Movies like Present Laughter (1981)
The best movies like Present Laughter (1981) are Someone Like You... (2001), Noises Off... (1992) and Ricky Gervais: SuperNature (2022). If Present Laughter hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedJohn Mulaney: The Comeback Kid (2015)7.7/10 from 290 votes
- NewestRicky Gervais: SuperNature (2022)Released 2022
Someone Like You... (2001)
Jane Goodale has everything going for her. She's a producer on a popular daytime talk show, and is in a hot romance with the show's dashing executive producer Ray. But when the relationship goes terribly awry, Jane begins an extensive study of the male animal, including her womanizing roommate Eddie. Jane puts her studies and romantic misadventure to use as a pseudonymous sex columnist -- and becomes a sensation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNoises Off... (1992)
Hired to helm an Americanized take on a British play, director Lloyd Fellowes does his best to control an eccentric group of stage actors. With a star actress quickly passing her prime, a male lead with no confidence, and a bit actor that's rarely sober, chaos ensues in the lead up to a Broadway premiere.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRicky Gervais: SuperNature (2022)
With his signature pitch-black sense of humor, Ricky Gervais takes the stage at the London Palladium in this provocative stand-up comedy special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRicky Gervais: Humanity (2018)
In his first special in seven years, Ricky Gervais slings his trademark snark at celebrity, mortality and a society that takes everything personally.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMr. Bones (2001)
A medicine man is sent looking for the son of his tribal king, and brings back an American golfer and a host of goons intent on keeping him in the golf tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIsn't It Romantic (2019)
For a long time, Natalie, an Australian architect living in New York City, had always believed that what she had seen in rom-coms is all fantasy. But after thwarting a mugger at a subway station only to be knocked out while fleeing, Natalie wakes up and discovers that her life has suddenly become her worst nightmare—a romantic comedy—and she is the leading lady.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boys in the Band (1970)
Harold is celebrating a birthday, and his friend Michael has drafted some other friends to help commemorate the event. As the evening progresses, an unexpected guest shows up, the alcohol flows, the knives come out, and dormant and unspoken emotions are unleashed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAuthor! Author! (1982)
While facing the stress of his original play being produced on Broadway, playwright Ivan Travalian deals with having to raise his son, his stepdaughters, and his stepsons.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982)
Monty Python perform many of their greatest sketches at the Hollywood Bowl, including several from pre-Python days.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBad (1977)
Hazel runs a beauty salon out of her house, but makes extra money by providing ruthless women the oppurtunity to perform hit jobs. L.T. is a parasite, and contacts Hazel looking for work after he runs out of money. She is reluctant to use him for a hit, since she prefers using women, but decides to try him on a trial basis. Meanwhile, the cop she pays off wants an arrest to make it look like he's doing his job, but Hazel doesn't want to sacrifice any of her "associates". The sleazy side of life is explored in this delightfully dark and deadpan film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChris Rock: Kill the Messenger (2008)
An HBO special edited from three performances from Chris Rock's 2008 comedy tour: London (dark suit, dark shirt), Johannesburg (black suit, white shirt) and New York (shiny jacket). Topics include the ongoing presidential campaign, the possibility of a black president, George W. Bush, gas prices, low-paid jobs, ringtones and bottled water, sex, relationships and the correct use of the n-word
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKevin Hart: I'm a Grown Little Man (2009)
Fresh off the heels of appearing in movies like Superhero Movie and The 40 Year-Old Virgin, fast-talking comedian Kevin Hart stars in this live stand-up performance where he makes fun of everything and everybody - especially himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHellzapoppin' (1941)
Olsen and Johnson, a pair of stage comedians, try to turn their play into a movie and bring together a young couple in love, while breaking the fourth wall every step of the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCall Me Lucky (2015)
An inspiring, triumphant and wickedly funny portrait of one of comedy’s most enigmatic and important figures, CALL ME LUCKY tells the story of Barry Crimmins, a beer-swilling, politically outspoken and whip-smart comic whose efforts in the 70s and 80s fostered the talents of the next generation of standup comedians. But beneath Crimmins’ gruff, hard-drinking, curmudgeonly persona lay an undercurrent of rage stemming from his long-suppressed and horrific abuse as a child – a rage that eventually found its way out of the comedy clubs and television shows and into the political arena.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBill Burr: Why Do I Do This? (2008)
One of America's fastest-rising comedians, Bill Burr wields his razor-sharp wit with rare skill. In this brand-new stand-up performance, Bill takes aim at the stuff that drives us crazy, political correctness gone haywire, and girlfriends, or as he calls them: relentless psycho robots. A keenly observant social commentator, Bill Burr is also one of the funniest voices in comedy today.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJohn Mulaney: The Comeback Kid (2015)
Armed with boyish charm and a sharp wit, the former "SNL" writer offers sly takes on marriage, his beef with babies and the time he met Bill Clinton.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMuch Ado About Nothing (2013)
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEternal Beauty (2020)
When Jane is rejected by life, she spirals into a chaotic, schizophrenic world where love and normality collide with humorous consequences.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe King of Staten Island (2020)
Scott has been a case of arrested development ever since his firefighter father died when he was seven. He's now reached his mid-20s having achieved little, chasing a dream of becoming a tattoo artist that seems far out of reach. As his ambitious younger sister heads off to college, Scott is still living with his exhausted ER nurse mother and spends his days smoking weed, hanging with the guys — Oscar, Igor and Richie — and secretly hooking up with his childhood friend Kelsey. But when his mother starts dating a loudmouth firefighter named Ray, it sets off a chain of events that will force Scott to grapple with his grief and take his first tentative steps toward moving forward in life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Present Laughter?
The closest matches to Present Laughter are Someone Like You... (2001), Noises Off... (1992) and Ricky Gervais: SuperNature (2022). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Present Laughter?
Start with Someone Like You... (2001), the closest match to Present Laughter.
What is the highest-rated movie like Present Laughter?
John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid (2015), rated 7.7/10 by 290 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Present Laughter?
Ricky Gervais: SuperNature (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Present Laughter?
Yes: Someone Like You... (2001), Noises Off... (1992) and Ricky Gervais: SuperNature (2022).
How are movies similar to Present Laughter chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Present Laughter, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.