Movies like Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978)
The best movies like Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978) are Fist Fight (2017), Life of the Party (2018) and Three O'Clock High (1987). If Harper Valley P.T.A. hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedHeathers (1989)7.3/10 from 1,989 votes
- NewestBad Apples (2026)Released 2026
Fist Fight (2017)
When one school teacher gets the other fired, he is challenged to an after-school fight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLife of the Party (2018)
When her husband suddenly dumps her, longtime dedicated housewife Deanna turns regret into re-set by going back to college... landing in the same class and school as her daughter, who's not entirely sold on the idea. Plunging headlong into the campus experience, the increasingly outspoken Deanna – now Dee Rock – embraces freedom, fun, and frat boys on her own terms, finding her true self in a senior year no one ever expected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThree O'Clock High (1987)
Nerdy high schooler Jerry Mitchell is assigned to write an article for the school paper about the infamous new delinquent transfer student, Buddy Revell. When Jerry accidentally invades Buddy's personal space and touches him, Buddy challenges Jerry to an afterschool fight in the parking lot, which Jerry tries to avoid at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Simple Favor (2018)
Stephanie, a dedicated mother and popular vlogger, befriends Emily, a mysterious upper-class woman whose son Nicky attends the same school as Miles, Stephanie's son. When Emily asks her to pick Nicky up from school and then disappears, Stephanie undertakes an investigation that will dive deep into Emily's cloudy past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHouse Party (1990)
Young Kid has been invited to a party at his friend Play's house. But after a fight at school, Kid's father grounds him. None the less, Kid sneaks out when his father falls asleep. But Kid doesn't know that three of the thugs at school have decided to give him a lesson in behavior.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican Reunion (2012)
The characters we met a little more than a decade ago return to East Great Falls for their high school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn’t, and that time and distance can’t break the bonds of friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sweet East (2023)
A picaresque journey through contemporary America, undertaken by a young woman granted access to the strange sects and cults that proliferate in this country by a series of gatekeepers eager to win her over.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHeathers (1989)
A girl who halfheartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics: by killing the popular kids.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBad Apples (2026)
A struggling primary school teacher is forced to take drastic action because of a foul-mouthed, violent student, and uncovers how her community will turn a blind eye to the most outrageous events to preserve harmony and their sense of safety.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpa Weekend (2026)
Four lifelong friends realize that somewhere between careers, relationships, families, and everyday responsibilities, they’ve forgotten how to take care of themselves and each other. Burned out and overdue for a break, the women escape to a luxury spa retreat for an unforgettable weekend dedicated to fun, laughter, and a lot of really bad decisions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boss (2016)
A titan of industry is sent to prison after she's caught for insider trading. When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America's latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisPretty Persuasion (2005)
A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher of sexual harassment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisPlan B (2021)
After a regrettable first sexual encounter, a straight-laced high school student and her slacker best friend have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill in America's heartland.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClear History (2013)
Nathan Flomm, in order to avoid the humiliation of having missed out on a hugely successful business, assumes a new identity on Martha's Vineyard. He plots revenge when his former business partner moves to the same town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (2005)
Sarah Silverman appears before an audience in Los Angeles with several sketches, taped outside the theater, intercut into the stand-up performance. Themes include race, sex, and religion. Her comic persona is a self-centered hipster, brash and clueless about her political incorrectness. A handful of musical numbers punctuate the performance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDriver's Ed (2026)
A group of teens hit the road in a stolen driver's ed car, racing against time to help a lovesick high school senior track down his college-freshman girlfriend and win her back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBottoms (2023)
Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie start a high school self-defense club to meet girls and lose their virginity. They soon find themselves in over their heads when the most popular students start beating each other up in the name of self-defense.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisReunion (2024)
Centers on a murder that takes place at a high school reunion, unfolding during a snowstorm that leaves guests trapped in an isolated mansion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWet Hot American Summer (2001)
It's the last day of Camp Firewood's season, but there's still time for the big talent show, a little romance… and for everyone to be wiped out by the piece of NASA's Skylab that's hurtling toward Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSteve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life (2018)
Comedians and writers Steve Martin and Martin Short perform a live comedy set with music by The Steep Canyon Rangers and jazz pianist, Jeff Babko, at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAddicted to Love (1997)
Good-natured astronomer Sam is devastated when the love of his life leaves him for a suave Frenchman. He therefore does what every other normal dumpee would do — go to New York and set up home in the abandoned building opposite his ex-girlfriend's apartment, wait until she decides to leave her current lover, and then win her back.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWatch Your Step (1984)
Last school days of one graduating generation. They should say goodbye to a part of life, part from their friends, and there is also uncertainty, hope, plans, wild love "for the rest of the life", and parents with their ambitions, and it would be all incomplete, if not for professors who are slowly losing their authority. Senior prom is the central place for serious and funny events in which parents, professors and pupils are involved.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
29 years since the Black Flame Candle was last lit, the 17th-century Sanderson sisters are resurrected, and they are looking for revenge. Now it's up to three high school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow's Eve.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like this#realityhigh (2017)
When nerdy high schooler Dani finally attracts the interest of her longtime crush, she lands in the cross hairs of his ex, a social media celebrity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPink Guinea Pig (2014)
A student forms the Trio Detective Group to solve the Demonic Pink Guinea Pig case that is threatening the school -- and to attract a girl’s attention.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Say Anything... (1989)
Average student and eternal optimist Lloyd Dobler seeks to capture the heart of Diane Court, a beautiful but unattainable valedictorian classmate. He surprises just about everyone - including himself - when she returns the sentiment. However, Diane's divorced, over-protective father soon begins to disapprove of the match, and Lloyd realises that it's going to take more than just the power of love to conquer all.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSmall Change (1976)
The lives of a motherless young man, who's just starting to find interest in women, and his physically abused, poverty stricken friend, are mixed with more or less innocent childhood experiences and challenges most their age experience.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTinsel Town (2025)
A washed-up Hollywood action hero is tricked into starring in a small English town’s chaotic Christmas pantomime, where a straight-talking dance instructor and his estranged daughter just might help him rediscover the magic of the season.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Never Have I Ever (2009)
Charlie Brandis leads a quiet and uneventful life as a wallflower. His parents trust him, his friends like him, girls are indifferent toward him. Then there's the girl he's watched from afar, Annie Briggs, who doesn't even know he exists. Until today. For today, the powers of fate conspire against him when jock friend Gary decides to throw a party at Charlie's house because the Brandis parents are away; a party specifically orchestrated to do one thing, put Charlie and Annie (who is unaware of this plan) together. The wrench comes in the form of Gary's older sister Margot, a girl who Charlie has also loved from afar, and who might be interested in him as well. The question is, when will Charlie stop doing things because other people want him to and take stock in his own situation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Bandidas (2006)
When a ruthless robber baron takes away everything they cherish, a rough-and-tumble, idealistic peasant and a sophisticated heiress embark on a quest for justice, vengeance…and a few good heists.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Harper Valley P.T.A.?
The closest matches to Harper Valley P.T.A. are Fist Fight (2017), Life of the Party (2018) and Three O'Clock High (1987). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Harper Valley P.T.A.?
Start with Fist Fight (2017), the closest match to Harper Valley P.T.A..
What is the highest-rated movie like Harper Valley P.T.A.?
Heathers (1989), rated 7.3/10 by 1,989 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Harper Valley P.T.A.?
Bad Apples (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Harper Valley P.T.A.?
Yes: Fist Fight (2017), Life of the Party (2018) and Three O'Clock High (1987).
How are movies similar to Harper Valley P.T.A. chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Harper Valley P.T.A., then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.