thieves enlists the help of petty crook Slide to steal the $20 million they’re sure is hidden in the penthouse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProblemista (2024)
Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Big League (1994)
When the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, he bequeaths the team to his preteen grandson. The newly minted head honcho quickly appoints himself manager, causing unrest in an organization that struggles to take orders from a 12-year-old.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOld Boys (2018)
In the school-set re-working of Cyrano, an awkward but imaginative pupil helps the handsome but spectacularly dim school-hero pursue the fiery daughter of a visiting French teacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnalyze This (1999)
Countless wiseguy films are spoofed in this film that centers on the neuroses and angst of a powerful Mafia racketeer who suffers from panic attacks. When Paul Vitti needs help dealing with his role in the "family," unlucky shrink Dr. Ben Sobel is given just days to resolve Vitti's emotional crisis and turn him into a happy, well-adjusted gangster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeth Meyers: Lobby Baby (2019)
SNL alumnus and subversive master of late-night Seth Meyers comes out from behind the desk to share some lighthearted stories from his own life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFun with Dick and Jane (2005)
After Dick Harper loses his job at Globodyne in an Enron-esque collapse, he and his wife, Jane, turn to crime in order to handle the massive debt they now face. Two intelligent people, Dick and Jane actually get pretty good at robbing people and even enjoy it – but they have second thoughts when they're reminded that crime can hurt innocent people. When the couple hears that Globodyne boss Jack McCallister actually swindled the company, they plot revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Mouse That Roared (1959)
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick decides that the only way to get out of their economic woes is to declare war on the United States, lose and accept foreign aid. They send an invasion force (in chain mail, armed with bows and arrows) to New York and they arrive during a nuclear drill that has cleared the streets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Errand Boy (1961)
Paramutual Pictures wants to know where all the money is going so they hire Morty to be their spy. Morty works for Mr. Sneak and gets a job in the mail room so that he can have access to the lot. But all that Morty ever finds is that he can cause havoc no matter what he does.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbout My Father (2023)
Encouraged by his girlfriend Ellie, Sebastian and his Italian immigrant father, Salvo, spend the 4th of July weekend with her wealthy and exceedingly eccentric family. The gathering soon develops into a culture clash, allowing father and son to discover the true meaning of family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlaydate (2025)
When out-of-work accountant Brian joins stay-at-home dad Jeff for a playdate with their sons, he expects a laid-back afternoon. Instead, they're chased by mercenaries, and Brian—totally unprepared—must survive one absurd obstacle after another.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMistress America (2015)
A college freshman cures her disappointment and loneliness by allowing herself to be pulled into the wacky schemes of her future stepsister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDuplex (2003)
When a young couple buys their dream home, they have no idea what the sweet little old lady upstairs is going to put them through!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Slammin' Salmon (2009)
The brutal former heavyweight boxing champion Cleon "Slammin'" Salmon (Duncan), now owner of a Miami restaurant, institutes a competition to see which waiter can earn the most money in one night: the winner stands to gain $10,000, while the loser will endure a beating at the hands of the champ.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisIn My Life (2009)
A headstrong woman moves to New York and must come to terms with her estranged gay son and his partner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors (2018)
When a threat no one could have expected bears down on the Marvel Universe, this ragtag, untrained band of teens have no choice but to rise together and prove to the world that sometimes the difference between a 'hero' and 'misfit' is just in the name.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOff Beat (1986)
Joe Gower's job is skating through library shelves, fetching books. A police officer/friend of his is chosen to participate in a charity dance performance. Gower agrees to take his place in the show by posing as a police officer. He falls for a female officer in the show and gets into various scrapes with fellow cops and also crooks. And he dances.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Murder Over New York (1940)
When Charlie's old friend from Scotland Yard is murdered when they attend a police convention in New York, Chan picks up the case he was working on.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952)
The entertainment duo Mitchell & Petrillo, en route to a USO show for troops in Guam, fall out of their plane and end up on the jungle island of Cola Cola, where the mad scientist Dr. Zabor is conducting evolutionary experiments.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Dating Sucks (2026)
A vampiress navigates the turmoils of modern dating.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Charly (2002)
Sam Roberts thinks he has all the answers: the purpose of life, the meaning of love, the plan for a perfect future. Until Charly walks into his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Dinner at Eight (1933)
An ambitious New York socialite plans an extravagant dinner party as her businessman husband, Oliver, contends with financial woes, causing a lot of tension between the couple. Meanwhile, their high-society friends and associates, including the gruff Dan Packard and his sultry spouse, Kitty, contend with their own entanglements, leading to revelations at the much-anticipated dinner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPro-Black Sheep (2009)
Character-driven satirical drama about a young, extraordinarily intellectual "black activist" wannabe who is discovered as the political critic sending out anonymous emails that criticize today's black leadership. Instead of holding it against him, the black leader who finds him out hires his worst critic as a second adviser.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Skate Kitchen (2018)
Camille's life as a lonely suburban teenager changes dramatically when she befriends a group of girl skateboarders. As she journeys deeper into this raw New York City subculture, she begins to understand the true meaning of friendship as well as her inner self.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Secret of My Success?
The closest matches to The Secret of My Success are Thunderstruck (2012), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) and Taking Care of Business (1990). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Secret of My Success?
Start with Thunderstruck (2012), the closest match to The Secret of My Success.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Secret of My Success?
Analyze This (1999), rated 6.5/10 by 2,247 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Secret of My Success?
Dating Sucks (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Secret of My Success?
Yes: Thunderstruck (2012), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) and Taking Care of Business (1990).
How are movies similar to The Secret of My Success chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Secret of My Success, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.