Movies like Heading West (2025)
The best movies like Heading West (2025) are Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Mac & Devin Go to High School (2012) and Booksmart (2019). If Heading West hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedFerris Bueller's Day Off (1986)7.6/10 from 5,658 votes
- NewestSuncoast (2024)Released 2024
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
After high school slacker Ferris Bueller successfully fakes an illness in order to skip school for the day, he goes on a series of adventures throughout Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, all the while trying to outwit his wily school principal and fed-up sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMac & Devin Go to High School (2012)
A comedy that follows two high school students -- one overachiever struggling to write his valedictorian speech, the other a senior now going on his 15th year of school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBooksmart (2019)
Two academic teenage superstars realize, on the eve of their high school graduation, that they should have worked less and played more. Determined to never fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCooley High (1975)
In the mid-1960s, a group of high school friends who live on the Near North Side of Chicago enjoy life to the fullest...parties, hanging out, meeting new friends. Then life changes for two of the guys when they are falsely arrested in connection with stealing a Cadillac. We follow their lives through to the dramatic end of high school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoller (2021)
In a forgotten pocket of Southern Ohio where American manufacturing and opportunity are drying up, a determined young woman finds a ticket out when she is accepted to college. Alongside her older brother, Ruth Avery joins a dangerous scrap metal crew in order to pay her way. Together, they spend one brutal winter working the scrap yards during the day and stealing valuable metal from the once thriving factories by night. With her goal in sight, Ruth finds that the ultimate cost of an education for a girl like her may be more than she bargained for, and she soon finds herself torn between a promising future and the family she would leave behind.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fallout (2021)
In the wake of a school tragedy, Vada, Mia and Quinton form a unique and dynamic bond as they navigate the never linear, often confusing journey to heal in a world that feels forever changed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSon of Rambow (2007)
Will is looking for an escape from his family when he encounters Lee, the school bully. Armed with a video camera and a copy of Rambo, Lee plans to make his own action-packed video epic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sweet East (2023)
A picaresque journey through contemporary America, undertaken by a young woman granted access to the strange sects and cults that proliferate in this country by a series of gatekeepers eager to win her over.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Summer (2019)
Standing on the precipice of adulthood, a group of friends navigate new relationships, while reexamining others, during their final summer before college.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Eternals (2022)
Join director Chloe Zhao and the Cast of Eternals as they recount their experiences during the making of Marvel Studios’ most ambitious film to date. Discover how the ensemble cast felt stepping into their roles, filming in remote locations, and creating bonds that would help to create the on-screen relationships that span over 7,000 years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAmerican Teen (2008)
A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLady Bird (2017)
Lady Bird McPherson, a strong willed, deeply opinionated, artistic 17 year old comes of age in Sacramento. Her relationship with her mother and her upbringing are questioned and tested as she plans to head off to college.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies 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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
A group of Southern-California high school students ignore their studies in favor of indulging in their teenage distractions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe DUFF (2015)
Bianca's universe turns upside down when she learns that her high school refers to her as a ‘DUFF' (Designated Ugly Fat Friend). Hoping to erase that label, she enlists the help of a charming jock and her favorite teacher. Together they'll face the school's mean girl and remind everyone that we are all someone's DUFF… and that's totally fine.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSuncoast (2024)
While caring for her brother along with her audacious mother, a teenager strikes up an unlikely friendship with an eccentric activist who is protesting one of the most landmark medical cases of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStargirl (2020)
An unassuming high schooler finds himself inexplicably drawn to the free-spirited new girl, whose unconventional ways change how they see themselves…and their world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoop Dreams (1994)
Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisProject X (2012)
Three high school seniors throw a party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Heading West?
The closest matches to Heading West are Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Mac & Devin Go to High School (2012) and Booksmart (2019). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Heading West?
Start with Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), the closest match to Heading West.
What is the highest-rated movie like Heading West?
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), rated 7.6/10 by 5,658 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Heading West?
Suncoast (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Heading West chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Heading West, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.