Movies like 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang (1933)
The best movies like 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang (1933) are Bo Burnham: What. (2013), Airheads (1994) and A Song Is Born (1948). If 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang hooked you with its comedy and music, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBo Burnham: Make Happy (2016)8.0/10 from 460 votes
- NewestA Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025)Released 2025
Bo Burnham: What. (2013)
Left brain and right brain duke it out and then belt out a tune in comedian Bo Burnham's quick and clever one-man show. As intelligent as he is lanky, Burnham cynically pokes at pop entertainment while offering unadulterated showmanship of his own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAirheads (1994)
The Lone Rangers have heavy-metal dreams and a single demo tape they can't get anyone to play. The solution: Hijack an FM rock radio station and hold the deejays hostage until they agree to broadcast the band's tape.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Song Is Born (1948)
The story of seven scholars in search of an expert to teach them about swing music. They seem to have found the perfect candidate in winsome nightclub singer Honey Swanson. But Honey's gangster boyfriend doesn't want to give her up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe After Party (2018)
When an aspiring rapper goes viral for the wrong reasons, he thinks his career is sunk. But a wild party gives him one more chance to make it right.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Store (1941)
A detective is hired to protect the life of a singer, who has recently inherited a department store, from the store's crooked manager.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSoul Men (2008)
Two former backup soul singers, Louis and Floyd, have not spoken to each other in 20 years, and reluctantly agree to travel across the country together to a reunion concert to honor their recently-deceased lead singer. Cleo, a beautiful young woman who is believed to be Floyd's daughter, accompanies them as a new singer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBo Burnham: The Inside Outtakes (2022)
Exactly one year after the release of the one man show, "Bo Burnham: Inside" (made in one room, by one person, throughout the pandemic,) comes a series of unseen outtakes, deleted scenes, alternative versions of songs, and new songs unused from the special.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBo Burnham: Make Happy (2016)
Combining his trademark wit and self-deprecating humor with original music, Bo Burnham offers up his unique twist on life in this stand-up special about life, death, sexuality, hypocrisy, mental illness and Pringles cans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBack to the Beach (1987)
A former beach boy and his wife go to California to visit their daughter and become part of the new beach scene.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025)
Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas face a series of escalating obstacles as they struggle to make it from London to New York in time to spend Christmas with their families.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGet Crazy (1983)
Mega-promoter Colin Beverly plans to sabotage the New Year's 1983 concert of small-time operator Max Wolfe. Wolfe's assistants Neil Allen and Willie Loman find romance while trying to save the drugs, violence, and rock and roll from Beverly's schemes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Mighty Wind (2003)
Three eclectic, never-quite-famous folk bands come together for the first time in decades following the death of their manager to put on an reunion concert in his honor, at the request of his son.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBottle Rocket (1993)
Dysfunctional friends Dignan and Anthony plan and execute a robbery with their pot-growing friend, Bob. The short film that inspired Wes Anderson’s feature debut.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwo-Way Stretch (1960)
Three criminals plan to break out of prison the day before their release in order to carry out a daring jewel robbery, intending to establish the perfect alibi by returning to jail afterwards. First however they must get out, a task made more difficult by a new, stricter prison officer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day (2009)
Ricky, Julian and Bubbles are about to get out of jail, and this time, Julian vows to go straight, even open a legit business. Soon the Boys will all be rich. At least that's what they've told the parole board. But when they arrive back at the park, they find it's not the same old Sunnyvale - and it's not the same old Jim Lahey, Trailer Park Supervisor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFun with Dick and Jane (1977)
When an upwardly mobile couple find themselves unemployed and in debt, they turn to armed robbery in desperation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWrong Cops (2013)
A group of bad cops look to dispose of a body that one of them accidentally shot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThunderstruck (2012)
After NBA star Kevin Durant switches talent with 16 year old Brian, the teenager becomes the star of his high school team, but Durant starts struggling and eventually learns an important lesson.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big Brawl (1980)
A young Asian American martial artist is forced to participate in a brutal formal street-fight competition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisHow to Rob a Bank (2007)
Caught in the middle of a bank robbery, a slacker and a bank employee become the ones who arbitrate the intense situation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisOnce Is Never (1955)
A musician seeks a peaceful vacation in a Vogtland village but is soon overwhelmed by requests for a symphonic composition and a pop song for a local dance band, leaving him with no time to relax.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & comedy
Downsizing (2017)
A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisCharly (2002)
Sam Roberts thinks he has all the answers: the purpose of life, the meaning of love, the plan for a perfect future. Until Charly walks into his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Les Chevaliers Du Fiel : Noël à Miami (2017)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Her Minor Thing (2005)
Jeana does IT for the Sacramento Fire Department. She and Tom, a self-confident local TV news reporter, are about to go on a cruise to Rio when he lets slip on TV that she is a virgin. It's a slow news week, so this becomes a story: the media pursue Jeana, she breaks up with Tom and wants the tickets or her cruise money back, and Tom can't believe she's serious. Her path crosses that of Paul, a photographer recently arrived from Texas who's also Tom's cameraman; he's had six serious relationships that have ended with his heart broken. A triangle of sorts develops. Will Jeana end up with either man? Will she end up on the cruise? And what about that minor thing?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004)
A small-town girl wins a date with a Hollywood star through a contest. When the date goes better than expected, a love triangle forms between the girl, the celebrity, and the girl's best friend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhen in Rome (2010)
Disillusioned with romance, Beth, an ambitious New Yorker, travels to Rome for her sister's wedding, where she plucks magic coins from a special fountain of love. The coins attract unwanted attention from an assortment of odd yet ardent suitors: a sausage merchant, a street magician, an artist, and a male model. But when the best man from the wedding, persistent reporter Nick, throws his hat in the ring, Beth wonders if his love is the real thing.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Toxic Avenger (1984)
A gang of thugs devise a cruel hoax that goes horribly wrong as Melvin, a nerdy emaciated janitor at the local health club, is cast through a third story window into a vat of hazardous toxic waste.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFear City: A Family-Style Comedy (1994)
A second-class horror movie has to be shown at Cannes Film Festival, but, before each screening, the projectionist is killed by a mysterious fellow, with hammer and sickle, just as it happens in the film to be shown.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOne Thing She Doesn't Have (2014)
Na Bi is a former member of an idol girl group and now an actress, but her acting is poor. Meanwhile, Hong is a movie director who studied in Poland. He is recognized as a rising star in the movie industry. He became famous for sex scenes in his films.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang?
The closest matches to 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang are Bo Burnham: What. (2013), Airheads (1994) and A Song Is Born (1948). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang?
Start with Bo Burnham: What. (2013), the closest match to 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang.
What is the highest-rated movie like 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang?
Bo Burnham: Make Happy (2016), rated 8.0/10 by 460 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang?
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang?
Yes: Bo Burnham: What. (2013), Airheads (1994) and A Song Is Born (1948).
How are movies similar to 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.