Movies like The Show (1997)
The best movies like The Show (1997) are Drift (2013), Johnny Tsunami (1999) and Chasing Mavericks (2012). If The Show hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Last Waltz (1978)7.7/10 from 329 votes
- NewestBorder Hunters (2025)Released 2025
Drift (2013)
In the 70s two brothers battle killer waves, conservative society and ruthless bikers to kick-start the modern surf industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisJohnny Tsunami (1999)
A Hawaiian teenage surfer shows off his skills when he takes to the snow slopes in Vermont.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChasing Mavericks (2012)
Surfer Jay Moriarity sets out to ride the Northern California break known as Mavericks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBreath (2017)
A pair of teenagers in Western Australia looking to escape the monotony of life in a small town take up surfing lessons from a guy named Sando.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRiding Giants (2004)
Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBig Wednesday (1978)
Three 1960s California surfers fool around, drift apart and reunite years later to ride epic waves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGunslingers (2025)
When the most wanted man in America surfaces in a small Kentucky town, his violent history -- and a blood-thirsty mob seeking vengeance and a king’s ransom -- soon follow. As brothers face off against one another and bullets tear the town to shreds, this lightning-fast gunslinger makes his enemies pay the ultimate price for their greed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEscobar: Paradise Lost (2014)
For Pablo Escobar family is everything. When young surfer Nick falls for Escobar's niece, Maria, he finds his life on the line when he's pulled into the dangerous world of the family business.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Endless Summer (1966)
Documentary filmmaker Bruce Brown, himself a competition-level surfer, follows surfers Michael Hynson and Robert August on an around-the-world surfing adventure. With Brown's wry, sardonic narration and a twangy, guitar-driven instrumental soundtrack by The Sandals playing over the silent footage, Mike and Rob leave their California home to visit Hawaii, Australia, South Africa and other secluded surfing spots in a search for the surfer's holy grail that Brown dubs "The Perfect Wave.”
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNorth Shore (1987)
On a small stretch of coastline as powerful as a man's will, Rick Kane came to surf the big waves. He found a woman who would show him how to survive, and a challenge unlike any other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisBeach Party (1963)
Anthropology Professor Robert Orwell Sutwell and his secretary Marianne are studying the sex habits of teenagers. The surfing teens led by Frankie and Dee Dee don't have much sex but they sing, battle the motorcycle rats and mice led by Eric Von Zipper and dance to Dick Dale and the Del Tones.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBorder Hunters (2025)
After his police officer brother is killed by a drug dealer who flees to the protection of his cartel-connected uncle in Mexico, an American man with a diverse law enforcement/military background goes south of the border to get revenge
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMackenna's Gold (1969)
A bandit kidnaps a Marshal who has seen a map showing a gold vein on Indian lands, but other groups are looking for it too, while the Apache try to keep the secret location undisturbed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCoffy (1973)
After her younger sister gets involved in drugs and is severely injured by contaminated heroin, a nurse sets out on a mission of vengeance and vigilante justice, killing drug dealers, pimps, and mobsters who cross her path.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSurf's Up (2007)
With a documentary crew in tow, Cody Maverick—a young surfer from Antarctica—travels to the pacific for his first professional competition. Determined to earn respect and live up to his idol, Big Z, Cody pushes himself to the limit. But all that changes when an encounter with a laid-back local forces him to rethink his values.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Waltz (1978)
Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and other rock legends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStep Into Liquid (2003)
No special effects. No stuntmen. No stereotypes. No other feeling comes close. Surfers and secret spots from around the world are profiled in this documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlack Sea (2014)
A rogue submarine captain pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control on-board their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSurf's Up 2: WaveMania (2017)
Cody, Chicken Joe and Lani are back in their most epic adventure yet! The most radical surfing dream team, The Hang Five puts Cody and his friends to the test and teaches them the meaning of teamwork as they journey to the most legendary surfing spot on the planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisWake of Death (2004)
Ben Archer, an ex-mob enforcer, seeks revenge against a ruthless Chinese kingpin responsible for his wife's brutal murder. When Archer joins forces with his old underworld friends, an all-out war is waged against the Chinese Triad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHot Buttered Soul: The Movie (2008)
The story of a free surfing dream that started with the evolution of the single fin surfboard. Starring Terry Fitzgerald and his extended surfing family enjoying classic waves over three and a half decades. The development and designs of HB surfboards built in the 70's stand the test of time when three originals are pulled out of the bag and taken to modern day Jeffreys Bay. Thirty years later those same boards draw lines and find speed like the day they were first launched. Cape St Francis is bigger than ever filmed providing a finale for an epic adventure through time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Sweet Ride (1968)
AA tennis bum (Tony Franciosa) and his Malibu Beach buddies hang out with a TV actress (Jacqueline Bisset) headed for trouble.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Off the Lip (2004)
A young woman's life falls apart while filming a surfing documentary.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Longest Wave (2019)
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger travels the globe with legendary windsurfer and pioneering waterman Robby Naish, a 24-time world champion whose quest to master the world's longest waves unexpectedly reveals his vulnerabilities as a competitor, mentor and father. THE LONGEST WAVE transcends the action sports genre by capturing obstacles outside of the legendary athlete's professional life in an intimate, cinéma-vérité style, revealing Naish balancing the pursuit of excellence at sea with the demands of life's complications on land.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
We the Surfers (2024)
In a small village in Liberia, a West African country scarred by 20 years of civil war, local surfers are striving to change their destiny and that of their village through the creation of a surf club.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Sons of the Surf (1926)
Surfing at Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. Most surfers are human, one is a dog. The educational documentary is part of the Bruce Scenic Novelties series.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Shelter (2007)
Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach works dead-end jobs to support his sister and her son. Questioning his life, he paints, surfs and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe. When Gabe's older brother returns home for the summer, Zach suddenly finds himself drawn into a relationship he didn't expect.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisShaka (2018)
Showcasing breathtaking footage of mountains and waves around the world, Shaka follows snowboarding world champion and renowned athlete Mathieu Crepel as he faces the biggest challenge of his life: to surf the legendary waves of Jaws Beach, Hawaii.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Point Break (1991)
In Los Angeles, a gang of bank robbers who call themselves The Ex-Presidents commit their crimes while wearing masks of Reagan, Carter, Nixon and Johnson. Believing that the members of the gang could be surfers, the F.B.I. sends young agent Johnny Utah to the beach undercover to mix with the surfers and gather information.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Show?
The closest matches to The Show are Drift (2013), Johnny Tsunami (1999) and Chasing Mavericks (2012). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Show?
Start with Drift (2013), the closest match to The Show.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Show?
The Last Waltz (1978), rated 7.7/10 by 329 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Show?
Border Hunters (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Show?
Yes: Drift (2013), Johnny Tsunami (1999) and Chasing Mavericks (2012).
How are movies similar to The Show chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Show, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.