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Movies like Happy Birthday My Dear (2011)

The best movies like Happy Birthday My Dear (2011) are Zero Effect (1998), Garage Sale Mystery: A Case Of Murder (2017) and Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery (2018). If Happy Birthday My Dear hooked you with its mystery and comedy, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. Zero Effect (1998)

    Daryl Zero is a private investigator and—along with his assistant, Steve Arlo—he solves impossible crimes and puzzles. Although Daryl's a master investigator, he doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not working; he has no social skills, writes bad music and drives Steve crazy.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & comedy

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  2. Garage Sale Mystery: A Case Of Murder (2017)

    Jenn buys an old reel-to-reel recorder at a garage sale only to find that it includes the sound of a man pleading for his life. When the former owner of the recorder, a retired therapist, is found murdered in a patient’s apartment, Jenn’s investigation leads to other patients whose love lives are more entangled than she was first led to believe.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  3. Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery (2018)

    Archaeologist Emma Fielding is hired to consult on the acquisition of a castle-like estate that local legend states is cursed. But she finds herself in the middle of a murder case after discovering the body of the archaeologist she was hired to shadow in a secret chamber in the bowels of the huge building. Assisted by her friend, FBI special agent Jim Conner, Fielding must sift through clues and a long list of suspects, each of whom has their own reason for wanting the man dead, to determine who is the killer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  4. Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Reunited and It Feels So Deadly (2020)

    Aurora's high school reunion turns deadly when a body is found in the hotel pool. Aurora and her Real Murders Club help investigate which classmate was most likely to kill.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  5. Real Murders: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2015)

    Aurora finds a member of her crime buff group, the Real Murders Club, killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss. As other brutal "copycat" killings follow, Aurora will have to uncover the person behind the terrifying game.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  6. A Bundle of Trouble: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2017)

    Aurora Teagarden and her boyfriend Martin are thrilled when they get an unexpected visit from his niece and her new baby. Their excitement is short lived when his niece disappears and the baby is left behind. Once again, Aurora finds herself drawn into a deadly investigation as she risks it all to help Martin reunite with his family.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  7. Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery (2017)

    Brilliant, dedicated, and driven, archaeologist Emma Fielding is trying to unearth evidence of a 17th century coastal Maine settlement that predates Jamestown, one of the most significant archaeological finds in years. But the dead body that accompanies it has embroiled Emma and her students in a different kind of exploration.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  8. Riddled with Deceit: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (2020)

    Former detective Jeff Jackson teams up with Dr. Zee Madieras to track down their friend's missing emerald brooch, a thief, and also... a murderer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. A Bone to Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2015)

    A librarian with a sharp mind for murder, Aurora Teagarden is known around her small town as a master sleuth. When her friend Jane unexpectedly dies and leaves Aurora everything in her will, she also leaves a troubling murder mystery haunting her neighborhood. It is up to Aurora to piece together the clues—including a skull, its missing skeleton and a suspicious group of neighbors—and solve the murder before she becomes the unlikely killer’s next victim.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  10. The Julius House: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2016)

    Aurora Teagarden is a beautiful young librarian with a passion for solving murders. After an exhaustive search for the perfect home, Aurora finally purchases her dream house, unaware of its murky history. As she prepares to move in, Aurora discovers that the family who once lived there mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  11. Last Scene Alive: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2018)

    There is excitement in the air when a Hollywood crew comes to Lawrenceton to film a movie about the town’s sleuthy librarian, Aurora Teagarden. However, when the film’s leading lady is found murdered in her dressing room, Aurora enlists her Real Murders Club members to help gather clues. At the same time, she experiences mounting concern that Aida is becoming attracted to the film’s director who, like everyone else working on the set that day, is considered a suspect. And this time around Martin is especially worried about Aurora’s safety after learning that the film’s screenwriter, who has a romantic history with her, emerges as the prime suspect.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage (1986)

    Faced with two false confessions and numerous suspects after a despised civil magistrate is found shot in the local vicarage, Detective Inspector Slack reluctantly accepts help from Miss Marple.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  13. The Caveman's Valentine (2001)

    Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery

  14. The Assault (2014)

    After a cheerleader is sexually assaulted by the high school football team, she must overcome her shame and use the evidence gathered from the subsequent social media firestorm to piece together the night that she can't remember in her fight for justice. Based on the true story of the Steubenville, Ohio rape case.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  15. The Deadly Affair (1967)

    Charles Dobbs is a British secret agent investigating the apparent suicide of Foreign Office official Samuel Fennan. Dobbs suspects that Fennan's wife, Elsa, a survivor of a Nazi Germany extermination camp, might have some clues, but other officials want Dobbs to drop the case. So Dobbs hires a retiring inspector, Mendel, to quietly make inquiries. Dobbs isn't at all sure as there are a number of anomalies that simply can't be explained away. Dobbs is also having trouble at home with his errant wife, whom he very much loves, having frequent affairs. He's also pleased to see an old friend, Dieter Frey, who he recruited after the war. With the assistance of a colleague and a retired policeman, Dobbs tries to piece together just who is the spy and who in fact assassinated Fennan.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

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  16. Song of the Thin Man (1947)

    While attending a glamorous jazz cruise on New York’s East River, Nick and Nora Charles witness the fatal shooting of a wealthy patron. When suspicion falls on a young bandleader and his musicians, the couple steps in to clear their friends and uncover the real killer. Their investigation leads through a lively world of jazz clubs, radio personalities, high society, and backstage rivalries, where almost everyone has a secret and the next clue may be hidden in the music.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & mystery

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  17. Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (2012)

    Jesse finds himself struggling to get his job back as the Paradise police chief, and he is forced to rely on his cop intuition to sort through a maze of misleading clues and hidden meanings as he attempts to solve a shocking and horrifying mob-related double homicide.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  18. Suburbicon (2017)

    In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and murder.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery

  19. A Beautiful Place to Die: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery (2020)

    After being forced into early retirement, former detective Jeff Jackson returns to a quiet life on Martha's Vineyard. Quiet, at least, until a body washes up and he's drawn back into crime solving.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & drama

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. I Am All Girls (2021)

    A special crimes investigator forms an unlikely bond with a serial killer to bring down a global child sex trafficking syndicate.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & mystery

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this

Like Happy Birthday My Dear and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Happy Birthday My Dear?

The closest matches to Happy Birthday My Dear are Zero Effect (1998), Garage Sale Mystery: A Case Of Murder (2017) and Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery (2018). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Happy Birthday My Dear?

Start with Zero Effect (1998), the closest match to Happy Birthday My Dear.

What is the highest-rated movie like Happy Birthday My Dear?

I Am All Girls (2021), rated 6.5/10 by 335 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Happy Birthday My Dear?

I Am All Girls (2021) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like Happy Birthday My Dear?

Yes: Zero Effect (1998), Garage Sale Mystery: A Case Of Murder (2017) and Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery (2018).

How are movies similar to Happy Birthday My Dear chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Happy Birthday My Dear, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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