Movies like The Fisherman (2025)
The best movies like The Fisherman (2025) are The Thirteenth Year (1999), Splash (1984) and Leviathan (2013). If The Fisherman hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBig Fish (2003)7.7/10 from 8,047 votes
- NewestRuby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)Released 2023
The Thirteenth Year (1999)
A teen learns that his birth mother is a mermaid after he begins to grow fins and slimy scales on his thirteenth birthday.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSplash (1984)
A successful businessman falls in love with the girl of his dreams. There's one big complication though; he's fallen hook, line and sinker for a mermaid.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLeviathan (2013)
An experimental portrait of the North American commercial fishing industry through the lens of GoPro cameras placed on a fishing vessel off the coast of New England.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAquamarine (2006)
Two teenage girls discover that mermaids really do exist after a violent storm washes one ashore. The mermaid, a sassy creature named Aquamarine, is determined to prove to her father that real love exists, and enlists the girls' help in winning the heart of a handsome lifeguard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSalmon Fishing in the Yemen (2012)
A fisheries expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheik's vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert and embarks on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOndine (2010)
On the coast of Cork, Syracuse is a divorced fisherman who has stopped drinking. His precocious daughter Annie has failing kidneys. One day, he finds a nearly-drowned young woman in his net; she calls herself Ondine and wants no one to see her. He puts her up in an isolated cottage that was his mother's. Annie discovers Ondine's presence and believes she is a selkie, a seal that turns human while on land. Syracuse is afraid to hope again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrumpier Old Men (1995)
A family wedding reignites the ancient feud between next-door neighbors and fishing buddies John and Max. Meanwhile, a sultry Italian divorcée opens a restaurant at the local bait shop, alarming the locals who worry she'll scare the fish away. But she's less interested in seafood than she is in cooking up a hot time with Max.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 (2012)
Merliah Summers, a mermaid from Oceana, travels to Australia for a surfing competition. But when she learns that the evil Eris is planning to take over her kingdom, she must stop her at any cost.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Little Mermaid (2023)
The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. With mermaids forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Manxman (1929)
A fisherman and a rising lawyer who grew up together as brothers fall in love with the same woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Old Man and the Sea (1958)
Santiago is an aging, down-on-his-luck, Cuban fisherman who, after catching nothing for nearly 3 months, hooks a huge Marlin and struggles to land it far out in the Gulf Stream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRuby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)
Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
Set several years after the first film, Ariel and Prince Eric are happily married with a daughter, Melody. In order to protect Melody from the Sea Witch, Morgana, they have not told her about her mermaid heritage. Melody is curious and ventures into the sea, where she meets new friends. But will she become a pawn in Morgana's quest to take control of the ocean from King Triton?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie: Mermaid Power (2022)
Barbie 'Brooklyn' Roberts, Barbie 'Malibu' Roberts, and sisters Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea go on an underwater adventure as they transform into mermaids to help save the world of Pacifica.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPan (2015)
Living a bleak existence at a London orphanage, 12-year-old Peter finds himself whisked away to the fantastical world of Neverland. Adventure awaits as he meets new friend James Hook and the warrior Tiger Lily. They must band together to save Neverland from the ruthless pirate Blackbeard. Along the way, the rebellious and mischievous boy discovers his true destiny, becoming the hero forever known as Peter Pan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbout Schmidt (2002)
A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBig Fish (2003)
Throughout his life Edward Bloom has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William. Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe King's Daughter (2022)
King Louis XIV's quest for immortality leads him to capture and steal a mermaid's life force, a move that is further complicated by his illegitimate daughter's discovery of the creature.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSabrina, Down Under (1999)
Sabrina travels to Australia's Great Barrier Reef with her best friend Gwen, a fellow witch from England, for a week-long vacation where they try to help protect a hidden mermaid colony whose habitat is threatened by ocean pollution, and by a local marine biologist determined to find the colony as his claim to fame. While Sabrina finds romance with a "merman" from the mermaid colony, Salem the cat finds a possible romance with another witch-turned-into-a-cat, named Hilary, but finds Sabrina's problems interfering with his plans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSissi (1955)
The young Bavarian princess Elisabeth, who all call Sissi, goes with her mother and older sister Néné to Austria where Néné will be wed to an emperor named Franz Joseph, Yet unexpectedly Franz runs into Sissi while out fishing and they fall in love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSissi: The Young Empress (1956)
Sissi is now the empress of Austria and attempts to learn etiquette. While she is busy being empress she also has to deal with her difficult new mother-in-law, while the arch-duchess Sophie is trying to tell the emperor how to rule and also Sissi how to be a mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSissi: The Fateful Years of an Empress (1957)
After a wonderful time in Hungary Sissi falls extremely ill and must retreat to a Mediterranean climate to rest. The young empress’ mother takes her from Austria to recover in Madeira.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGo for Zucker (2004)
Germany director Dani Levy filmed this comedy about Jewish life in today’s Germany along side the familiar east-west conflict. With it great success this film is a joyful comedy of humor and knowledge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrill Point (2002)
Christian is a presenter at a small radio station. His wife Katrin directs traffic in a car park. Both are friends with Uwe, who runs a fast food kiosk, and Ellen, who works in a perfume shop. Their four lives are stuck in a rut. Until the day Chris and Ellen sleep together and upset the balance of the two couples...
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)
Alex Kerner's mother was in a coma while the Berlin wall fell. When she wakes up he must try to keep her from learning what happened (as she was an avid communist supporter) to avoid shocking her which could lead to another heart attack.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLonging (2006)
An average, everyday metalworker and volunteer firefighter content in his marriage to his childhood sweetheart finds his emotions unexpectedly stirred when he falls for a pretty waitress from a nearby town.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
A River Runs Through It (1992)
The Maclean brothers, Paul and Norman, live a relatively idyllic life in rural Montana, spending much of their time fly fishing. The sons of a minister, the boys eventually part company when Norman moves east to attend college, leaving his rebellious brother to find trouble back home. When Norman finally returns, the siblings resume their fishing outings, and assess where they've been and where they're going.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Promised Land (1975)
At the turn of the century, Lodz, Poland, was a quick-paced manufacturing center for textiles, replete with cutthroat industrialists and unsafe working conditions. Three young friends, a Pole, a Jew, and a German, pool their money together to build a factory.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Fisherman?
The closest matches to The Fisherman are The Thirteenth Year (1999), Splash (1984) and Leviathan (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Fisherman?
Start with The Thirteenth Year (1999), the closest match to The Fisherman.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Fisherman?
Big Fish (2003), rated 7.7/10 by 8,047 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Fisherman?
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Fisherman?
Yes: The Thirteenth Year (1999), Splash (1984) and Leviathan (2013).
How are movies similar to The Fisherman chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Fisherman, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.