Movies like Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa
The best movies like Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa are Butter (2012), Leatherheads (2008) and Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017). If Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBaraka (1992)8.2/10 from 735 votes
- NewestBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)Released 2026
Butter (2012)
An adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their Iowa town's annual contest.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisLeatherheads (2008)
A light hearted comedy about the beginnings of Professional American Football. When a decorated war hero and college all star is tempted into playing professional football. Everyone see the chance to make some big money, but when a reporter digs up some dirt on the war hero... everyone could lose out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisGaga: Five Foot Two (2017)
Follow pop provocateur Lady Gaga as she releases a new album, preps for her Super Bowl halftime show, and confronts physical and emotional struggles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPumping Iron (1977)
Amateur and professional bodybuilders prepare for the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe contests as five-time champion Arnold Schwarzenegger defends his Mr. Olympia title against Serge Nubret and the shy young Lou Ferrigno.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWindy City Heat (2003)
A man caught up in the glamor of being a Hollywood celebrity has no idea that the production he's in is a fake.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Class of ‘92 (2013)
A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBillie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBaraka (1992)
A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global vision—an odyssey through landscape and time—that attempts to capture the essence of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEarthlings (2005)
Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSkywalkers: A Love Story (2024)
Two real-life daredevils test the limits of their love and trust by illegally scaling one of the world's tallest buildings to perform an acrobatic stunt.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKevin Hart: What Now? (2016)
Comedian Kevin Hart performs in front of a crowd of 50,000 people at Philadelphia's outdoor venue, Lincoln Financial Field.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Freshman (1925)
An unathletic college freshman ridiculed by his peers for his mannerisms strives to become popular by making the football team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Game Plan (2007)
Bachelor football star Joe Kingman seems to have it all. He is wealthy and carefree, and his team is on the way to capturing a championship. Suddenly, he is tackled by some unexpected news: He has a young daughter, the result of a last fling with his ex-wife. Joe must learn to balance his personal and professional lives with the needs of his child.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhost Elephants (2026)
In Angola's mist-shrouded highlands, three KhoiSan master trackers embark on a spiritual quest to rediscover the legendary "ghost elephants" of Lisima, creatures presumed lost but remembered in ancestral trance, ritual, and memory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJackass 4.5 (2022)
Through outrageous, never-before-seen footage, witness the making of the Jackass crew's last go at wild stunts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Prairie Home Companion (2006)
A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Final: Attack on Wembley (2024)
As England reach the final of the Euros at last, 6,000 ticketless football fans storm Wembley stadium, leaving destruction in their wake.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTour de Pharmacy (2017)
A mockumentary that chronicles the prevalence of doping in the world of professional cycling.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeatles '64 (2024)
Featuring never-before-seen footage of the band and the legions of young fans who helped fuel their ascendance, follow McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Starr as they land in New York City in February 1964 and solidify their status as the biggest band in the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisInterstellar: Nolan's Odyssey (2014)
A look behind the lens of Christopher Nolan's space epic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHunting Grounds (2010)
A group of college students experience the ultimate close encounter of the most ferocious kind in the deserts outside of Roswell, New Mexico in this documentary styled horror film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
It Exists (2014)
"Ia Wujud" follows a a group of teenagers who breaks into an abandoned theme park. Set at a time before the flurry of horror stories from the Highland Tower case, the group believes that ghosts do not exist. So they challenge each other to a 'spirit of the coin' game in the abandoned park, but they soon find that ultimately what they are looking for actually exists.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Ready or Not (2012)
A new reality television show chooses six contestants to travel to a secluded mansion to compete for one million dollars. The game is Hide-and-Seek. But the rules change when one contestant is found murdered by the very cameraman who was sent to record their every move. The players realize that this is no game. It's a real life horror film and they are the stars. What began as a contest for quick fame and easy fortune becomes a battle for survival.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
America's Most Haunted (2013)
The crew of a popular ghost hunting show gets more than they bargained for when they come across a location that's actually haunted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Zombinator (2012)
College students from Youngstown, Ohio were planning a simple fashion blogging documentary before a zombie invasion changed their film, and their lives. Teaming up with an ex-soldier turned zombie-hunter, the co-eds face threats from the undead and their corporate overlords.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Bag Witch Project (1999)
"The Bag Witch Project" documents the misadventures of three hapless gamers as they try to find the legendary Bag Witch gaming tournament. "On August 3, 1998, three roleplayers disappeared in a hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin while looking for a gaming tournament...A year later, their footage was found."
Why it matches: Similar story and style
419 (2012)
When a New York City actor loses everything to an internet scam based in South Africa, his two best friends take him to Cape Town to track down the scammer. With the help of a charismatic local, their search begins promisingly, leading them into Cape Town's clubs, back alleys, and townships. But as they find themselves moving into darker territory, things prove to be not all that they seem, old rivalries flare up, and the limits of friendship are tested in ways the three men could never have imagined. Designed to look and feel like a documentary, 419 is a unique thriller about the mysteries of male friendship and the true cost of revenge.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
A New York University professor returns from a rescue mission to the Amazon rainforest with the footage shot by a lost team of documentarians who were making a film about the area's local cannibal tribes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRewind (2017)
A mysterious natural phenomenon sets an end to the party night of a group of young adults. The morning after begins with far more than just a hangover.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Staring Contest (2025)
A man recalls a distant memory of a battle from a long, long time ago. A staring contest.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa?
The closest matches to Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa are Butter (2012), Leatherheads (2008) and Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa?
Start with Butter (2012), the closest match to Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa.
What is the highest-rated movie like Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa?
Baraka (1992), rated 8.2/10 by 735 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa?
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa?
Yes: Butter (2012), Leatherheads (2008) and Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017).
How are movies similar to Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Once Upon a Time in Carroll County, Iowa, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.