Movies like The Big Idea
The best movies like The Big Idea are Show People (1928), Hard Luck (1921) and Stardust Memories (1980). If The Big Idea hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Big Idea
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDinner in America (2022)7.8/10 from 250 votes
- NewestThe 4:30 Movie (2024)Released 2024
Show People (1928)
Hollywood hopeful Peggy Pepper arrives at a major studio, from Georgia, to become a great dramatic star. Things don't go entirely according to plan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHard Luck (1921)
A down on his luck young man makes several attempts at committing suicide but fails them too. He then finds himself becoming more confident through a series of petty adventures, to such an extent that this becomes his undoing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStardust Memories (1980)
While attending a retrospect of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShanghaied (1915)
A shipowner intends to scuttle his ship on its last voyage to get the insurance money. Charlie, a tramp in love with the owner's daughter, is grabbed by the captain and promises to help him shanghai some seamen. The daughter stows away to follow Charlie. Charlie assists in the galley and attempts to serve food during a gale.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDinner in America (2022)
An on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with a local band go on an unexpected and epic journey together through the decaying suburbs of the American Midwest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this10 (1979)
A Hollywood songwriter goes through a mid-life crisis and becomes infatuated with a sexy blonde newlywed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMarvel One-Shot: All Hail the King (2014)
A documentary filmmaker interviews the now-famous Trevor Slattery from behind bars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoon Mater (2010)
Mater is the first tow truck on the moon! When an auto-naut gets stranded on his lunar mission, it's up to Mater to venture into space and tow him back to Earth (with a little help from his friend Lightning McQueen, of course).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Woman (1915)
Mother, father and daughter go to the park. The women doze off on a bench while the father plays a hide-and-seek game with a girl, blindfolded. Charlie leads him into a lake. Both dozing ladies on the bench fall for Charlie and invite him for dinner. The father returns home with a friend. Charlie rushes upstairs and dresses like a woman, shaving his mustache. Both men fall for Charlie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
A series of loosely connected skits that spoof news programs, commercials, porno films, kung-fu films, disaster films, blaxploitation films, spy films, mafia films, and the fear that somebody is watching you on the other side of the TV.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBowfinger (1999)
On the verge of bankruptcy and desperate for his big break, aspiring filmmaker Bobby Bowfinger concocts a crazy plan to make his ultimate dream movie. Rallying a ragtag team that includes a starry-eyed ingenue, a has-been diva and a film studio gofer, he sets out to shoot a blockbuster featuring the biggest star in Hollywood, Kit Ramsey -- only without letting Ramsey know he's in the picture.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisModern Romance (1981)
A film editor breaks up with his girlfriend, unsure if he is in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Autograph Hound (1939)
While trying to collect autographs at a Hollywood studio, Donald meets a number of movie stars, and runs afoul of a security guard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSecret Millionaire (2018)
When a bored millionaire (Steve Lund) is mistaken for a parking attendant by a beautiful girl (Siobhan Williams) who is protesting against his family’s intention of closing a local park, he uses the misunderstanding to get to know her better.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLaggies (2014)
Overeducated and underemployed, 28 year old Megan is in the throes of a quarterlife crisis. Squarely into adulthood with no career prospects, no particular motivation to think about her future and no one to relate to, Megan is comfortable lagging a few steps behind - while her friends check off milestones and celebrate their new grown-up status. When her high-school sweetheart proposes, Megan panics and- given an unexpected opportunity to escape for a week - hides out in the home of her new friend, 16-year old Annika and Annika's world-weary single dad Craig.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHello Ladies: The Movie (2014)
When Stuart learns that his British ex-girlfriend is planning to visit Los Angeles with her husband, he sets out to impress them with his glamorous lifestyle, enlisting a flaky Russian model he’s just met to play the role of his beautiful girlfriend. What could go wrong?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
Told in flashback form, the film traces the rise and fall of a tough, ambitious Hollywood producer, Jonathan Shields, as seen through the eyes of various acquaintances, including a writer, James Lee Bartlow; a star, Georgia Lorrison; and a director, Fred Amiel. He is a hard-driving, ambitious man who ruthlessly uses everyone on the way to becoming one of Hollywood's top movie makers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Big Picture (1989)
Hollywood beckons for recent film school grad Nick Chapman, who is out to capitalize on the momentum from his national award-winning student film. Studio executive Allen Habel seduces Nick with a dream deal to make his first feature, but once production gets rolling, corporate reality begins to intervene: Nick is unable to control a series of compromises to his high-minded vision, and it's all he can do to maintain his integrity in the midst of filmmaking chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe 4:30 Movie (2024)
In the summer of 1986, three sixteen year old friends spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local multiplex. But when one of the guys also invites the girl of his dreams to see the latest comedy, each of the teens learn more about life and love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like this
Like The Big Idea and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Big Idea?
The closest matches to The Big Idea are Show People (1928), Hard Luck (1921) and Stardust Memories (1980). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Big Idea?
Start with Show People (1928), the closest match to The Big Idea.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Big Idea?
Dinner in America (2022), rated 7.8/10 by 250 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Big Idea?
The 4:30 Movie (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Big Idea?
Yes: Show People (1928), Hard Luck (1921) and Stardust Memories (1980).
How are movies similar to The Big Idea chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Big Idea, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.