Movies like Like a Fish Out of Water
The best movies like Like a Fish Out of Water are The Trouble with Angels (1966), Lemon Popsicle (1978) and Crossing Delancey (1988). If Like a Fish Out of Water hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Like a Fish Out of Water
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Ron Clark Story (2006)7.6/10 from 201 votes
- NewestThe Penguin Lessons (2025)Released 2025
The Trouble with Angels (1966)
Mary and her friend, Rachel, are new students at St. Francis Academy, a boarding school run by the iron fist of Mother Superior. The immature teens grow bored and begin playing pranks on both the unsuspecting nuns and their unpleasant classmates, becoming a constant thorn in Mother Superior's side. However, as the years pass, Mary and Rachel slowly mature and begin to see the nuns in a different light.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLemon Popsicle (1978)
Benji, Bobby, and Huey are three 17 year olds who spend their days chasing girls and hanging out at Montana's Ice Cream Parlor. In their constant pursuit for sex, they are caught in the apartment of local nymphomaniac Stella by her boyfriend and get more than they bargained for from hooker Ze Ze! Meanwhile, Benji has fallen for new girl Nikki and is the only person who comes to her aid after Bobby gets her pregnant then dumps her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrossing Delancey (1988)
Thirty-something Isabelle spends her time going from her tiny, solitary West Side apartment to that of her grandmother on the Lower East Side. While her grandmother plots to find her a romantic match, Isabelle is courted by a married, worldly author, Anton, yet can't seem to shake the down-to-earth appeal of Sam, a pickle vendor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisSummer School (1987)
A high-school gym teacher has big plans for the summer, but is forced to cancel them to teach a "bonehead" English class for misfit goof-off students. Fortunately, his unconventional brand of teaching fun field trips begins to connect with them, and even inspires ardor in some.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Ron Clark Story (2006)
Passionate and innovative teacher Ron Clark leaves his small hometown to teach in one of Harlem's toughest schools. But to break through to the students, he must use unconventional methods, including his ground-breaking classroom rules, to help them reach their potential. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMr. Morgan's Last Love (2013)
A widowed professor living in Paris develops a special relationship with a younger French woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbe (2020)
A 12-year-old boy from Brooklyn tries to unite his half-Israeli and half-Palestinian family through cooking.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHot Bubblegum (1981)
Further adventures of Bobby, Benji, and Huey in their pursuit of sex in the 50's. While preparing for their final exams, they try to work out if it's better to be going steady with one girl, and if changing girlfriends all the time leads to too many complications. This leads to frustrations with girls who wont go all the way, and problems with girls will go all the way with anyone!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisMarty (1955)
Marty, a butcher who lives in the Bronx with his mother, is unmarried at 34. Good-natured but socially awkward, he faces constant badgering from family and friends to get married but has reluctantly resigned himself to bachelorhood. He then meets Clara, an unattractive school teacher. Realising their emotional connection, Marty promises to call, but family and friends try to convince him not to.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNativity! (2009)
Paul, charged with directing his school's Nativity play, falsely boasts that his ex-girlfriend plans to turn the production into a film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Rewrite (2014)
An Oscar-winning writer in a slump leaves Hollywood to teach screenwriting at a college on the East Coast, where he falls for a single mom taking classes there.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Immigrant (1917)
A European immigrant endures a challenging voyage only to get into trouble as soon as he arrives in New York.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOnce Around (1991)
A struggling woman finds unexpected love with a charismatic older salesman at a real estate seminar. Their passionate relationship clashes with the values of her family, particularly her father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClass Rank (2017)
Two high school misfits join forces in an attempt to overtake the local school board. Guided by their families, they enter the perilous word of politics and, in the process, learn a thing or two about love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKeeping the Faith (2000)
Best friends since they were kids, Rabbi Jacob Schram and Father Brian Finn are dynamic and popular young men living and working on New York's Upper West Side. When Anna Reilly, once their childhood friend and now grown into a beautiful corporate executive, suddenly returns to the city, she reenters Jake and Brian's lives and hearts with a vengeance. Sparks fly and an unusual and complicated love triangle ensues.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoly Lands (2019)
When lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife Monica is trying to manage the lives of their adult children, Annabelle and David, as well as her own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirlfriends (1978)
A photographer and her best friend are roommates. She is stuck with small-change shooting jobs and dreams of success. When her roommate decides to get married and leave, she feels hurt and has to learn how to deal with living alone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Penguin Lessons (2025)
In 1976, as Argentina descends into violence and chaos, a world-weary English teacher regains his compassion for others thanks to an unlikely friendship with a penguin.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMr. Jealousy (1998)
After his first date at age 15 ended with the girl making out with another man at a party, aspiring writer Lester Grimm has treated all his girlfriends with jealousy and suspicion. While dating Ramona Ray, paranoia gets the best of him when he discovers that her most recent ex is successful novelist Dashiell Frank. Lester begins attending the same group therapy sessions as Dashiell to learn about Ramona's past with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisDo Revenge (2022)
A dethroned queen bee at a posh private high school strikes a secret deal with an unassuming new student to enact revenge on one another’s enemies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Like a Fish Out of Water?
The closest matches to Like a Fish Out of Water are The Trouble with Angels (1966), Lemon Popsicle (1978) and Crossing Delancey (1988). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Like a Fish Out of Water?
Start with The Trouble with Angels (1966), the closest match to Like a Fish Out of Water.
What is the highest-rated movie like Like a Fish Out of Water?
The Ron Clark Story (2006), rated 7.6/10 by 201 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Like a Fish Out of Water?
The Penguin Lessons (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Like a Fish Out of Water chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Like a Fish Out of Water, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.