Movies like Not What I Asked For (2023)
The best movies like Not What I Asked For (2023) are Christmas...Again?! (2021), Just Another Christmas (2020) and The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012). If Not What I Asked For hooked you with its drama and comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Celebration (1998)7.7/10 from 1,344 votes
- NewestNothing left but the horizon (2025)Released 2025
Christmas...Again?! (2021)
Rowena "Ro" is a high-spirited 11-year-old hoping to add more spunk to her Christmas celebrations when her parents’ divorce is going anything but smoothly.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJust Another Christmas (2020)
After taking a very nasty fall on Christmas Eve, grinchy Jorge blacks out and wakes up one year later, with no memory of the year that has passed. He soon realizes that he’s doomed to keep waking up on Christmas Eve after Christmas Eve, having to deal with the aftermath of what his other self has done the other 364 days of the year.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)
A childless couple bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though Timothy Green is not all that he appears.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSlumberland (2022)
A young girl discovers a secret map to the dreamworld of Slumberland, and with the help of an eccentric outlaw, she traverses dreams and flees nightmares, with the hope that she will be able to see her late father again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAfterlife of the Party (2021)
A social butterfly who dies during her birthday week is given a second chance to right her wrongs on Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMickey's House of Villains (2002)
The villains from the popular animated Disney films are gathered at the House of Mouse with plans to take over. Soon, the villains take over the house and kick out Mickey, Donald and Goofy. It's all up to Mickey and his friends to overthrow evil and return the House of Mouse to normal--or as close to normal as it gets.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997)
When Toaster and the gang spark friendships with the playful animals at the veterinary hospital, they soon discover their new pals are about to be sent to a testing laboratory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristopher Robin (2018)
Christopher Robin, the boy who had countless adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood, has grown up and lost his way. Now it’s up to his spirited and loveable stuffed animals, Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and the rest of the gang, to rekindle their friendship and remind him of endless days of childlike wonder and make-believe, when doing nothing was the very best something.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRoll Bounce (2005)
In the summer of 1978, a teenager and his group of friends face new challenges when their neighborhood roller-skating rink closes, forcing them to visit a different rink.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBurn Your Maps (2016)
A family in emotional turmoil is taken by surprise in this quirky adventure where an eccentric 8-year-old American boy, Wes, has an existential epiphany - He believes that he is in fact a Mongolian goat herder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKermit's Swamp Years (2002)
At 12 years old, Kermit the Frog and best friends Goggles and Croaker travel outside their homes in the swamps of the Deep South to do something extraordinary with their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Willoughbys (2020)
When the four Willoughby children are abandoned by their selfish parents, they must learn how to adapt their Old-Fashioned values to the contemporary world in order to create something new: The Modern Family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMinutemen (2008)
When three high-school friends invent a time-machine, they decide to use it to go back in time and prevent other youngsters from making humiliating mistakes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisDear Eleanor (2016)
Two teenage girls travel across the U.S. in 1962, during the chaos of the Cuban missile crisis, in search of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisDino Time (2012)
Young daredevil Ernie, his sister Julia, and his best friend Max accidentally trip a time-machine into operation and find themselves transported back in time 65 million years, where they meet a T-rex named Tyra and her rambunctious son Dodger.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 12 Days of Christmas Eve (2022)
When Brian Conway, a successful businessman whose family relationships have suffered, gets in a car accident on Christmas Eve, Santa gives him twelve chances to redo the day and repair the relationships in his life, including with his daughter Michelle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this17 Again (2009)
On the brink of a midlife crisis, 30-something Mike O'Donnell wishes he could have a "do-over." And that's exactly what he gets when he wakes up one morning to find he's 17 years old again. With his adult mind stuck inside the body of a teenager, Mike actually has the chance to reverse some decisions he wishes he'd never made. But maybe they weren't so bad after all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSneakerella (2022)
When El, an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens, meets Kira King, the fiercely independent daughter of legendary basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King, sparks fly as the two bond over their mutual affinity for sneakers. With a little nudge from his best friend and a sprinkle of Fairy Godfather magic, El finds the courage to use his talent to pursue his dream of becoming a ‘legit’ sneaker designer in the industry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire (2000)
Littlefoot and his pals set off in search of a "stone of cold fire" that fell from the night sky. Since he's the only one who has seen it though, nobody really believes him. Petrie's uncle Pterano offers support only because he thinks the stone has secret powers and wants it for himself but conceals this from the rest. The young dinos must figure out the truth, before Pterano gets the power.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui (2004)
In the time before time, six unlikely Matoran find themselves transformed into mighty Toa. The new Toa Metru must prove themselves as true heroes, find the missing Toa Lhikan, and uncover a plot that threatens the heart of Metru Nui.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both fantasy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Little Prince (1979)
The Little Prince questions the universe in this story of innocence and wonder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & drama
All About My Mother (1999)
Following the tragic death of her teenage son, Manuela travels from Madrid to Barcelona in an attempt to contact the long-estranged father the boy never knew. She reunites with an old friend, an outspoken transgender sex worker, and befriends a troubled actress and a pregnant, HIV-positive nun.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGroundhog Day (1993)
A cynical TV weatherman, along with his idealistic producer and his sardonic cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both fantasy & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTyrel (2018)
Tyler joins his friend on a trip to the Catskills for a weekend birthday party with several people he doesn’t know. As soon as they get there, it’s clear that (1) he’s the only black guy, and (2) it’s going to be a weekend of heavy drinking. Although Tyler is welcomed, he can’t help but feel uneasy in “Whitesville.” The combination of all the testosterone and alcohol starts to get out of hand, and Tyler’s precarious situation starts to feel like a nightmare.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against expectations. As a New Year's resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. Her charming boss takes an interest in her, and she cannot stop running into a rather disagreeable acquaintance whom Bridget cannot help finding quietly attractive.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNagabonar Becomes 2 (2007)
In this sequel to Nagabonar (1986), the now old Nagabonar was asked to live with Bonaga, his foreign educated son, for a while in Jakarta. This was an effort by Bonaga to ask Nagabonar's permission to turn the family palm plantation into a resort. This outraged Nagabonar since the family cemetery was in the plantation. Distraught, he left his son's house and got himself lost in Jakarta.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & comedy
De Vuelta (2022)
It's Gabby's birthday and she decides to celebrate it by inviting her closest friends to a party in the house she grew up in. This leads her to reminisce about her childhood memories.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
East of Eden (1955)
In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Celebration (1998)
The family of a wealthy businessman gather to celebrate his 60th birthday. During the course of the party, his eldest son presents a speech that reveals a devastating secret that turns the night into a battle of truth and denial.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNothing left but the horizon (2025)
A young french man discovers a letter written in mandarin in an antique shop in France. After having it translated, he becomes captivated by its content and, on a whim, decides to travel to China to follow in the footsteps of the woman in the letter, to see what she experienced, her thoughts, her doubts, the things that shaped her, and what made her who she is.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Not What I Asked For?
The closest matches to Not What I Asked For are Christmas...Again?! (2021), Just Another Christmas (2020) and The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Not What I Asked For?
Start with Christmas...Again?! (2021), the closest match to Not What I Asked For.
What is the highest-rated movie like Not What I Asked For?
The Celebration (1998), rated 7.7/10 by 1,344 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Not What I Asked For?
Nothing left but the horizon (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Not What I Asked For chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Not What I Asked For, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.