Movies like Espionage for Beginners
The best movies like Espionage for Beginners are The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), Spies Like Us (1985) and Johnny English Strikes Again (2018). If Espionage for Beginners hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Espionage for Beginners
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)8.1/10 from 6,469 votes
- NewestMayday (2026)Released 2026
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
At the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union. CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks. The duo's only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpies Like Us (1985)
Two bumbling government employees think they are U.S. spies, only to discover that they are actually decoys for nuclear war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJohnny English Strikes Again (2018)
Disaster strikes when a criminal mastermind reveals the identities of all active undercover agents in Britain. The secret service can now rely on only one man - Johnny English. Currently teaching at a minor prep school, Johnny springs back into action to find the mysterious hacker. For this mission to succeed, he’ll need all of his skills - what few he has - as the man with yesterday’s analogue methods faces off against tomorrow’s digital technology.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966)
A by-the-book Captain is ordered to capture a strategic village in Italy. The Italian soldiers are willing to surrender, if they can have a festival first. The lieutenant convinces the Captain this is the only way. Because of aerial reconnaissance, they must look like they are fighting. To sort this out an intelligence officer is sent in. Meanwhile the festival gets complicated with the Mayors daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisMy Spy The Eternal City (2024)
JJ, a veteran CIA agent, reunites with his protégé Sophie, in order to prevent a catastrophic nuclear plot targeting the Vatican.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGet Smart (2008)
When members of the nefarious crime syndicate KAOS attack the U.S. spy agency Control and the identities of secret agents are compromised, the Chief has to promote hapless but eager analyst Maxwell Smart to field agent. He is partnered with veteran and capable Agent 99, the only spy whose cover remains intact. Can they work together to thwart the evil world-domination plans of KAOS and its crafty operative?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBack in Action (2025)
Fifteen years after vanishing from the CIA to start a family, elite spies Matt and Emily jump back into the world of espionage when their cover is blown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMayday (2026)
When a U.S. Navy pilot on a top-secret mission during the Cold War gets trapped behind enemy lines, his only chance at survival is to form an alliance with an eccentric ex-KGB agent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Spy (2020)
A hardened CIA operative finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOur Man Flint (1966)
When scientists use eco-terrorism to impose their will on the world by affecting extremes in the weather, Intelligence Chief Cramden calls in top agent Derek Flint.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Union (2024)
A New Jersey construction worker goes from regular guy to aspiring spy when his long-lost high school sweetheart recruits him for an espionage mission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
After the insane General Jack D. Ripper initiates a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, a war room full of politicians, generals and a Russian diplomat all frantically try to stop it.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisCentral Intelligence (2016)
Calvin Joyner, a mild-mannered accountant whose high school glory days are long behind him, reconnects with an awkward pal from high school through Facebook. After meeting up, Calvin’s mundane life takes an unexpectedly thrilling turn when he's thrust into the world of international espionage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThey Cloned Tyrone (2023)
A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy lurking directly beneath their neighborhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRED (2010)
After surviving an assault from a squad of hit men, retired CIA black ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team for an all-out war. Frank reunites with old Joe, crazy Marvin and wily Victoria to uncover a massive conspiracy that threatens their lives. Only their expert training will allow them to survive a near-impossible mission -- breaking into CIA headquarters.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Burlesque on Carmen (1915)
A gypsy seductress is sent to sway a goofy officer to allow a smuggling run.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisKnight and Day (2010)
A fugitive couple goes on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Best Man Holiday (2013)
When college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be reignited.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIf Looks Could Kill (1991)
Michael Corben, along with the rest of his high-school French class, sets out for a trip to France when he is mistaken for an agent of the same name. He is beseiged by both the good guys and the bad guys. British Intelligence outfits him with a series of James-Bond-like gizmos, and Steranko sends more would-be assassins after him. Can Michael stop the evil Steranko's plans for European domination?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJohnny English (2003)
A lowly pencil pusher working for MI7, Johnny English is suddenly promoted to super spy after Agent One is assassinated and every other agent is blown up at his funeral. When a billionaire entrepreneur sponsors the exhibition of the Crown Jewels—and the valuable gems disappear on the opening night and on English's watch—the newly-designated agent must jump into action to find the thief and recover the missing gems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRiding in Cars with Boys (2001)
In 1965, a young woman with dreams of becoming a writer has a son at the age of 15 and struggles to make things work with the drug-addicted father.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLazer Team (2016)
Four losers are thrust into the position of saving the world when they stumble upon a UFO crash site and become genetically equipped to the battle suit on board.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisStrawberry and Chocolate (1993)
In 1979 Cuba, flamboyant gay artist Diego attempts to seduce straitlaced David, an idealistic young communist, and fails dismally. But David conspires to be "friends" with Diego so he can monitor the artist's subversive life for the state. As Diego and David discuss politics, individuality and personal expression in Castro's Cuba, a genuine friendship develops between the two.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWater Drops on Burning Rocks (2000)
In 1970s Germany, Léopold, a 50-year-old businessman, picks up and seduces 20-year-old Franz, who swiftly moves into his apartment. The dynamic between them intensifies with the sudden arrival of their ex-girlfriends.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSingle8 (2023)
Summer 1978. High schooler Kurita is inspired by Star Wars, and films a spaceship scene on a 8mm camera together with his friend Ozawa. When the class is discussing a project for their school festival, Kurita's suggestion to make an SF movie ends up winning. Together with their movie fan classmate Sasaki, the boys start to plan a movie and manage to convince Yamashita, the prettiest girl in class, to star as the heroine. Over the summer vacation, the four shoot their movie, "Time Reverse", where an alien spaceship arrives on Earth to turn back time in order to save mankind from itself.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972)
A hapless orchestra player becomes an unwitting pawn of rival factions within the French secret service after he is chosen as a decoy by being identified as a super secret agent.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIt's All Gone Pete Tong (2004)
A comedy following the tragic life of the legendary Frankie Wilde. The story takes us through Frankie's life from being one of the best DJs alive, through a subsequent battle with a hearing disorder, culminating in his mysterious disappearance from the scene.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)
Stuck in a rut, reporter Kim Baker decides to shake things up by leaving her desk job in New York and taking a dangerous assignment in Afghanistan. Far from home and completely out of her comfort zone, a culture-shocked Kim befriends an adventurous reporter Tanya Vanderpoel, a stern Colonel, and a charming photojournalist to help her navigate this crazy new world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycle race. As their consumption of drugs increases at an alarming rate, the stoned duo trash their hotel room and fear legal repercussions. Duke begins to drive back to L.A., but after an odd run-in with a cop, he returns to Sin City and continues his wild drug binge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCroque la vie (1981)
Friendships and business do not mix, that's what we find with Theresa, Catherine and Alain, three longtime friends. Freshly graduated, they decided to start their own business, but work is scarce and a fight breaks out between the trio. Separated, married and scattered all over France, the once inseparable trio no longer keep in touch. But four years later, they decided to organize a big party for their reunion which serves as an opportunity for them to put things right and confess everything they have in their hearts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Espionage for Beginners?
The closest matches to Espionage for Beginners are The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), Spies Like Us (1985) and Johnny English Strikes Again (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Espionage for Beginners?
Start with The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), the closest match to Espionage for Beginners.
What is the highest-rated movie like Espionage for Beginners?
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), rated 8.1/10 by 6,469 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Espionage for Beginners?
Mayday (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Espionage for Beginners chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Espionage for Beginners, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.