Movies like Head Above Water (1996)
The best movies like Head Above Water (1996) are The Dream Team (1989), Hostile Takeover (2025) and Gotcha! (1985). If Head Above Water hooked you with its comedy and thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Night of the Hunter (1955)7.8/10 from 1,944 votes
- NewestThe Family Plan 2 (2025)Released 2025
The Dream Team (1989)
Four mental patients on a field trip in New York City must save their caring chaperone, who ends up being taken to a hospital in a coma after accidentally witnessing a murder, before the killers can find him and finish the job.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHostile Takeover (2025)
Follows Pete, a professional hitman, as he faces a group of assassins after the boss of a crime syndicate suspects disloyalty due to his attendance at Workaholics Anonymous meetings.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGotcha! (1985)
A student on a trip to France is tricked into smuggling secrets across the Iron Curtain by a sexy spy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Two Faces of January (2014)
After he kills a detective, a con artist and his wife must trust a potentially dangerous stranger to help them get out of Greece.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Very Brady Sequel (1996)
A man claiming to be Carol Brady's long-lost first husband, Roy Martin, shows up at the suburban Brady residence one evening. An impostor, the man is actually determined to steal the Bradys' familiar horse statue, a $20-million ancient Asian artifact.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisDeath on the Nile (2022)
Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot's Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple's idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Odd Couple II (1998)
Brucey, the son of Oscar, calls his father to invite him to his wedding to Felix's daughter next Sunday in California. Oscar and Felix meet again at Los Angeles International Airport and rent a car in order to go to San Malina for the wedding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTravels with My Aunt (1972)
At his mother's funeral, stuffy bank clerk Henry Pulling meets his Aunt Augusta, an elderly eccentric with more-than-shady dealings who pulls him along on a whirlwind adventure as she attempts to rescue an old lover.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsych 3: This Is Gus (2021)
In preparation for a shotgun wedding before the birth of Baby Guster, Shawn and Gus go rogue in an attempt to track down Selene’s estranged husband, as Lassiter grapples with the future of his career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Family Plan 2 (2025)
Now that Dan's assassin days are behind him, all he wants for Christmas is quality time with his kids. But when he learns his daughter has her own plans, he books a family trip to London—putting them all in the crosshairs of an unexpected enemy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThunderstruck (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 thisRide Along 2 (2016)
As his wedding day approaches, Ben heads to Miami with his soon-to-be brother-in-law James to bring down a drug dealer who's supplying the dealers of Atlanta with product.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWeekend at Bernie's (1989)
Two young insurance corporation employees try to pretend that their murdered employer is alive by puppeteering his dead body, leading a hitman to attempt to track him down to finish him off.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYour Sister's Sister (2011)
Iris invites her friend Jack to stay at her family's island getaway after the death of his brother. At their remote cabin, Jack's drunken encounter with Hannah, Iris' sister, kicks off a revealing stretch of days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNational Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Clark Griswold is on a quest to take his family to the Walley World theme park for a vacation, but things don't go exactly as planned.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Seven-Ups (1973)
A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005)
The maniacal baby of the Griffin family, Stewie, meets his future self. In doing this he discovers that his future image is not what he has anticipated because of a near death experience.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPirates (1986)
Captain Red runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a dashing young French sailor. One day Capt. Red is captured and taken aboard a Spanish galleon, but thanks to his inventiveness, he raises the crew to mutiny, takes over the ship, and kidnaps the niece of the governor of Maracaibo. The question is, can he keep this pace up?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBuddy Buddy (1981)
During a high-profile Mafia testimony case in Riverside County, a hired killer checks into a hotel room near the courthouse, while his depressed neighbor contemplates suicide over marital problems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBatman and Harley Quinn (2017)
Batman and Nightwing are forced to team with the Joker's sometimes-girlfriend Harley Quinn to stop a global threat brought about by Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIdentity (2003)
Complete strangers stranded at a remote desert motel during a raging storm soon find themselves the target of a deranged murderer. As their numbers thin out, the travelers begin to turn on each other, as each tries to figure out who the killer is.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKill Me If You Dare (2024)
A winning lottery ticket has grave consequences for a married couple when they start hatching plans to kill each other for the prize money.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisStaycation (2023)
As a candid interview carries on between the country's leading virologist and a no-nonsense journalist, a couple separated between continents play catch up while a pandemic rages across the globe.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Spellbound (1945)
When Dr. Anthony Edwardes arrives at a Vermont mental hospital to replace the outgoing hospital director, Dr. Constance Peterson, a psychoanalyst, discovers Edwardes is actually an impostor. The man confesses that the real Dr. Edwardes is dead and fears he may have killed him, but cannot recall anything. Dr. Peterson, however is convinced his impostor is innocent of the man's murder, and joins him on a quest to unravel his amnesia through psychoanalysis.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Night of the Hunter (1955)
In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDirty Pretty Things (2002)
An undocumented immigrant finds a human heart in one of the toilets of the west London hotel where he works with other undocumented immigrants.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRock 'n' Roll Frankenstein (1999)
The movie follows Bernie, a record producer who persuades his nephew Frankie to create a new rock star that will help Bernie overcome his work related ennui. Iggy, the burnt out roadie pillages the graves of various celebrities such as Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and Sid Vicious, using the head of Elvis Presley to top things off. All goes according to plan until a mishap leads Iggy to steal Liberace's private parts instead of those of Jim Morrison. The monster is brought to life and is on the road to rock 'n' roll success when the Liberace side of the monster begins to assert itself, with tragic results. The result: a monster (Guggenheim) with the sex drive of a macho rock star and the sexual orientation of Liberace.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Frankenstein, the Vampire and Company (1962)
Two screwballs get mixed up with monsters, mad scientists and vampires.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
Ever since killing the Fisherman one year ago, Julie James is still haunted by images of him after her. When her best friend Karla wins free tickets to the Bahamas, Julie finds this a perfect opportunity to finally relax. But someone is waiting for her. Someone who she thought was dead. Someone who is out again for revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Breed (2006)
Brothers John and Matt have inherited an island cabin from their recently deceased uncle. Along with Matt's girlfriend, Nicki, and other mutual friends, the siblings travel to the cabin for a relaxing weekend getaway. But, not long after arriving, the group is besieged by ravenous dogs. They watch in horror as another vacationer, Luke, is eaten alive. Soon, they discover a training facility where the dogs have been bred to kill.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Head Above Water?
The closest matches to Head Above Water are The Dream Team (1989), Hostile Takeover (2025) and Gotcha! (1985). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Head Above Water?
Start with The Dream Team (1989), the closest match to Head Above Water.
What is the highest-rated movie like Head Above Water?
The Night of the Hunter (1955), rated 7.8/10 by 1,944 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Head Above Water?
The Family Plan 2 (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Head Above Water?
Yes: The Dream Team (1989), Hostile Takeover (2025) and Gotcha! (1985).
How are movies similar to Head Above Water chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Head Above Water, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.