Movies like Down the Road (1990)
The best movies like Down the Road (1990) are 20th Century Women (2016), Ladies First (2026) and Cadet Kelly (2002). If Down the Road hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Down the Road
Quick picks
- Highest rated20th Century Women (2016)7.3/10 from 1,271 votes
- NewestLadies First (2026)Released 2026
20th Century Women (2016)
In 1979 Santa Barbara, California, Dorothea Fields is a determined single mother in her mid-50s who is raising her adolescent son, Jamie, at a moment brimming with cultural change and rebellion. Dorothea enlists the help of two younger women – Abbie, a free-spirited punk artist living as a boarder in the Fields' home and Julie, a savvy and provocative teenage neighbour – to help with Jamie's upbringing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLadies First (2026)
An arrogant but charismatic ladies' man finds his life of money, power and casual flings upended when he wakes up in a parallel world dominated by women.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisCadet Kelly (2002)
Hyperactive teenager Kelly is enrolled into a military school when her new stepfather becomes the Commandant. At first she has problems fitting in and taking orders until she tries out for the drill team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWon't Back Down (2012)
Jamie Fitzpatrick and Nona Alberts are two women from opposites sides of the social and economic track, but they have one thing in common: a mission to fix their community's broken school and ensure a bright future for their children. The two women refuse to let any obstacles stand in their way as they battle a bureaucracy that's hopelessly mired in traditional thinking, and they seek to re-energize a faculty that has lost its passion for teaching.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisClockwatchers (1997)
Four female temps working for a credit company find their friendship threatened by the arrival of a new hire, who lands a permanent position one of the women was vying for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
Nutbourne College, an old established, all-boys, boarding school is told that another school is to be billeted with due to wartime restrictions. The shock is that it's an all-girls school that has been sent. The two head teachers are soon battling for the upper hand with each other and the Ministry. But a crisis (or two) forces them to work together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoney: Rise Up and Dance (2018)
Street dancer Skyler comes out of the shadow of her trained dancer sister, Tosha, & joins a dance competition with the Honey dance studio; the prize is a college scholarship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe King Tide (2024)
After the mayor of an idyllic island village discovers a child with mysterious powers awash on their shores, the once peaceful community devolves into civil war, torn over the belief that the child is the next saviour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLadies in Black (2018)
Adapted from the bestselling novel by Madeleine St John, Ladies in Black is an alluring and tender-hearted comedy drama about the lives of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnuja (2024)
When a brilliant nine-year-old working in a sweatshop gets a chance to attend school, she must make a difficult choice for her and her sister's future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGracie (2007)
A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNine to Five (1980)
Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPrivate Benjamin (1980)
A sheltered young high society woman joins the US Army on a whim and finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pod Generation (2023)
In a not-so-distant future, couples can share pregnancy on a more equal footing via detachable artificial wombs. While botanist Alvy has doubts about this new way of birthing babies, his love for Rachel prompts him to take a leap of faith.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Boy in the Dress (2014)
Dennis feels different - an ordinary boy in an ordinary house in an ordinary street, playing football with his mates and living with his dad and brother, but frustrated by the boring grey world he inhabits. Life has never really been the same since his mum left. However, transformation can happen in the most unexpected places. Aided by Lisa, the coolest girl in school, Dennis creates a whole new persona and puts it to the ultimate test - but can a boy wear a dress, and what will the headmaster, his dad and his friends on the football team think if they find out?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJust One of the Guys (1985)
When Terry Griffith loses her high school's writing competition, she's convinced that it's because she's a girl. So Terry decides to change high schools and pose as a boy to prove her point. Her brother, Buddy, helps her pass as a guy so well that she is soon making friends with the boys at school, including the attractive Rick, who becomes her new best friend. But her gender-swapping makes things difficult when she falls in love with him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Gang's All Here (1943)
A soldier falls for a chorus girl and then experiences trouble when he is posted to the Pacific.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisLemonade (2016)
The second "visual album" (a collection of short films) by Beyoncé, this time around she takes a piercing look at racial issues and feminist concepts through a sexualized, satirical, and solemn tone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAre You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)
When her family moves from New York City to New Jersey, an 11-year-old girl navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTaking Care of Business (1990)
An uptight advertising exec has his entire life in a filofax organizer which mistakenly ends up in the hands of a friendly convict who poses as him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Down the Road?
The closest matches to Down the Road are 20th Century Women (2016), Ladies First (2026) and Cadet Kelly (2002). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Down the Road?
Start with 20th Century Women (2016), the closest match to Down the Road.
What is the highest-rated movie like Down the Road?
20th Century Women (2016), rated 7.3/10 by 1,271 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Down the Road?
Ladies First (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Down the Road?
Yes: 20th Century Women (2016), Ladies First (2026) and Cadet Kelly (2002).
How are movies similar to Down the Road chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Down the Road, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.