Movies like Sixteen Candles (1984)
The best movies like Sixteen Candles (1984) are Old Boys (2018), Sleepover (2004) and Good Kids (2016). If Sixteen Candles hooked you with its comedy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBack to the Future (1985)8.3/10 from 22,752 votes
- NewestBlue Period (2024)Released 2024
Old Boys (2018)
In the school-set re-working of Cyrano, an awkward but imaginative pupil helps the handsome but spectacularly dim school-hero pursue the fiery daughter of a visiting French teacher.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSleepover (2004)
Desperate to improve their social status, four best friends enter into an all-night scavenger hunt against the popular clique in their school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGood Kids (2016)
Four high school students look to redefine themselves after graduation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLiar, Liar, Vampire (2015)
When ordinary boy Davis suddenly becomes famous at school as people start to believe he's actually a vampire, vampire expert Cameron helps him act like a real vampire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNapoleon Dynamite (2004)
A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAccepted (2006)
A high school slacker who's rejected by every school he applies to opts to create his own institution of higher learning, the South Harmon Institute of Technology, on a rundown piece of property near his hometown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBack to the Future (1985)
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTeen Beach 2 (2015)
When characters from the movie musical “Wet Side Story” get stuck in the real world, teens Brady and Mack must find a way to return them home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight School (2018)
Teddy Walker is a successful salesman whose life takes an unexpected turn when he accidentally blows up his place of employment. Forced to attend night school to get his GED, Teddy soon finds himself dealing with a group of misfit students, his former high school nemesis and a feisty teacher who doesn't think he's too bright.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGnome Alone (2017)
When Chloe discovers that her new home's garden gnomes are not what they seem, she must decide between the pursuit of a desired high school life and taking up the fight against the Troggs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad Hair Day (2015)
Monica is desperate to be prom queen, but on the big night, her hair is an uncontrollable mess. Meanwhile, FBI agent Liz Morgan is on the hunt for a jewel thief who is looking for a stolen necklace, which Monica has in her possession. Soon, she and the agent chase the jewel thief, and she's whizzed on a wild adventure in the city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009)
Unjustly accused of staging a spooky practical joke complete with ghosts, Daphne, Velma, Fred and Shaggy are suspended from Coolsville High. To clear their names, they team up to solve the supernatural mystery…and head straight into nonstop laughs and adventure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDaphne & Velma (2018)
Before their eventual team-up with Scooby and the gang, bright and optimistic Daphne and whip-smart and analytical Velma are both mystery-solving teens who are best friends but have only met online - until now. Daphne has just transferred to Velma's school, Ridge Valley High, an incredible tech-savvy institute with all the latest gadgets provided by the school's benefactor, tech billionaire Tobias Bloom. And while competition is fierce among the students for a coveted internship at Bloom Innovative, Daphne and Velma dig beyond all the gadgets and tech to investigate what is causing some of the brightest students in school to disappear - only to emerge again in a zombie-fied state.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEasy A (2010)
Olive, an average high school student, sees her below-the-radar existence turn around overnight once she decides to use the school's gossip grapevine to advance her social standing. Now her classmates are turning against her and the school board is becoming concerned, including her favorite teacher and the distracted guidance counselor. With the support of her hilariously idiosyncratic parents and a little help from a long-time crush, Olive attempts to take on her notorious new identity and crush the rumor mill once and for all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWish Upon a Star (1996)
A younger sister wishes to switch places with her popular older sister and the two bickering siblings awaken to find the wish has come true.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWork It (2020)
A brilliant but clumsy high school senior vows to get into her late father's alma mater by transforming herself and a misfit squad into dance champions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisMean Girls (2024)
New student Cady Heron is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called ‘The Plastics,’ ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George and her minions Gretchen and Karen. However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels, she finds herself prey in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis and Damian, she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
SnoozefestMovies like thisCaptain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)
Based on the bestselling book series, this outrageous comedy tells the story of George and Harold, two overly imaginative pranksters who hypnotize their principal into thinking he’s an enthusiastic, yet dimwitted, superhero named Captain Underpants.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe War with Grandpa (2020)
Peter is thrilled that his Grandpa is coming to live with his family. That is, until Grandpa moves into Peter's room, forcing him upstairs into the creepy attic. And though he loves his Grandpa, he wants his room back - so he has no choice but to declare war.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigh School U.S.A. (1983)
Set in a senior high school class, J.J. pursues the girlfriend of a rival from a higher clique which culminates in a race at the end of the movie between the two rivals in this light comedy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Cromartie High School: The Movie (2005)
When a good student named Kamiyama gets placed in a high school filled with disobedient kids, he steps up to the plate and takes a position of leadership. Urging the young slackers and rebels to clean up their act, Kamiyama is in store for a lot of resistance.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Just Bea (2004)
16 year-old Bea is in her first year at upper secondary school in Oslo. Active on the school magazine, she falls in love with Daniel, the smartest and most gifted student in the top year, who returns her feelings. There is just one drawback, namely her friend' idea of virginity and first love...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Wild Life (1984)
Eighties teen romp involving Bill and his new apartment, Jim and his rebellious antics, Tom and his crazy self, and Anita with her older man David.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeven Minutes in Heaven (1986)
Natalie allows her classmate Jeff, who has run away from home, to stay at her place while her father is away on a business trip. Natalie soon starts dating Jeff's friend James Casey, who isn't as faithful as she thinks, while her best friend Polly falls in love with baseball player Zoo Knudsen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Period (2024)
Yatora is the perfect high school student, with good grades and lots of friends. It's an effortless performance, and, ultimately… a dull one. But he wanders into the art room one day, and a lone painting captures his eye, awakening him to a kind of beauty he never knew. Compelled and consumed, he dives in headfirst—and he's about to learn how savage and unforgiving art can be!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Bikini Beach (1964)
A millionaire sets out to prove his theory that his pet chimpanzee is as intelligent as the teenagers who hang out on the local beach, where he is intending to build a retirement home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Beautiful Person (2008)
In the wake of her mother's tragic death, French teenager Junie transfers to a different high school. Though Junie lives mostly inside her own head, her beauty and stoicism win her the attention of the entire male student population. Junie begins dating the gentle Otto Cleves, but finds herself intensely drawn to her youthful Italian language teacher, Nemours. When Nemours begins to reciprocate, serious complications ensue.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoodwinkers (2021)
A small study session leads to a crazy party and the following hungover day, a class must figure out how to pass the Irish Leaving Certificate exam without knowing a clue of Irish. Comedy starring Dominic MacHale from 'The Young Offenders" & Sarah Horgan. Hoodwinkers received 2 Irish Nominations
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
3 Generations (2016)
A teenager transitions from female to male, and his family must come to terms with that fact.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Sixteen Candles?
The closest matches to Sixteen Candles are Old Boys (2018), Sleepover (2004) and Good Kids (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Sixteen Candles?
Start with Old Boys (2018), the closest match to Sixteen Candles.
What is the highest-rated movie like Sixteen Candles?
Back to the Future (1985), rated 8.3/10 by 22,752 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Sixteen Candles?
Blue Period (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Sixteen Candles?
Yes: Old Boys (2018), Sleepover (2004) and Good Kids (2016).
How are movies similar to Sixteen Candles chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Sixteen Candles, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.