Movies like Don't Go Near the Water (1957)
The best movies like Don't Go Near the Water (1957) are Operation Petticoat (1959), Donovan's Reef (1963) and I Was a Male War Bride (1949). If Don't Go Near the Water hooked you with its comedy and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWhere Eagles Dare (1968)7.5/10 from 1,052 votes
- NewestBalls Up (2026)Released 2026
Operation Petticoat (1959)
A World War II submarine commander finds himself stuck with a damaged sub, a con-man executive officer, and a group of army nurses.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDonovan's Reef (1963)
After her great aunt's death, a high-society woman arrives on a Hawaiian island in search of the heir - the father she has never met.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Was a Male War Bride (1949)
After marrying an American lieutenant with whom he was assigned to work in post-war Germany, a French captain attempts to find a way to accompany her back to the States under the terms of the War Bride Act.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pirates of Penzance (1983)
As a young child, Frederic had been apprenticed to a pirate by mistake when he should have been apprenticed to a pilot. Now, having reached his 21st year, Frederic's indentures are at last over and he happily leaves the service of the pirates. When Frederic meets the beautiful Mabel, one of the many daughters (or wards in Chancery) of Major-General Stanley, they fall in love and decide to marry. However, complications arise when the pirates decide to marry the rest of the Major-General's daughters, themselves - and Frederic's birthdate turns out to be not all it seems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960)
Lieutenant Rip Crandall is hoodwinked into taking command of the "Wackiest Ship in the Navy" – a real garbage scow with a crew of misfits who don't know a jib from a jigger. What none of them knows, including Crandall, is that this ship has a very important top-secret mission to complete in waters patrolled by the Japanese fleet. Their mission will save hundreds of allied lives – if only they can get there in one piece.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)
Milquetoast Henry Limpet experiences his fondest wish and is transformed into a fish. As a talking fish he assists the US Navy in hunting German submarines during World War II.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSouth Pacific (1958)
Can a girl from Little Rock find happiness with a mature French planter she got to know one enchanted evening away from the military hospital where she is a nurse? Or should she just wash that man out of her hair? Bloody Mary is the philosopher of the island and it's hard to believe she could be the mother of Liat who has captured the heart of Lt. Joseph Cable USMC. While waiting for action in the war in the South Pacific, sailors and nurses put on a musical comedy show. The war gets closer and the saga of Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque becomes serious drama.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & war
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwashbuckler (1976)
A pirate and a hot-tempered noblewoman join forces to protect Jamaica from a tyrant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
A by-the-book Captain is ordered to capture a strategic village in Italy. The Italian soldiers are willing to surrender, if they can have a festival first. The lieutenant convinces the Captain this is the only way. Because of aerial reconnaissance, they must look like they are fighting. To sort this out an intelligence officer is sent in. Meanwhile the festival gets complicated with the Mayors daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & war
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Gang's All Here (1943)
A soldier falls for a chorus girl and then experiences trouble when he is posted to the Pacific.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisU-571 (2000)
In the midst of World War II, the battle under the sea rages and the Nazis have the upper hand as the Allies are unable to crack their war codes. However, after a wrecked U-boat sends out an SOS signal, the Allies realise this is their chance to seize the 'enigma coding machine'.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCaptain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
Captain Horatio Hornblower leads his ship HMS Lydia on a perilous transatlantic voyage, during which his faithful crew battle both a Spanish warship and a ragged band of Central American rebels.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMajor Payne (1995)
Major Benson Winifred Payne is being discharged from the Marines. Payne is a killin' machine, but the wars of the world are no longer fought on the battlefield. A career Marine, he has no idea what to do as a civilian, so his commander finds him a job - commanding officer of a local school's JROTC program, a bunch of ragtag losers with no hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt's Always Fair Weather (1955)
Three World War II buddies promise to meet at a specified place and time 10 years after the war. They keep their word only to discover how far apart they've grown. But the reunion sparks memories of youthful dreams that haven't been fulfilled -- and slowly, the three men reevaluate their lives and try to find a way to renew their friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJohnny English Strikes Again (2018)
Disaster strikes when a criminal mastermind reveals the identities of all active undercover agents in Britain. The secret service can now rely on only one man - Johnny English. Currently teaching at a minor prep school, Johnny springs back into action to find the mysterious hacker. For this mission to succeed, he’ll need all of his skills - what few he has - as the man with yesterday’s analogue methods faces off against tomorrow’s digital technology.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both adventure & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFarewell to the King (1989)
An American soldier who escapes the execution of his comrades by Japanese soldiers in Borneo during WWII becomes the leader of a personal empire among the headhunters in this war story told in the style of Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling. The American is reluctant to rejoin the fight against the Japanese on the urging of a British commando team but conducts a war of vengeance when the Japanese attack his adopted people.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both war & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMemoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
After a freak accident, an invisible yuppie runs for his life from a treacherous CIA official while trying to cope with his new life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisThis Means War (2012)
Two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBalls Up (2026)
Two marketing executives go "balls out" and pitch a bold full‑coverage condom sponsorship with the World Cup. After their drunken celebration in Brazil sparks a global scandal, they must outrun furious fans, criminals, and power-hungry officials to salvage their careers and make it home alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & adventure
SnoozefestMovies like thisMeet Cute (2022)
A wildly inventive deconstruction of the romantic comedy built around the question: What would you do if you could travel to your loved ones’ past, heal their traumas, fix their problems, and change them into the perfect partner?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhere Eagles Dare (1968)
World War II is raging, and an American general has been captured and is being held hostage in the Schloss Adler, a Bavarian castle that's nearly impossible to breach. It's up to a group of skilled Allied soldiers to liberate the general before it's too late.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both adventure & war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHanover Street (1979)
Margaret is a nurse in England during WW2, and married to a secret agent. Things get complicated when she falls for David, an American pilot.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & war
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Well Groomed Bride (1946)
A man and a woman fight over the last bottle of champagne left in San Francisco--she wants it for a wedding, and he wants to use it to christen a ship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Mosquito Squadron (1969)
England, World War II. Quint Munroe, RAF officer and new leader of a Mosquito squadron, is tasked with destroying a secret Nazi base in France while trying to overcome the disappearance of a brother-in-arms.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & war
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
When a US Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardize his ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war
Worth the HypeMovies like thisŽivot na úteku (1976)
In Slovakia, they often and gladly honored those soldiers who refused to serve the fascist regime and stood against it. Lieutenant Kukorelli also rejected the tempting career of a pilot, instead helping the resistance fighters and later participating in the Slovak National Uprising.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war
Choď a nelúč sa (1979)
The dramatic story captures the hard and dangerous life of the partisan group "Čapajev" led by Ľudovít Kukorelli during World War II. It retrospectively presents the course of the Slovak National Uprising in eastern Slovakia.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war
Come Out Fighting (2023)
In WWII, a squad of U.S. African-American soldiers are sent on a rescue mission behind enemy lines to locate their lost commanding officer and a downed fighter pilot.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war
SnoozefestMovies like thisSchool for Danger (1947)
Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) provides trained agents, arms and other assistance to the European resistance groups fighting against Hitler. British agents, Captain Harry Rée DSO, OBE, Croix De Guerre, Médaille de la Résistance, aka "Felix", and Jacqueline Nearne, MBE, aka "Cat", recreate some of their adventures in France.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war
Hart's War (2002)
When Col. William McNamara is stripped of his freedom in a German POW camp, he's determined to keep on fighting even from behind enemy lines. Enlisting the help of a young lieutenant in a brilliant plot against his captors, McNamara risks everything on a mission to free his men and change the outcome of the war.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both war
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Don't Go Near the Water?
The closest matches to Don't Go Near the Water are Operation Petticoat (1959), Donovan's Reef (1963) and I Was a Male War Bride (1949). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Don't Go Near the Water?
Start with Operation Petticoat (1959), the closest match to Don't Go Near the Water.
What is the highest-rated movie like Don't Go Near the Water?
Where Eagles Dare (1968), rated 7.5/10 by 1,052 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Don't Go Near the Water?
Balls Up (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Don't Go Near the Water?
Yes: Operation Petticoat (1959), Donovan's Reef (1963) and I Was a Male War Bride (1949).
How are movies similar to Don't Go Near the Water chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Don't Go Near the Water, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.