Movies like Houseboat (1958)
The best movies like Houseboat (1958) are Starting Over (1979), Splendor (1999) and Romance & Cigarettes (2006). If Houseboat hooked you with its comedy and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest rated¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023)8.4/10 from 378 votes
- NewestYou're Cordially Invited (2025)Released 2025
Starting Over (1979)
After divorcing his ambitious singer wife, a middle-aged man begins a new relationship with a teacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSplendor (1999)
Veronica is a white-bread beauty searching for a good man in Los Angeles. While slam dancing at a Halloween rave, she meets Abel, a sensitive poet. Then she meets Zed, a supersexy tattooed drummer with incredible biceps. Who will she choose? Does she go for true love or cheap sex? She can't decide so she chooses both. But after managing to nurture a picture-perfect threesome, along comes Ernest, a rich movie director with deep baby blues that sweep Veronica off her feet. What's a girl to do now?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRomance & Cigarettes (2006)
Ironworker Nick lives with his wife, Kitty, and three daughters. When he meets a significantly younger woman, Tula, he starts an affair with her, much to the chagrin of his wife, and his life is thrown into upheaval. Kitty kicks Nick out of the house, and he is forced to make some difficult decisions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Hard Feelings (2023)
On the brink of losing her childhood home, Maddie discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to “date” their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy, before he leaves for college. To her surprise, Maddie soon discovers the awkward Percy is no sure thing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisButterflies Are Free (1972)
Striving to be independent, the blind but determined Don Baker moves away from his overprotective mother. After settling into his new San Francisco digs, Don meets kooky neighbor Jill Tanner. Don's quick wit and good looks disarm the free-spirited Jill, and before long they're more than just friends. Will Mrs. Baker's incessant meddling destroy Don and Jill's budding relationship?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like this¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023)
Lu, a conformist woman in her forties, learns that her 15-year partner has been having extramarital affairs. Starting from scratch, she gets involved in an unexpected relationship with a young womanizer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFeast of the Seven Fishes (2019)
A slice of life story that follows a large Italian family on Christmas Eve as they prepare for the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes, reminisce about the past and seek love in the future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirl on a Bicycle (2013)
Paolo, an Italian tour bus driver living in Paris, has just summoned up the courage to propose marriage to his German girlfriend Greta. However, a chance encounter with a French woman on a bicycle the very next day turns Paolo's life upside down.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisPuppy Love (2023)
After a disastrous first date, wild-child Nicole and socially-anxious Max vow to lose each other’s numbers until they learn that their dogs found a love match, and now puppies are on the way! The hilariously mismatched Nicole and Max are forced to become responsible co-parents, but may end up finding love themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnchors Aweigh (1945)
Two sailors on shore leave head out for four days of partying – only to become involved in the affairs of an aspiring singer and her precocious nephew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBye Bye Love (1995)
With varying degrees of success, recently divorced friends Dave, Vic and Donny are trying to move on with their lives. Vic feels vilified by his ex-wife's parents, while Donny has a shaky bond with his teen daughter, Emma. Dave, meanwhile, has an enviable problem -- he has more dates than he can handle. As they confront their post-marital challenges, the men take solace in one another's plights.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLoverboy (1989)
Randy Bodek works as a pizza delivery boy at Señor Pizza to make a few extra bucks. Some customers are special, though: When the order is for a pizza with extra anchovies, it means the female customers are looking for some loving. But, as Randy soon learns, life as a professional gigolo can get pretty complicated.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSex Appeal (2022)
Avery, a teenager with a tendency towards perfectionism, enlists her friend Larson to help her prepare for her first time with her long-distance boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Be Single (2016)
New York City is full of lonely hearts seeking the right match, and what Alice, Robin, Lucy, Meg, Tom and David all have in common is the need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYou're Cordially Invited (2025)
When two weddings are accidentally booked on the same day at the same venue, each bridal party is challenged with preserving their family's special moment while making the most of the unanticipated tight quarters. In a hilarious battle of determination and grit, the father of the bride and sister of the other bride chaotically go head-to-head as they stop at nothing to uphold an unforgettable celebration for their loved ones.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Incredible Jessica James (2017)
Burned by a bad breakup, a struggling New York City playwright makes an unlikely connection with a divorced app designer she meets on a blind date.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDesperados (2020)
A panicked young woman and her two best friends fly to Mexico to delete a ranting email she sent to her new boyfriend. On arrival, they run into her former beau, who soon gets caught up in their frantic scheme.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Right Kind of Wrong (2013)
A stubborn idealist spies a bride on her way to her wedding and immediately falls in love with her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Knack... and How to Get It (1965)
A nebbish schoolteacher begs his smooth (and misogynistic) pal to teach him 'the knack' – how to score with women. Serendipitously, the men meet up with a new girl in town, as well as a friendly lunatic who can’t help but paint things white.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlayers (2024)
New York sportswriter Mack has spent years devising successful hook-up "plays" with her friends, but when she unexpectedly falls for one of her targets, she must learn what it takes to go from simply scoring to playing for keeps.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFalling for the Manny (2023)
When single mom Alice finds herself up for partner at her firm, there's just one obstacle - the annual partners 'family' retreat. Alice hires her sister's manny, Jacob, to help look after her 9-year-old daughter while they're away.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & comedy
An Ideal Husband (1980)
British MP Sir Robert Chiltern is known for his honesty and integrity. To match his wife, Lady Chiltern, who is an example of high morality. However, the past of Sir Robert, as it turned out, is not at all perfect. Famous socialite adventurer Laura Cheveley, with evidence of his long-standing dishonorable act, is trying to blackmail Chiltern. Not only Sir Robert's reputation and career are at stake, but also family happiness. His best friend comes to the rescue — Lord Goring.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & comedy
Mistletoe in Montana (2021)
Merry, who owns the ranch, has been unlucky in love, but that's about to change when a single father, Mark, and his two kids book the ranch for Christmas week. Adventure is on the menu, the holiday spirit is everywhere, and love is in the air.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)
Although he's only seven, Eddie's got it all figured out. He wants his father, a widower, to get remarried — to the girl next door. Unfortunately, she's not one of the women that his dad's been dating.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like this'Til There Was You (1997)
Two strangers, whose paths are always crossing, finally meet when fate steps in. It took them twenty years to fall in love at first sight.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Under the Cherry Moon (1986)
Two friends from Miami are in the French Riviera enjoying life by scamming money off of rich women. One day, they read about a young woman set to inherit $50 million from her father. At first, Tricky has Christopher Tracy talked into romancing her for her money, but in getting to know her, Christopher falls in love with her. This love comes between the brothers, and Tricky tells about the plan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisIdhu Namma Aalu (2016)
An eternal romantic falls in love with the girl his father has decided to get him married to, but will his past love affair prove to be a problem?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
Arthur (2011)
A drunken playboy stands to lose a wealthy inheritance when he falls for a woman that his family doesn't like.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisGenitori & figli - Agitare bene prima dell'uso (2010)
Parent-teenage children clashes in 21st century Italy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhy did I write the Bible (2017)
Francis, a man in his sixties, is found in a diving suit, swimming in a river in the city center. Even his children, accustomed to their father's escapades, are surprised: since Francis knows he is condemned, it seems really unmanageable. Samuel and his sister must therefore find a way to accompany him at any cost.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like Houseboat and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Houseboat?
The closest matches to Houseboat are Starting Over (1979), Splendor (1999) and Romance & Cigarettes (2006). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Houseboat?
Start with Starting Over (1979), the closest match to Houseboat.
What is the highest-rated movie like Houseboat?
¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023), rated 8.4/10 by 378 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Houseboat?
You're Cordially Invited (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Houseboat?
Yes: Starting Over (1979), Splendor (1999) and Romance & Cigarettes (2006).
How are movies similar to Houseboat chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Houseboat, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.