Movies like The Birthday Fish (1987)
The best movies like The Birthday Fish (1987) are Watching the Detectives (2007), I Love You Again (1940) and Players (2024). If The Birthday Fish hooked you with its comedy and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
The Birthday Fish
Quick picks
- Highest rated¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023)8.4/10 from 378 votes
- NewestMy Date with Frank (2026)Released 2026
Watching the Detectives (2007)
Neil, a self-proclaimed film geek and owner of Gumshoe video, has always been content to live vicariously through his favorite films noir. But when he meets Violet, a real-life femme fatale, his mundane world gets turned upside down and the line between reality and the movies quickly begins to blur.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI Love You Again (1940)
Boring businessman Larry Wilson recovers from amnesia and discovers he's really a con man...and loves his soon-to-be-ex wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies 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 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 thisFrench Girl (2024)
Sweet Gordon, an affable English teacher in Brooklyn, has beaten the odds; a French Girl has fallen in love with him and he’s fallen even harder back. But their future is thrown into limbo when she interviews for an executive chef position in her hometown of Quebec City. To Gordon’s dismay her future boss also happens to be her former lover, a celebrity Chef with oceanic eyes and a hit TV show. Good luck Gordon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Italy (2018)
Former childhood pals Leo and Nikki are attracted to each other as adults—but will their feuding parents' rival pizzerias put a chill on their sizzling romance?
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 thisLet's Make Love (1960)
When billionaire Jean-Marc Clement learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue, he passes himself off as an actor playing him in order to get closer to the beautiful star of the show, Amanda Dell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisLove, Weddings & Other Disasters (2020)
A fussy celebrity caterer, a blind woman, a tour-bus guide and an inexperienced wedding planner search for love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMan's Favorite Sport? (1964)
Roger Willoughby is a renowned fishing expert, who, unbeknownst to his friends, co-workers, or boss, has never cast a line in his life. One day, he crosses paths with Abigail Paige, a sweetly annoying girl who has just badgered his boss into signing Roger up for an annual fishing tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYoh! Bestie (2026)
Thando is perpetually unlucky in love, but when her bestie returns from his travels with a fiancée in tow, she's forced to face a new emotion — jealousy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Nice Girl Like You (2020)
Lucy Neal is thrown for a loop when she is accused of being too inhibited by her ex-boyfriend. In an effort to prove him wrong, Lucy creates a rather wild to-do list that sends her on a whirlwind and surprising journey of self-discovery, friendship, and new love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisSilk Stockings (1957)
After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is sent to complete their mission and to retrieve them. She starts out condemning the decadent West, but gradually falls under its spell—with the help of an American movie producer. A remake of Ninotchka (1939).
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Long Weekend (2005)
Cooper is an actor who sees life as one big party, while Ed is in advertising and takes life too seriously. When Ed gets stressed over a deadline he has to meet, his brother Cooper works hard in trying to get his brother hooked up with a girl, thus a long weekend of stress and beautiful women, culminating in Ed meeting, and making love to, the woman of his dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisGidget (1959)
Due to an accident while swimming in the sea, Francis meets the surfer Moondoggie. She's fascinated with his sport and starts to hang out with his clique. Although they make fun of her at first, they teach her to surf and soon she's accepted and given the nickname "Gidget". But it's hard work to become more than a friend to Moondoggie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDesk Set (1957)
A computer expert tries to prove his electronic brain can replace a television network's research staff.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisWhat's Love Got to Do with It? (2023)
Two childhood friends now in their thirties must decide whether to follow their heads or their hearts once the man decides to follow his parents' advice and enter into an arranged marriage in Pakistan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow I Got Into College (1989)
High school senior Marlon Bowne is smitten with overachieving classmate Jessica Kailo. But, if he wants to have a shot with her, he'll have to find a way to get into Ramsey College, Jessica's top choice of schools. It won't be easy, since the college is highly selective and Marlon's grades are hardly impressive. That means the lovelorn teen will have to find a way to score high on the SATs and win over the college admissions committee.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Date with Frank (2026)
They say Saturday night is the loneliest night of the week, but in a timeless neighborhood in Michigan, a woman gets ready for a date with an unexpected guest. Join Claire and her Shubunkin goldfish Russell as she prepares authentic Italian cuisine, pours wine, and dances the night away. After all, being alone and being lonely are two very different things.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & comedy
Goldfish (2008)
Two couples, in the same room, try to keep it together. The human couple fare differently to the pair of Goldfish in their fish tank. An artful piece exploring choice in life and love. The humour is derived from the wistful musings, in Cantonese, of the male fish and narrator.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
During a rainy day, and while their mother is out, Conrad and Sally, and their pet fish, are visited by the mischievous Cat in the Hat. Fun soon turns to mayhem, and the siblings must figure out how to rid themselves of the maniacal Cat.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Hedgehog (2009)
Paloma is a serious and highly articulate but deeply bored 11-year-old who has decided to kill herself on her 12th birthday. Fascinated by art and philosophy, she questions and documents her life and immediate circle, drawing trenchant and often hilarious observations on the world around her. But as her appointment with death approaches, Paloma finally meets some kindred spirits in her building's grumpy janitor and an enigmatic, elegant neighbor, both of whom inspire Paloma to question her rather pessimistic outlook on life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFinding Goldie (2025)
In a world where goldfishes are a luxury, Kokoy, a fisherman’s son, is determined to own one.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Endling (2024)
A documentary crew interviews the man responsible for taking care of the last surviving goldfish in the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Desert Mirage (2016)
Aspiring cartoonist and middle-aged gumbuster Cliff Morelli (Jeremy Koerner, Black Cat Whiskey, New York Lately) spends his days at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk performing minimum wage janitorial duties. When he is put on suspension after harassing a teenager and his parents threaten to throw him out of the house, Cliff decides to actively pursue his lifelong animation dreams by reconnecting with his rich brother Jack. After a failed attempt and a string of bad luck, Cliff finds himself at the mercy of the animated characters he has created, and together, they form a devilish plan to exact revenge on all those that have wronged him.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Brilliantlove (2010)
Manchester is a struggling photographer with charm to spare who falls for Noon, a sweet but spunky woman who works as a taxidermist. Noon is also drawn to Manchester, and together they enjoy a wildly enthusiastic sexual relationship that reflects their innocent but deeply passionate love for one another.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Sophie's Misfortunes (2016)
Sophie is far from being the model little girl one would like her to be, unlike her friends Camille and Madeleine. She always insists on having her own way, often getting into trouble, to the despair of one and all. But her mother is unbending and otherwise inclined. She will not let her get away with anything, and poor Sophie will often have to live with the consequences of her bad behaviour and learn her lesson.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisFemales Is Fickle (1940)
Olive Oyl brings her new pet goldfish onto Popeye's ship, but the fish jumps out of its bowl and into the sea. Olive pressures Popeye to go after it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Like The Birthday Fish and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Birthday Fish?
The closest matches to The Birthday Fish are Watching the Detectives (2007), I Love You Again (1940) and Players (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Birthday Fish?
Start with Watching the Detectives (2007), the closest match to The Birthday Fish.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Birthday Fish?
¿Quieres ser mi hijo? (2023), rated 8.4/10 by 378 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Birthday Fish?
My Date with Frank (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Birthday Fish?
Yes: Watching the Detectives (2007), I Love You Again (1940) and Players (2024).
How are movies similar to The Birthday Fish chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Birthday Fish, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.